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7. A Theme Of Sorts

7

A THEME OF SORTS

C rystal was exhausted and starving. She’d gone through three bottles of water, but that was the extent of what she had upstairs.

She offered to cook because her other option was to grocery shop tonight or pick up fast food. She didn’t want to leave the house another time.

When she made her way down the stairs she saw Elsie dancing with some of the characters to the movie they were watching. “Uncle Nix, spin me.”

Ahhh, her heart just melted.

She saw Phoenix stand up and hold his hand out. Elsie grabbed it and twirled.

When Elsie was done, she yelled, “Crystal. You’re down here.”

Phoenix turned quickly, his face a little pink, but she applauded. “Very pretty dance skills.”

“I want to take lessons,” Elsie said.

“You do?” he asked. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Elsie just shrugged. “Mom knew.”

Phoenix squatted down. “I want you to tell me things you told your mom,” he said. “I won’t know any other way.”

“But you always used to know what I was doing before.”

He let out a sigh. Elsie hadn’t realized that a five-year-old wouldn’t figure out how things were shared. “Your mom always told me,” he said.

“And now she’s not here to tell you,” Elsie said softly.

Crystal didn’t want the little girl to get upset. “You can tell me,” she said. “If you don’t want to tell your uncle, I’ll make sure he knows.”

Phoenix looked up and mouthed ‘Thank you’. She smiled and nodded quickly.

“I will,” Elsie said.

“What does everyone want for dinner? I thought maybe we could talk about all of Phoenix’s siblings while I cook. Unless you want to help me cook, Elsie?”

“Can I watch?” Elsie asked. “I want to talk more and I can’t if I’m concentrating.”

“You can do anything you want,” she said. “But why don’t you tell me what you like to eat so I’ll know in the future.”

“I like tacos,” Elsie said. “Do you know how to make them?”

“I do if you have what we need for them.”

“We do,” Phoenix said. “My mother would have made sure since we’ve had tacos a few times.”

She caught the humor in his voice. He moved to the cabinet and pulled out the taco kit.

She opened the fridge and found beef, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese.

“Looks like we are set.”

“We need olives,” Elsie said.

Phoenix moved into the pantry and came out with a little can of them. “I learned if I open a big can, someone sits here and eats them all.”

“Do you put them on your fingers?” Crystal asked, giggling.

“All ten of them,” Elsie said, smiling and holding her hands up, her fingers wide.

“I used to do that too.” She opened up a few cabinets. “Sorry, where are the pans?”

“To your right,” he said.

She opened the bottom drawer that he’d pointed to and grabbed the pan while Phoenix opened the taco kit and removed the seasoning packet.

“Tell me about your siblings. Start with their names and ages.”

“Are you going to share yours too since you’re the youngest of six?”

“I can,” she said. “You start.”

He sat on one of the chairs at the island and helped Elsie get up next to him. The little girl put her chin in her hands and stared at Phoenix as he talked as if he was the most important person in the world. In the little girl’s eyes, that might be the case.

“I’m the oldest at thirty-one,” he said. “Then I’ve got twin sisters, London and Paris. They are twenty-nine. Next are the triplets, Dallas, Bronx and Siena. They are twenty-seven.”

“I can’t believe your mother didn’t stop after that. I’m assuming she doesn’t work? The thought of that daycare bill is crazy.”

He laughed. “No. My father is an attorney and owns a law firm in Orlando. Rome is twenty-four, Memphis is twenty-two and the baby is Raleigh at twenty.”

“That is fascinating that you’re all named after cities. A theme of sorts.”

“My mother’s idea,” he said. “Your turn. Names and ages.”

