A Texas Family Reunion

by Judy Christenberry

  “Maybe whoever it was was distracted by a pretty face,” Alexandra challenged, staring at her cousin.

  “It wasn’t me!” David declared.

  “It was me,” the other man said. “I remember because I did notice the time gap in her résumé. I asked her and she said her mother had been sick and she took time off work to nurse her back to health.”

  Alex made some notes on her pad. “We’ll check that out, Mr.—” She broke off since she hadn’t been introduced to him.

  “Oh, sorry,” David said. “This is my right-hand man and best friend, Pete Dansky.”

  “Hello. I’m Alexandra Buford, and this is Jim Barlow.”

  Pete shook both their hands, but his gaze returned to Alexandra. “You have the same last name as David?”

  “Yes, he’s my cousin.”

  “That’s right. He said his cousin worked for your company, but I thought—”

  “Give them a chance to eat their lunch, Pete,” David said hurriedly.

  “Right. We brought in some cheeseburgers and fries.” Pete began pulling out neatly wrapped packages. Soon they were all eating.

  Jim asked, after taking a bite of his hamburger, “What does Miss Green do for the company?”

  “She tests our new programs to be sure they work.”

  Jim exchanged a look with Alex. “I think we should get Carrie to do a check on her mother and that illness she had. She can do it while we continue our interviews.” He pulled out a cell phone and hit a button, then proceeded to tell Carrie the details.

  When he disconnected, he said, “My wife will check it out and let us know as soon as she can. Will can go out and get her some food. We’re expecting our first child, and I trust him to take good care of her.”

  “Congratulations, Jim,” David said in a stilted manner, drawing a curious look from Pete. Then he returned to business. “So what’s the other question?” he asked. “Alex said you had a couple….”

  Alexandra took over. “There was a man who had been fired by you and then rehired. About five years ago. He didn’t seem to have an adequate explanation for that.” She stared at David.

  “Oh. That was Bill Bardwell. Yeah, he’s okay. I fired him because he fell asleep at work several times. Then his wife came to see me. They’d had a baby and then she got sick, and he was taking care of her and the baby all night long. I apologized to him and rehired him.”

  Jim nodded and said, “The only decent thing to do.” He took another bite of his cheeseburger and chewed.

  “You and Alex seem to work well together,” David said, watching Jim.

  “Yes, we do,” Alex said instantly, as if challenging him to prove differently.

  “I just wondered…I mean, Alex is very….”

  Jim grinned. “So’s my wife. And she’d kill me if she thought I was hitting on Alex instead of doing my job. Your cousin is safe with me, David.”

  “That’s a strange thing to accuse the man of,” Pete protested.

  “I just like to make sure,” David snapped. He turned bright red and stood up suddenly. “Right. I’ll be in my office if you have any other questions.”

  There was a stunned silence in the conference room after David’s abrupt departure. Finally Pete rose to his feet. “I don’t know why David’s acting the way he is. It’s not like him. He’s a good man.”

  “I know he is, Pete, but thanks for saying that.” Jim smiled at him.

  “You say that like you’ve known him a long time.”

  Jim picked up a French fry, studying it, as he said, “I knew him when he was a lot younger.”

  “Oh, I didn’t know that.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I know he’s concerned about Alex. He’s just trying to protect her.”

  “I’ve told him I know what I’m doing,” Alexandra said. “He doesn’t want to believe it.”

  “Give him time, Alex. He seems to be dealing with a lot right now,” Jim said. He stood and gathered up the remains of their lunch and threw it in the trash can. Then he offered his hand to Pete. “Thanks for bringing us lunch and eating with us. We’ll let you know as soon as we’ve figured it out.”

  “David and I will be waiting to hear from you,” Pete said.

  He left the conference room. Only minutes later, Jim’s cell phone rang. It was Carrie.

  Chapter Three

  Carrie said that she’d talked with Judith Green’s mother. She’d pretended to be a health insurance salesperson and Mrs. Green hadn’t been interested in purchasing any. She’d said she’d never been sick a day in her life.

