AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I did. And I’m sure you worked up quite an appetite trying to keep up with the snow.”
The old man leaned over toward Alec and whispered with some disgruntlement. “She told me not to come in unless every flake of snow was cleared.”
Before Alec caught himself, his eyes widened.
Thankfully, Hal Miller didn’t let his little fun drag on. Instead, he chuckled. “Settle down, son. I’m just teasing. Does she look like she needs to crack the whip on anyone?”
No, she most certainly did not.
“She’s been busy,” Hal said next, maintaining a quiet tone, leaning a bit toward Alec, “so I haven’t told her how bad the snow is getting out there. We’re in for a doozy. Where are you from, Alec? Are you accustomed to snow like this?”
“I live in Texas now, sir. But I’m originally from the area—from Buffalo, actually—so yes, I am familiar with Western New York’s weather. And no, I do not miss it.”
“If you don’t like it...” Hal began expectantly.
“Wait five minutes,” Alec finished with a grin.
Hal grimaced a bit. “Might better wait a few days on this one. It’s only going to get worse tonight and tomorrow.”
“Won’t make for a very pleasant wedding.”
“Nope, not one bit,” Hal agreed. “Let’s hope it’s not a bad omen.”
Alec tightened his jaw, reluctant to again put forth his views on the wedding. Not after hitting that hard brick wall with Maren.
Maren returned shortly, and lids were then removed from all the dishes and dinner was served. A savory pork tenderloin was the centerpiece, accompanied by rosemary roasted potatoes, a wild mushroom risotto, and grilled asparagus with little spiraled lemon rinds.
“Did I hear you say you live in Texas, Alec?” Asked the bride’s mother, Mrs. Adamczyk. “I have a sister near Fort Worth.”
“That’s about three hours north, up near Dallas,” he commented.
“What prompted the move to Austin?” She asked.
“Business,” Alec answered. “Austin is friendly to new tech start-ups, which is what I have.”
“You own your own company?” Mrs. Adamczyk persisted. “How interesting. What kind of tech do you make? Or do you manage tech? I know nothing about all these new advances.”
“We would fall mostly under the software development realm,” he said. “We focus on innovative solutions for streamlining business processes. We’ve also developed advanced machine learning algorithms and AI models, which can be and are applied across various sectors, including healthcare, finance, and cybersecurity.”
A blank look crossed the woman’s face. “Way above my head.”
When Mrs. Adamczyk shifted her attention to her niece, Rachel, Hal handed a basket to Alec after he’d plucked out two biscuits. Alec made to pass it on—he was a money food guy and didn’t normally fill himself with bread.
“Oh no, son,” Hal interceded. “You don’t want to pass on that. She makes 'em from scratch. Garlic, cheddar, and” —he put his fingers to his mouth and made a chef’s kiss— “whatever other magic she conjures in that kitchen. Do yourself a favor and take two. Trust me, she’s got two more baskets in the kitchen. She always does.”
Alec chuckled and nodded, doing as suggested and plucking out two warm biscuits. Hal's endorsement was hard to resist, and the tantalizing aroma wafting from the warm bread only heightened his anticipation.
The conversation flowed easily around the table as everyone indulged in the delicious meal. Alec found himself drawn into the lively banter, forgetting for the moment his initial reluctance to be part of this wedding celebration.
Maren presided with effortless grace and poise over the elaborately set dinner table, a confident and accomplished hostess in every aspect. The dining room was softly lit by an elaborate crystal chandelier dangling over the center of the table, the golden light landing favorably upon Maren's flushed cheeks. In the middle of the table, a vase filled with freshly cut flowers stood, surrounded by perfectly placed fine China and what seemed a formal arrangement of silverware. And yet it was all so casual, didn’t feel overly starchy at all. She asked the bride’s father to pass the bottle of wine on down the table rather than standing and delivering it herself. While the purple-haired woman, Rachel, shot daggers from her eyes at her boyfriend, Dan, when he dropped an entire piece of tenderloin on the embroidered tablecloth, Maren waved her hand dismissively.
"No worries, Dan. I don’t consider it a proper dinner party unless the tablecloth wears some of the meal,” she said before she stood and reached between Dan and Rachel, moving a dish and its trivet to cover the spot. “There. No one will ever know.”
He tried not to give it too much thought, how effortlessly charmed he was by Maren Scott—in all probability, she was not single; he couldn’t imagine that someone like her could be—but as the evening progressed, Alec found himself stealing glances at Maren. There was a certain energy about her, an infectious joy that seemed to radiate from her. And as much as he tried to dismiss it, he couldn't deny the spark of attraction that pulled his gaze so often toward her.
But then he was equally entertained by Hal—almostequally—who provided quite of bit of the dinner conversation, being asgenerous as Maren in that he tried to speak to or engage each person at least once, and also because he told good stories.
“What’s the worst storm you ever remember, Hal?” Mark Thompson asked.
