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“In a good way or a bad way?”
“A good way.”
She smiled and while he was reminded of his nephew, he also saw Crissy. She was pretty, with short, shiny hair and big eyes. There was something about the way she moved, something sensual and…
He slammed on the mental brakes and backtracked. Sensual? Since when did he notice things like that?
“Abbey says he’s really good at sports,” Crissy said. “His dad played football in high school and ran track. I went out for nearly every sport I could. I went to college on a softball scholarship. I thought I was tough.”
He grinned. “I’m sure you were.”
“Does that intimidate you?”
“I’m shaking so hard, I can’t stand.”
“I don’t believe that, but thanks for pretending.”
“Abbey mentioned you own your own business. I don’t think she told me what it was.”
“Gyms for women. I have six now. They’re all over this area.”
“Impressive.”
It explained the body he’d noticed when she’d walked in. She wasn’t tall, but she looked fit, with curves in all the right places. He eyed her sweater and had a sudden desire to see her in tight workout clothes.
Which meant what? After four years of being alone, he was finally coming back to life?
Pete had spent the past two years bugging him to start dating, to get out and have fun. Josh had hidden behind his impossible work schedule. The thought of getting involved still seemed unfeasible, but maybe something casual wasn’t out of the question.
“Are you ready to take the next step with Brandon?” he asked Crissy.
She shivered. “No, but I’ll never be ready. I think I just have to leap in and hope for the best.”
“Pete and Abbey just got word that their adoption of their new baby, Hope, is final. There’s going to be a big party to celebrate. Lots of friends and family. You could blend in with the crowd.”
Crissy swallowed. “That sounds like a plan. When’s the party?”
“Saturday at three.”
She pressed a hand to her chest. “I may start hyperventilating. Does one bring a present to an adoption party?”
“It’s not required.”
“But if I want to?”
“Abbey’s registered at a baby store.” He gave her the name.
Crissy’s expression turned wistful. “I love baby stuff. Those little dresses and frilly socks. They’re so cute. Probably not to you.”
“Not really my thing.”
“So what is your thing? What do you do for fun?”
Interesting question. Four years ago, he’d had a list. He and Stacey, his late wife, had enjoyed anything outdoors, when her health permitted. She’d loved cooking and gardening. They’d also been studying Italian together, in anticipation of a trip to Venice they never got to make.
“Work keeps me busy,” he said. “What about you?”
“A lot of work, too,” she said. “Running a business is always a challenge, but I like it. Living out here in Riverside means we’re close to a lot of outdoor stuff. I hike a lot in the mountains, and I ski in the winter. Downhill and cross country. I’m a hideous knitter, but I keep trying because my friends love it. But I’m so awful, I had to give the owner of the store a free membership to one of my gyms just to stay in the class.”
He laughed.
“I’m not kidding,” she protested. “I swear, I have the antiknitting gene. Yarn hates me. I’ve seen a petition going around the shelves. If enough yarn signs, I’ll be forced to stop taking classes.”
He liked her. He knew that’s what Abbey would ask first. If he’d liked her.
Crissy drew in a breath. “Okay, so we’re set, right? I’m coming to the party on Saturday. You’re sure it’s okay? No one will mind?”
He reached across the table and put his hand on hers. He’d meant the gesture as one of comfort and was surprised to feel an almost electric jolt of energy jump between them.
“You’ll be fine,” he said, ignoring the sensation and removing his hand more quickly than he’d planned.
“You don’t actually know that. I suppose what with you being a doctor and all, you think you have a edge on stating that opinion, but you can’t be totally sure.”
He grinned. “Deep breaths.”
“Not going to help.”
She collected her purse and stood. He rose as well and tossed five dollars on the table to cover the coffee and tip.
“I’ll be there,” she said. “At three. Maybe ten after. Give other people time to arrive.”
He pulled a business card out of his wallet, then wrote on the back. “My cell number,” he said. “Call me when you’re five minutes away and I’ll meet you out front. You won’t have to go in by yourself.”
Her eyes brightened with gratitude. “That would be great. Plus, if the nerves get to be too much and I start vomiting uncontrollably, you can probably prescribe something, right?”
He laughed. “If necessary.”
“Okay. Thanks, Josh. You’ve been great.”
They stared at each other for a second, then she turned and walked away. He stayed where he was, watching her move through the diner, appreciating the sway of her hips and the swinging movement of her sleek hair.
Being alive suddenly didn’t feel so bad.
“Did you like her?” Abbey asked the second Josh walked into the house. “I’ve always liked her. I think she’s great, but what did you think?”
Josh bent down and kissed his sister-in-law on the cheek. “I liked her.”
“Really?”
“I swear.”
“Good.” Abbey beamed at Pete. “He liked her.”
“I heard.”
Abbey had loosely pinned up her long, blond hair. The free ends bounced as she spun and hurried into the kitchen, waving for him to follow her.
“A couple of my friends are being protective about Crissy wanting to meet Brandon. They’re afraid she’s going to make trouble.” Abbey opened the oven, then pulled out two freshly baked loaves of bread.
