Not long after her marriage to Leonardo, Alexa sold her half of the boutique to her business partner. Longing to do something more meaningful, she started the charity with the proceeds she earned from the sale. The store provided gently used career clothing and formal wear to women.
Working with the women’s shelters, a prison outreach program, and government assistance programs, Alexa accepted vouchers that were used to “purchase” clothing for various occasions, giving women who otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford these clothes the opportunity to make a good first impression. For regular customers looking for a good deal, the clothing items could be purchased with money, which helped to fund the program.
Donations were solicited from various sources, and Alexa herself had donated a number of her evening gowns to be sold, since being Leonardo’s wife meant she seldom wore the same designer outfit twice.
She greeted the older woman behind the cash register. “Hi, Edna.” She had hired Edna to work full-time, and there were also a couple of part-time volunteers. The Closet, as they referred to the five-thousand-square-foot store, had made quite a splash in the Atlanta area, and Alexa proudly displayed framed newspaper and magazine clippings on the wall behind the counter. They extolled the impact the store made on the morale and lives of the recipients of the clothing.
The store would be closing soon for the day, so it was empty except for Edna.
“Hi, Alexa,” Edna said, smiling. “I didn’t expect you in this afternoon.”
“I’m just going back to the office for a few minutes to check on some things since I won’t be coming by tomorrow.” On her way over, Alexa decided it would be best to concentrate her time tomorrow on reacclimating herself back into her life as Leonardo’s wife.
She noticed boxes stacked in the corner. “I see Ms. Johnson brought by her donation as promised.”
Ms. Johnson was an attorney who was retiring from her profession and had promised Alexa she would donate all her business suits and dresses to Second Chance Closet. Alexa was excited to see the boxes because so many women would benefit from the contents.
Edna nodded. “Her son dropped them off just before you got here. You just missed him. I’ll get one of the girls to help me with the inventory next week.”
“Sounds good. Whenever you get finished here, feel free to go on home.
I’ll lock up.”
Alexa then went toward the back office she shared with Edna. After sitting down in the chair behind the desk, she tapped the keyboard and took a look at the inventory for the week.
“Not bad,” she murmured.
Smaller donations arrived a couple of times during the week, and Edna had already noted in the system who the donations were from and that they needed a thank-you card sent to them. She added Ms. Johnson’s name to the list. Showing their appreciation served to not only encourage donors to donate again in the future, but it also gave them a good mailing list to work from when soliciting for special events and additional donations.
Alexa clicked through the data on the screen, noting the number of vouchers that had been redeemed. Her train of thought was interrupted when the phone on the desk rang, indicating Edna had transferred a call to her.
“Hello, Alexa,” Leonardo said in his smooth voice, the slightly accented pronunciation of her name creating goose bumps along her arms. “Have you already been to see your brother?”
His unexpected call diverted her attention away from the computer screen. “Yes, I have. He was very appreciative of what you did for him.”
“It was my pleasure.”
Alexa thought she detected a smile in his voice. When she told Xander that Leonardo liked him, it hadn’t been an untruth. Leonardo did like his enthusiasm for his work, and at times she thought he saw Xander as the younger brother he never had.
“I wanted to let you know that I have an invitation to Russell and Joan’s anniversary party taking place tomorrow evening. They’ve invited about a hundred or so people to their home. I thought it would be a good idea for us to go out together and let everyone see that we’re back together again.”
Alexa stopped her nervous twiddling of the pen in her hand. She didn’t want to go to a party with Leonardo because she didn’t feel up to smiling and pretending they were a happily reunited couple. It would be even harder because she really liked Joan and Russell and had considered them friends when she and Leonardo were together. She would have to be cautious about how she turned him down.
“I can’t,” she responded.
“Why not?” She could hear the arrogance in his voice, as if she should drop whatever it is to join him tomorrow night.