LITMIR.BIZ

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but not much should change between now and when we present the plans next week—”

      She stopped and made a dismissive gesture with her hand. “Boy, I don’t care about the Marquardt Building! I’m sure you’ve got that completely under control. It’s your personal life that’s a mess.”

      Derrick leaned against his desk and folded his arms across his chest. “Why this sudden interest in my love life?”

      Derrick watched the brief sadness cross her face, but she quickly covered it with a smile. “Somebody needs to start taking a vested interest in it.” She started walking again. “Lord knows we can’t depend on your judgment.”

      As Derrick watched her leave the room, he wondered if Camille had any idea just how close to the truth she really was.

      Chapter 3

      Together the couple leaned forward and gustily blew out the forty white candles on the beautifully decorated cake.

      “Happy anniversary!” The room erupted in applause and well wishes for the happy couple standing at the head of the long, formal dining table.

      As Kimber, Noelle’s older sister, stepped forward with a cake knife to begin dividing up the dessert, the crowd of family and friends gathered closer to offer hugs and congratulations to Gilbert and Claudia Brown. They were celebrating their fortieth wedding anniversary.

      Noelle could not hide the wistful expression on her face as she watched her parents gaze at each other as if they were the only two people in the world. They had always looked at each other like that, and Noelle knew they always would.

      She felt a tug on her pant leg. “Auntie.”

      Noelle glanced down at her niece Lea, who was trying to get her attention.

      The toddler grabbed the crotch of her pants. “Pee-pee, Auntie, pee-pee.”

      Noelle quickly scanned the room and found her sister-in-law, Ann, standing with a group of family friends on the other side of the large dining room. Swooping the two-year-old up in her arms, Noelle quickly maneuvered her way through the crowd in her parents’ house.

      “Hurry, Auntie, got go bad,” Lea whined, then promptly stuck the two middle fingers of her right hand in her mouth and began to suck on them like a pacifier.

      Noelle quickened her pace. She knew from experience that once the finger sucking began, the clock was ticking. She elbowed and excused her way out of the crowded room and took the stairs to the second level, down the hall to the bathroom.

      Once inside, she quickly slid Lea’s elastic waist pants down her short legs, along with the Huggies training diaper, and plopped the little girl on the toilet seat and waited.

      After a moment, there was a small tinkling noise and then nothing.

      Lea’s eyes lit up. “Auntie! Good girl!”

      Noelle felt her heart swell with love and pride. “Yes, sweetheart, you are such a good girl.” She helped Lea re-dress and then hugged her close. “Look what you did. You’re becoming a big girl.”

      Noelle lifted the small body up to the sink for hand washing, which was Lea’s favorite part of the process. She smeared soap on her hands over and over, playing in the water.

      Just as Noelle exited, her brother, Raymond, came charging over into the bathroom carrying a little girl who was an exact replica of Lea.

      When Ray and Noelle’s eyes met, the pair burst into laughter.

      “Lena, too?” Noelle said, but Ray was too busy trying to get his second twin daughter settled on the toilet seat to stop for conversation.

      Unlike Lea, Lena’s bladder was completely full and took several seconds to empty. While they waited, Ray leaned back against the door and closed his eyes.

      The sounds of laughter, the occasional clinking of their mother’s fine china and the mellow sounds of the music of John Legend created a cacophony of sound drifting up to Noelle and Ray from the party below.

      “You look tired.” Noelle noted the dark rings under her brother’s eyes and realized it was the first time she’d seen him in almost a week, which was unusual for her tight-knit family.

      Ray smiled at his little sister. “Good to see you, too.”

      “I don’t mean you look bad.” She playfully bumped up against him. “Just tired. Are you just now getting here? I didn’t see you earlier.”

      He yawned sleepily. “Yeah, just finished a seventy-two-hour rotation at the hospital.” He reached down to help Lena, who was climbing down from the toilet seat.

      “Look, Daddy!” Lena pulled up her Huggies diaper and pants before turning to point to the contents of the toilet.

      Ray gave his sister a slight grimace before forcing himself to look into the toilet. “Wonderful, baby girl. You did wonderful.”

      Not about to let her sister steal her thunder, Lea pushed her way between them. “Part of that me!” she declared, frowning up at her father.

      “Well, you both did terrific. My little ladies are growing up.” He ran his large hand over the top of their matching curly afro puffs. Satisfied with the praise, the girls raced out of the bathroom.

      “Hey, wait, Lena, you didn’t wash your hands!” Noelle made a grab for her, but they were already halfway down the stairs.

      “Remind me not to eat anything Lena offers,” Ray chuckled as he reached forward to flush the toilet.

      Noelle watched him silently. Every line in his body expressed sheer exhaustion. “The woes of being an ER doctor?”

      Ray glanced up at her. “No.” He shook his head. “Trust me, little sis, the long hours—that’s the easy part of the job.”

      Noelle understood at once. Unfortunately, she’d seen that sadness in her brother’s eyes before. Ray had lost a patient that day. “Wanna talk about it?”

      He smiled softly. “No, but thanks for asking.” He crowded beside her at the sink to wash his hands. “So, what did you give Mom and Dad for their anniversary?”

      “What do I always give them?”

      “Not another gift certificate for dinner. For someone who makes her living creating romance, you sure stink at romantic milestone gifts.”

      “By the time I finish making romance for my clients, I have no inspiration left for myself,” Noelle joked but instantly regretted it when her brother’s eyes sharpened on her face.

      “You know, I’ve often thought that about you.”

      Noelle could see where the conversation was going. Another one of her sibling’s infamous and indiscreet inquiries into her nonexistent social life.

      In an attempt to steer it away from that direction, she folded her arms across her chest and glared at her brother. “Okay, Mr. Romance, what did you get them?”

      “An all-expense-paid weekend at a romantic spa retreat in the Poconos.”

      “Uh-huh.” Noelle frowned in disbelief. “That had to be Ann’s idea.”

      “So what?” Ray didn’t even bother to deny that his wife was the brains behind it. “I still get credit for it.”

      “Cheater.”

      “Sticks and stones, Cupid, sticks and stones. So how’s the matchmaking business?”

      Noelle hesitated sharing her good news for only a moment. “Great, actually. I picked up a very influential client today. If I find him a match, Love Unlimited will finally get some big play in the press. It’ll be in the big leagues!”

      “Really? Who?”

      “Derrick Brandt.”

      “The architect?”

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