Miss Demeanor by Beth Rinyu

Author:Beth Rinyu [Rinyu, Beth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Beth Rinyu
Published: 2018-08-15T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 28

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Rose

AFTER THE WARM WELCOME I received from Alex’s parents and the delicious dinner that was probably my caloric intake for the entire week, I was happy I had agreed to come along. His mother was the epitome of Southern belle, her hair and makeup done up to perfection, topped off with a sweet Southern accent. His father was exactly how I pictured him: tall and thin like Alex. His salt-and-pepper hair accentuated his baby-blue eyes. Their house was absolutely breathtaking. It was a stately Victorian nestled along a river, which his father later informed me was known as the Vernon River. His mother gave me the grand tour, each room more beautiful than the last. The elaborate interior design was done completely by his mother. Some rooms were a little too extravagant even for my taste, but there was no doubt she had put a lot of work into getting each room just so. His mother talked nonstop about Alex during dinner. I knew everything there was to know about him from the time he was born until he graduated from high school. I sensed he was tiring of the endless conversation of which he was the topic, but oddly enough, I wasn’t.

His father was an attorney, a family occupation for generations until Alex broke that tradition. I noticed they didn’t talk about the time Alex spent in the Marine Corp, and I wondered if Alex had warned them to steer clear of that topic.

“Oh, Rose, I hope you saved some room for my strawberry shortcake,” Alex’s mother said as she began to clear the dishes. I got up to help and she motioned for me to sick back down.

“Don’t you dare try and help me clean up. You’re a guest, and guests don’t help out, they just sit and enjoy themselves.”

“Oh, am I a guest too then?” Alex teased.

“Well, seeing how you haven’t been to visit in ages, I’m starting to think you are.” She raised an eyebrow at him and turned her attention to her husband. “Tom, give me a hand clearing these dishes so I can bring the cake out.”

“Mrs. Andrews, please let me help.” I was feeling useless as I sat around the table, watching her and her husband clear the table.

“Hush and relax…and please call me Charlotte. Alex, why don’t you take Rose to the sunporch and we’ll have dessert out there.”

“Aye, aye, Captain,” Alex teased.

His mother raised her eyebrow. “Don’t be getting fresh with me. I don’t care how old you are, I’ll still tan your hide, and I wouldn’t want to have to do it in front of Rose.”

“Oh, I’d have no problem with it.” I gazed at Alex and grinned.

“I’m sure you wouldn’t,” he agreed.

I followed him into the sunporch and stared out into the darkness. “What’s that?” I asked when I saw the lights in the distance.

“The gazebo,” he replied.

“Oh, can I see it?”

He shrugged. “If you want.”

I followed him outside and through the backyard, lifting my head to the sky as thunder rumbled in the distance.

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