Natalie kissed his cheek. “It’s only a few blocks. We’ve got our headlamps and our cell phones. Stop worrying.”
A small lump lodged in his throat. “It’s only because I love you so much that I worry.”
She smiled, looking much too grown-up. The days were long with kids—so very longat times—but the years somehow flew by. It defied the laws of physics. Pretty soon, though, they’d be in high school. Then college.
Oof. College tuition for two at the same time.
Good thing he had these plans in place.
“We love you, too, Uncle Jeremy.” Natalie smiled sweetly at her uncle, then turned and gave Nathan a pointed look. He mumbled something that might have resembled a heartfelt sentiment if anyone could hear or understand the words.
As soon as the twins left, Jeremy retrieved his phone and opened the tracking app. He watched the two dots that represented his niece and nephew move along the map until they finally stopped at his parents’ house.
He put his phone away, then lined up his pomander ball–making supplies on the low coffee table. If he was going to spend the evening making arts and crafts, he was at least going to do it while sitting on his comfy leather sofa and watching the football game he’d missed the night before because Nathan had hockey practice.
He’d just slipped the paring knife out of the wooden knife block when the doorbell rang. Three of his good friends—Alejandro, Lincoln, and Jill—stood on his doorstep.
“What are you guys doing here?” he asked, dumbfounded.
Jill blew into her hands. “Can we do the questions inside? It’s freezing out here.”
Jeremy took a step back and opened the door wider. Lincoln clapped him on the shoulder as he passed. “Do you have anything to eat?”
Jeremy shut the door, then trailed his friends to the living room, where Lincoln had already started peeling an orange. Jill unwrapped a fuzzy scarf from around her neck, then settled next to Lincoln.
“So, what are you doing on a child-free Friday night?” Alejandro eyed the fruit and spicy cloves.
“Same thing he does every night, Pinky.” Jill paused for effect. “Trying to take over the world!”
Great, now he’d have thePinky and the Braintheme song fromAnimaniacsin his head all night.
“Not the whole world,” Lincoln clarified. “Just Limitless Designs.”
“What’s your evil master plan?” Jill asked, hugging a throw pillow. “And, more importantly, do you have a sinister laugh to go with it?” She leaned forward and snatched an orange from the crate. “Seriously, are your coworkers a band of pirates and you’re trying to save them from scurvy?” She arranged her face to look serious and concerned as she addressed Lincoln. “Babe, tell me the truth, does he make you walk the plank at work?”
“Aye,” Lincoln said in a horrible pirate accent.
“For your information”—Jeremy snatched the orange from Jill as she tried to toss it from one hand to the other—“I’m working on securing a promotion.”
“With citrus fruit?” Alejandro sounded incredulous.
“I do have a—”
“He’s going to sayplan,” Jill interrupted gleefully.
Jeremy rolled his lips between his teeth and started over. “There’s a method to my madness.”
Lincoln pointed at Jill. “He’s finally admitted it. He’s crazy.”
Jeremy sighed. “Is there a reason you guys came over?”
“Giving you a hard time is reason enough.” Lincoln grinned.
“Great,” Jeremy responded in a monotone.
“But we also know you and your type-A personality. So we knew, even though you have a rare kid-free night, that you’d still be here at home, working on something or other. And given your meeting with Sofiya, I figured that something would have to do with the promotion.”
“So we are here to make you a deal,” Alejandro added.
