“Come on, boy,” Crystal called to Rufus as a flannel-clad Jennifer made her way more slowly down the hall and into the bedroom.

Kids settled, Crystal reappeared, clicking the door shut behind her. “Something wrong?”

“I was saying-” Larry began, but was cut off.

“You’re too smart to be getting yourself into something like this,” snapped Stella.

“Mom, we’re not-”

“Where can it possibly lead?”

Crystal moved into the living room. “You’re embarrassing me, Mom.”

“What’s embarrassing is you taking up with a man twice your age.”

“He’s not twice my age.”

But Larry had already done the math. It wasn’t that far off. He and Crystal were ready to accept the difference, but if Stella and Steve’s reactions were anything to go by, how well was the rest of the world likely to react?

Larry didn’t care for himself, but Crystal shouldn’t have to put up with it. And there was the question of children. Even if he did want to start over, which he didn’t, he’d had a vasectomy. After Steve was born, the doctors told Libby that her high blood pressure might make it dangerous for her to have more children. Larry had made sure there was no risk to Elizabeth’s health on that front.

“Mother,” said Crystal. “Larry and I have had exactly three dates.”

He made it four, but wasn’t about to quibble.

“So now you’re saying it’s just a fling.”

“I’m saying it’s a date.”

“Four dates,” said Larry, earning a glare from Crystal.

“It’s too soon for you or anybody else to press the panic button,” she said.

“What about children?”

Crystal held up her hands. “Stop. I know you want more grandchildren.”

“This isn’t about me.”

Crystal started to laugh. “Then who is it about?”

Stella looked affronted. “You, of course.”

“Good. Then we can stop talking. Because I’m perfectly fine with dating Larry.”

Stella opened her mouth, but she seemed to have temporarily run out of arguments.

“Was there a reason you’re here, Mom?”

Stella blinked. “Kenny Carmichael.”

Larry knew Kenny was the major player in the Softco purchase.

Crystal sighed. “He wants to let me go.”

Stella gave her head a little shake. “There you go. Jumping to conclusions. Just like you always do.” She looked to Larry. “You see why I worry about this girl?”

Under no circumstances was he taking a piece of that.

“Kenny wants you to work more hours.” She glanced around. “And you can stay in the apartment, of course.”

“I can?” Crystal asked in a small voice.

“It’s in the sales agreement.”

“That’s very generous.”

Stella nodded. “We’re your parents. We want what’s best for you.” She gave Larry a pointed look.

He wanted what was best for Crystal, too. But he didn’t know how to convince Stella that was true.

“Good night, Mom.” Crystal moved forward to give her mother a kiss on the cheek.

Stella didn’t look happy, but most of her anger seemed to have abated. With a warning glance in Larry’s direction, she headed for the door.

When it shut behind her, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“Sorry about that,” said Crystal.

“Nothing for you to be sorry about.”

“She’s always been, well, a straight shooter.” Crystal flopped down on the couch. “She’s never put much stock in emotion. You know, I think she’d have gone with arranged marriages if she’d had her way. The man’s job, his family connections, family history of diseases and longevity.”

Larry eased down next to her on the soft sofa. “You know, my son reacted in much the same way the other day.”

Crystal twisted her head. “Steve doesn’t want you to date me?”

“He thinks I’m having a midlife crisis.”

She was silent for a few heartbeats. “Are you?”

He reached up, smoothed back her hair and smiled. “You mean am I going to come to my senses one day soon and realize you’re not good enough for me?”

“Something like that.”

“Never happen.” He paused. “You on the other hand, could easily, and quite rightfully, come to your senses.”

She shook her head, taking his hand in hers. “Never happen,” she whispered.

“It’s way too soon to know that.”

“No, it’s not.” She kissed his hand and rubbed it up against her cheek. “I’m falling in love with you, Larry.”

“Not the greatest idea,” he warned.

“That’s what you have to say back?”

“No.” He turned to fully face her. “What I have to say back, is that I’m already in love with you. But that doesn’t mean our detractors are wrong.”

“They don’t understand,” said Crystal.

“On the contrary. They understand perfectly. They just don’t happen to think we’re a good idea.”

“Good thing they don’t get a vote.”

“They’re our families.” And they’ve made some perfectly valid points. “You want children.”

