A Texas Family Reunion

by Judy Christenberry

  Alex stood aside as the Barlows participated in a warm group hug. She thought about David’s old rigidity about his adopted mother. Maybe now she understood. Even when her mom was upset with her, Alex had never doubted her mother’s love. It seemed David didn’t have that security.

  Betty returned and told them dinner was served.

  David moved to Alex’s side. “Sorry if I embarrassed you,” he murmured.

  She took his hand. “Of course you didn’t. Aunt June’s behavior was awful.”

  “That’s why I didn’t want to acknowledge Jim when we first met. I figured he’d hate me for not having done anything about finding him or the others.”

  “Now you know differently. They all love you,” Alex whispered.

  David took her hand to go into the dining room. “I haven’t done anything to make them love me.”

  “That’s the great thing about family. They love you no matter what.”

  He squeezed her hand but said nothing else.

  THEY STAYED at Will and Vivian’s much later than planned. David had felt sure the evening would not last long, but he hadn’t counted on finding a loving family just waiting for his appearance.

  “They’re incredible, aren’t they?” he asked as they drove away from the party.

  “Yes, they are. You’re very lucky.”

  “I know I am. But you are, too, aren’t you? I mean, your mom is nice and you have Janet, Susan and me.”

  “Yes, of course,” she agreed.

  “Okay, so you and your mom aren’t that close and Janet…well, no one’s close to Janet except Mom. But you have Susan and me.”

  “Yes, and I appreciate that.”

  A cell phone rang. Alex, driving, frowned and looked around her.

  “That’s my cell,” David said. “I left it in your car while we were inside. Do you mind if I answer it?”

  “Of course not.” She continued driving while he held the phone to his ear and said little.

  When he closed the phone and remained silent, she asked, “David, is something wrong?”

  “What time is it?”

  “It’s almost eleven-thirty. Why? Is your mom expecting you to do something for her?”

  “No. That was the Plano Fire Department. My condo burned down tonight.”

  Alex stared straight ahead as her mind dealt with his words. “Your condo burned down? David, that’s dreadful. How…? What are you going to do? Is everything destroyed?”

  “I won’t know until I get there.”

  Alex pressed down on the accelerator.

  “Don’t get a ticket, Alex.”

  “No, I won’t, but…isn’t it strange that such a thing should happen to you after you were shot at today?”

  “Don’t read anything into this, honey. It’s just a coincidence.”

  “I think I should call Jim.”

  “No!”

  “Why not? Afraid of what he’ll say?” she asked, a challenge in her voice.

  “No, I’d like him to think of me as a man, not a cowardly little boy!”

  “Jim wouldn’t. He just wants to keep you safe.”

  “I’m planning on being safe!” He sat silent for a minute. “Honey, I’m not taking any chances. If the fire was arson, I’ll start putting in the security Jim recommended.”

  “You promise?”

  “Yes.”

  Alex took a deep breath. “Okay.”

  The fire trucks were still on the scene when they reached David’s condo. Fortunately, the condos had a firewall between each, so none of the units burned except David’s. They got out of the car and approached a policeman standing nearby. David introduced himself and asked if he could look more closely at his belongings.

  “I doubt you can. There’s nothing left. We’re looking for the cause of the fire now.”

  David just stood there staring at what had once been his home.

  Alex slid her hand into his.

  “Let’s go!” he said. “There’s nothing here.”

  “You should give the policeman your office number before we go.”

  “Oh, yeah.” He turned back to the policeman and gave him his business card. “Please let me know the outcome as soon as possible.”

  “Certainly, Mr. Buford.”

  David took Alex’s hand. “Okay, we can go now.”

  “Where do you want to go?” Alex asked.

  “It’s almost midnight. I hate to do it, but I guess I’d better call Pete. He’s got a couch he’ll let me sleep on.”

  “Wait!” Alex said, reaching out to put a hand on his cell phone. “That’s ridiculous. I have a second bedroom. You can stay there tonight.”

  “Alex, I’m not sure that’s a good idea. I mean, people might not realize I’m your cousin. It might start talk.”

  “David, this isn’t the nineteen-fifties. I’ll be just fine. If anyone says anything, I’ll tell them to mind their own business.”

  “You’re sure you don’t mind?”

  “Positive.”

  She started the car and headed for her own condo, not too far away. It was a relief to see her home safe and undisturbed. With a sigh of relief, she pulled into the garage beneath her condo. “I’m sorry it’s too late to get you any clothes tonight, but we can go shopping early tomorrow morning for a few items, at least.”

  “I don’t want to make you late for your job.”

  “Will won’t mind when he hears what has happened.”

  “Why would you tell Will? It’s not any of his business.”

  “Maybe because you’ll be hiring Jim to set up security at your company? And maybe taking his advice on a safe place to live?”

  “I think I can find a place to live by myself, Alex.”

  She whirled around to stare at him. “Don’t you realize you’d be dead already if you’d been home tonight? That might not matter to you, but it matters to a few of us!”

  “You’re right, honey. That was dumb of me to say that. And I’m glad I was out this evening. Something else I owe my family.”

  “Come on,” she said, and led the way to her condo.

