Celebration by Fern Michaels Read Free Book Online Page B

filled the house. She inhaled deeply. Two jobs down. Energy seemed to ooze from her pores as she nestled a fat red bayberry candle in the middle of the new centerpiece she’d created.
    Kris turned on the oven. A pie was in order. The kids wouldn’t care if it was a Mrs. Smith’s deep dish apple pie or not. She slapped a rump roast into a baking pan, seasoned it, peeled potatoes and carrots. The house was going to smell heavenly when the kids came in from school. She dusted her hands dramatically as she walked from room to room. The corner of the living room had been cleared earlier to allow for the Christmas tree. The boxes of decorations waited next to the tree stand. There would be an hour of daylight when the kids got home, just enough time to cut down a tree from the back of the property. Tomorrow after her meeting with Aaron Dunwoodie, she would go Christmas shopping and do some extensive grocery shopping. She also needed to plan a Christmas dinner and do some baking. She’d bring home Chinese and it would be almost like old times. The key to everything was keeping busy.
    Now it was time for a cup of coffee, coffee she would actually drink while it was hot. She needed to think about Aaron Dunwoodie and what it was he expected her to bring to the bank. Later this evening, after the tree was up and decorated and the kids were settled, she would go to the storage room and look through the boxes again to make sure she hadn’t missed whatever it was Dunwoodie wanted.
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    Plump, lacy snowflakes dotted the windshield of the Chevy station wagon as Kristine pulled into a wide parking space outside the Virginia National Bank. It didn’t look the way it had when she was a child going to the bank with her parents on Friday mornings. The huge columns were now pristine white, complementing the pale pink of the brick building. She decided she liked the crisscross-paned doors with the huge evergreen wreath. Long ago the building was smaller, dingier, and the columns were a dirty beige color. “Progress,” she murmured as she opened the door that led into a luxurious lobby. She had an immediate impression of wealth with all the polished brass, thick carpeting, and elegant window treatments. The furniture was heavy but comfortable-looking, the desks polished cherry wood. Even the staff looked affluent. A floor-to-ceiling Douglas fir sat in the center of the lobby, silver gift-wrapped packages with huge red bows underneath. Everywhere she looked there were bright red poinsettias in silver and gold pots. It all looked and smelled wonderful. She untied the thick wool scarf around her neck as she made her way to the first desk across from the elegant-looking Christmas tree. “I have an appointment with Aaron Dunwoodie at nine o’clock,” she said to the woman behind the desk.
    â€œMr. Dunwoodie is expecting you, Mrs. Kelly. Go around the corner, and he’s the last office on the right side.”
    He was a pleasant, good-looking man, Kristine decided as she shook hands with the banker before slipping out of her coat. She didn’t remember him at all. He must be two or three years older than I , she thought. Obviously, he’d stepped into the banking business when his parents retired. She suspected he looked older than his age. Possibly because of the stress of taking care of other people’s money.
    â€œDid you bring your records, Kristine?”
    â€œI didn’t have any records to bring, Mr. Dunwoodie. Logan always kept everything in a big brown accordion-pleated envelope. I remember seeing it at one point, but moving was so hectic. I just assumed Logan had it because it wasn’t sent with our belongings. The only thing I can think of is he’s bringing it with him because he didn’t trust it with the movers.”
    The banker leaned back in his burgundy chair, a frown on his face. “When do you expect your husband, Kristine?”
    â€œHe’s four