Kisses to Remember Read Free Page B

said, checking her watch.
    “Maybe Pep will want to help me with this one.” Kam was forever trying to get Alex’s father to play Legos with him, but Ted wasn’t a sit-down-and-stay-put kind of guy. Neither was Alex, which probably made his jail cell seem even smaller. Kam had clearly inherited Johanna’s ability to remain focused on a single task for hours. Hey, it made her ultra-productive as a self-employed businesswoman. She had to imagine it was a good quality to pass on to one’s offspring.
    “I’ll get some breakfast going for you and Pep.” Johanna turned on her bare heel, carefully navigated her way around the Lego minefield, and finally made it to that refill of coffee. She scrambled up some eggs, heated a few strips of bacon, toasted several pieces of bread, and set up two plates at the kitchen table. At the smell of bacon, Miles, their four-year-old border collie, came trotting in. He tossed his black nose into the air and let his tongue loll over the side of his jaw as his golden eyes targeted the meat. He rose onto his hind legs and was about to rest a white paw onto the table when Johanna grabbed him by the collar. 
    “Don’t even think about it, Miles.” She tugged him back, and he obediently sank to all fours. His claws scritch-scratched on the hardwood floor as he walked to his food bowl to pout.
    Johanna pulled out one of the kitchen chairs and sat. “Come here, ya big baby.” She tapped her thigh, and Miles bounded over, still crunching on his dry food. His eyes disappeared behind black fur as Johanna rubbed the white patch around the dog’s neck and chest. Little doggy noises of bliss sounded, and Miles rested his head in Johanna’s lap.
    “Who’s my boy, huh?” Johanna crooned into the dog’s ear as she buried her face in his fur. She’d gotten Miles after Alex had been sentenced. She and Kam had needed something to make the world not seem like complete Hell. So far, Miles had served them well. Whether it was a lick on the cheek, a snuggle in bed, or a brisk run through the woods, that dog never let them down. Johanna wished she could say the same of the people she knew.
    She broke off a piece of bacon and delighted the dog by holding it out to him. He snatched it out of her palm, pulverized it with his teeth, and licked her entire hand when he was done.
    “Something smells good.”
    Miles let out a short bark of greeting as Ted filled the doorway between the kitchen and the living room.
    “Good morning, Ted.” Johanna got up and gave Alex’s father a quick hug as was their morning ritual.
    Ted dropped a kiss on her cheek. “Bacon too? Nice.” He strode into the kitchen, but popped his stocking foot up off the floor before reaching the table. “Ouch!” He bent down and picked up a bright red Lego piece. “I hate these damn things. Suckers feel like knives.” Ted tossed the block onto the table.
    “Hey, Pep!” Kam rounded the corner at a bit of a run and slammed into his grandfather’s form causing Ted to stumbled back. Spotting the Lego piece on the table, Kam said, “You found it? I’ve been looking for this one.”
    “Maybe if you picked them up off the floor when you were done playing with them, they wouldn’t get lost, Kam.” Ted scowled, but his lips turned up a moment later. As Johanna had already discovered, it was impossible to stay mad at Kam. After all, you never knew when it would be the last time you saw someone. Holding grudges wasn’t a smart practice in the real world. It only left your heart broken when…
    “Wanna help me build a fire station, Pep? I’ve started the foundation.” Kam’s voice pulled Johanna back from the dark places, and she sat at the table with him and Ted to finish her coffee.
    “You know how boring I find Legos, Kam. Spare an old man, huh?” Ted dove into his eggs and bacon, crunched down on his toast. He nodded his thanks to Johanna who raised her mug in response. Making the guy a few meals a week was the least she could