AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Biting back a groan, Laura broke the kiss but stayed close to Cade.
He hooked an arm over her shoulders, and she snuggled against him.
“There’s been all kinds of excitement today.” Mrs. Collins grinned and took the chair Sadie had occupied moments earlier. She poured herself a cup of tea then leaned back, eyes alive with interest. “Before we get to any of the good stuff, tell me how you’re feeling, Laura. I’m sure what happened earlier with that troubled young man was quite a shock.”
Her stomach turned at the mention of Isaac. “I shouldn’t be surprised that he’d do something so rash, but I am. Don’t getme wrong, I’m used to his violence and anger. But a knife? And where did he plan to take me? Just go back to his house and I’d dutifully stay?”
Cade curled his fingers around her arm, pulling her closer. “You don’t have to think about the what ifs. He’s not coming anywhere near you again.”
She wished she could believe that. But dealing with Isaac had never been simple. Even if there’d been witnesses to his threat and the police were now searching for him. He always found a way to wiggle out of trouble.
“To be honest, I don’t want to talk about him right now,” she said.
“Then we’ll move on.” Mrs. Collins took a sip of her tea then set her cup back on the tray. “Maybe we can discuss this idea you have.”
Laura wanted to jump in and discuss the possibility of a women’s shelter, but that wasn’t what had brought them over to visit Mrs. Collins in the first place. “We’ll get to that in a second, but first we had some things we needed to talk about regarding the renovation.”
She frowned. “But they haven’t even started yet.”
Cade unhooked his arm from around her and leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees. “The tile you picked out for the kitchen is on backorder. It will push everything back a few weeks. I need to know if you’d like to choose something in stock or wait.”
“I guess that depends on what other decisions I’ll be making about the house.” The older woman aimed a pointed glance at Laura.
She couldn’t help but smile.
Cade gave a long, slow nod. “Fair enough. Which leads me to the next thing.”
“There’s more?” Mrs. Collins asked, brows raised.
“Unfortunately,” Cade said. “Do you happen to have the estimate you were given from Mountaintop Construction? I don’t have one at the office.”
“I’m sure I have it around here somewhere.” She waved her hand in the air as if the paperwork would manifest in the cozy room.
“Do you remember if you were given more than one estimate?” Laura asked.
Mrs. Collins nodded. “Two, actually. One from Matthew, the other from your father.”
Cade went back to balling his hands into fits. “Jenson Metcalf gave you an estimate from our company?”
“Yes. He headed up the community fundraising, which was super helpful in securing the money for the project. The estimate he gave me was the amount left to be paid once the fundraising was done.”
Laura tried to wrap her mind around what Mrs. Collins was saying, but it didn’t add up. “So you got one estimate from Matthew with the total for the renovations. And then another with the amount still owed after local businesses contributed to fundraising?”
Mrs. Collins nodded. “That’s right.”
“Weren’t you confused as to why you were given two different amounts to pay?” Cade asked.
She shrugged. “Not really. It seemed fair that if the community was contributing, I should make up the difference.”
Laura wanted to wrap the woman in a hug. She hadn’t realized she’d been duped into spending more money than was owed. “Can we see the paperwork you were given?”
“Sure. Give me a minute to run up to my office and find it.”
Once she left the room, Cade sighed. “That doesn’t even make sense. She thought Matthew would give her an amount topay then your father would provide a separate amount because his fundraising efforts didn’t cover the extra cost?”
“I’ve heard stranger schemes.” The news was always full of people who’d fallen for sketchy scams. “Why would she question what the mayor—the father of one of the construction company owners—gave her? Especially when he’s spouting nonsense about fundraising and helping her pay for the project.”
“Brooke mentioned your father collecting funds for fundraising at the retreat as well. Do you have any knowledge about the nonprofit he represents?”
