Final Arrangements Read Online Free PDF

6,273,
or however many it was of them he had going. It was a tradeoff, but
a necessary one. She needed his help, and she might as well start
right now. Situational ethics intact, Shannon turned north off
Ventura Boulevard and pulled into the Gelson's parking lot and
called the number on his card.
    "Pool Guy," he answered, after only one
ring.
    "It's me."
    "Hi, Me."
    "Do you know who this is?"
    "Of course I do, Shannon."
    "Were you serious about calling you if I
needed help? Because I'm falling apart. If you weren't serious,
it's okay. I'll completely understand if you didn't really mean it.
If you were just being polite. And I'm sorry I screamed at you
about the marriage thing."
    "Where are you?"
    "I'm pulling into Gelson's. On Ventura."
    "I'll meet you in 20 minutes, in their coffee
shop. Save me a seat at the counter."
    "We just had coffee."
    "We'll have some more. It's shaping up to be
a 10-cup day."
    She lucked out on a parking spot near the
entrance and was soon blown away, as she always was, by the 30 foot
long bakery counter, filled with things which until seen, could not
even be imagined by the purely mortal mind, such confectioneries
doubtless originating in the minds of the pastry chefs via direct
Divine inspiration.
    One such goody, about the size of a dinner
roll, housed in a paper thin, butter-soaked and delicately crisped
shell, filled with chocolate creme sauce and topped with slivered
almonds and candied apricots, weakened her resistance. She snapped
up two of them on an impulse buy and found herself sitting with
them and a couple of large coffees, forcing herself not to begin
eating until Stretch arrived, a noble resistance which lasted about
30 seconds until she sneaked a bite. At which point, there was
nothing she could do but eat them both and get rid of the evidence
just as he came walking in.
    "Love the hat," he said.
    "Do you ever get used to it?" she asked him
as he towered over her.
    "To what? Meeting a beautiful girl for
coffee?"
    "No. To being stared at because you're so
tall."
    "They're staring? I've never noticed."
    "Kidding again."
    "Yes. By the way, how was the pastry?"
    "What pastry?"
    "The one which left chocolate sauce all over
your chin."
    Shannon sighed and reached for a napkin. "I
can't believe I ate two of them. I was going to wait until you got
here, but I took one nibble and inhaled them both. It must be the
stress."
    "Which ones were they?"
    "They call them angel crowns."
    Stretch went to the counter and ordered a
half dozen more.
    "Sugar it will be," he said. "Extraordinary
times call for extraordinary measures." He prayed. "Father, we know
you are with us. And we thank you for our angel crowns. May they
give us the boost we need to carry on with the tasks before us.
Amen."
    "Stretch, you stepped over the line."
    "By ordering six of them? I figured you've
already had two. Four for me, and two more for you, so we'll be
even."
    "No. I'm not talking about sugar. I'm talking
about what you said before. You called me a beautiful girl. I think
you've gotten the wrong idea. I phoned you because you offered to
help and I happen to be having a bit of a struggle. I hope you're
not getting the wrong idea."
    "And which wrong idea may that be?"
    "That I'm someone you can win over with
compliments and treats. The way a high school kid might do. If you
haven't noticed, I'm a mature woman." Oh , she thought, I
can't believe I just wavered on my decision to set him straight. I
just continued his fantasy for fear he might leave me alone in my
time of need.
    "You are beautiful. But you're right. I
shouldn't have said what I said. It's completely the wrong time and
place. I apologize. I don't even know why I said what I said. It
just popped out of my mouth when I saw you. Shannon ... you are
beautiful. I couldn't help myself. But since it bothers you, I'll
try to be more of a gentleman."
    Shannon ... you are beautiful . The
statement zinged inside her, in a place she didn't want it to. What
was going on?