A Texas Family Reunion

by Judy Christenberry

  “Yeah. Want to talk?”

  “About what?” Alex asked, looking blankly at him.

  “About what happened tonight.”

  “No. It’s late and I’m tired. I think I’ll just go to bed. You should, too.”

  David didn’t agree, but he went, anyway. They could talk in the morning.

  WHEN ALEX AWOKE, she didn’t get out of bed at once. In spite of what she’d told David, she had things to think about.

  Not about rescuing Susan. She was glad she’d done that. And glad that Susan and Pete had made up. Her problem was David. She loved him. Not as a cousin, but as a man. And he thought of her as his cousin.

  What could she do? Here he was living with her, and she wanted him to sleep with her. To have the kind of relationship Susan and Pete had. Would he think she was sick?

  They weren’t blood related. They hadn’t even been raised together. Susan was the only one she’d had much contact with. She heard about David from Susan, but she didn’t spend time with him. Only after he took over the company did she get to know him a little.

  Then, after she changed jobs, David checked up on her. Likely because her mother had mentioned her worry to Aunt June. With everything that had happened, they were thrown together. And influenced by the Barlows.

  But that didn’t mean David loved her. They’d become friends. They were going to share the ownership of a dog. They weren’t lovers. And she didn’t think that would change.

  Alex groaned. What could she do?

  She shoved back the covers. She’d fretted long enough. Time to get on with life.

  After taking a shower and dressing for work, she entered the kitchen. David was there and had made a pot of coffee. She poured herself a cup. “Thanks for making the coffee.”

  “I couldn’t remember if you drank it or not.”

  “Usually I don’t. But this morning I needed it.”

  “Want to go out for pancakes?” David asked.

  “Sorry, I don’t have the time.” She finished her coffee and set down her cup.

  “Alex, I got the impression you were upset last night. Won’t you tell me what’s wrong?”

  “No, David, nothing’s wrong. I’ll see you this evening. Oh, if you hear back about your offer for the house, call me at work.” She hurried down the stairs to her garage.

  DAVID STOOD THERE for several minutes after Alex left. Something was wrong. Why wouldn’t she talk to him? He was willing to help her with anything. Maybe he should call Jim and see if there was anything upsetting her at work. Yes, that was what he’d do. As soon as he got to work, he’d talk to his brother.

  And maybe he’d have good news for Alex. Maybe he could tell her he’d found a place to live and they could shop for that dog they wanted.

  His telephone rang at his office a little after ten. The real estate agent had presented his offer to the owners and they’d accepted it. They’d also agreed to rent him the house. However, they insisted on a higher rent.

  David agreed immediately. He told the agent he’d drop by with a deposit for the owners and hoped the closing date would be at least within two months. He’d also pick up the keys.

  Before he left, he received another phone call. This one came from the company’s contact in the government, letting him know they’d won the contract. That news almost made him forget the other. There were several things that had to be started at once. Their personnel department needed to run an ad for more programmers. And they needed a celebration party for those who’d had a part in preparing the bid.

  First he hurried to Pete’s office. When he discovered Pete kissing Susan, he came to an abrupt halt and cleared his throat noisily.

  “Oh!” Susan cried. “It’s my fault, David, not Pete’s.”

  “Okay, I’ll fire you instead of Pete.”

  “No! I don’t want to lose my job! You’re joking, right, David?”

  “Yes, honey, I’m joking. Pete, we got the government contract!”

  “We did? Terrific!”

  “I also got my house. This is a magical day.”

  “Oh! I want to see it!” Susan exclaimed.

  “I’ll give you the address, and you and Pete can meet us there after work.” With a big smile, he turned away to leave. Then he remembered what else he wanted to say. “We can have the celebration party at my house, but someone needs to plan it. That might be something good for Susan to do after you see it this afternoon.”

  “I’d love to! And maybe Alex can help.”

  “I’d like that, if she wants to.” As he turned to go, he added, “Don’t call and ask her until after lunch. I want to tell her myself.”

  And in person. He’d decided to do that while he’d been talking to Susan and Pete. Returning to his office, he picked up the phone and dialed Greenfield and Associates.

  He sighed in relief when Jim answered the phone. “Hey, Jim, it’s David. Is Alex there?”

  “No, David, she’s out doing some legwork.”

  “Do you think she’ll be in before lunch?”

  “I think she’s planning on it. She gave Carrie money to buy her lunch when Carrie gets ours.”

  “Could you tell Carrie not to buy her any lunch? I’m coming over to take her out. I’ve got some good news to share with her.”

  “Sure, I’ll be glad to. And after you tell her, maybe you can tell me. I like to hear good news.”

  “I can tell you now. I know you’ll keep my secrets. First of all, I’ve bought a house, and I’m renting it until the deal closes.”

  “That’s great news! Did Alex see it?”

  “Yeah, she went through it with me. The other good news is that we got that government contract, thanks to you and Alex.”

  “Congratulations. We were glad to help.”

  “I appreciate it. I’ll be there just a little before noon. Keep an eye on Alex for me.”

  “Will do.”

