Just Breathe

by Anna Leigh Keaton

“Whoa! Jackpot,” Phil said. “My wife doesn’t even make breakfast.”

  Dex raised an eyebrow, and Phil pretended he was too busy to notice. Dex doubted the newlyweds got out of bed early enough for breakfast. He’d overheard Dex talking to Bill Thorkelson, one of the other agents, who was also a newlywed. They’d been comparing their wives’ proclivities for bedroom entertainment.

  He hadn’t heard them mention anything he himself hadn’t tried at one time or another with a woman, but he had wondered what it would be like to have just one woman at home. One with whom he could share his deepest thoughts and dreams.

  A vision of Crystal’s bright blue eyes and pixie features flashed in his mind.

  Yeah, someone like her, he thought as he walked into his office and sat down behind the desk. Someone who laid their hand on his shoulder and asked if he was okay. A woman who got riled when he made an off-colored remark. A woman who blushed, he thought with a grin. No woman he’d dated in the last fifteen years would ever blush over admitting to a one-night stand.

  For Christ’s sake, Williams, you just met her. Since when do you start thinking about one woman and forevermore? Phil and Bill would probably both be divorced within five years. Why bother?

  His intercom buzzed, breaking into his rather disturbing thoughts.

  “Mr. Williams,” Phil said. “Mr. Wong is here to see you.”

  Dex stood up and pressed the intercom. “Please show him in.”

  The little man came through the door Phil held open for him.

  “Good morning, Mr. Wong,” Dex said with a congenial smile as he held out his hand.

  Mr. Wong shook his hand. As soon as Phil closed the door behind him, Wong met his gaze. “Mr. Williams, this is only a courtesy call because we’d already scheduled the meeting. I’m sorry, Mr. Williams, but we’ve decided to go with the Solomon properties.”

  Dammit. Only supreme effort kept Dex from blurting out the expletive. “May I ask why, Mr. Wong?”

  “After examining the properties again, we decided the greenbelt behind the Solomon property would be a better selling point to the buyers than the closer to town location.”

  Sonofabitch. Dex actually agreed with the man. “Well, it was a pleasure doing business with you, Mr. Wong, and I hope you’ll keep Williams Realty in mind for future investments.”

  Mr. Wong nodded. “We will, Mr. Williams.” Dex opened the door for him, and Mr. Wong left the office after another perfunctory handshake.

  “That didn’t take very long,” Phil observed after Wong had disappeared down the hallway.

  Dex shrugged. “We’ll get the next one.”

  Phil made a sympathetic face and nodded.

  Yeah, he thought. He didn’t make the sale, probably because he hadn’t had time to really pitch it, and now the corporation that had hired him would most likely drop him like a hot potato and give the property to some other agent who had the time and energy to do a better job.

  Hell. There goes the college fund.

  * * * * *

  Crystal pushed the double stroller across the road. Charlie, Jerald, and Gus were all waiting for her on the porch. “I thought you were making me lunch,” she said as she smiled up at them.

  Gus came down the steps and peered into the stroller. “Look at those two sweet faces,” he said with a grin. “Aren’t they precious?”

  She nodded and lifted one and handed her to Gus, and then she picked up the other. She really needed to do something so she could tell them apart without peeking at their little behinds.

  Gus cuddled the little pink bundle in the crook of his arm. “I remember when you were this size,” he said, his eyes a little misty as he gently traced his finger over the baby’s soft cheek. “I take it everything worked out well between you and Dexter?”

  “Are ya gonna bring them up here and let us look, too?” Charlie grumped. “Or keep them all for yerself?”

  Crystal walked up the three steps to the porch and laid the baby in Uncle Charlie’s arms. “Everything worked out just fine,” she said in answer to Gus’ question. “Once the babies were able to look at each other and touch, the crying stopped.” She grinned when Charlie kissed the baby’s forehead and smiled.

  Gus handed the other baby to Jerald. “So, tell us about him.”

  Ahh, she’d known this was coming, but she thought they’d feed her first. “He’s in real estate.”

