Down Too Deep (Dirty Deeds, #4)(9)

God, this woman is a saint.

I rushed downstairs and paused in the buttoning of my shirt to open the door.

Jenna stood on the porch with two young kids flanking her. I recognized the boy from the restaurant on Memorial Day. That was definitely the strangest conversation I’ve had to date. Based on the tight, uncomfortable smile he was giving me, I’d guess he felt the same way about it. The little girl, on the other hand, couldn’t have been grinning at me any bigger.

“Morning,” Jenna said. Her eyes fell to my open shirt and she frowned. “Sorry. Are we early?”

“No. No, you’re perfect. Come in.” I stepped back and held the door open. The little girl moved inside first, tipping her head back further when she stopped in front of me.

“Hello.” Her voice was soft and a little shy.

“Hey.” I gave her a polite nod.

She stared up at me and kept grinning.

“Olivia, scoot over, baby.”

Hearing that request, the girl stepped over and got beside me. The duffle bag she was carrying hit the floor at her feet with a thud. The boy came inside next. His mouth dropped open as he peered around the room.

“Whoa. Your house is huge. Mom, this is almost as big as Uncle Jamie’s house.” The boy looked up at me then, his hand gripping the strap at his shoulder. His bag appeared to be just as full. “His house has, like, twelve rooms. How many rooms you got here?”

I smirked. “Not twelve.”

“How come?”

“Oliver, that’s…a little rude,” Jenna scolded. She shuffled him over, stepping inside now herself, and offered me an apologetic smile after I closed the door. “Sorry. No filter.”

“That’s okay,” I answered. Honestly, her kids could say or do whatever they wanted. No way was I asking her to leave.

“So, these are my two. You’ve sort of already met Oliver.” Jenna stood behind him and squeezed his shoulders while he kept gazing around the room. “And that’s Olivia. She’s very excited to be here, if you couldn’t already tell.”

I looked down at the grinning face beside me, smiled politely back, and watched her eyes widen behind bright blue frames. When she dropped down and started digging through her bag, I turned back to Jenna and asked, “How close in age are they?”

They were the same height. Had the same glasses. Same color hair and chocolate-brown eyes. They could’ve been…

“They’re twins,” she answered.

“Jesus. And you’re still sane?”

Jenna shrugged and laughed lightly, tucking her hair behind her ear. I could see freckles on her nose and cheeks and the flush as it colored her skin just now. I didn’t think she was wearing any makeup at all. Still, even without it, I would’ve turned my head.

Awareness paused my breath. I blinked and looked away. When was the last time I noticed a woman’s looks? Nearly two years. That answer was simple.

“How about I show you around?” I asked, checking my watch once more, then getting back to the shirt buttons I still needed to fasten. “I got a little time.”

“Sure. Where’s Marley?”

“In her room.” Away from me, which was where she preferred.

“Mom, can we go out on the deck?” Oliver asked.

Jenna looked to me and waited.

“Yeah, have at it,” I told him.

Oliver took off immediately, calling out for his sister to follow him.

Olivia peered up from the notepad she was writing in. “How old are you?” she asked.

“Thirty.”

She looked from me to Jenna, then back to me briefly before putting her attention on the notepad again. “That’s perfect,” she mumbled, jotting something down, my age possibly.

My brow furrowed. Is she worried she’ll have to ask for it again?

“Olivia, go with your brother, please.” Jenna shuffled forward and spun her daughter around. Then she picked up the duffle and carried it over to the couch, dropping it there, along with the messenger bag she was wearing cross-bodied. The sleeve of her top slipped in the process, revealing a small butterfly tattoo on the back of her left shoulder. Jenna reached up to fix her shirt, peering back at me when she was finished.

Our gazes locked. I quickly cut my eyes away, putting my attention on Olivia.

The little girl moved fast through the family room, weaving in between the furniture as she finished taking notes and pausing only when she reached the open slider that led outside to the deck.

“Whoa! We can see the ocean, Ollie!” she yelled. The glass door slid closed behind her, cutting off her brother’s animated response.

“Can we go get Marley?” Jenna asked. “Is she awake yet?”

“Yeah, she’s been awake.” I led Jenna through the family room and into the kitchen.

“Your house is really nice.”

I glanced over my shoulder and watched as she ran her hand over the long marble island. She gazed in wonder at the row of cabinets mounted on the wall.

“It’s not twelve rooms nice,” I joked.

“Your kitchen is beautiful. Do you cook a lot?”

“No. My wife did.”

Her bottom lip caught between her teeth and her gaze fell away. Just by her expression, I could tell she knew about Sadie. She’d probably heard about it from one of the girls. She’d said they were friends.