Eye of the Storm - By Hannah Alexander Page 0,28

a bunch of freeloaders to town and ruin the community.”

Alec scowled. “My mother is putting words in my mouth.”

“Good words, though,” Gerard said. “I invite your questions. In fact, after I do some investigating, I may decide to request a town hall meeting and open the floor for questions.”

“I don’t think you want to do that here,” Alec said.

“Why not?”

“Because you’d be changing the whole character of Jolly Mill.”

Gerard had to admit to himself that the man seemed to truly care for this town. “I understand that you don’t want to lose what you have here, but what if the changes were positive? Those who have lost jobs in the recent past here in Jolly Mill would have more job options. We could work together to make this town stronger.”

“How can you guarantee you won’t bring troublemakers?” Alec leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “I’ll admit my mother has a point. What if these people lost their homes because they weren’t willing to work hard enough to save them in the first place? What if the same thing happens to them here? We can’t afford a homeless population in a tiny town like ours.” Gone was any veneer of friendly curiosity.

Megan had said that Alec and Nora were good people, and she should know. But there were often good people on opposing sides of an argument, and Gerard had to check his own tendency to distrust Alec. After all, hadn’t the man lured Megan from Corpus Christi with the promise of a job? What did he really want from her?

“We will do background checks on every family under consideration,” Gerard said. “My brother can tell if he’s getting a good employee or not.”

“I think if anyone can get it done,” Nora said as she pulled the elegantly tooled leather bag from her shoulder, “you and your family would be the ones to do it, Gerard, according to Megan, and I trust her opinion. I think it’s admirable and it will help a lot of people.” She ignored a glance of irritation from her son. “This town needs more people with your kind of compassion and ambition.” She cast Carmen a companionable grin. “With the energy of youth to carry him, right, Carmen?”

Gerard studied the resistance in Alec’s expression. Was he seriously doubting the plan, or was he doubting the man who would be implementing it?

“I’m not coming here to take jobs from established members of the community,” Gerard said, “but to bring hope. With my family’s plans to extend our manufacturing business to this area, we’d hope it would not only help with unemployment, but will keep those from the rehab center employed so there are no homeless.”

Alec held Gerard’s gaze. Definite animosity there. Jealousy, perhaps?

Despite his interest in the subject, Gerard couldn’t help casting glances toward the treatment rooms, hoping that Megan would walk out with Kirstie at any moment, proclaiming Kirstie to be in fine shape, perhaps to announce a sudden discovery that the medications Kirstie had been taking after her cancer turned out to be the culprit for her memory loss.

One could dream. He knew Kirstie had been checking into that.

Alec was still glaring with suspicion when Gerard looked back. Not surprising. Nobody wanted a stranger to come into their town and start talking about bringing a boatload of changes—and there would be changes with so many new people moving here. If it happened here. Gerard shouldn’t blame Alec for his wariness.

But how close was his friendship with Megan? She and Alec had known each other since kindergarten. Obviously, they’d known each other well.

Alec hadn’t requested any kind of recommendation from her former employer about her skills as a physician. What kind of man would hire a physician to care for people, no matter how well he knew her as a person, without some kind of input from a former colleague or employer?

This situation would need to be handled with finesse in a town so small and close. Gerard had to be able to get along with everyone from the beginning. And he needed to make sure they all understood that he and Megan had a solid relationship and that there was definitely no room for anyone else in Megan’s life. Hers was already full to bursting. He definitely needed to make that obvious.

Of course, first he had to make sure it was true.

As Megan finished packing the blood samples for shipment, Kirstie sat on the bed and combed her fingers through the hair they’d tried to