“You said all of your siblings are single. Mine are all married or engaged. I won’t bore you with all the names of the spouses and kids. Kyle is the oldest at thirty-nine. He’s a detective, married and has two kids. It’s funny we are both from Florida though. I’m from Jacksonville. That is where Kyle lives. Anne is thirty-six and a teacher, married with one kid in the same area. I told you about Taylor. She’s thirty-three, married and has three kids. She does accounting at her husband’s construction company. Kurt is next and he works with computers. He’s twenty-nine and engaged, no wedding date yet. He’s actually in Daytona. I’m the baby and I’m twenty-eight. I’m a nanny.”

He laughed when she said that. “I didn’t tell you what I did. I’m sure you’re curious.”

“I am,” she said. “You said you owned a business. I will say I did Google it and saw that it was called Nix Plastics and then I found another that said Nix To Go. So I guess it’s not just Elsie that calls you that.”

He smiled and it softened and relaxed his face. He was attractive and she realized how dangerous this could be.

“Maryn and Elsie are the ones who came up with the name. I’ve only been in business for about two years. I have a Chemistry background and worked in a lab. On my own time, I developed a process on how to use recycled plastics to make materials used for bags. Mainly bags for men. Like laptop cases, backpacks and adventure bags. I was just starting to branch off into a women’s line, but it’s been a process. I was getting some help there with design, but put it aside for now.”

Which told her that maybe Maryn had been helping him there.

Crystal had seen the bags and thought they were pretty neat. Not super expensive either. More like an affordable stylish option.

“You’ve got to be pretty smart then,” she said. “Looks like you’ve got two businesses.”

“One feeds the other. That is all it does,” he said. “But I had to name it to start and then branched out. It’s complicated.”

“I’m sure it’s way over my head,” she said, “but I understand more.”

She’d filled out her employment records with him and it’d said Nix Plastics on it and she assumed that was how she was able to get benefits. She didn’t care; it didn’t make a difference to her.

She was breaking up the ground beef while it cooked and then grabbed a knife on the counter and saw the cutting board and moved it over to the island so she could talk while she prepared the rest of the meal.

He got up and grabbed a platter for her to put the lettuce, then tomatoes on. He opened the olives that were already sliced and drained and then put them on the plate too.

“I’ll get these in the oven since it doesn’t look like it will be much longer.”

“Thanks,” she said. “Guess we make a good team.”

“Seems it,” he said.

“Elsie, what do you like to eat for breakfast? I’m assuming I’ll be preparing that?”

“If you could,” he said. “She has to be at school much later than when I leave. I like to get to the office a little after seven and Elsie is just getting up then. I’ll get her up before I go. My office is only ten minutes away, so not a big deal.”

“That’s fine,” she said. “I’m used to being at my other job by six. Now I can get up and shower and just come down the stairs. Best commute ever. I have you beat.”

He laughed. “I’d say you do.”

He put the shells in the oven when it beeped and she grabbed some silverware and then found the plates to pull down.

“I like cereal,” Elsie said. “And pancakes and waffles.”

“There are a bunch of frozen ones,” he said.

“That works. Elsie can pick her breakfast out daily.”

“She bathes the night before,” he said. “My mother was doing that before she left on Thursday. But we can change that to the morning now.”

She nodded her head. Which told her that maybe Phoenix wasn’t comfortable doing it. “We’ll get it worked out, right, Elsie? Do you want to take a bath tonight since you didn’t have one yesterday?”

“Can I?” Elsie said. “I can do it alone, but Uncle Nix said no.”

“We can do that,” she said.

He moved over to get the shells out of the oven and put them on the counter and then put one on a plate. She watched as he made Elsie’s, then moved to the fridge and got her a glass of milk.

“What would you like to drink?”

“Water is good,” she said.

He got two bottles and they made their plates and sat down.

It felt cozy, like a family meal she hadn’t had in a long time. She hadn’t realized how much she was missing it either.

Not that she ever had a nice quiet meal in her house, but not having any family around, it could get lonely.

Living here, she was positive she wasn’t going to feel that again and couldn’t wait for the next chapter in her life to begin.

Listening to her heart, she started to think that maybe all her negative thoughts on family were fading away.

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