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That smile, a real one, not the for-the-camera kind, drew him in. The way it lit up her face, along with the pride in her voice, madehimgrin. And he didn’t grin much. Never mind the “good, you’re here” comment. When had she ever been happy to see him?
Her eyebrows raised, and her cheeks flushed.
“What?” he asked.
She shrugged. “You should do that more often.”
“Do what?”
“Smile. Like I told you back at Urgent Care, you rarely do. Did you know studies have shown smiling makes you feel happier? There’s an emotional connection with facialexpressions. Scowling can have the opposite effect and make a person grumpier.” She climbed down the ladder and stood in front of him.
“I don’t know if I buy that.”
“Don’t believe me? Try it for yourself and see.”
No way he’d walk around like a clown with a goofy grin on his face all day. Not happening.
She cocked her head. “What are you thinking right now?”
“Why do you want to know?”
“Because you look cranky again. I’m just trying to help, not force you to do anything you don’t want. I like seeing people happy, but you don’t seem like you are very often.”
Guilt tightened a noose around his lungs. He never meant to bring anyone down with his moods. All the more reason to keep his distance from people and not burden them with pity. “You wouldn’t understand.”
“Maybe I would. Try me.” She took a step closer, and her sweet scent filled his nostrils.
He couldn’t afford to open himself up to her. That didn’t fit with having boundaries. “Not now. We have a lot of work to do.”
Crystal pointed to some cans of paint on the floor. “I think everything we need is there.”
He squatted to check them out. Sure enough, all the right stuff. Go figure. “Looks good.”
She had moved the bed and bureau away from the wall to tape the carpet. Again, thinking ahead. After taking a picture down, he pulled out the nail behind. “I’ll have to spackle this hole, but we can get started.”
Zach held the frame in his hands for a moment as memories flooded him.
“I take it that was someone special?” Crystal asked.
“Yes. My father.” Zach ran a hand down the front of the picture. “This is him in his army uniform. He was my inspiration. Pretty much my hero growing up.”
“Because of medals he earned?”
“Nope. Like most people in the military, he lived his life dedicated to the service and our family. A simple man with values and lessons to teach. It says a lot that he made lifelong friends in the army.” The corners of Zach’s mouth turned up. “I used to smear mud on my face and shoot my brothers with squirt guns to try to be like him.”
“That’s funny,” Crystal said. “You told me you all pranked each other, but you must have gotten along.”
He shrugged. “As much as three brothers could. Brody didn’t engage too much. He was always the serious one, afraid we’d get into trouble and damage something.”
“Why?” Crystal’s nose crinkled.
Damn if it wasn’t the cutest thing he’d seen in a long while. The tiny freckles all cinched up. He found himself staring at them until Crystal broke his focus.
“Why did Brody worry?”
Zach tore his gaze from her face, back to the photo of his father. “Dad made us pay for stuff.”
“What stuff?”
