One More Storm (Mistletoe Matchmakers of Clearwater County #6) - Bonnie R. Paulson Page 0,26

she might have been about to say.

David stared at the dash of his truck, standing outside in the open doorway as if he couldn’t understand the simple words she’d spoken. He swallowed, blinking as if that would wake him up from the nightmare Jennifer was fast becoming.

“Okay, I hear what you’re saying. I’ll be home in under an hour. Can you see if we can get a meeting together between the Deans and the Wilsons as soon as possible? Have it at our place. We’ll do it in the living room. I’ll order something from town so no one has to worry about dinner. Make sure the kids are there, Tay. Then you don’t have to worry about getting home to them fast.” David climbed into the driver’s seat of his truck and snapped the door shut.

He turned the key in the ignition. They hung up. There was nothing else to say. He was going to go home and they were going to figure out a way to get ahead of Jennifer, even if that meant they had to join forces.

Whatever it took to keep their families and their town safe.

If Jennifer said she had something that could tear them apart, then she probably did. One thing Jennifer loved was the pursuit of power. She’d do anything to claim as much as she could.

Why she wanted power in Mistletoe when she lived on the east coast was beyond David’s understanding.

Where he’d been riddled with confusion and hurt, he now had a hunger for vengeance. How dare his ex-wife return as if she had any right?

No more. She was done tearing his world apart. He no longer regretted her disappearance. Instead, he resented her return.

Chapter 14

Tommy

How in the devil was Tommy going to be able to get money to take Amanda to dinner? He couldn’t ask her to pay for dinner again. Not when he owed her so much already.

But he had a few more days until he had money in the account. Well, he had about three hundred dollars in the checking account that he kept available in case his grandmother needed something. Maybe he could use some of that money to take Amanda out. There would be more money in the account on Monday. He could make sure Grams had extra supplies once that money got into his account. Twenty dollars or so wouldn’t break the bank. Not just that one time.

Right?

If not, he had a watch he didn’t use much that he could take to a pawn shop. He still had enough gas to get around town for another few days. So, he didn’t need gas money for a bit longer.

The next morning, he bounded down the stairs into the dining area of the bed and breakfast and glanced around the room. He’d gotten downstairs fairly early and there were still a few couples present, eating their breakfast. One woman’s plate held a cinnamon roll was so large it hung over the edges of the plate. The frosting dripped onto the doily beneath the plate.

There was no way Tommy would be able to fit a cinnamon roll in a bag or backpack like he’d been doing with the bagels, muffins, and cheese sticks.

There was no way he was turning down the chance to try one of the cinnamon rolls sitting on an artful crystal tray on the counter amongst the other treats Lily Wilson kept stocked at the bed and breakfast.

Tommy piled his plate high with scrambled eggs and cheese, sausage, hash browns, fruit, and a poppyseed muffin. On its own plate, he scooped a cinnamon roll and licked his fingers that came in contact with the sticky frosting.

He claimed a seat at a table against the windows and glanced out at the snowy winter wonderland.

He was going to have dinner with Amanda later that night and he was actually really excited. If he let himself forget that he was supposed to be around her for a job, he actually enjoyed the way he let himself think about her.

The woman was everything he’d ever looked for in a partner. She was friendly, vulnerable, strong, generous, and beautiful. If only he’d met her under different circumstances. If only Ms. Halliwell hadn’t set him up for complete failure in regards to keeping any of the relationships he put into place during that job.

Lost in thought about Amanda and the food he thoroughly enjoyed, Tommy almost missed the buzzing of his cell phone in his pant pocket. “Hello?” He pressed the