Christmas Clash by Dana Volney Read Free Book Online Page B

hoping she could get nutrition from smell alone. No such luck. Ugh, she was going to need to eat soon. There was no telling if it was going to be a yell fest or not. She might have to defend herself, and for that she was going to need a happy tummy. She’d hate to speak out of hunger at her own meeting.
    “I’m gonna grab a Reuben before this meeting starts. Think there’s time?” she asked.
    He checked his watch. “Sure. I skipped lunch, too.”
    “I’ll run next door and grab all the stuff I prepared and be right back.”
    “Suit yourself.” He disappeared down the stairs.
    She grabbed her phone from her back pocket and checked the store’s security cameras to see how Sophie was holding up. The flower shop was Candace’s baby, so naturally she’d set up a couple of wireless baby-monitoring cameras—one to cover the front room and one in back. It helped squelch fears of leaving Sophie alone during lunch rushes when she had to help with deliveries. She had control issues. She knew it. She owned it.
    Ten minutes later, Candace and her folder—red for the blood she wanted to draw out of Dean—made their way back to the pub and up the stairs where Luke sat in front of two plates of Reubens and fries. She nearly fainted out of excitement. She slapped her bag in a chair next to her and wasted no time digging in. She swallowed and reminded herself she needed to chew first. And she needed to take smaller bites—choking to death wouldn’t solve her problems. Luke probably didn’t know CPR. And, if he did, she doubted he’d resuscitate her—she’d be a goner for sure.
    “Yum.” She smiled, holding the sauerkraut and corned beef on rye with both hands. There was thousand island dressing and pepper jack, not Swiss, cheese on it—exactly how she liked it. She glanced at Luke’s sandwich.
Is this how he likes his, too, or does he know I don’t like Swiss?
She popped a fry in her mouth and thought about asking. Instead, she chewed and squinted at Luke, who was slouched back with a magazine in hand.
    She didn’t have much time to contemplate the meaning of her lunch—the sound of stomping took her from that perplexing moment to her next issue of the day. Her sandwich question would have to wait.
    One by one, the five other business owners who completed Block A filed in and claimed chairs. Kaye sat by Luke, Candace noticed, and she smiled curtly. Where Kaye sat shouldn’t matter, but she felt the pulling sensation of jealousy nonetheless. Mabel, Billy, Hilary, and Dan filled in the other seats. Three chairs were left empty. Two—she internally cringed—on either side of her.
Okay. I’m a big girl. I understand they’re upset.
For now. They could be upset for now.
    She needed to remind them all this area had been on the council’s list for months before she purchased her property. There was always a chance this section of downtown would be chosen. But instead of clarifying that detail, she swallowed the corned beef in her mouth, looked longingly at the uneaten half, wiped her lips with a napkin, and set it over the plate.
    “Thank you all for coming,” she said.
    She resisted the urge to stand. She didn’t need to command more attention than she already had.
    Luke sat up straight and put his magazine down. She glanced at his plate.
He managed to finish his food.
She was really going to have to let that go. She could have more food after the meeting. By then she may need to crunch her sorrows away with Christmas sugar cookies if they ran her out of town.
    “I wanted to start off by saying I’m sorry I didn’t know about Jeffrey Dean’s plan earlier or that some of the situation we are in right now is due to my family.” She gazed down both sides of the table and saw a range of emotion, from mad Billy to sympathetic Mabel. “I truly am.” Since no one looked like they were about to speak, she continued, “Luke and I have come up with a plan to fight the city council and their ability to make this