Famous by Association Read online

  “Tosh? Are you there?” Her face came back into view once I turned the device around. “We must have a poor connection; I think I lost you there for a minute.”

  “I’m here, and I can see you just fine.” I had to bite my lip to keep her from witnessing my smile. “So, sis…you wanna tell me what happened to your face? I hear that you had some work done. Please tell me they aren’t finished.”

  “No. There were some complications.”

  “Oh, yeah? Like what? They ran out scalpels, so they used butter knives instead?”

  “It’s good to see you haven’t changed, Tasha.”

  “No, but you sure have. You look like Leatherface operated on you,” I continued, giggling between sentences. There was no point in showing concern over learning that she had voluntarily mutilated herself. “Oh my God! It’s painful to even look at you! It’s like Angelina Jolie and Caitlyn Jenner had a love child that was run over by a train! Please tell me you’re not paying whoever did that to you!”

  “Well, I can’t say your appearance is much better, but we can get to all that’s wrong with you once we get to the reason for Ty’s visit. I’ve asked him to speak with you about—”

  “I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to take the marshmallows out of your mouth. I’m having a hard time hearing you.”

  “Tasha! Enough! I get it!” Tiff attempted to yell, but instead, she sounded like a rabid Rottweiler being choked by a chain while wearing a muzzle that was made for a Chihuahua. “Despite my feelings on this, I need your help. If there’s anything else you need to get off your chest, do it now so we can get this over with.”

  “You give a whole new meaning to Scarface. You should see if there are any auditions for the role on Broadway. You’d be a shoo-in.”

  If she could’ve moved any part of her face behind the swelling, she’d likely gut me with one sneer—the same one she had perfected years ago that made me feel like gutter trash. It was a good thing that her eyebrows were stuck in the middle of her forehead.

  She sighed and continued. “I am Adam King’s fiancée. That means I have a certain image to uphold, especially if I’m expected to show my face on TV. Which brings me to my dilemma… I’m currently tied up in Mexico while I heal—and before you ask, I came here so the press wouldn’t catch wind of my little makeover. In Adam’s social circle, aging is not an option.”

  “Tiff, we’re twenty-eight. In what world is that considered old?”

  “I’m sorry…did you not hear me? The world of famous people!”

  “My apologies. It’s hard to understand you over the sound of your lips.”

  “Whatever. Listen, I need you to pretend to be me, just for a little bit. I can’t afford to back out of this opportunity. And no one besides you, me, Ty, and Adam needs to know. Now, I understand you’re not fully equipped to handle this responsibility, nor do I feel confident that you can pull it off, but I don’t have any other options.”

  It was beyond clear that my sister was never good at asking for help, especially from me. Even though she’d been very skilled at talking me into things when we were kids, I was an adult now. An adult who could definitely speak for herself. “Let me get this straight…you don’t think I can convince anyone that I’m you, but you want me to do it anyway? That makes zero sense. And why? What’s so important that you can’t back out of?”

  “A reality show.”

  “Nope. Nuh-uh. Not gonna happen. Find someone else.”

  She groaned. “Tasha, we’re twins, not triplets. There is no one else.”

  As much as I didn’t want to play along, I couldn’t deny that I found the thought of impersonating my sister a little entertaining. “What all would I have to do? Because I’ll tell you right now, I will not get jiggy with your boyfriend.”

  “God, no.” If Tiffany could move her face, she’d likely look as disgusted as she sounded. “No, nothing like that. You just need to live in my house, and when the cameras are around, pretend to be me.”

  “I guess it wouldn’t be too difficult to act like I have a stick up my butt, but there’s one issue that no one seems to have thought of. Don’t you think your neighbors might realize that I’m not you?” Then again, that would mean she’d spoken to the people who live next to her. And she wasn’t that kind of person.

  “That won’t be a problem; I just bought the house. I haven’t met them yet.”

  I vaguely remembered my mom saying something about that the last time we spoke, but I’d only half-listened to that conversation. Really, I could’ve waited for their Christmas card to be updated on all the wonderful things going on in my sister’s life.

  “How long are we talking about here?”

  Her swollen lips vibrated when she hummed. “Two months.”

  I scoffed, which earned me a groan from Ty. “That will be fixed in two months?”

  “Three at the most.”

  “Hmm…wanna know what I think? I think you’re mentally insane. It seems all that silicone and Botox have gone straight to your brain. Two months was bad enough, and now you’re saying it could be three? Yeah, well, thanks for the offer. But unfortunately, regardless of what you may think, I’m not that desperate. I’ll pass.”

  “Give me one good reason,” she demanded, as if I wouldn’t be able to come up with one.

  “I have a job that I happen to love. I can’t just disappear for two months—possibly three—and expect them to hold my position. And last time I checked, impersonating my sister so she doesn’t lose her spot on some mindless reality TV show while she recovers from a back-alley surgery in Mexico isn’t covered on FMLA.”

  “Oh, yes…how could I possibly forget about your job playing video games. It’ll be okay, Tosh. I’m sure there are many companies biting at the bit to hire someone with your experience.”

