Read Instant Family for Free Online Page B

with finger poised on the bell.
    "Yeah." His upper lip wore a sheen of perspiration. Probably not
from the heat of the afternoon. Good. He darn well should be nervous. She was.
    Alex was in the kitchen preparing salad for dinner when the bell
rang. He wiped his hands, took a deep breath, and went to open the
door. They stood side by side on the porch, their outlines blurred
by the screen. Chloe wore a pale pink sundress that revealed lightly
tanned, bare shoulders and slender legs. She'd pulled her hair back
again, but wisps drifted across her brow and cheeks. She stood
stiffly straight, clutching her car keys and a small black purse before her with both hands. Looked as though she were awaiting execution.
    He wanted to set her at her ease, invite her in for a drink, make
her smile and see he wasn't the ogre she thought he was, but the boy
was there, slouching, trying to look cool. Failing dismally.
    The kid had thrust his hands into the pockets of baggy black
shorts, but he fidgeted from one thong-clad foot to the other and
licked his lips nervously when he spied Alex approaching. He immediately stared at his feet.
    Alex unlatched the screen and pushed it open toward them.
"Hello. Come in.,,
    "Thank you." Chloe ducked her head in a kind of greeting and
stepped awkwardly past him. The boy followed with a brave attempt
at a swagger.
    They stood crowded together in the entry foyer while Alex
closed the screen door. A light fragrance hung in the air. Her perfume. Tantalizing with a hint of warm female skin. His eyes strayed
to her bare neck, the hair lifted from the nape with delicate strands
escaping from the clasp. His hand rose, perhaps with the intention
of touching, feeling the softness. He quickly changed it to a gesture
of welcome.
    "This way." He indicated the open-plan living room on the left. "Sit down, please. Would you like a cool drink?" He looked from one
to the other, but Chloe shook her head for them both and remained
standing.

    She met his eye with a firm, direct gaze. Her eyes really were beautiful. Deep green with golden brown flecks. The lashes were dark,
which contrasted stunningly with the blond hair. Natural blond, he'd
bet. She had no artifice about her.
    "No, thank you. We don't want to intrude. Sebastian has something to say to you."
    Alex tore his attention from the fascinating aspects of Chloe's hair
and eyes. He studied Sebastian. Just a kid. A pimply-faced, frightened boy. Despite the stance and the attitude, the blue eyes weren't
those of a hardened thug. Fourteen, the police had told him. Trying
out his wings and getting into more trouble than he'd dreamed existed. One stupid action and wham! Alex knew all about the injustice
of that.
    Some kids got away with murder over and over again. Others do
something foolhardy once, and they're caught. First go. He and Sebastian. Lucky, really, although Sebastian wouldn't see it that way
for many years to come.
    He watched the boy working out how to start his little speech. He
would've prepared something-Chloe would've seen to that. And
Grandma. People who cared were this boy's saviors.
    "Thanks for not, you know, um, charging me with, um, trespassing and that." Sebastian's face was deep rose pink. He glanced at his
sister, and she nodded encouragingly. He looked back at Alex, met
his gaze briefly, then lost courage and spoke to his top button instead. "And for not sending me to court."
    "All right." Alex waited.
    Chloe frowned at Sebastian and murmured, "Go on" She flicked
an anxious glance at Alex, and he raised an eyebrow slightly.
    "I'm sorry about what we-I mean, what I did. Breaking the
lights and stuff. Sorry." He subsided into silence.
    "Thank you for coming to see me," said Alex. "I appreciate it. It's
not easy to own up to something you've done wrong. Shows courage
and character."
    Two pairs of eyes regarded him intently, expecting more. An outburst perhaps. A tirade about the inconsiderate selfishness of