  Charlie harrumphed. “We knew that, smarty-pants.”

  She chuckled and leaned back against the porch rail. For three grumpy old men, they sure melted when a baby or two was around. Jerald held the baby, but Gus leaned over and petted her head. Charlie looked totally taken by the other.

  She decided she might as well tell them what she knew or they’d just keep hounding her for details. “The babies are his nieces. Their mother, his sister, died in childbirth.”

  “Where’s the daddy?” Charlie asked.

  She shook her head even though none of them looked at her. “There isn’t one. His sister had in vitro fertilization.”

  Jerald looked up at her and frowned. “That’s not right.”

  Crystal shrugged. Who was she to judge? “Well, that’s what happened. So now, Dex is their daddy, and he’s pretty good at it, too. But he’s tired.” She remembered the way he’d panicked that morning when he thought they were gone. “He really loves these little girls.”

  Gus nodded. “Who wouldn’t? They’re so sweet.”

  She smiled and crossed her arms over her chest. She had to give it to Dex. If he’d been putting up with the squalling she heard last night for the past month, he really had to love them for him to be so tender with them.

  “What are their names?” Uncle Charlie asked.

  “Ruby and Amber, but other than a birthmark, they’re identical, and I don’t know who is holding who.” Then she had a thought. “Uncle Charlie, do you still have Aunt Mattie’s old sewing box?”

  He nodded. “It’s in the closet in my room.”

  “Mind if I look through it? If I can put something on their clothes to differentiate—”

  “Sure,” he said. “You go right ahead. We’ll stay here with these pretty little babies.”

  Crystal’s eyes stung with the quick rush of tears even as she smiled at her dear sweet uncle. She walked behind him to go into the house, but then stopped and leaned over the back of his rocker to kiss the top of his head. “I love you, Uncle,” she whispered.

  He tilted his head back to look at her. “Love you, too, honey.”

  Crystal touched his cheek. “Be careful with them,” she said teasingly. “I don’t know what Dex’s ‘you break, you buy’ policy is.”

  Jerald chuckled and shook his head. “You’ve still got a smart mouth on you, missy.” Then he winked. “Have I told you how good it is to have you back?”

  She nodded and swallowed back the lump in her throat before she went through the door into the house. Charlie, Gus, and Jerald had all been so supportive during her illness. They’d taken turns staying with her after each chemotherapy session that made her so weak she could barely walk. They’d done everything to try to keep her spirits up. She would never be able to thank them enough. Without them, she feared, she would have simply given in to the sickness and died.

  * * * * *

  Dex pulled into the garage at six-fifteen that night with a headache brewing behind his right eyeball. When he informed the corporation that the land deal had fallen through, he’d been dismissed. So not only had he not made the huge commission he should have made on the sale, he had no chance to recover and find another buyer.

  He slid out of his seat and grabbed his jacket before heading into the house. What he’d like tonight was a stiff drink and his Jacuzzi. A month ago, that was exactly what he would have done. But now he had the girls, and he couldn’t take the chance of an alcohol-muddled brain around them. And who had time for a whirlpool when there were two babies who needed constant care?

  As he opened the door into the utility
room, the scrumptious scent of roasted chicken assaulted him. His stomach growled, reminding him that he’d skipped lunch.

  “That you, Dex?”

  Crystal’s voice was sweet and soft, a soothing caress after the crappy day he’d had.

  “Yeah, it’s me,” he said as he tossed his jacket over the back of one of the kitchen chairs. She was leaned over the open oven door, her little round butt encased in denim, looking good enough to eat. Rather than gathering her in his arms and kissing her the way he wanted to, he folded his arms over his chest. “I thought I told you not to worry about cooking for me.”

  She lifted the roasting pan from the oven and turned toward him, one shapely, pale blonde eyebrow raised at him. “Who said this was for you?”

  Oh. He dropped his arms and gave a sharp nod. “Right.” He turned to walk out of the kitchen, disappointment making his teeth clench. He would have liked to have supper with her.

  “I was joking, Dex. I can’t eat a whole chicken by myself.”

