mean he didn’t have problems with people he didn’t like. She’d hired him, but there was always something off about her.
Since getting to know Amanda, he couldn’t help wondering if anything Ms. Halliwell had told him about the case was true. Amanda didn’t seem selfish or spoiled. She didn’t seem conniving or manipulative, just the opposite in fact. The more Tommy got to know Amanda, the less he liked the assignment.
“Have you made contact with Amanda Dean?” The client didn’t mess around with small talk. She got to the point, something Tommy could appreciate about her, if nothing else.
“Yes, ma’am. I made contact and we will be talking on a regular basis. She is giving me information freely. I have the list of things you want to know and I’ll be working on that throughout the timeline we discussed.” Tommy closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“As well as the items. Not just the information. And, Declan, you’re supposed to be making contact with the Wilson woman this next week. I want photos of her and I want a recording of the conversation.” Ms. Halliwell was terse and didn’t accept questions.
Tommy leaned up on his elbows and narrowed his eyes. “I’m going to need that deposit before I make second contact and deliver data. We already discussed this as well.”
The woman on the other end of the line sighed like he’d asked for a million dollars. No, he’d only asked for half that. The full amount was a million and she’d promised half deliverable when he made initial contact.
Things were due.
He would still owe a ridiculous amount of money on his grandmother’s place, but at least her debts would get whittled down before that.
The medical bills for her husband, the legal fees after his parents’ car accident… they all combined together for one massive headache he’d been left to deal with. And he couldn’t let his poor grandmother deal with everything on her own. That just wouldn’t be fair. She wouldn’t know the first place to start as they evicted her from the land.
“The deposit will be in your account by Monday. Double check with your bank that afternoon. And, Declan? Don’t mess this up. You’re really close to pulling through. I’d hate to see your grandmother lose everything because you couldn’t deliver.” She hung up, leaving Tommy with that bitter taste in his mouth he was fast becoming familiar with.
Tommy hated when he felt like he was being babysat. The last thing he needed was micromanaging. There was a lot he was trying to accomplish and getting random phone calls that half threatened and half promised only left him feeling frustrated with his own performance when he was doing fine.
He knew he was doing well because he was ahead of his timeline.
Ms. Halliwell wanted all the information on Amanda she could get. Then Tommy was tasked with meeting with Mrs. Wilson and Mr. Dean. Once those meetings had been established and he’d been able to gather the information she’d asked for as well as the list of items she’d demanded as well, Tommy was to get Amanda to the bank with Ms. Halliwell. He didn’t know why.
Ms. Halliwell would step into place at that point and take over the rest of the situation. She said one way or the other, she was going to get what she was owed.
She’d hired Tommy to make sure she made her point.
Tommy just wasn’t sure he wanted to help with that point any longer. Too bad he needed the money more than he needed air.
As long as he got everything finished before Christmas, Tommy would consider it a job well done. He needed to stay unbiased, keep his focus. Get the answers he needed and get out of there. The more evidence he could gather about the families, the better.
Since he didn’t have his next session with Amanda until the next afternoon, he had some photos to gather as well as get more familiar with the lay of Mistletoe.
If he was supposedly going to be moving there, he needed to portray his plans more effectively which meant he needed to introduce himself around town as a therapist and actually look at buildings around town. He’d need to find a realtor. Great. Things were going to get pretty complicated because he’d decided to lie.
He also needed to research therapy measures for the type of situations Amanda mentioned. She might not have daddy issues, but what if she did?
The last thing Tommy