A Christmas Arrangement by Annie Adams Page B

you.”
    The phone rang and K.C. excused herself to answer it.
    “Quincy, I also need to apologize for us getting off on the wrong foot.  It’s just that Alex has had so many girlfriends and I’m very protective of my family recipes.  He’s obviously concerned for your feelings and I’m sure the water chestnuts were a suitable replacement, and I really meant to have some of your—version.  I just overdid it with the wonderful salads that the other guests prepared and…”
    No.  One.  Ever.  Has filled up on the primordial soup disguised as “salads” that my aunts bring to every family event.  Alex had obviously forced his mother to apologize to me somehow.  Maybe that’s why she’d returned from the hallway fuming just before dinner the night before.  And while it warmed my heart to think he liked me enough to stand up to his mother, it felt like all that it would accomplish would be her resenting me even more for attaching myself to her perfect son. 
    She wasn’t the only one who thought Alex was pretty darn close to perfect.  I knew that he was.  And I was also completely aware that I wasn’t.  I couldn’t help but feel that I would never match the expectations of the ideal woman she’d created for him
    “…I came here today to see if you’d like to go shopping with me.  Just us girls.  I need to get some things for Alex’s house.  And I need to do some other Christmas shopping too.  Would you like to go?”
    How best to answer that question?  Did I want to go…?  Gee Mrs. Cooper, that sounds about as much fun as trying a Brazilian wax at the local beauty college.  You know, where all the beginners get to practice?  Sign me up!  
    I didn’t have time to shop with the Christmas open house bearing down on me, but this would be an important milestone for us.  And I needed her to like me.  Okay, tolerate me.  Alex was his mama’s Little Leaky and we wouldn’t be together without her minimal tolerance of me. 
    “I would love to go.  Thank you.”
    “Excuse me, Boss.”  K.C. leaned around the doorframe to my office, the phone receiver held against her chest.  “Your husband is on the phone and he says it can’t wait.”
    Triple crappity-crap.

CHAPTER EIGHT
     
    Just me and Eleanor.  Girls’ night out. 
    After work I drove to Alex’s place to meet his mother for our night of bonding.  Or bondage.  In my mind they meant the same thing for this shopping trip.  I called Allie to distract myself from the impending pain.  She’d waited until after the Christmas party to tell our parents about her TV show.
    “How did it go when you told them?”
    “Surprisingly well.  Mom freaked out.”
    “Oh, good.”  I knew it was a good sign.  If our mother had been silent, I would’ve worried.  “And Dad?”
    “He’s very excited.  He’s making a list of his friends I can check in with in L.A.”
    “We’re all proud of you.  Well, I’m here.  I’ll go in and get Alex’s mom and then it’s off to the torture chambers.”
    When I pulled up to the front of Alex’s house I had to do a double take to make sure I was at the right place.  The outside of the house was decked out with pine garland, ribbon, and lights.  Four foot high candy cane cutouts made of wood adorned either side of the doorframe.  A wreath made of red artificial berries hung on the outside of the door.  And that was just the enclosed porch. 
    Alex was still at work in Salt Lake.  He’d just started a more administrative job, which was supposed to mean he wouldn’t be doing as much undercover work, but so far it seemed that he was just doing both.
    I knocked and waited.  There was no answer. The lights were on and the rental was parked outside, so I went in to the porch.
    I reached to knock on the door to the house.
    “Merry Christmas everybody!” I screamed and Karate kicked the predator into the porch wall. 
    The interior light of the porch came on and I got a good look at my