  David hung up and headed to the real estate agent’s office. He was anxious to get started on filling his house with furniture. And insurance. He needed insurance. He’d just gotten a check for all his belongings two days ago and had deposited it in his account, ready to use it to fill his new house.

  After lunch, he would go by his insurance man’s office. Maybe he’d better make a list of things he needed to do. He could do that at lunch with Alex.

  He couldn’t wait to tell her his good news.

  ALEX WAS FEELING GOOD when she reached the office. She’d gotten hold of some photos from the fire at David’s condo that showed a strange burn pattern. She’d taken them to the fire department and gotten their opinion. Now she needed to talk to Will. If he wasn’t there at lunch, she could call him after lunch.

  “Alex! You’re back early,” Carrie exclaimed.

  Alex looked around her. “Is that a problem?” she asked.

  “No, of course not, silly. You just surprised me. What did you find?”

  “Some tracks that indicated the fire had been deliberately set. The firemen didn’t see them because it was a night fire followed by a huge five-alarm fire. They checked their records and they never got back out to that site.”

  “Wow! Good catch, Alex,” Jim said.

  “Thanks. It made me feel good. So, do you want me to go get lunch, Carrie?”

  “Oh! No, that’s all right. Jim has already volunteered to go get lunch. I got lunch the last two days, so I think it’s his turn.”

  “Okay. I’ll go tomorrow, though. It’s been a few days since I went.”

  She pulled out her chair and settled in, turning on the computer to check for messages.

  A few minutes later Alex was busy with her computer, so much so that she didn’t look up when the office door opened—until she heard David say, “Hi, Alex.”

  She jumped. “David! What are you doing here?”

  “I came to have lunch with you.”

  “But Jim was going to get me lunch,” she said, desperately looking for him.

  “I called him earlier an
d told him I’d be taking you to lunch. Come on. I have some good news for you.”

  “Did you get the house?”

  “I’m not saying anything until we eat. Come on.”

  Alex got up and told Carrie she’d be back in an hour. She grabbed her purse and walked to the door with David.

  “Are you really not going to tell me until we’re eating? Because I think I can guess.”

  “You think so? Well, I have two surprises for you.”

  “Two? Oh, my, now I don’t know what to think. But I’m praying you got the house. It seems so perfect for you.”

  He reached over for her hand and squeezed it. “Thanks, honey. I appreciate that.”

  She smiled at him but didn’t say anything else.

  They went to the same Italian restaurant they’d gone to that first day, when he’d come to check on her.

  “Oh, I like this restaurant,” Alex said as David parked the car.

  “Me, too.” He came around the car as she got out and took her hand in his. Together they walked into the small restaurant. David had made a reservation.

  The waiter appeared at their table and offered to bring their drinks while they studied the menu. Alex didn’t ask any questions. She knew he’d tell her to figure out what she wanted to eat first. So when the waiter returned with her diet cola, she told him she wanted lasagna. David ordered the same thing.

  As soon as the waiter left their table, Alex said, “All right. I’ve been patient. Now tell me your good news.”

  “Okay, you’re right,” David said. “I’ll tell you the good news. Which one do you want first?”

  She opened her mouth to respond. Then she closed it quickly and smiled over David’s shoulder. “Hello, Vivian and Will. How are you?”

  The pair had just arrived and, spotting David and Alex, came over to say hello. David said, “Would you like to join us?”

  “We’d love to unless you want to be alone,” Vivian said.

  “No, of course not. We’d love to have company. You can hear David’s good news.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  “How nice of you to come all the way over here to have lunch with Alex, David,” Vivian said with a smile.

  “I have some good news I want to share with her.”

  Will frowned. “Are you sure you don’t mind us being here?”

  Since David had changed sides of the booth, joining Alex, he could assure them with perfect honesty that he didn’t mind. “Of course not. But you have to put up with my announcements.”

  Vivian laughed. “No problem.”

  “Well, first of all, I got the government contract that Alex and Jim helped us with.”

  “Congratulations, David!” Will said at once.

  “David, that’s wonderful!” Alex exclaimed. “That’s really good news for the company, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it is. We’re going to hire about ten more programmers.”

  “So what’s the other good news?” Alex asked eagerly.

  A grin spread across David’s face. “I got the house. They accepted my offer and agreed to let me rent the house until closing.” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a set of keys.

  “Oh, how exciting!” Alex said, hugging him.

  Once more David was grateful to Will and Vivian for putting him on Alex’s side of the booth. “Any way you could take the rest of the day off?” he asked.

  “Oh, no, sorry, David, but I took time off when you were sick. I can’t—”

  “How close are you to finishing the case you’re on?” Will asked.

  “Oh! I got pictures showing a burn pattern that confirms the fire at David’s condo was arson. I took them to the fire department and they admitted they didn’t get back to that fire because it was a night job and a five-alarm fire occurred a couple of hours later that tied them all up.”

  “You’re serious?” Will said. “That’s great, Alex. Well done. Take the afternoon off. You’ve earned it.”

  “But I haven’t talked to the company,” Alex pointed out.

