Page 36 of The Fixer and the Fugitive

That gave him pause. “No one. We’ll save it for the next power outage.”

She didn’t reply because she rather liked the idea of having something to look forward to the next time the power went out which, if rumors were to be believed, could be any time it snowed or iced. They bought two bags of the stuff, which smelled so overpoweringly of huckleberry she knew she’d simultaneously hate it and eat most of it.

“Montana is going to make me fat,” she groused. She had never been much of an eater, usually seeking food for necessity and not pleasure.

“I seriously doubt that,” Sam said, his eyes scraping over her with approval.

“You’re leering,” she said, cheeks warming.

“A boyfriend’s prerogative,” he said, leaning closer to whisper.

“No more mileage from that,” she warned.

“We’ll see,” he said, wagging his brows.

She turned away to hide her smile.

Chapter 19

They were about to leave the hardware store when they were waylaid by a stranger. Or at least Celeste thought she was a stranger, but she had her doubts when the woman greeted her by name with a cheerful smile, dimples pushing deep into soft, round cheeks.

“Oh, Celeste, hi. I’m so glad to see you.”

She was that type of woman who made everything sound like it ended in exclamation points and Celeste was more certain they’d never met. That made it all the more confusing that the stranger was now speaking as if they were friends. “You are?”

“Yes, I was so worried. I plagued Elliot until he checked on you but the signal is spotty, per usual, and I haven’t heard how you fared during the storm. But here you are.”

“Ta-da,” Celeste said, her bland tone a contrast to the woman’s bright one. “You must be his wife, Missy.”

“I am.” She glanced at the bags of Montana Munch they were holding. “I see Tony convinced you to get the stuff. Careful, it’s highly addictive. I can feel my pants getting tight from standing this close to it.” Her voice dropped to a loud whisper as she confessed, “I have a bit of a weight problem.”

“You look perfect to me,” Celeste said sincerely. She was one of those people who tended toward being underweight. She’d always admired women who had curves. They looked so soft and feminine. Missy was one of those people, pleasantly rounded in all the right places.

She beamed at Celeste, making the dimples pop. “I knew I would love you, from all the descriptions, and I was right.”

“All the descriptions?” Celeste asked, feeling a bit ill. What exactly were people saying about her?

“Oh, yeah,” Missy said, nodding. “Fletcher’s been raving. Apparently you’re his white whale, and I quote, ‘the one person in the world who has no idea who I am.’”

“That’s…weird,” Celeste said, recalling the odd conversation with Fletcher Reed.

“That’s Fletcher. He’s good people, though. The best, really, and I’m not just saying that because he’s my boss and I’m trying to suck up. Who’s the boy?” Her eyes flicked curiously to Sam who was quiet only because he was trying to sneak a bite of the munch in his grasp.

Celeste yanked it away. “That’s for the power outage. We agreed.”

“But I’m hungry. We can get more. Also pie.”

“Oh, you got the pie,” Missy said, face lighting again. Celeste wondered if she was ever sad and, if so, what her face was like. It probably crumpled pleasantly with tears that made her long lashes sparkle and stand out. Whereas Celeste looked like she was having a seizure if she ever gave in to tears, which she never did. Not anymore. “I’m so glad I put that on the list.”

“Did you bake it?” Celeste asked. “It was amazing.”

“Itisamazing, and no, I did not bake it. I’m a connoisseur who has been trying to help Mrs. Hickman’s home bakery take off. And, I don’t know, it seems like a power outage deserves special food.”

“It totally does,” Sam said, trying to steal a bite of munch from the bag Celeste now held. She turned her back to him.

“Stop or I’ll bite you,” she threatened.

“Maybe I like that,” he returned, causing her cheeks to heat and Missy to beam approvingly.

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