His mouth watered. Abbey had a lot of great qualities, and he’d always put her baking near the top of the list.
“She’s looking for a connection,” he said.
“That’s what I said. All these years we’ve invited her to be a part of the family, but she’s always held back.” Abbey set the pans on cooling racks, then turned to him. “She has family, but they don’t live around here. I’ve always wondered if she’s lonely.”
Pete sighed, then put his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “Stop rescuing the world. Crissy is a very successful businesswoman. She doesn’t need you messing in her life.”
“I’m not messing. I don’t mess. I’m just saying, she needs us.”
Pete looked at Josh, then rolled his eyes. “Let it go,” he said, with exaggerated patience. “Crissy’s fine.”
“Maybe we could fix her up with someone.”
“She can get her own guy. Don’t you have enough to worry about?”
Josh walked over to the cookie jar on the counter and reached inside. Abbey had made chocolate chip cookies the previous day and the four he’d eaten then hadn’t been close to enough. Now as his brother and sister-inlaw continued on with a very familiar argument, he munched on two more.
Pete and Abbey were the kind of couple who had been born for each other. From the first moment they’d met, they’d both known they would be together forever. There hadn’t been any games or questions or even a discussion. They’d started dating their sophomore year of high school and from that first night, had known what their future would be.
“So she’s coming to the party?” Abbey asked anxiously.
“That’s what she said,” Josh told her. “She wants to meet Brandon.”
Abbey smiled. “That’s good. We’re all going to be one big family. She’ll get to know him and relax and then he can know his birth mother.” She turned to Pete. “What about Zeke? He’s single.”
Pete groaned, then glanced at his brother. “Escape while you still can. When she gets like this, she’s impossible to stop.”
Crissy was generally a fan of the whole weekend concept, but this time, Saturday had come along way too quickly. She’d spent the morning trying to figure out the right thing to wear to a “Hey, we’re adopting” party. She wanted to make a good impression, but not stand out. Casual, but not too casual. Pretty, but not sexy.
She tried telling herself that Brandon was a twelve-year-old boy. He wouldn’t even notice her. But still, every time she thought about meeting him there were jumping frogs where her stomach should have been.
She finally settled on a pair of tailored jeans, a lightweight fitted sweater and a leather jacket. Boots gave her some height. She fussed with her hair, did her makeup twice and generally spent more time sweating her appearance than she had on any first date in recent memory.
Not that she went on many first dates anymore. She hated them. Dating was miserable enough without dealing with the whole “get to know” first date.
After changing her earrings again, she walked out to the living room where her cat, King Edward, lay in a patch of sun.
“How do I look?” she asked as she turned in a slow circle. “If you were a twelve-year-old boy, would I embarrass you or not?”
King Edward raised his head, blinked twice, then yawned.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” she muttered, grabbed her keys and headed out.
In less time than it should have taken, she pulled up in front of a sprawling ranch-style house in a comfy suburban section of Riverside. It was the kind of street where kids rode bikes and neighbors took in packages for each other.
Crissy had to park a nearly half a block away, due to the number of cars. Josh hadn’t been kidding when he’d said it was a big party. All the easier for her to get lost in the crowd, she thought as she climbed out.
She’d taken him up on his offer and phoned when she’d been on her way. As she approached, she saw him step out onto the small porch and head toward her.
He was taller than she remembered and oddly enough, better looking. She liked the way he smiled at her and tried to focus on him rather than her reason for being there.
“Nervous?” he asked as she approached.
“Paralyzed. I may start drooling.”
“That will make an impression.”
They stared at each other. He shoved his hands into his jeans pockets and smiled.
“It’s okay. Take a breath. You’ll do fine.”
“Something you don’t actually know,” she muttered. “I have a fabulous imagination and I can come up with about three hundred disaster scenarios in less than a minute.”
“Impressive.”
He looked far too amused for her taste. “You could be more sympathetic here. It’s my life on the line.”
“It’s not your life. It’s nothing more than—”
But before he could attempt to convince her of the impossible, the front door banged open and a twelve-year-old boy burst onto the porch.
“Uncle Josh, come on! We’re going to play football and I want you on my team.”
Crissy’s breath caught in her throat. The world seemed to jog slightly to the left. She stared into a face she’d only ever seen in pictures. But this flesh and blood version couldn’t begin to compare to those two-dimensional photos.
She’d seen him in person once before. Nearly thirteen years ago, on a Thursday morning when the nurse had offered her the tiny, wrapped baby to hold.
Crissy remembered she’d refused. She’d pointed to a tearful but elated Abbey.
“That’s his mom,” she’d said, and meant it.
But did she still?
Chapter Two
Crissy tried not to stare at Brandon. This was their first meeting and she didn’t want to come off as scary or creepy. But it was hard to act normal when her heart pounded so hard in her chest she was sure even the neighbors could hear it. Fortunately Brandon was far more interested in his game than an adult visitor he didn’t know.
“I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Josh said. “Go ahead and start without me.”