  When Carrie had asked about any children, whether they might need health insurance, Mrs. Green had explained that her daughter worked for Carey & Co., and they had excellent insurance.

  Carey & Co. was David’s competitor.

  “Well, that was a slam dunk,” Jim said with a smile. “We’d better call her back, and call David and Pete in, too.”

  “I’ll take care of it,” Alex said as she stood. “We’ve finished faster than I thought we would.”

  She stopped by the secretary’s desk and asked for Judith Green to be called. Then she walked to David’s office door. It was open and she stuck her head in. “David? We think we’ve found the leak. Do you and Pete want to sit in on the interview?”

  “Already? You bet.” He got up and followed Alex out, asking his secretary to call Pete to join them. The four of them were together before Judith arrived.

  When the young woman came into the room and saw the four people sitting at the table, she paused and then took a chair. “You asked to see me again? Is there something I didn’t tell you?”

  Alexandra smiled. “Judith, Pete said you told him you hadn’t worked the six months prior to taking this job because your mother was very sick.”

  “Yes, that’s right,” she agreed at once. “I didn’t mention it this morning because I didn’t realize it mattered.”

  “Normally, it wouldn’t, but we’ve spoken to your mother and she denies ever being sick a day in her life.”

  “You spoke— She doesn’t like to admit to being sick.” Judith seemed a little more unsure of herself.

  “She also said her daughter had excellent insurance with her employer.”

  “Yes, that’s true. Our company has great insurance.” She smiled at David.

  “She said your employer was Carey & Co,” Alex said.

  Judith jumped to her feet. “No! No, she…made a mistake.”

  David spoke for the first time. “Judith, we’ll give you the opportunity to resign at once, or we’ll fire you and sue you for industrial espionage. Your choice.”

  DAVID WAS VERY PLEASED with the job Alex and Jim had done. He offered to take them to dinner to celebrate the successful conclusion.

  “I can’t,” Alex said hurriedly. “I already have plans.”

  David wasn’t sure he believed her. Then he turned to Jim. “How about you and Carrie join me and Pete for dinner?”

  “Thanks, David, but we’ll all be dining together on Monday of next week. Why don’t we celebrate then?”

  “Okay, that’ll be fine. I do need to find someone else to replace Judith right away, I have to admit. We’re under a deadline.”

  “Why not ask Susan?” Alex suggested. “She’s taken courses in computers.”

  “No, I don’t—” David began.

  “Who’s Susan?” Jim asked.

  “My youngest sister,” David replied.

  “Relatives you trust can be good employees,” Jim said.

  Pete said, “I met her, but I didn’t know she had any interest in computers.”

  “Yeah, well, my mother doesn’t encourage her because she thinks it’s not feminine to do computer work.”

  Alex cast Jim a wry look.

  Pete said, “That’s crazy. What’s she doing for a job?”

  “She’s a salesclerk at a dress store,” Alex said, “and she told me she doesn’t like the work.”

  “Okay, okay, I’ll call her,” D
avid agreed. “I’d better call Mom, too. Hopefully, she’ll understand.”

  “Tell your mom the company needs Susan. That should help,” Alex suggested.

  “Yeah,” David agreed. “Why don’t you come with me to tell her about the job, Alex.”

  “I told you I had plans for the evening.”

  “Neil again, I suppose?” David asked unhappily.

  “Yes,” Alex replied. David didn’t seem happy with her choice for a companion, but then he’d never been happy with the men she dated.

  Jim said, “Thanks for the work, David, and I hope Susan takes the job, but we’ve got to get back to the office. I’ll call you about next Monday night later in the week.”

  “Right, thanks, Jim.”

  Pete stood beside David as the other two left. “Is your mother really opposed to women working with computers? That’s crazy.”

  “I know. Mom’s that way.”

  “Want me to go with you to tell her?”