  Chapter Seven

  Alex walked into her condo and quickly picked up a couple of things that were out of place. “Sorry, I wasn’t prepared for company.”

  “I’m not company, Alex. It’s certainly going to be more comfortable than Pete’s couch,” David said.

  “I hope so. I forgot to ask. Do you have fire insurance?”

  “Yes. I’ll call my agent in the morning. There shouldn’t be any problem.”

  “Oh, good, then you’ll be able to replace at least most of your stuff,” Alex said.

  “You sound like you think that should be fun,” David said. “I think it will be awful.”

  “Shopping, when you have the money, is a lot of fun, David. But if you don’t like it, I’ll be glad to help you.”

  “Be careful what you offer. I may take you up on that. A lot of my furnishings came from my college days. I’ll need some help picking out some nice furniture.”

  Alex was taking clean sheets out of her hall closet and she turned to stare at David. “Are you serious? Susan and I could do the job. We’d have so much fun!”

  “I’m not sure about Susan. Her tastes are a little…unusual.”

  “No, she’d be great. Haven’t you been in her condo?”

  “No.”

  Alex stared at him. “You haven’t? But she moved to her condo a year ago.”

  “I’ve been busy,” he said defensively.

  “You haven’t visited your baby sister’s condo for a year?”

  “Okay, Alex, I’ve been neglectful, but can we get past that tonight so I can get some sleep? I’m tired.”

  “I guess so,” she muttered. Then she turned and led him to her second bedroom. She pulled the spread off the bed and began putting sheets on it. David helped.

  “Here’s a blanket,” Alex said, pulling one from the closet. “That and the spread should keep you warm enough.”
<
br />   “I’ll be fine, Alex. Thanks.”

  “Great,” she muttered.

  David caught her arm as she tried to leave the room. “You’re mad at me and I don’t know why.”

  She whirled around. “How can you do that to Susan? You’re the only man in her life and you haven’t even visited her home? How do you think that makes her feel?”

  “I don’t know. It never occurred to me.”

  “Well, I’m not sure you deserve your new family when you aren’t taking care of your old family!” Alex stomped out of the extra bedroom, leaving David standing alone.

  After a minute he came out of the bedroom, looking for her. “Alex?”

  She stepped out of the kitchen, a glass of water in her hand. “Yes?”

  “I apologize and I’ll visit Susan’s condo as soon as possible.”

  “Fine!”

  “I’m going to go to bed now, if that’s all right.”

  “Yes, of course. There’s a bathroom connected to your bedroom.”

  “Thank you, Alex,” David said, and leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek. Then he disappeared into his bedroom.

  Alex stood there for several minutes. She regretted being angry with David. After all, he’d been through a lot today. He’d been shot at, met his family and lost his home.

  She finished her glass of water and decided to go to bed, too. Tomorrow was another day, and she was sure David would keep his word about installing security at his office.

  WHEN THE ALARM WOKE ALEX the next morning, she sniffed the air. Mmm. Coffee and frying bacon. She grabbed her robe and hurried to the kitchen.

  There was David, standing over the stove. “Good morning. I thought I should cook breakfast since you let me stay here. Sit down. I’ll bring you a cup of coffee.”

  “Thank you. I didn’t expect such service.”

  “I appreciate you taking me in last night. Oh, and I remembered last night that I had a lot of clothes at the cleaners. So I have some clothes. I called the place when it opened at seven, and my cleaning is ready to be picked up.”

  He was dressed in the clothes he’d worn last night.

  “We can go there as soon as I get dressed.”

  “Okay. I’ll call Pete after breakfast to let him know I’ll be late this morning,” David said as he brought her a cup of coffee.

  Alex jumped up and went to the front door and opened it to find her morning paper there, waiting for her. She brought it back to the kitchen, and sat down, scanning it for mention of the fire last night.

  “Here it is,” Alex said as David put a plate with eggs and bacon on the table. Then he put a plate of toast down before he joined her to look at the article.

  “Does it give a cause for the fire?” he asked. Alex handed him that portion of the paper. “Suspicious circumstances,” he read out loud.

  “Time to call Jim,” Alex said.

  “I’ll wait until I get to the office and see if the fire department has called. This ‘suspicious circumstances’ isn’t exactly proof of arson.”

  Alex took a bite of the breakfast David had prepared, saying nothing.

  After a moment David said, “I’ll keep my word, Alex. I just want to be sure.”

  “Okay.”

  When her plate was empty, she rose to her feet. “I’ll clean up the kitchen as soon as I get dressed. You can just leave everything and go call Pete.”

  She didn’t wait to see what he would do. After a quick shower, she dressed and blew her hair dry. Then she put on a little face powder and some lipstick and was ready to go.

  David was cleaning the kitchen when she came out. “I told you I’d clean the kitchen, David. You didn’t have to do that. After all, you cooked.”

  “I was ready and you weren’t. But I’ll admit I didn’t think you’d be ready in such a short time.”

  “I’m ready. Let’s go to the cleaners.”

  “Okay.” He put the last of the dishes in the dishwasher and followed her down the stairs to the garage. “I like your having a garage. That’s a real safety factor.”

