With final exams out of the way, Vince excitedly threw his clothes in a suitcase and gave a last look at his dorm room to make sure he had everything he would need for two weeks. Part of the reason for his excitement was that he would be leaving the blowing snow and cold of Minnesota for the warmer climes of Arizona. His parents and sibs were already there at his grandparents, and he would be the last to arrive. Even thou...

When Vince returned to his grandparents' condo, the family was gathered around the television. He did his best imitation of the dutiful son and answered all the annoying questions thrown at him regarding college. He was more circumspect about his evening, however. "I have a possible job opportunity with a businesswoman who lives here in the development. I just happened to sit next to her on the plane. Pure luck." Of cours...

Christmas Eve, Vince excused himself from his family just before lunch. "I'm meeting Sharon to check out her business. I'll probably be gone all afternoon, but I promise to be back for dinner." "We hardly see you these days, Vince. And when do we get to meet the mysterious Sharon?" Vince's mom gave him a motherly kiss on the cheek. "You've certainly seen quite a bit of her. She must be something. And just what kind of bus...

Christmas day was relatively uneventful to start–at least compared to years past. Vince's sisters were the only ones mildly excited about getting up early and opening gifts, mainly because they were still young enough to get excited about that sort of thing. His parents exchanged modest presents with the excuse that "every day is Christmas for us." His grandparents had long since given up trying to figure out what each ot...