Family in the Crosshairs by Jane Godman

Author:Jane Godman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2020-07-13T17:21:34+00:00

Chapter 11

“How do you do that on your own every night?” Leon looked around the bathroom in amazement as he spoke.

There was about an inch of water left in the tub with the twins. The rest was on the floor. Or on him and Flora. Even his eyelashes were wet. The twins had displayed a determination that was breathtaking. They took splashing to tsunami levels, hurling water at each other to the accompaniment of ear-splitting squeals. Somehow, Flora had managed to wash them despite the seismic activity.

“It was easier when they were smaller.” Deftly, she scooped Stevie up, wrapped him in a towel, and handed him to Leon. “I used to sit them in a plastic laundry basket and put that in the tub. The day they learned how to get out of the basket was memorable for all the wrong reasons.” She repeated the towel maneuver with Frankie but kept hold of him. “I must admit, having another pair of adult hands around is like heaven.”

Her gaze caught on his and held for an extra second or two. It had been this way all through dinner. Everything seemed to have taken on a double meaning. Eyes, lips, and hands were all overemphasized. If they accidentally brushed against each other, the air around them was so highly charged it was as if Leon could see electrical particles shimmering in the atmosphere.

At the same time, he was enjoying the change Flora and the twins brought to his quiet home. It took some getting used to. It was also set to the backdrop of some manic animal antics.

A long-suffering Bungee had come home and been greeted with fawning adoration by Tiny. None of Bungee’s usual tactics had worked. His “no touching” vibe never had any effect on Tiny, but this time the dog’s exuberance had gone into overdrive. He had missed his friend and he was determined to show him how much. The fact that the friendship was one-sided seemed lost on him.

Even with the relative peace that followed, the evening had been taken up with preparing dinner, then ensuring the twins ate it without a food fight. Once the ensuing mess had been cleaned up—a task of industrial proportions—and the twins had played outside for half an hour, the task of persuading them into the bath had begun.

Persuading? I meant “strong arming.”

Flora did this every night? It was like taming a lion in a hurricane. Crazy, mind-spinning, exhausting... Leon had already forgotten his former, peaceful existence. This was real life, and he was loving every minute.

Was this what his life with Karen would have been like? He had no way of knowing if this joyful domestic chaos would have been part of his future. He felt a tug of release, secure in the knowledge that, mayhem or not, they’d have been happy.

Once the twins were dried and dressed in matching pajamas that had been salvaged from Flora’s house, they were finally exhibiting signs of tiredness. Sitting at the kitchen table, they drank warm milk and ate rice cakes with peanut butter in unaccustomed silence.

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