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Lexie was waiting in the foyer.
“Sis!” Eric let go of Millie’s leash and ran toward his sister.
She closed her eyes and held him for a long time.
I will not let them be separated again.
Whatever I had to do to keep that vow, I would.
I tossed the mail on the entry table. Millie and Muffy circled the two of them and then me. There were two purses on the floor and a pair of overturned high heels near the coat closet door. The leashes swirled on the stone floor behind the dogs as they ran around. A dog toy and bone were scattered just beyond the threshold of the foyer to the living room.
Until recently, it would’ve been difficult to find a speck of dust in this apartment, let alone anything out of place. There certainly wouldn’t have been people when I arrived.
Perhaps it wasn’t as cozy as Lexie and Eric’s place, but they’d brought a warmth to the space I wouldn’t have thought possible.
Beau wandered over and slipped her arm around me, taking in the scene of Lexie and Eric. I kissed the top of her head. She’d brought something to this apartment too.
I’d always liked my home, though the contrast of before Lexie and after was stark. Before, it had had a quiet, museum-like feel. There had been no energy, nothing to rush back for.
Now, there was life.
I preferred order, but the mess around me was strangely calming. It meant living was happening here. I wasn’t sure what to call what I was doing before.
Beau pulled on my tie. “Is that . . . a stain?” She stared at it incredulously.
“Looks like it.”
“And you’re still wearing it?” She inspected me as if checking to see if I were truly her brother.
“I am.”
I slid around her. In three strides, I stood before Lexie.
“Yo, Eric. What do you say we go unpack dinner?” Beau slung an arm around him.
“I’m starving.”
“Yo?” I asked carefully.
Beau blushed. “I think I picked that up from your brother.” She steered Eric out of the foyer. The dogs followed, dinner one of the words they understood.
I cupped Lexie’s face with one hand and brushed my thumb across her cheek. “How do you feel?”
She was no longer pale, but she looked tired.
“I’m fine.”
Gently, I tilted her head back so she had to look at me. “I don’t want the fake answer for the rest of the world.”
She sighed. “It feels like there’s a troupe of tap dancers in my brain and they just won’t run out of energy.”
“What can I do?” Once again, I was out of my element, unable to find a solution to a problem. I hated it. Hated she was in any kind of pain.
“You could say hello.” Color flooded her cheeks, but she held my gaze.
“I’m getting to that.” I needed to see she was all right, though I stopped short of a head to toe inspection.
“Today? This year?”