  David smiled. “No, I’m a big boy. I can face her on my own. You can go with me to talk to Susan, though.”

  “Sure, good idea, since I’ll be the one to train her. I can see if we’ll work well together.”

  They set out for the dress store where Susan worked. When they entered the place, Susan was ringing up a sale. As soon as she’d finished, David asked her if she could take a break. She got approval from her supervisor and the three of them went to a small café next door.

  Once they were seated and ordered drinks, David explained their problem. “We’ve got to find someone who knows computer software to fill a sudden vacancy at the firm. And I thought of you.”

  Susan’s eyes opened wide with excitement. Then she slumped back in her seat. “I’d love it, but you know how Mom is. She’ll be so upset if I—”

  “I know, honey, but I think it’s time you worried about making yourself happy rather than Mom.”

  “Wow, you sound like Alex,” Susan said with a giggle.

  “Maybe I do. I thought Mom would change with time, but she hasn’t. Alex is right. You have the right to choose work you’ll enjoy. Maybe it isn’t in computers, but you’ll never know until you try.”

  “You’ll back me up?”

  “I will.”

  “And I’ll be the one to train you,” Pete said, smiling warmly at Susan.

  David shot a look at his best friend. Pete seemed really eager to train Susan. Taking a second look at his sister, he realized she was quite pretty. Hmm.

  “Do you have to give notice to the store?”

  “I think you’re supposed to, but I’ll tell my supervisor this is an emergency. It is, isn’t it?” Susan asked.

  “Absolutely!” Pete said.

  “Yeah, Pete’s right. It would be best if you came with us right now.”

  “Then let me talk to my supervisor. They’ve got plenty of help right now. I don’t think my leaving will be a problem. Then I can follow you to the office and start this afternoon.”

  “Maybe I should wait for Susan and ride with her to the office, so she won’t get lost,” Pete suggested.

  David told him that was good thinking, though he knew it was totally unnecessary. But Susan wasn’t objecting, either.

  He left them together and drove to his mother’s home, which she shared with her sister-in-law—Aunt Gladys, Alex’s mother.

  “Mom, I need to talk to you,” David announced after he’d entered the house. His mother and Gladys were sitting together knitting in front of the television.

  “Yes, dear?”

  “I’ve talked Susan into quitting her job and coming to work for the company.”

  That got his mother’s attention. “What? Oh, no! I can’t allow that! You should’ve talked to me first.”

  “I’m sorry, Mom, but Susan has a lot of training in computer work. I think she should be using it, not working in a dress store. She doesn’t even like the job, according to Alex.”

  “Alex is always trying to talk her into being independent!” his mother snapped.

  Gladys laughed. “That’s my girl! Strong-minded as ever.”

  “Yes, she is, isn’t she. She was at the office this morning, helping us find a spy. She and Jim interviewed and checked backgrounds and found out who had been passing our information on to the competitor. That’s why we need Susan. If she doesn’t like it, I’ll help her find another job, Mom. I’ll make sure she’s happy.”

  “Who’s this Jim?” his mother demanded.

  “He works with Alex at Greenfield and Associates. They did a great job.”

  “Is Alex interested in him?” Gladys asked hopefully.

  “No, I think she’s dating a cop,” he said casually.

  “Oh! I didn’t know. She never tells me anything.”

  “Well, if this Jim’s not married,” his mother said, “Alex could introduce him to Susan.”

  “He’s married, Mom. Susan will find someone.” His other sister, Janet, was married, and it seemed to be his mother’s goal in life to marry off Susan.

  “I had hoped you’d introduce Susan to someone, but you never have.”

  “I did try a few times, Mom, but it never worked out.”

  “Well, I don’t like you hiring Susan to work for our company. She shouldn’t have to work there.”

  “She thinks it might be fun to try, Mom. So can I tell her you don’t mind?”

  “I suppose. But if she doesn’t like it, you must help her find a nice job at once.”

  “I promise, Mom.”

