Free Double Dealing (2013) by Linda Cajio

with some decent clothes. His tuxedo trousers and shirt were hardly appropriate dress for morning and were sure to raise eyebrows. He had no wish to embarrass Rae.
    Boys and dogs suddenly burst through the open door. They skidded to a halt in front of him. He noted that the two older boys were strikingly dark-haired and blue-eyed, while the younger was less dramatic in coloring, with medium brown hair and eyes. Delilah growled at him.
    Jed grinned at the dog, admiring her determination. “Hi.”
    “Who are you?” asked the youngest.
    Jed judged him to be about four or five years old. “Jed. Who are you?”
    “Michael. I’m five.”
    “I’m thirty-five.”
    “That’s old,” said Michael.
    Jed smiled. “Yeah, but I get to have a great big birthday cake”—he made a round circle with his arms—“to hold all the candles. And it gets bigger every year.”
    The young boy’s eyes widened. “Wow!”
    “I’m Mark,” the middle boy said. “Are you the electrician?”
    Jed blinked at the odd question. “No.”
    Mark’s face fell. “Oh.”
    “An electrician almost blew himself up fixing our lights, and Mark missed it,” volunteered the oldest. He thrust out his hand in an adult gesture of politeness. “I’m Randall Barkeley, sir.”
    Jed shook his hand, then in turn shook the other boys’ hands. Each one had a disconcerting adult grip, as if they’d practiced many times—even young Michael. “I’m very pleased to meet all of you.”
    “There you are, Jed,” Rae said, as she and her brother came into the house. “Rand, you remember Jed Waters.”
    “Of course,” Rand said, offering his hand. “I envied the way you could do backflips so effortlessly. I damn near killed myself trying to imitate you.”
    Shocked and surprised, Jed nearly forgot to shake the man’s hand. Quickly recovering, he took Rand’s firm grip in his own and said, “I don’t think I could do them now. It’s been too many years. How are you?”
    “Fine. How’s your dad?”
    “Fine,” Jed said, again surprised that Rand would have even remembered his family. He realized he was still shaking hands and immediately let go.
    “So Rae’s kidnapped you,” Rand said with a grin. He ignored his sister’s gasp, and added, “She certainly makes life interesting.”
    Astonished that Rand seemed to be enjoying the idea of Rae as a kidnapper, Jed stared at him for a long moment, then grinned widely. He transferred his gaze to Rae’s delicately flushed features and murmured, “I think she makes it more than interesting.”
    “Don’t you have to go, Rand?” she asked in a caustic tone.
    “Much as I wish I didn’t, Alicia will be waiting.” He grinned at his sons. “Okay, guys, you’re off duty. Cram as much fun as you can into the weekend, but don’t tear the house apart, and I’ll pick you up tomorrow night.”
    Confused by Rand’s odd words, Jed watched the boys grin back at their father in complete understanding. He realized there was only one enviable thing Rand Barkeley had now, family. Unconsciously, his gaze returned to Rae. Her arms were crossed over her chest, and she was looking at her nephews with a mixture of love and amusement.
    Rand offered his hand again, saying, “Good to see you again, Jed.”
    “Same here.”
    After shaking hands, Rand added, “And good luck. I believe Rae intends to use the boys as new and unsurpassed torture.”
    Jed laughed.
    “What’s unsurplussed?” asked Michael.
    “Unsurpassed,” Rae corrected, ruffling his hair. “That’s you, sweetie.”
    Rand smiled. “Good-bye, guys, Jed.” His voice went up two octaves and he added, “Good-bye, Auntie Rae.”
    She made a face at him.
    The door had no sooner closed after their father than the boys erupted with a thousand questions and comments. Jed chuckled, as Rae waved a hand to silence them.
    “First things first. We’ll go upstairs and unpack and see Harvey. And please don’t let him out of his cage.” The boys groaned.