  “I’ll take care of that, and I’ll be sure and tell them you’re the one who tracked down the clues.”

  “That doesn’t…I mean, I’m not concerned with getting credit. I just…I’ve had a lot of time off.”

  “For good reason. And I think this afternoon might be a good reason, too.”

  “Yeah, I want to get my house furnished,” David said. “We’ll be having the party to celebrate the contract on Friday.” He looked at Alex. “You said you’d help me.”

  “By Friday?” Alex asked in consternation. “David, you can’t be serious!”

  “Yes, I can. We don’t have to finish everything, just the living room and den.”

  “And the kitchen. Did you think about the kitchen?”

  “No, but you can help Susan with the party ideas and just order finger foods.”

  “How many people will be at the party?”

  “Well, we have twenty people who worked on the bid. If they’re all there and bring a date, we’ll have forty people.”

  “Vivian, what do you think about renting furniture for the weekend?” Alex asked. “The rental place has some decent furniture, and there’s no way to satisfy David’s likes and dislikes by Friday.”

  “With only a few days to prepare for the party, I think you’re right,” Vivian said.

  “Okay. We can visit the rental place this afternoon.”

  “But I still want you to help me furnish it,” David complained.

  “And I will, David. I’d love to do that, but not before the party Friday night. That’s impossible. What we can try to do is get you some bedroom furniture by then, so you can live there.”

  “Oh, good.”

  WHEN THEY LEFT the restaurant, David followed Alex’s directions to the rental place. He was amazed at the quality of the furniture. Alex chose a three-part sofa that would fill much of the room. She added several easy chairs in contrasting shades of blue. Then she chose a dining room table with a dozen matching chairs.

  “I think that will be enough for the party. Now we need to go to a furniture store and find a bed you’ll like, along with the box spring and mattress.”

  “Good. I look forward to getting my own bed.”

  “So mine’s not any good?” Alex asked.

  “No, honey, that’s not what I meant. I’m just eager to have my own house again. To own my bed and any other furniture, so if I mess up, I’m the one responsible.”

  “All right, I won’t tease you anymore. Here are the names of several nice furniture stores. Which one do you want to go to first?”

  He picked one of the furniture stores and there they found a large bed that David loved. It had a large dresser that went with it and two bedside tables. David bought it all. It could all be delivered tomorrow.

  David said nothing until they reached the parking lot. Then he lifted Alex and spun her around. He lowered her back to her feet and kissed her.

  Her cheeks turned bright red. David looked at her and apologized at once. “Sorry, I got carried away. You were so perfect, all I could think of was saying thank you.”

  “That’s all right,” she said, turning away from him, afraid of what he might see in her face. “Now we need to buy linens so we’ll be ready when your bed arrives. Shall we go to a department store?”

  “Yeah, sure,” he agreed. They got in the car and he drove them to the closest store. Alex picked up blue linens for the bed. Then she bought blue towels to go in the master bath. “Look at the bed coverlets and see if you find one you like. I’m going to pick up yellow towels for the guest bath.”

  She hurried off to find yellow towels. When she got back, David had chosen the most expensive coverlet the store offered.

  “David, they have less expensive coverlets.”

  “Don’t you like it?”

  “Yes, I love it! But I don’t want you to spend that much money if you can’t afford it.”

  He leaned over and kissed her lips again
. “I promise I can afford it, honey. I have my insurance check.”

  “Okay,” she said, flustered. She turned to the saleslady and let her know they were taking everything, then helped the saleslady package up their purchases.

  When they got out of the store, David suggested they go to the house.

  “Oh, we can’t. I have to go put the sheets in the washing machine.”

  “I told Susan we would meet them there after work to show them our house.”

  “I think we can still make it if I take the packaging off the sheets on the way to my place. Then we can head straight over to your house.”

  “Okay, I’ll hurry.”

  “But don’t get a ticket!”

  “I won’t, honey,” he promised with a wicked grin.

  “Behave yourself.” She had all the linens ready to go. She carried them into the condo and put them in the washing machine. Once she had it started, she headed back outside where David sat in the car.

  “Okay, I’m ready.”

  “Good, I missed you.”

  When they reached David’s new house, they found Pete and Susan waiting in Pete’s car. David and Alex got out of David’s car and met the other couple at the front door. After they raved about the beauty of the house, Alex told them about the plans they’d made for the party on Friday and the furniture they’d rented.

  David said, “After the party, Alex and I will have time to furnish the place properly.”

  “But you can’t move in until you get some furniture.”

  “Well, I have bought a bed, and I thought I’d go back to that store and buy some bar stools to use at the breakfast bar.”

  Alex laughed. “Then you’ll only need food.”

  “Rats! Can we go shopping tonight?” he asked Alex.

  “Yes, of course, but we should eat dinner first. I’ve heard you buy the wrong groceries if you go when you’re hungry.”

  Pete spoke up. “Let us buy you dinner to celebrate your new house.”

  “That’s not necessary, Pete,” David protested.

  “Yes, it is. And we’ll let you buy us dinner when we get married.”

  “All right. We’ll enjoy that,” David said with a smile.