  Though his mother protested his leaving so quickly, he headed back to the office. He found Pete and Susan in Pete’s office. He was already teaching her “Quality Assurance,” which had been Judith’s job.

  “Everything going okay?” David asked.

  The pair jumped as if they’d been doing something illegal.

  “Oh, David, yes, everything’s fine,” Susan said. “Pete is doing a wonderful job of teaching me what to do. Did…did you talk to Mom?”

  “I did, and she agrees, as long as I promise to find you another job if you don’t like this one.”

  “Thanks, David,” Susan said.

  “No problem. Pete, everything okay with you?”

  “Sure, everything’s great,” Pete answered, but his smile was directed to Susan, not David.

  David made a mental note to keep an eye on his friend. He thought a lot of Pete and wouldn’t mind having him in the family. In fact, he preferred Pete to his current brother-in-law, Janet’s husband, Jerry. He worked in his father’s stock brokerage firm and David found him pretentious and snobbish. But David’s mother was very impressed with him.

  Returning to his office, David sat for a moment to think. He knew Alex would approve of what he’d done today, though he hadn’t done it for her approval. He’d been worrying about Susan for a while now. She hadn’t seemed happy. Maybe now….

  His thoughts turned to Alex. He’d always tried to be a big brother to her, too, since she had no brothers. His desire to protect her was what had prompted him to pay a visit to Greenfield and Associates.

  Of course, she didn’t appreciate his efforts. But she was working with Jim. She’d be okay. He wished he could say as much about her latest boyfriend. Neil Logan was a divorced cop and seven years older than Alex, who was only twenty-four, the same age as Susan.

  He focused his mind on his work. He’d given enough time to thinking about his family today. Besides, thinking about the company was important to his family, since they enjoyed the proceeds.

  ALEX WAS THRILLED. She’d just successfully completed her first case at her job, and tonight she’d get to tell Neil about her job change. Now if he was interested in a future with her, there was nothing to keep them apart.

  She was in the kitchen when she heard Neil’s knock on the door. They usually ate at her apartment since Neil said it would be better if they kept their relationship quiet. That was another reason for her leaving the police force. She wasn’t comfortable with secrets.

/>   When she opened the door, Neil swept her into his arms and kissed her. “Hey, did you miss me?” he asked.

  “Of course I did.” She smiled. He always wanted to know if she’d missed him, even if it was only a day or two since she’d seen him. “How was your family?”

  She listened patiently while he talked about his family. She was waiting for him to finish, hoping he would ask about what she’d done during his vacation. Dinner was over before he got to that stage. By then, Alex was more than a little irritated.

  “So, what did you do while I was gone?” he finally asked.

  “I got a new job,” she said casually.

  “You what?”

  “I got a new job.”

  “You left the police force?” he asked, astounded. “You should’ve discussed it with me first!” His tone held anger.

  Alex stared at him in disbelief. David had been concerned, but he hadn’t acted like this. “Why? Don’t you think I can make decisions for myself?”

  “Of course I do, but I think I know what’s best for you.”

  Why hadn’t she noticed how controlling he was? He usually dominated the conversation, it was true, but she’d figured that was because he’d had more experience and thus, more to say. It seemed she’d been mistaken.

  “Don’t worry,” he said. “I can probably pull some strings and get you back on the force.”

  “No, thank you,” she said clearly.

  “Yeah, I can talk to the sergeant and tell him you made a mistake and—”

  “I don’t want you to talk to the sergeant, and I didn’t make a mistake!”

  “Come on, Alex, I’m just trying to help. I don’t want you working somewhere else.”

  “Doesn’t it matter what I want?”

  “Sure, baby, but we won’t get to see each other as much.”

  “Why not? I won’t be working nights, and it won’t matter if someone sees us together if I’m not on the force.”

  “I don’t think it would be a good idea for me to be seen with a quitter.” Neil reared back in his chair, as if challenging her.

  Suddenly Alex knew what she had to do. “You’re probably right,” she said.