The Bachelor's Twins

Places she might never be ready to go.

She swallowed hard and looked up at Liam.

“Is there anything the girls and I can do while you cook the fish?”

“You can unpack the cooler. Mom said she’d packed a few snacks for us, but when I was lugging this thing up the hill, it felt like she’d packed it with iron ore.” Liam flipped open the lid. “And now I know why.”

The girls crowded in next to him. “Why?”

“See for yourself.” Liam shook his head. “I’m just not sure whether I should be relieved or flattered.”

“What do you mean?” Anna’s curiosity got the better of her, too, and she moved in for a closer look.

“Mom knows my fishing skills are a little rusty, and she was probably afraid I’d serve you peanut butter and crackers.”

Anna’s lips parted as she scanned the contents of the cooler. Sunni had taken the description on the silent auction sheet very seriously.

Small glass storage containers were arranged inside the cooler like puzzle pieces, each one containing an entrée of the gourmet meal Anna had been promised. Pasta salad studded with tomatoes, zucchini and pearls of fresh mozzarella cheese. Crispy sourdough rolls swaddled in an embroidered tea towel and a mason jar filled with lemonade. If that weren’t enough of a feast, a small but decadent-looking chocolate cake wrapped in fondant and decorated with plump fresh raspberries peeked through the cellophane window of a white bakery box.

“The fish won’t take long to cook, so I think we should start with the first course,” Liam said.

No one argued.

The twins each claimed a corner of the tablecloth, and when Liam sat down, Cassie reached for his hand.