Read The Davonshire Series 2: Loving Words for Free Online

but he knew she was not the right choice.  A rumbling stomach stopped his survey of Cathy the Chatty Queen.  He needed food.
    A quick trip to the hen-house to collect a few fresh eggs had to be done anyway, since this morning he had met Rod at the guesthouse and shuttled him down the road to meet Chuck at the plane.  True to form, his cousin, Chuck, was a timely fellow.  As requested, he was up in the air and headed to Atlanta by nine.  He anticipated they should be arriving back here at least by suppertime, so he would ask Conchetta to set another place for dinner.
    After leaving the hen-house, he stopped in the greenhouse to pick up a head of lettuce, a few ripe tomatoes, some peppers, and a cucumber–
a nice frittata would be great for lunch with a fresh green salad
.  In truth, he had become a creature of habit and was ensconced in his ranch and his writing life.  He could not honestly say that he was lonely because his days were full and the nights were meant for sleeping. 
The sheer idea of being forced into someone’s company doesn’t work for me, David!
    After lunch, the afternoon moved quickly and before he knew it, Gianni was coming in the back door, full of animated conversation.  He heard laughter and what sounded like another voice.  “Gianni, take the phone off speaker, it sounds like you have a kitchen full of people.”
    As he walked to the kitchen, he phrased the question again to Gianni, “Why are you talking so loudly and who are you talking to?”
    Gianni yelled back from the kitchen, “I’m talking to Big Daddy and Gigi!”
    “Can you please take them off speaker phone?” Wilfred lowered his voice as he entered the kitchen, and was shocked to find that his parents were actually standing there.
They must have come through the gate with Gianni.
    He quickly gave his mother an embrace and sloppy wet kiss on her cheek.  “Hello, beautiful lady.”
    He removed himself from her grip to be swallowed in a bear hug by his father.  “Dad, good to see you.” 
    His mother, the epitome of grace and breeding, was dressed in a pair of khakis and riding boots, and his father was in jeans and an oversized sweater.  “To what do I owe the honor of this visit?”
    His mother patted his cheek.  “We were just in the neighborhood and thought we’d drop in to spend some time with our son.”
    Wilfred eyed the bags by the door.  It was evident they planned to stay for a few days.
    “Nice try, Mamí,” he replied, “especially considering I live four hours away from you, and the only thing I’m in the ‘neighborhood’ of is Mexico.”
    David Sr. was standing behind his wife and only smiled when he responded for the both of them.  “Your mother was feeling a little melancholy so I thought it would do her good to spend some time with our middle child.  You know, give her something to pet and paw at besides me.  You are our only child who actually lives in the same state.”
    It was at that moment that Wilfred noticed his father’s briefcase, but before he could say anything, he heard the plane land.   Quickly, he asked Conchetta to start a simple supper and set the table for six.  He took his parents’ bags to their room and asked Gianni to go to the landing strip to pick up Rod and Chuck.
    He poured tea and escorted his parents to the living room while he waited for Gianni to return. Whatever was happening, he knew it was not going to be good, but he would be ready.  If his parents arrived right before the plane, and David had called six times, leaving six messages, what was coming was going to be bad. 
    There was no way to brace himself– this was actually happening and his life was about to make some severe changes that he did not think that he was prepared to handle. Evidently, neither did his parents, who had driven for four hours to come and help him shoulder the bad news that was landing in his backyard.  To add insult to impending injury of David’s betrayal, some random