-James - Rachel smiles at the man who is waiting at the door of the coffee shop.

-Ladies - He nods and opens the door for them.

Rachel walks inside and turns to whisper Juliet -He is a gentleman.-

-Sit down while I'll buy you coffee. Just tell me what you want - James leads them to a table near the window.

-No, it's not necessary. We can go Dutch. - Juliet argues.

-No objections, ma'am. Still, this is my apology.-

-But ... – Juliet is interrupted by Rachel.

-A latte and a cappuccino-

-Okay.- James goes to the counter.

-Still, I think it was a bad idea – Juliet grumbles.

Rachel just rolls her eyes.

-I'm back- James gives them two steaming mugs, and sits on a chair with his back to the room.

Silence hangs over them. Rachel looks from her sister to James and back, but they both seems to be much more interested in the contents of their cups. Apparently their similarity is greater than Rachel thought at first, but she hadn't planned to spend all their time in an awkward silence.

-So, where is the person responsible for our meeting today? - she asks lightly.

James immediately turns to her. He seems a little too delighted for such a simple question.

-He's at home, learning how to obey my orders. - James frowns, but it is clear that he truly loves his dog.- For a puppy, it's a perfect torture.-

-Come on, I can't believe that things are really so bad – Rachel laughs. - After all, there should be at least something good in him, considering that you bought him.-

-I wouldn't be so sure- James chuckles. –Because I wasn't the one who bought him. Dogs are said to look like their owners. My dog isn't like me, at all, but he is an exact copy of the one who gave him to me. The same character.-

-No, I can't bear him anymore.This man is a perfect torture.-

-That's why I named my dog in his honor -

-Oh, I wanted to ask you, where such a strange name came from?-

James' and Rachel's voices seems to waft to Juliet from afar.

-He attached me till the morning as if I hadn't enough problems to waste my time on his stupid jokes.-

-Really?-Juliet lifts an eyebrow-You are as similar as twins, so you should be the last man to complain about his 'joke thing'.

-Me and him?As twins? - James frowns.

-Yeah-Juliet laughs-especially now.You sound exactly like Miles.-

-Miles-Looks like the last word she said out loud, because all eyes turn to her.

-Sorry, what?-

-Nothing-she lowers her eyes.

Damn! She knew that coming here was a bad idea. - Just thinking aloud, sorry.-

-No need to apologize. I was just surprised, 'cause that's exactly who gave me this dog, my partner, Miles Straume. And then you said "Miles". What an amazing coincidence.-

-Yes, amazing!- Rachel repeats casting a nervous glance at Juliet, and diverting the conversation away from her words.-Why did he you a dog as a gift? -

-Am I under some kind of interrogation?- James chuckles, revealing his dimples.

And Juliet freezes, staring at him. With every passing second it becomes more and more difficult to keep herself under control. All she can do now is think about his tucking loose hair behind her ear, taking his hand in hers, meeting his eyes ... Juliet abruptly interrupts this flow of thoughts. Don't think about him, she says to herself.

-I don't know about Miles, but for me it was not a gift, but another joke. Judge for yourself. I'll try to reproduce his speech as accurately as possible.-

James pauses, and then starts talking in a changed voice, as if impersonating Miles.

-It's not for you, Jim. It's for your future children and for the unfortunate woman who will dare to marry you. If your care won't kill a dog, then maybe you can handle a family.- He finishes, waiting for their reaction.

Rachel looks at Juliet, hinting her to finally say something.

-I think you are lucky that you have such a good friend who is so concerned about you.- Juliet mumbles.

-You are right, Mrs. Shephard. That is the only thing I can't argue with. Maybe he isn't fun to deal with, but I'm used to him and I don't know what I would do without him.-

-I understand. I feel the same about Juliet.-

-But you're sisters, though… I guess we're like brothers - James seems to try these words out. -Yes, you can say that.- He pauses thoughtfully. –You can't choose your siblings, it is fate. And I've never believed in fate. I've always believed that we create own future by ourselves. So probably it's suit me well. Even a brother I choose myself … -