  Feeling stupid, he stopped in the archway to the living room. What the hell was wrong with him?

  “Dex?”

  He turned toward her.

  She’d set the chicken on the counter. “Is something wrong?”

  He wanted to spill it all, tell her how bad his day had been, but he forced a smile instead. “Just tired, I guess.”

  Her pretty brow pulled into a frown. “I just fed Ruby and Amber, and they’re asleep, so if you want to relax a bit, I’ll serve up supper.”

  “Thanks. I think I’ll grab a shower and change first, if that’s okay.”

  She nodded. “I still have to mash the potatoes and make the gravy. Take your time.”

  He turned and jogged up the stairs. Crystal was so damn sweet. She’d been joking and had planned to feed him. He tried to remember the last time a woman made him dinner. About five years ago. A first date. He’d never called her for a second. He couldn’t remember what they’d eaten, but he remembered all she talked about was his company, and his bank account.

  With a sigh, he peeked into the nursery to check on the girls. They were sound asleep, curled around each other in the crib like two halves of a whole.

  He and Sheri had slept like that sometimes when they were small children, especially after they were sent to foster care. Scared and alone except for each other, they’d clung together—literally.

  Leaning over the crib rail, he ran the back of his finger over their cheeks. So soft. So trusting. God, please don’t let me screw this up. It was a prayer he’d been saying since the nurse put them in his arms after his sister died.

  In his bathroom, he quickly stripped and stepped into the shower. The cool water helped revitalize him, but he still wished he could have a drink and zone out for about twenty-four hours. He didn’t feel as if he’d relaxed at all in the last month. For the first time in that long, the house was utterly silent. The babies were content. He still couldn’t believe he hadn’t figured out that all they wanted was to be together. What kind of parent did that make him? If Crystal hadn’t come along, would they have spent their entire infancy screaming their heads off?

  He got out of the shower and dried off, then pulled on a T-shirt and a pair of shorts.

  The scent of the chicken made his stomach growl again as he made his way back downstairs. Stopping in the kitchen doorway, he watched the pixie work at the stove. She really was little, maybe just a bit over five feet. She had fine bone structure, too, adding to her delicateness. Her bare feet still peeked out from the hem of those baggy jeans.

  He wondered if her hair was really that blonde, or if it were dyed. Her brows matched, though, so it might be natural. Her blouse was pale purple and fit snug enough to show off her slight curves. He could even see the lines of her bra, and he wondered what color it was. Wondered what she would think if he walked up behind her, leaned down, and placed a soft kiss on the side of her long, delicate neck.

  Would she lean into him and sigh? Turn in his arms and meet his lips with her own? Would she let him lift her up and put her on the counter so he could stand between her thighs and feel her heat?

  Crystal jerked around and stared at him with wide eyes, as if she’d heard his thoughts.

  Their gazes locked for several long moments, her cheeks a bit flushed, those big blue eyes filled with a look he could only hope he didn’t misinterpret.

  “Have a seat,” she said, her voice soft and a bit husky. “I’m just about done with the gravy.”

  Chapter Six

  Dex moved to the small table and sat down at one of the two place settings. A pitcher of lemonade, which looked freshly squeezed because of the lemon slices floating in it, sat on the table in front of him. He filled the two empty glasses then took a sip from one. The sweet tartness made his taste buds pucker in delight. A home cooked meal and freshly squeezed lemonade.

  “I made some chocolate chip cookies for dessert,” Crystal said, and Dex thought he might pass out from sheer joy. “I took a guess. I mean,” she said as she set a bowl of mashed potatoes and boat of gravy on the table, “most men I’ve ever known like chocolate chip.”

  “My favorite,” he said. And even if it hadn’t been, which it was, he would have lied. The breakfast had been good. Nice. But this... “Thank you.”

  She set a platter of sliced chicken on the table then took her seat and sent him a bright smile. “You’re welcome. Dig in.”

  He wasted no time dishing food onto his plate. It wasn’t fancy, but it was special.

