Mr. and Mrs. Diaz, Alex' parents were in the house when they arrived. They found them eating in the dining room when they entered.
"Ava is coming over tonight," said Mr. Diaz to his wife while having their afternoon snack.
"Then, I'm going to cook her favorite dinner tonight and make her favorite lemon pie."
Mrs. Diaz replied.
Mr. Diaz looked up at the doorway and saw Alex and Daniel entering the room.
"Agnes, the kids are here."
He said turning to talk to his wife. He was seating in the head table.
Mrs. Diaz turned around and saw them.
"Alex, Daniel," she said smiling at the two. "You should have informed us you were coming."
Alex went to kiss her parents.
"I didn't know you will be here, mom, dad." She said as she went to take a seat beside her mother.
"What's in the basket you're carrying, Alex?"
Her mother asked as she put it on the floor. To answer her mom's query, the two cats, Nimbus and Stratus went out of the basket and started to play on the teak wood floor.
Daniel also released Pecko from his cage and the parrot flew out of the cage flapping its wings and joined the cats on the floor.
"Are you two being kids again looking after these many animals?" asked Mrs. Diaz with a disapproving tone in her voice. "Aren't you both busy with work? Who's going to look after all these three?"
"Mom, don't worry. We got this covered," said Alex looking into her mother's hazel brown eyes. "We found Nimbus and Stratus by the backyard after the storm. And Pecko is Sarah's pet. We'll only be looking after him until Sarah and Devin are back from their honeymoon."
"If you say so."
Mrs. Diaz replied looking at the animals. The white cat purred beside the red parrot.
"By the way, Pecko, these are my mom and my dad."
Alex said introducing the bird to her parents.
"Nice to meet you, Mom and Dad."
The red bird replied.
"He's a smart bird, isn't he?" Mr. Diaz remarked looking at the red parrot. "I haven't been greeted by a talking parrot yet. It does sound nice."
"Thank you, Dad. I like you, too."
Pecko replied.
Mr. Diaz smiled at the parrot.
"Oh, Jesus! What a surprise," exclaimed Mrs. Diaz sounding surprised and delighted. "He sure does know how to speak. How about you call me, Agnes—?"
Mrs. Diaz said looking at Alex asking for the red parrot's name.
"He's called Pecko, Agnes." Daniel said providing the bird's name. "Devin bought Pecko for Sarah when they went for a vacation in Brazil. This guy is totally talkative."
"More talkative than you, I bet, Daniel."
Mr. Diaz said smiling at him.
"Ah, yes, Sir. You are correct."
"Daniel calls Dad, Sir, and Mom, Agnes. I'm going to call you, Mom and Dad because Alex calls you so."
"But you're not their son or daughter, Pecko," said Daniel poking fun at the bird.
"You're not their son, either."
The red bird smartly replied.
"But, I'm going to marry Alex, Pecko."
"When that happens, Daniel, find me someone to marry, too," the red bird quipped.
"Isn't he a really smart one?" Mr. Diaz smiled broadly looking at the bird.
"I am very smart, Dad." Pecko answered.
"No, Roger. Pecko is just fishing for compliments," Daniel replied looking at the bird.
"Don't marry him, Alex," said Pecko flying on top of Alex' shoulders.
"But she won't say 'No' to me, Pecko," said Daniel with quiet confidence.
Pecko flew towards Daniel and perched on his shoulder and poked his bill on his hair.
"Aw! You're being unfair to me, Pecko."
Daniel complained swaying off the bird's beak from him but the red bird won't leave his left shoulder. Pecko leaned towards Alex who started to eat joining her parents.
"Pecko, you and Daniel should be a comic duo on a show." She said looking up at Pecko.
"You should only marry Daniel once you find me my pair, Alex."
The red bird replied.
"We'll do that, Pecko," said Alex to the bird then shifting her eyes to Daniel who gave her an incredulous stare.
"You're agreeing with this bird?" he asked which made Pecko poke his beak on his head again. "Aw! Stop it, Pecko."
"You better agree, Dan. Or else Pecko will leave you bumps on your head," she said looking at him.
"You silly bird," he said taking Pecko off his shoulder and putting him with the cats. "Go play with Nimbus and Stratus. Nimbus, Stratus, pluck this bird's feathers when he becomes annoying."
The cats went around his feet and purred on him for a while. He rose and returned to his seat and joined the family for the afternoon snack.
"The renovation for this house will start next week, Roger, Agnes, Alex."
Daniel said looking at the three in the table while he forked his food before chewing. He swallowed and continued to talk.
"My friend Zach said he found me an interior designer for the job. He works with her in his company and had been with them for five years now."
Mrs. Diaz turned to him with excited eyes.
"Really, Daniel?" she asked. "That's wonderful to hear. I'm excited to see this house turning to an inn. Do you think the interior designer will not mind if I share them my input for the rooms and the entrance?"
Alex rolled her eyes to her mom.
"Mom, the interior designer is the one who's going to line and sketch the design of the room," she said blandly looking at her mother.
"But I don't think they will say no to whatever I have in mind."
Mrs. Diaz said sharing her ideas and vision for the house as an inn. And so for the next thirty minutes, Mrs. Diaz ranted about her ideas and Alex listened to her Mom spoke about it the entire afternoon snack shaking her head.
By four o clock, Daniel went back to his house to continue working on his project while Alex went with her mom to buy groceries for dinner.
"Mom, is Ava still with Phillip?" Alex asked as she wheeled the cart in the grocery store.
Mrs. Diaz stopping now and then to pick cans, cartons or plastic wraps from the shelves.
