Free Come Fly With Me by Sandi Perry Page A

share,” Alex informed her.
    “I’m not your girl. Maybe I should have a pin made up.”
    Alex put down his fork as he reached for his steaming mug of coffee. He lifted it in salute, a cocksure smile on his face and said, “Time will tell.”
     
     

Chapter 14
    A couple of hours later Alexander and Allison drove down an endless driveway lined with copper-beech trees that led to his parents' house.
    “So, tell me,” Allison said as she looked around in awe at the vast estate; she half expected Clark Gable to step out onto the front veranda to greet them. “What are your sisters’ names?”
    “Annabelle, Mirabelle, Sara Belle, and Bella Sue.”
    “Oh, that last one caught me by surprise, or should I say they all did. I don’t know anymore.” She scratched her chin in confusion.
    “Well, my Mama always wanted for her gals to be the ‘Belles’ of the ball. By the time they got to daughter number four, my father put his foot down. He didn’t want his daughters to become a laughingstock. At least one of them has some sense.”
    “This property is amazing. If I lived here I would never leave.”
    “Oh yes, you would,” Alex said knowingly.
    They heard loud laughter and animated conversation coming from around the back of the house and walked along the cobblestone path through the rose arbor toward the source of the noise. Allison noticed immediately that all the females were beautiful and had almost exact matching shades of honey-blonde hair, even the young children. She didn’t know if they used the same hairdresser or if it was a function of their genetics, but the result was startling. She felt out of place with her jet-black hair.
    Alex stepped up behind his mother and held his hands over her eyes. She let out a whoop of delight as she eagerly felt his hands. She flung them off with a flourish and hugged him with unbridled joy. She pulled back and still held him in her arms to get a good look at him. Her light-blue wrap dress clung to her curvaceous curves and the chunky crystal necklace she wore glinted in the sunlight, adding an extra sparkle to her middle-aged beauty.
    “Well, well, excuse mah mannahs.” She looped her left arm in her son’s and reached out her right to shake Allison's hand. “I’m Celeste Covington." She waved her hand over the back of her head, "That's my husband, Horatio.”
    She introduced her husband airily, as if it was a second thought. Allison thought it discourteous, and her interest in Celeste plummeted. She also observed that Celeste maintained a firm, possessive grip on her son and smiled to herself. She pitied the woman Alex would ultimately bring home to meet his mother—she would not hand him over graciously.
    “Mama, Dad, this is Allison Ross,” he smiled at her as he made the introductions.
    She noted that he left the nature of her visit unaddressed. He must have a death wish, because his mother was eying them both in a wary manner. Either she’ll kill him, or I’ll do it when we’re done here, Allison thought to herself when she was left floundering to make the explanations.
    “Mrs. Coventry, Alex and I are business associates. He works for my father’s company, and I am here simply to sound out the possibility of Alex moving upward within the ranks of the business—to see how nicely he plays with others.” Allison offered up what she hoped was a winning and non-confrontational smile.
    “Well, of course he plays nicely with others; you didn’t have to come all the way down here just to figure that out.” Celeste reached over with her hand and patted Alex's chest supportively, an uncertain look in her eyes. “You Yankee girls are overly uptight about these sorts of things. Life is all about taking chances.”
    Alex disentangled himself from his mother’s firm grip. “Mama, no one refers to people living in New York as Yankees anymore, as you very well know. Stop being intimidating.”
    Celeste pulled back and looked from her son to Allison. She