  “Oh, I forgot the salads.” She hopped up and opened the refrigerator. When she returned, she had two small bowls of salad, garnished beautifully with yellow pepper and grape tomatoes. “Oil and vinegar okay?” she asked, holding up a bottle of what looked like homemade dressing.

  He nodded, afraid his voice wouldn’t work. He tasted everything and moaned in delight at the buttery mashed potatoes. “Do you cook like this every day?”

  Crystal laughed then daintily wiped her mouth with her napkin before placing it back over her lap. “Only when I have someone to cook for. I usually make three or four meals a week for the uncles.”

  He couldn’t take his gaze off her small hand as she held her fork. Her fingers were long and narrow with neatly trimmed nails, though not manicured. No color, not even the shine of a buffing. Her palms small. He could see her age in the back of her hand, but that was the only place. No, that wasn’t quite right. She had the faintest lines beside her mouth and, when she smiled, her eyes crinkled a bit at the corners. But none of that detracted from her overall youthful beauty. Cuteness, he corrected. She wasn’t supermodel beautiful, but she was petite and cute. The pixie he likened her to.

  “Are they really brothers?” he asked. “They look nothing alike.”

  She shook her head. “Have you met them?”

  “Yeah. They introduced themselves to me when I first moved in almost three years ago, and I’ve chatted with them a few times since.”

  “Well,” she said as set her fork down and reached for her lemonade, “Charlie is my blood uncle, but I’ve known all of them since I was a baby.” She took a drink then gently set the glass back on the table. “They all lived on this block...forever, I guess. Charlie and Gus worked together at the lumberyard, and Jerald was a police officer. The three families were inseparable. The wives were all best friends, and the men watched sports on the weekends and did cookouts, went hunting in the fall and fishing in the summer.”

  While savoring the wonderful dinner she’d cooked, Dex began to relax and more than enjoyed her gentle voice as she told her story.

  “So anyway, Aunt Mattie died about ten years ago. Uncle Charlie’s kids are all grown and moved away to the southwest. They tried to get Charlie to move down there with them after Mattie was gone, but he wouldn’t hear of it. He didn’t want to leave the area, didn’t want to go where it was hot and dry all the time, and didn’t want to leave the best friends he’d ever had.

  “A couple years later, Aunt Clai
re, Gus’ wife, died. They’d never had any children, so he really was all alone. And soon after that, Jerald’s wife died. They all had their pensions, but it’s not a lot of money to live off of, so they decided to keep Charlie’s house, which was the biggest, and sold the other two, and then all moved into Charlie’s. They’ve been together about five years, I guess.”

  “It must be wonderful to have friends like that,” Dex said without thinking.

  Crystal was lifting her fork to her mouth when she stopped and frowned at him. “You don’t have friends?”

  He gave a self-deprecating snort. “I have friends, but I doubt a single one of them would let me move in with them.”

  Crystal put her forkful of food in her mouth and slowly chewed. After she swallowed, she gave a little nod. “Yeah. I don’t, either. Except for the uncles. But then, I think they’d take anyone in who needed it. It’s just the kind of men they are.” She took another quick drink then smiled. “When I was growing up and all the families would get together for holidays, there were always strangers invited over. The three families practically fed the whole neighborhood, and the uncles always invited the single guys from the lumberyard and police station to come over for a good home-cooked meal.”

  Dex grinned. “They’ve invited me for their fourth of July celebration every year since I moved in.”

  Crystal raised her eyebrows. “I’ve never seen you there.”

  He looked down at his mostly empty plate. “That’s because I’ve never gone.” When Crystal didn’t say anything more, he looked up at her and read the “why” loud and clear in her pretty blue eyes.

  He cleared his throat. After knowing Crystal for just one day, seeing how open and giving she was, he was rather embarrassed to admit the truth. “Fourth of July I’m usually at the Seaside Yacht Club.”

  “You have a yacht?” she asked, her eyebrows rising almost to her hairline.

  He chuckled. “No. Yes. Well, it’s not really a yacht. It’s a boat, only a forty footer. But a lot of my clients are members of Seaside, and it’s always good to schmooze when you can, right?”