“Someday,” she agreed.

“I can’t have children.”

He could see the surprise in her eyes. “You have Steve. Men can-”

“I had surgery,” he explained.

“Oh.”

He tried to gauge how the revelation had affected her. “Nothing about this is simple.”

She put on a brave smile. “It’s simple at the moment. We’re not going to do what my mother did. People don’t go on three dates-”

“Four.”

“-and decide their entire future. We’re going to Pocono. We’re going to have a great time together. And we’re not going to worry about anything else.”

Larry hesitated. She was right. People didn’t have to decide their future up front. But he also knew that the more time that went by, the greater the risk one of them would get hurt.

He could handle it, if it was just him. He couldn’t handle it, if it was Crystal who paid the emotional price.

“Things can change,” she continued. “Look at my employment and my apartment situation.”

Larry couldn’t help but smile. “Wasn’t that a waste of a day?”

“We learned a lot about the seamy side of Charlotte.”

“Sweetheart, those were things I didn’t really want to learn.”

“Pocono,” she repeated. “I’ll even stay in that fancy-ass castle suite with you,” she cajoled.

“You will?”

She nodded.

He sighed. What was he going to do, cancel the weekend? Not much chance of that.

“You going to work tomorrow?” he asked.

She nodded. “Better talk to Kenny and make myself some money. You?”

“I have to head up to Myrtle Pond and work on the house.” He’d been putting it off all week. “Pick you up on Friday?”

She nodded, as he started to rise.

“You don’t have to leave,” she pointed out.

Oh yes, he did. “The kids are in the next room, and I have this sneaking feeling your mother’s waiting to see my taillights exit the parking lot.”

Crystal gave in graciously, and he headed home, telling himself Stella, Steve and Dean were all wrong, and that Crystal might change her mind about children.

The scientist in him knew he was grasping at straws. But the mathematician in him understood chaos theory. Despite all the complications, he couldn’t completely discount the notion that he and Crystal might have been preordained.

AFTER DROPPING THE KIDS off for the second-last day of school, Crystal spent the morning alternating between working on her cookbook and daydreaming about Larry.

He couldn’t have children.

What did that mean?

Did it mean anything at all? They’d barely started dating. It was way too early to be thinking about a white dress, a dog and a picket fence.

As if he read her mind, Rufus rose from where he was sleeping on the mat and padded over to the sofa. He nudged her laptop a few inches and rested his head on her knee, squinting his eyes against the breeze that wafted in through the open window.

“Okay, so we’ve got the dog part already,” she told him, scratching between his ears, trying not to feel maudlin at the choice between Larry and children.

For goodness sake, she didn’t even know if the choice was hers to make yet. Their feelings were deep, but it was the first blush of romance. And Larry was clearly having second thoughts, after her mother and his son had expressed their opinions.

Rufus gave a heartfelt sigh that seemed to echo her own emotions.

He’d spent the night sleeping on the foot of David’s bed, and David hadn’t made a peep. The dog had clearly bonded with David. As he had with Larry. Crystal smiled. He’d even started spending more time with her. Memories of his original owner must be fading.

She leaned down and cupped his head with her hands, stroking the damaged ear. “We’re going to be okay, you and me,” she promised.

His brown eyes gazed up at her with trust and adoration.

There was a knock on the door, and Rufus immediately went on alert. He didn’t bark, but he trotted into the kitchen, positioning himself at the end of the hall, watchful while Crystal moved to the door.

Through the sheers on the window, she could see a strange man on the porch. The man didn’t look particularly dangerous. He was about sixty-five, wore a neat business suit and was carrying a briefcase. Still, she was glad of the dog’s presence.

She twisted the lock and opened the door, wondering if he was selling something. Her little apartment tucked behind and atop of the Softco complex didn’t normally attract salespeople. But you never knew.

“Ms. Crystal Hayes?” the man asked.

“Yes?” Her curiosity grew.

“I’m Fred Smythe, attorney for Mr. William Chandler.”

The name meant nothing to her, and for a second she wondered if it was a scam of some kind. She leaned against the end of the door, her skepticism rising.

“Can I help you with something?”

“I tried to call but I seem to have the wrong phone number.” He glanced around. “Would it be possible to come inside and talk?”