Way to Her Heart - By Melanie Schuster Page 0,18
from Alana’s Custom Classics. It was a vintage ride, a 1985 model, and before Alana put her loving and skilled hands on it, it was a hot mess of dents, scratches, patches of rust, Bondo and primer. Despite its appearance, he loved the boxy SUV with the ladders on the rear and the equipment rack that surrounded the entire roof. It had always been his intention to have the vehicle restored, but when he acquired it he lacked the money and now that he had plenty of money, he had no time. But Alana had taken one look at it and eagerly offered her services to bring it back to life. When he saw the spectacular results of her work, he was stunned.
“Alana, this is amazing. I knew Jared had done the right thing marrying your sister. You Sharp women are not only beautiful and smart, you’re also talented. The man you marry is gonna be one lucky guy.”
Alana merely smiled and replied, “The man I’m going to marry is a figment of your imagination. Go enjoy your ride.”
He had the perfect idea for inaugurating the remodeled vehicle, and he was happy that Sherri agreed with him. He’d managed to get tickets to a jazz concert at the Spoleto Festival and she’d agreed to go with him. It was an annual event in Charleston that welcomed some of the most acclaimed artists in the world in dance, music, art and theater and he was looking forward to going. He was surprised that Sydney had declined his invitation, but she had other plans.
“Auntie Alexis is going to make jam and jelly this weekend, and I’m going to help her. She can make all kinds of things and they’re really good. She’s going to teach me how,” she said happily.
When he arrived at Sherri’s condo, both ladies were ready to go. Sydney’s overnight bag was packed, and she was eager to get started on her own adventure. Sherri was dressed casually in a pair of copper-colored linen shorts with a scalloped hem and a crisp matching blouse with cap sleeves. The fabric was lightly suffused with gold and she wore a narrow gold leather belt that showed off her slender waist. With her flat sandals and a minimum of makeup, she looked fresh, sexy and stylish—as usual. Thanks to Sydney’s urging, they were on their way in minutes. She was eager to reach Alexis and Jared’s house.
When they reached their destination, Sydney was the first one out of the car, running to the door to greet the couple and their bouncy little dogs. She was excited and hardly paid any attention to her mother and Lucas as they departed. But she did manage to give them each a big hug and a kiss. “Have a nice time! See you tomorrow,” she said cheerily as she waved goodbye from the doorway.
“I’m glad you’re here, sweetie, but are you sure you didn’t want to go with your mom?” Alexis asked.
Sydney nodded her head vigorously. “Yes, I’m sure. I want to help you make jelly and play with Sookie and Honeybee. Besides, Uncle Lucas and Mommy need some alone time,” she said, sounding much older than six-going-on-seven.
Alexis exchanged a look of surprise with Jared over Sydney’s head. “Alone time? Where did you get that from, Sydney?”
“I got it out of my head, Auntie Alexis. They have to spend time together so they can get to know each other really good before they get married.”
Alexis was walking toward the kitchen when Sydney imparted this information, and she froze in place like a statue before turning around to stare at the child. “Who’s getting married?”
“Mommy and Uncle Lucas,” Sydney answered. “Where’s my apron?”
Alexis and Jared gave each other identical looks of total shock as Sydney got on a stool to wash her hands over the kitchen sink.
“Who says they’re getting married, sweetie?” Jared asked in a gentle voice.
“I said it. I asked Uncle Lucas if he liked my mommy a whole, whole lot and he said yes and I said he should marry her because he’d be a really good husband for her, just like you are for Auntie Alexis. And now he’s working on it so we can get married and be a family,” she said confidently. “What kind of jelly are we making first?”
Alexis finally recovered her ability to speak and asked if Sherri knew about this plan.
“I didn’t tell her yet because it’s a surprise. But she’ll know pretty soon.”
Jared could see that his