Page 45 of Finding Amanda

She walked to the bottom of the stairs and called, "Hey girls, come downstairs and get your shoes on. Your dad's here."

Clambering feet on the ceiling turned into pitter-patters on the stairs as each of the girls skidded down and hugged her daddy.

Silently, Amanda scrambled eggs, prepared toast, and poured juice while the girls chatted with Mark.

Chris's anger had surprised her. She knew he and Jamie didn't like divorce, but Jamie had been so understanding about it. Not supportive, but she understood how unhappy Amanda was. Chris . . . Chris seemed livid. What had Mark told him? She tried to picture the two men having a heart-to-heart about her marriage. The thought made her stomach ache as she scooped eggs onto two plates.

"You hungry, Mark?"

"You cooking?"

"Just eggs. Want me to make you some?"

Ten minutes later, the four of them sat down to breakfast. The girls each had a spoonful of scrambled eggs while Mark enjoyed a three-egg omelet with peppers, onions, ham, and cheddar—his favorite. Amanda nibbled on a slice of buttered whole wheat toast slathered with her homemade crabapple jelly.

"Where's your friend?" she asked.

He shrugged. "He'll be here."

"You're going to be late to work."

He swallowed a huge bite of eggs. "I'm taking the day off to do some research."

She thought of the manila envelope. A half hour ago, she would have told him he was paranoid, but after Chris's story . . . her mouth went dry, and she struggled to swallow a bite of toast. Maybe Mark was right. Maybe she was in danger.

While Markand his friend installed the security system, Amanda ran the girls to school and then holed up in her office. She wrote the next day's blog post, responded to some comments on the blog, and was halfway through editing a chapter in her latest cookbook when Mark tapped on the door and popped his head in. "We're done. Can I show you how it works?"

It took him half an hour to explain. Apparently he'd installed the Mercedes-Benz of security systems. She was afraid she'd need a Master's degree to figure out how it worked.

She wasn't sorry to see Mark go. His detail-oriented mind drove her nuts, but she couldn't help being thankful for the alarm system. She had a hard time thinking Gabriel would hurt her.

But she thought about the note that had come with those yellow roses, not to mention her run-in with him in the hotel lobby.

She thought about his palms, hot on her thighs.

She sipped her coffee, but it wasn't warm enough to stave off the cold fear that dripped down her spine.

The alarm was set. She was safe and halfway down the hall when the house phone rang. Quickening her pace, she rushedinto the office and grabbed it before the machine could pick it up. "Hello?"

"Hello, Amanda, dear."

It was the only monster more terrifying than Dr. Gabriel Sheppard. Her mother-in-law.

"Hello, Pat."

"Is my son home?"

"Home? What do you mean?"

The older woman cleared her throat. Her voice had that condescending tone Amanda despised. "Well, dear, I mean is he there, in the house?"

She'd hoped that once Mark moved out, she wouldn't have to talk to his mother again. "No. Why would he be?"

Her mother-in-law offered a cold, humorless, "Huh."

Amanda could picture her on the other end of the line, her dragon-face lined with scowl lines. Her eyelids, always swathed in dark brown eye shadow, hanging heavy over her gray, dead eyes. Amanda could see the tapered claw-like fingers tapping against the exquisite antique desk—imported from England, of course—and her long thin legs crossed perfectly at the ankles beneath it. If Amanda were there, the woman would be standing, lording her height over her in an effort to intimidate. But Amanda hadn't been intimidated by the woman in years. Dragons were mythical, and Pat's power proved to be the same.

Amanda waited for her to say something, but the woman remained silent. Surely if she waited long enough, Pat's fiery breath would eventually melt the phone, and Amanda would be off-the-hook. She stifled a giggle, and she could hardly keep the smile out of her voice when she asked, "Can I help you with something?"

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