  With my finger hovering over the red button, I looked at Ty. Aside from random grunts and groans, it was as if he hadn’t been here. Then again, anytime Tiffany was in the room—through video feed or in person—everyone else faded. And I didn’t mean that in a complimentary way, either. Everyone disappeared because Tiff always made everything about her.

  I tapped the screen, disconnecting the call, and then handed the device to a sullen Ty. “I’m sorry, but I just can’t. She’s caused more damage than you know, and I refuse to give her an opportunity to rub salt into my wounds.” I couldn’t believe she had the gall to contact me after so long and practically demand that I give up my life to bail her out again. I was done letting her take advantage of me.

  “I really wish you’d reconsider. A lot is riding on this, and she’ll make it worth your while.” The iPad lit up in his lap with an image of Tiff on the screen—pre-Mexico. That picture was enough to remind me of all the torment I’d had to endure at her expense.

  I stood from the couch and said, “There isn’t enough incentive in the entire world to do her the tiniest favor, let alone something of this magnitude.” I was still patting myself on the back for repelling Tiffany’s latest scheme. I was proud that I could stand on my own two feet.

  “You think I don’t know what a horrible person she is?”

  I turned, finding Ty on his feet, the iPad flashing with the incoming call sitting in his open briefcase. Desperation clung to his every feature, down to his fisted hands at his sides. For someone who had appeared completely put together, he seemed to be falling apart before my very eyes. I couldn’t look at him and turn down his request simultaneously, so I stepped away and headed for the door. I had my fingers wrapped around the knob, ready to expedite his exit, but his next words stopped me dead.

  “She’ll pay you fifty grand a month.”

  1

  Tasha

  “I’m not wearing that.” I crossed my arms, rejecting the tenth outfit in a row. “I don’t understand why I have to dress like her if I’m not even leaving the house. I’d get it if I were going shopping or something, but I’m not.”

  It was very clear that Ty was more than tir
ed of my defiance. He huffed, shook his head in reprimand, and then stood in front of me with his hands on his hips. “Because, Tasha, if you want people to believe that you are the Tiffany Lewis, then you have to play the role all the time, which includes being at home. The tiniest slip-up could ruin this entire thing.”

  We both knew I wouldn’t care if that happened.

  But the money meant something to me, and for that reason, I needed to try.

  “There have to be boundaries, Ty. I refuse to become my sister. I’ll pretend to be her for the camera’s sake. I’ll act like her in front of others, or anytime I’m in public, but please don’t ask me to be her when I’m all alone.”

  “How exactly do you expect people to believe you if you don’t practice?”

  I had to laugh. Really, his question, though serious to him, was quite comical. “Ty, I hate to be the one to point this out, but I grew up with that snobby wench. I was on the receiving end of her entitled attitude for more than eighteen years. If anyone knows how to imitate my sister accurately, it’s me. No practice needed.”

  “All right, fine. Have it your way.” He trotted off to the closet that was bigger than my bedroom. Well, not the bedroom I resided in while living in Tiff’s house, but the one at the apartment I shared with Dave.

  I missed my apartment, but not as much as my best friend.

  Ty returned with a pair of nude pumps dangling off two fingers and a hanger in the other hand. On the hanger was a black dress, though it looked more like a shirt. He held them out and said, “Wear these and walk across the room.”

  “I’d love to, but there’s just one problem. There’s no way I’m going to fit in her dress. I’m a couple sizes bigger than she is.” It was something I was proud of. Seriously, it wouldn’t have hurt Tiffany to eat a few hamburgers from time to time.

  “That’s okay…she has shapewear in the drawer.”

  “Shape what?”

  “Shapewear.” The smile on his lips showed just how much he enjoyed this. Maybe he was more like my sister than I originally thought. Then again, you couldn’t breathe the same air as her as much as he did and not become her. “It’ll suck you in enough to fit into the dress.”

  “I don’t want to be sucked in. Just saying it out loud creeps me out.”

  He rolled his bright eyes and sighed. “Tasha, dear…everyone wears them.”

  “Clearly not, because I don’t.”

  “Do you want people to figure out that you’re not Tiffany? Because they will if you show up in public with a bigger waist and smaller tits.”

  I stared at him for a moment. Then I blinked—slow to start, then rapidly as I mentally worked through his words. Once I decided that I hadn’t misunderstood him, I laughed in his face. I laughed so hard that I fell backward on the bed and held my sides.

  “This isn’t funny, Tasha.”

  “Yes, it is. It’s very funny.” I sat up and took several deep breaths to calm myself enough to speak. “First of all, I’m here because Tiff is holed up in some back-alley doctor’s office recovering from plastic surgery performed by Dahmer. When she does come back, there will be a lot more than our weight difference for people to notice.”

  He quietly mulled that over before nodding. Although, he added a slight eye-roll at the end. “Fine, have it your way. But you will still dress like her. Meaning…you will wear the clothes she’d pick out, only in your own size. And trust me, regardless if it’s a size four or eight, you’ll want the shapewear.”

  Just the thought of squeezing my body into something like that made me feel like a sausage. It wasn’t a pleasant visual.

