Never Too Late by T. R. McClure

Author:T. R. McClure [McClure, T. R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Contemporary
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Published: 2013-09-01T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

The morning of the faculty party, Alex drove down the main street of Almendra and wondered where he could find the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for Katerina. Something not too extravagant, but something, at the same time, memorable. He passed the jewelry store, where displays of diamonds and shiny foil hearts winked enticingly.

Diamonds were out of the question. He wanted something she could remember with affection. Four months remained before Kat returned to her orderly life and Alex his. Pulling into a vacant parking space, he switched off the truck and sat in silence thinking of diamonds. The heady aroma from The Tin Cup slithered into the truck cab and enticed him inside the coffee shop. He ordered a mocha latte, settled into a chair by the window, and considered his options.

One of his options was flowers, since he was already charged with picking up his father’s traditional bouquet of red roses for his mother. Every Valentine’s Day, they heard the story of how neither of them could afford a gift so his father had picked a bouquet from the rose bushes at the vineyard. Just a few doors down, on the opposite side of the street, colorful flowers beckoned in front of The Flower Basket.

As he pondered his errands, Wendy’s sister, Colleen, and her husband came into the coffee shop and approached the counter. Their middle sister, Bobbi, was married to Rob Roberts. How those two ended up with those names he’d never guess. Rob was a partner in the same firm as Alex’s brother Doug. He stood and waved them over.

Alex planted a soft kiss on Colleen’s cheek. “Colleen, you’re looking lovely, as always.”

“Hey, watch it buddy.” Matt grabbed Alex’s hand and gave it a tight squeeze. “She’s my girl.”

“Oh, please, you two.” Colleen threw a playful punch at her husband’s shoulder. She turned as their order was called out. “Have a seat, babe. I’ll get the drinks.”

Alex followed Colleen’s path across the coffee shop, and then looked at his friend to find Matt’s gaze on him, a slight smile about his mouth. “I still can’t believe Colleen and Wendy are sisters.” He laughed as he mentally compared the two women, Colleen with her twenty-five years in the Air Force and Wendy with her five-page resume of her many and varied jobs.

Matt snorted. “Tell me about it. Did I ever tell you about the time Wendy and I went out?”

“You’re kidding? I thought you only had eyes for Colleen.”

“I did, but she had other ideas. When she found out I was younger, she sent Wendy out on our date.” Matt ran a hand through his wavy, blond hair. “Talk about an adventure!”

“I can only imagine.” Alex shook his head as he sipped his latte. “She talked me into going to The Wild Pony a few weeks ago with her and Tony. I couldn’t get out of there soon enough.”

Chuckling, Matt slapped the table with his hand. “She took me to the same place!”

“I have to admit she’s made some improvements at the vineyard.

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