Read Online The Right Twin For Him (O'Rourke Family 2) by Julianna Morris - Free Book Online Page A

looks good. And I’ll have a chocolate shake, a side of coleslaw, and the Marionberry pie for dessert.”
    Shirley examined Maddie over the rim of her glasses. “You’re a little thing. Are you sure you don’t want something smaller? A meal like that would pack five pounds onto my hips.”
    “I don’t gain weight easily. Must be life’s compensation for making me flat-chested,” Maddie said.
    She made it sound like a joke, but Patrick knew it wasn’t. He couldn’t say anything, not in the restaurant. He wasn’t even certain he should say something, he might make things worse rather than better.
    Tarnation. He didn’t want to be responsible for other people’s feelings and worry about them getting hurt. But here he was, trying to be a damned hero and getting involved with Maddie in the process.
    “All right, then. The usual, Patrick?” Shirley prompted, startling him from less comfortable thoughts.
    “Uh, yeah.” He handed her the menus.
    “And I want the check,” Maddie added.
    “No, she doesn’t,” he said.
    “Yes, I do.”
    Shirley hesitated. “Patrick really wants to take care of this one. You can take the next one.” She patted Maddie’s hand and hurried back to the kitchen.
    “You knew she going to say something like that,” Maddie accused.
    Patrick shrugged, keeping a smile from his face with an effort. Shirley’s husband worked for the mill, so her allegiance was firmly in the O’Rourke camp.
    It was after the lunch rush, so they didn’t have to wait long for their food. The “wonder” burger was the café’s biggest platter, served up with a mountain of cheddar fries. Maddie reached for the jalapeño Tabasco sauce and shook a generous amount over the fries.
    “Want some?” she asked, holding out the bottle.
    “Not a chance. Do you have an asbestos mouth?”
    “Nope, but I grew up on New Mexico chilies. We pour green chili sauce over everything that sits stillfor it.” She popped a forkful of fries into her mouth and chewed.
    Patrick shuddered. He was the first to admit his diet wasn’t the healthiest—mostly steak and salad—but he couldn’t imagine eating liquid fire with such abandon. He also couldn’t imagine any woman he knew ordering such a big meal when they were out with a man. One of his dates had actually ordered a dinner salad as her meal. A dinner salad!
    Christina was a stock analyst—a sleek brunette who didn’t want commitment any more than he did. He hadn’t seen her in a while. It was hard having a social life when you were building a radio empire.
    As they left the café, his cell phone rang and the display showed his mother’s number. His sixth sense said she was calling about more than him missing the last five Sunday dinners with the family, and he groaned. Didn’t he have enough problems dealing with Maddie without adding family on top of it?
    “Is something wrong?” Maddie asked, fastening her seat belt.
    “I have a feeling trouble is calling.”
    “Then don’t answer.”
    He just shook his head and pressed the button. Not answering a call from his mother was the same as refusing a call from the president—you didn’t consider it an option.
    “Hi, Mom.”
    “I understand you have a new employee,” Pegeen said. She’d immigrated from Ireland as a young bride, and she still retained a soft Irish brogue. “I hear Maddie’s the image of our darlin’ Beth.”
    News traveled at the speed of light in the O’Rourke family.
    “She’s…yeah, they look alike.” Patrick cast a glance at Maddie in her brightly printed dress. She’d abandoned her black blazer and looked more like herself. He grinned wryly—he didn’t have a clue what Maddie was really like, but he’d bet that a sober black blazer was out of character.
    “I hoped we could have dinner here tonight to meet Maddie. Since you’ll be the one knowin’ her best, I thought you might speak to her about coming, then bring her along,” his mother said, dropping the verbal bomb