  Ty’s phone rang, so he dropped the heels on the mattress next to me and handed the dress to one of the women from the army he’d brought in to help him. Apparently, they didn’t speak English, although I suspected it was an excuse they used to avoid dealing with my sister.

  “There, practice walking in those,” he said while staring at his cell and moving toward the door. Based on the way he walked with his butt cheeks clenched, I assumed it was Tiff calling. That became even more apparent when he waited until he was in the hall to answer.

  Ignoring the heels next to me, I grabbed my phone off the nightstand and called Dave. He’d been my roommate since college, so it was weird not to have him here. He said he would come stay with me when he could, but he wouldn’t be able to take that much time off work to stay the entire two or three months. Not to mention, seven hours was a long way to drive one way, so being here every weekend didn’t make sense. Then there was the camera crew to consider—Dave said he’d pretend to be my servant, but Ty said no.

  “Hey, boo.” His chipper voice flooded the line and filled me with a sense of home. It was something I desperately needed. “Hang on a sec, ’kay?”

  As I listened to him talk to the kids at the youth center where he worked, I reminisced about my own job and the reasons I’d even accepted this deal to begin with. Thanks to the non-disclosure agreement I had to sign, I couldn’t tell anyone the truth about where I’d be or why I’d be gone. Dave had to sign one as well. When it came to my job, I had to tell them that I had a family emergency. Really, all I had to do was show them a picture of my sister and tell them she’d been beaten up and mugged; they gave me the time off without asking any questions. Like Tiffany had quipped…I was an assistant manager for a video game store. It wasn’t like they’d fall apart without me.

  The main reason I’d agreed to carry on this façade was to help the youth center. While it provided kids with a more structured environment, it didn’t exactly reach the nerds. Those kids who’d just sit at the tables and twiddle their thumbs because nothing at the center was of interest to them. Dave and I could relate, because we used to be them. There was no way you’d catch either of us on a basketball court or running track when we were kids. But the center refused to provide the money to create an arcade room or computers, and neither Dave nor I had extra funds to make it happen.

  I was only able to do so much—I’d donated old consoles or defective products from the store where I worked that could be fixed for cheap, but that only went so far. If there weren’t enough controllers or games, the kids wouldn’t come. That was the bottom line. So when Ty had offered that monthly allotment, I’d been caught between a rock and a hard place. I needed that money to open an arcade for the center.

  “You still there?” He came back on the line.

  Hearing Dave’s voice was enough to calm me down, but hearing him at work gave me the incentive I needed to keep moving forward. Even if that meant I had to move forward, sucked deep into the Spanx that could rearrange my organs and heels, which would likely cause me to break my neck.

  “Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “I don’t know…you’re supposed to be Tiff, and I doubt she’d wait around for anyone.”

  I belted out a pretentious chuckle. “Oh, darling, Tiffany Lewis wouldn’t have called you in the first place. Don’t you know that you’re well beneath her?”

  “Yet another perk for being gay—I’ll never be beneath your sister.”

  My obnoxious humor quickly transformed into sincere laughter as I was reminded of our younger days. Dave used to always say that Tiffany made him gay—that she had solely turned him off so much she’d successfully turned him off all females. And she used to claim that he became gay to be more like her—which was where the rumor of him wearing her clothes had stemmed from.

  They had a hate-hate relationship. Absolutely no love involved.

  That’s probably why we’d always gotten along so well.

  “How’s it going over there? Are you having fun being a rich snob yet?”

  I groaned and rolled onto my back. If there was one good thing that came from taking over Tiff’s life, it was this bed. Seriously, it had to have been made from clouds imported from heaven. “You know…in theory, impersonating a pretentious elitist sounds fun, but in reality, it’s quite the opposite.”

  “I’m sure a few c
abana boys could turn that around for you.”

  When all else failed, at least I could trust Dave to cheer me up. “They’re literally turning me into a carbon copy of my sister.”

  He hummed into the receiver for a moment. “Hate to break it to you, Tosh, but that’s kind of what you signed up for. If they only wanted someone who sort of resembled Tiffany, I’m pretty sure they’d have their pick of the litter at any local Botox treatment facility. Or hair salon. Or—”

  “I got it, Dave.” Whose side was he on, anyway? “I’m well aware that I need to look and act like Buffy when I’m out and about, or when they start filming this stupid TV show, but Ty wants me to play the part even when no one else is around.”

  “Doesn’t she have staff or other people at the house who you have to fool, too?”

  Things would be so much easier if he were here instead of having to try to explain it all to him over the phone while he had screaming kids in the background. “No, Ty gave them all the time off because he thinks the more people involved, the more likely this will get out. And apparently, having everyone sign non-disclosure agreements won’t help. Something to do with not knowing who leaked it if a lot of people know the truth.”

  “How in the world do they expect you to live like Queen Bee if they take away all the worker bees?”

  “I know!” I sat up and slapped my thigh for emphasis. “That’s what I’m saying. He even took away the cook. Which wouldn’t be so bad if they had actual food in the house, but they don’t. I’ve never even heard of half the crap she has in the pantry. And the worst part is, Ty won’t let me go to the store to do my own shopping.”

  “What’s wrong with that? You don’t even do your own shopping here.”