Addilyn Walton had to count to ten before she punched her sister in the face. Since when had Gracen lost all traces of human decency?

“No, Gracen. Taking the company jet to your friend’s wedding is not a business reason.”

Gracen pouted. “Fine. I’ll talk to Daddy about using the family jet then.”

Addilyn glanced down at the financials in front of her. “Fine. Do that. I’m sure he’ll give in to you. He always does.”

One of the biggest problems her father had was the fact he didn’t know how to say no to Gracen. She was a spoiled brat and Addy still didn’t know how they could be twins. Talk about polar opposites. They didn’t even have that supposed twin connection people spoke about so much. When it came to their relationship, awkward and polite was more on point than warm and sisterly.

Addy felt at least ten years older than Gracen. Having interned in the family business since high school and then moved in to the CFO position, she had always been more adult than her all-fun sister. When Gracen told Addy she met a cute soldier and she was in love, Addy knew her sister was once again infatuated. Gracen was good at infatuation and falling for good looking men until she grew bored of them.

But then, when Gracen found out her military boy toy had suffered severe injuries that could mean disfigurement or even loss of limbs, she decided she was going to break it off with him. Addy couldn’t get her sister to reconsider. Not that she’d ever met the man, but nobody deserved to be dumped after almost losing his life. Certainly not while fighting for the country. Her sister had no compassion.

Torn, Addy had gone to the hospital where Captain Nick Gates was going through life-saving surgery and sat in the waiting room for hours every day just to get a glimpse of him before he woke from anesthesia and was put to sleep for his next surgery. That went on for weeks. She hadn’t told anyone, and she’d made sure not to bother Nick once he woke.

But for those few moments after surgery, she wouldn’t let him be alone. Eventually, his only sister had shown up and Addy had been careful to not be there when she was around. His sister lived in Japan with her military husband, so it was obvious why she’d taken so long to see him. There was no way Addy could leave the poor guy in a hospital with nobody to worry about him.

Once Nick was on the road to physical therapy, she stopped going to the hospital. There were no more surgeries and no more alone time with Nick. But that hadn’t been the end of her involvement. She’d called every day to ask how he was doing.

When she found out Gracen had broken things off with Nick, she couldn’t help but feel relieved for him. Gracen would never understand what he’d lived through and she wouldn’t care. Life was about her. Plus, those moments where she was alone with him after surgery, she’d opened up and told Nick about herself. Things she didn’t tell anyone. It was strange, but she felt like he was her friend and he didn’t even know it. He had no idea she even existed.

“Are you coming to the wedding?” Gracen asked, snapping her out of her thoughts of Nick.

“No. I have a charity function to attend.”

Gracen rolled her blue eyes at her twin and tossed a super straight, long blonde strand behind her shoulder. “You are so boring. How is it you’re always doing something for charity? Doesn’t that get old?”

“No. It doesn’t. We have a social responsibility to do what we can for those in need, as a large company. As people. Do you get that?”

Gracen shrugged. “Meh.” She got up and pulled down on the hem of her mini dress. Addy didn’t understand why she wore it if she had to pull it down every few minutes. “I’ll see you next week then. Have fun at your whatever,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. “I’m going to see Daddy. Ciao.”

Addy waited until her sister was gone to pull the envelope with the invitation from her drawer. She’d become good friends with the hospital administrators and the person in charge of the burn unit charity events, Kayla Mitchell. Once she found out how much help the burn unit needed, Addy made it her business to make sure their company donated enough to add a second wing to the burn area with the latest equipment. She’d also made sure Nick Gates had never gotten a single hospital bill and had gotten a private room while he dealt with the multitude of changes and surgeries he went through.

Really, the idea of a bachelor auction had been her assistant’s, Dina. She said the best way to get every woman in their social group to spend money for a good cause would be to get some hot men up on stage. Short of getting them naked, this was the best they could come up with.

She pressed a button and Dina came in with a notepad and pen. She walked over to the Keurig and made two cups of coffee.

“I see you didn’t pulled out all your gorgeous hair after that little family visit. Has she finally grown into her years?”

Addy shook her head but grinned. “I wish. You know, for a thirty-year-old woman, Gracen acts like life is going to be a party forever. I don’t know what she expects will happen as she gets older.”

“Uh, you do realize your sister, like you, is gorgeous and gets any man she wants? She’s also, like you, very well off. She doesn’t have to do anything for the rest of her life but party and carry her little dog in her purse forever.”

Addy groaned, her heart going out to her sister’s dog, Benji. “That poor animal,” Addy sighed. “He just pops his head out of her purse and yaps to be let loose.”

“Teacup Chihuahuas are like that. They complain a lot, but they just want attention.”

“Did you see the bow on him?” Addy sighed in frustration. “I can’t justify putting a pink bow on a male dog. I swear I feel like he looked at me and said, ‘Please hand me my balls back. I used to be a boy once.’”

Dina laughed and handed her a fresh cup with cream and sugar, just the way she liked it, light and sweet.

“Here. This will put you in a better mood. I don’t know how Gracen dared to show up here before you’d had at least five cups,” Dina told her and sat in the seat across from Addilyn.

“Because she’s got a busy social life. I’m still trying to figure out how she is awake before noon. That part is stumping me.”

Dina rolled her eyes. “Forget her. Let’s talk about the bachelor auction.”

“Let’s not,” she laughed and sipped on her morning miracle worker.

“Oh no, you don’t. You’re going to tell me how it’s going with this huge event that we, or better said, you are sponsoring with company funds.”

She shook her head, pushing the blonde strands that fell forward behind her ear. “We have a foundation for these things. I’m glad to be chair. Besides, when I brought it up at our last meeting, nobody had an issue. In fact, most were receptive to it.”

“Yeah,” Dina snorted. “They’re all older women excited to bid on a hot young stud.”

“Dina!”

Dina shrugged. “You know it’s true.”

“It doesn’t matter. Raising money for charity is what matters.”

“Will he be there?” Dina asked, meeting her gaze with curiosity and excitement. “You know, Captain Hot Stuff.”

She honestly didn’t know. “I never requested anyone in particular be there. Kayla is in charge of that.”

“Yeah, but didn’t she send you a list of the bachelors? I mean, his name was on it,” she said and drank from her mug.

“She said it was tentative. Nothing final. She made that list up and hadn’t even asked the men if they’d do it. As far as I know, he could be having a cow about being put up for auction and saying hell no.”

Dina made a face. “Please! He owes that burn unit for taking extra care of him. Your foundation made it possible for him to not have any hospital or utility bills to go home to.”

She bit her lip. “I don’t get that. Why aren’t our wounded soldiers coming back with full paid medical and money to help them get on their feet? I mean, they need it. Not like they can find a job when they’re in the hospital for months.”

Dina sighed. “I’ll never get a lot of shit, but that’s one thing I know. You made Nick’s life a lot easier. Even if he doesn’t do this for your foundation, he needs to do it for you.”

Addy chuckled at her friend. “He doesn’t know I’m the foundation.”

“He should. Maybe he’d finally realize who the worthwhile twin is,” she grumbled into her cup.

“Oh, Dina, don’t. This isn’t a competition between me and Gracen. She’s very self-involved and I’m…”

“Not. You’re giving and loving and kind. He needs a woman like you,” Dina said and put her mug on the coaster on Addy’s desk. “Now, let’s talk dresses.”

Addy groaned and dropped her head back. She was not looking forward to this event. Wanting for it to be a success was one thing, but him being there was mentally messing her up big time.