"She doesn't talk about it on the phone much," her mother said while picking canned mushrooms and canned corns. "But, I guess, the last time I talk to her she must have mentioned about him."
They went to buy meat in the frozen meat area. Her mom looked at the tendons and grilled meat and other meat slices.
"Should we make spaghetti or carbonara tonight?" her mother asked turning to look at her from the meat displays.
"Ava loves Alfredo spaghetti and the Greek Salad."
Alex said.
Mrs. Diaz ordered chicken breasts to put in her Alfredo spaghetti. Then, they went to the fruit section to buy lemons.
"I think it's about right time for your sister to get married." Mrs. Diaz said as she picked lemons and put them inside the cart.
Once done shopping for their groceries, Alex and her mom went to the counter and paid. Then, they went back home. Alex helped her mom prepared for dinner. She helped in cutting the meat, washing and slicing the vegetables and cooking. She also squeezed the lemons for the lemon pie and even made lemonade.
By dinner time, Alex walked to the street and went to Daniel's house. She found him in his living room like usual fully absorbed in front of his laptop. If her shadow didn't look over him, he wouldn't have realized she was in the room. He looked up from the screen.
"It's almost dinner, Daniel. Mom's already calling for you so please step out of your working zone first and come join us for dinner," she said looking down at him.
"Just give me a minute, Alex," he said and flipped his eyes back on the screen. The light of the monitor reflecting on his eyes. His focus and concentration back on work mode in a minute.
Alex stood waiting for him thinking it will be only a minute. And she waited.
Ten minutes passed later.
Alex already sat on the nearby chair from across him.
Getting annoyed by the next five passing minutes, she stood up.
"St. Claire, if you don't stand up right now, I am not going to save you any for dinner," she said threatening him.
"Just one more second, Alexandra."
He said while his eyes were intently focused on the monitor.
"You already said a minute, fifteen minutes ago, Daniel." She said crossing her arms in front of him. "Do you have any intention of eating dinner at all?"
"You know, you can be awfully bossy at times, Alex."
He said as he moved his mouse for last touches. He clicked on File and selected Save. He went to shut down his laptop.
"Come on."
Daniel said rising from his seat.
"Ah, finally. You removed yourself from your glued station."
She said relieved as they walked out of the living room and out of the house.
"Like you're not one, yourself, Alex. Sabina told me you're also glued to your work station when you're working."
Alex whirled at him.
"I don't work during the weekdays, CEO." She said looking at him.
"Yeah, your right, Alex." He agreed as they crossed the street. "I'll finish the project tonight. Then, we can go on a date tomorrow."
Alex stared at him suspiciously.
"Really? You can stay away from your laptop on a Sunday?" she said boring her eyes on his face.
He turned to her.
"Since you're the break I need, I can stay away from the laptop," he said putting his arms around her shoulders.
"Why do I feel like I'm just the right excuse?" Alex said thoughtfully.
Daniel hid his smile at what she said.
"Well, whatever. Let's get inside the house and wait for her highness to come home."
Alex said as they stepped up the porch in the house. She opened the front door and walked to the dining room.
Mr. and Mrs. Diaz were already at the table. Even Ava was also already seated chatting with her usual loud voice with her parents. Alex and Daniel sat beside each other on the other side of the table facing the doorway.
"Guess what, little sister?" said Ava with excited sparkles in her eyes.
Alex just looked blankly at her. No clue what her older sister could be talking about.
Ava raised her right finger. A shiny shimmering stone flashed on her ring finger.
"I'm getting married!" she said happily.
"Oh, wow!" said Alex amazed by the surprising news. She took her eyes off her sister's ring and shifted them on her sister's glowing face.
Ava had stronger angular lines for a face. She had high cheekbones and an oval face on a tall slim nose and thin pink-shaped lips. Ava had a more sultry look in her compared to Alexandra's quietly charming face.
And they don't look exactly alike. Alex looked more like her dad which she inherited the black color of her hair and the chocolate brown softness of her eyes while Ava had hazel eyes and darker brown hair like their mom which she bleached into a lighter brown hue.
Right now, Ava's face simply glowed softening her angular features. The true face of happiness.
"And let me guess," said Alex with a thoughtful frown. "That would be from Phillip."
Ava rolled her eyes at her sister.
"Who else, little sister," she said with her usual dry retort. "You don't even have to frown while guessing it."
"Did I frown, Ava? I'm just trying to get my hunch right. I wasn't really frowning."
"No. Not really. I know you're happy for me," Ava said in a gleeful tone.
"I am, Ava," Alex affirmed her. "I'm very happy for you. Though I must say his proposal to you is very fast."
"Just be happy for me, Alexandra," said Ava in her usual bossy tone to her sister.
"I'm not against your happiness. And I'm really happy for you."
Alex insisted with honesty.
"Thank you, sister," Ava said beaming at her. She turned to look at Daniel. "I haven't heard your 'Congratulations' yet, St. Claire."
"Shouldn't you thank me for introducing him to you?" Daniel said in a joking tone.
"The last time I remembered, St. Claire, you did not introduce him to me," she said looking at him talking in her usual dry tone.
"I mentioned his name to you."
He said suppressing his grin from Ava.
"Whatever, St. Claire," interjected Ava. "Just congratulate me."
"Congratulations, Ava. I'm very happy for you."
He turned to his side and spoke to Alex.
"I wonder how Phillip will manage your sister," said Daniel in a low voice.
"I heard that, St. Claire."
She said in a serious tone. The two looked at her with guilty faces.
"Since I'm in a happy mode right now, I'll forgive you two," she said. "Now let's start dinner."