  “Yes, it is. Maybe you should look for something like this when you look for a new place.”

  “Good idea.”

  After they picked up his cleaning, Alex suggested they go to Target so he could buy some essentials that he no longer had. He agreed. When their shopping was done, he suddenly declared, “I don’t know where to take everything.”

  “My place,” she replied without hesitation.

  David said nothing as she drove back to her condo and began to help him take everything to his room.

  “Alex,” he finally protested, “I really shouldn’t stay here again. I can get a hotel room until I find a place.”

  “There’s no need for that, David. I have room. You can stay here until you have a new place. It’s no big deal.”

  He said nothing else. After they got everything in his room, he closed the door behind Alex and changed into clean clothes. When he emerged in a suit and yesterday’s tie, Alex thought, not for the first time, how handsome he was.

  She immediately suggested they leave for his office. Such thoughts would get her in trouble.

  “Did you call Pete?”

  “Yeah. He’ll be on top of things.”

  When they reached his building, Alex pulled up in front of the door. “Will your car be ready today?”

  “No, I think they’ll need another day.”

  “Then I’ll pick you up. Stay at work, inside your office, until I call and tell you I’m waiting.”

  “Honey, you make it sound downright dangerous,” David said with a little laugh.

  Alex ignored his attempt to make light of his situation. “You call me as soon as you find out how the fire started, okay?”

  “Yeah, I’ll call you. Now quit worrying and get to your job.”

  When Alex arrived, she first apologized for being late. Then she told Jim about the fire. “David’s not taking it seriously, but it seems too coincidental to me.”

  “What did the fire department say about the cause of the fire?” Jim asked.

  “The newspaper said the fire was under investigation or something like that. David said he’d call me once he’d heard from the fire department. Has he called?”

  Carrie shook her head. “Not that I know of.” She got up from her chair and walked to Will’s door. “Will, did David call before we got here?”

  “No. Should he have?”

  “His condo burned last night.”

  Will came out of his office. “How terrible! Before or after he got home?”

  “Before,” Alex said. “He’s supposed to call me here and let me know the cause of the fire as soon as he finds out. If it was arson, he promised to put into place all the security measures Jim recommended.”

  “Good job, Alex,” Jim said. “Why don’t you call him now?”

  She picked up the phone and dialed David’s number from memory. “David, we’re all anxious. Did you hear from the fire department?”

  She listened, said little, and when she hung up the phone, Jim stepped forward. “Well?”

  “Yes, the fire was set deliberately, but David has been dealing with another problem. Someone broke into the company building. When they couldn’t find what they were looking for, they did as much damage as possible.” She paused, then said, “He wanted to know if you could come out and help him take some immediate steps to improve security.”

  “Let me check with Will.”

  “I forgot to say he’s willing to pay for your help,” Alex called out.

  Carrie smiled at her. “That wouldn’t matter. Where’s David staying?”

  “With me. I have two bedrooms.”

  “Oh, I see,” Carrie said.

  “David was going to sleep on Pete Dansky’s couch. But that seemed silly to me when I have an unused bedroom.”

  “You’re right. After all, he’s your cousin. That was generous of you. Will he look for another condo right away?”

  “I
suppose, but I want him to find a safer place. Someone is after him.”

  “It would seem that way. Otherwise, it would be just too coincidental to be shot at and have his home burn down on the same day.”

  “And his company broken into,” Alex added.

  “That’s right. What a lot to happen to you in twenty-four hours!”

  Jim came out of Will’s office. “I’m heading over to David’s office. I’ll call you, Carrie, and let you know when I’ll be back.”

  “Be careful,” Carrie said, after receiving his kiss.

  “I will, honey. Don’t worry.”

  “No, of course not,” Carrie said with a smile that remained on her face until Jim left the office. Then she laid her head on her desk.

  “Carrie, are you all right?”

  She raised her head and smiled at Alex. “Sorry, it’s those hormones. I don’t want Jim to know I worry, but I do.”

  “I know. I’m worried about David, too, but I have to hide it. Keeping busy helps.”

  “True. But, Alex, I just want to say I’m glad you’re here. I go crazy when I’m by myself.”

  Alex gave her a shaky smile. “I’m glad I’m helping someone.”

  DAVID HAD CALLED his insurance agent as soon as he got to the office, explaining about the break-in at the office, as well as the loss of his condo and contents to fire. The man promised to talk to the fire department, as well as the police.

  Pete walked into his office. “You should’ve called me last night. My couch isn’t too uncomfortable.”

  “I appreciate it, Pete, but Alex has a spare bedroom and bath. I stayed there last night.”

  “Is that wise?” Pete asked hesitantly.

  David’s head snapped up. “She’s my cousin.”

  “But you were adopted, so she’s not really kin to you.”

  “We used separate bedrooms, Pete.”

  “Okay, I won’t say anything else. But have you talked to the fire department? Was the fire accidental?”

  “Apparently not. They suspect arson.”

  “Man, I’m getting worried. Seems like someone is out to get you.”

  “Yeah, I know. I promised Alex I’d call Jim and put in some of his security ideas.”