Free The Christmas Shoppe by Melody Carlson Page A

article. Megan was three when our marriage really began to deteriorate. In Carl’s defense, his family had been a bit dysfunctional too.”
    “How so?” Tommy looked up from his notebook.
    She smiled. “You’ve met my mother-in-law.”
    “Yes . . .” He seemed to be wearing a poker face.
    Susanna couldn’t help but chuckle. “Rose was the healthy part of Carl’s parents’ marriage.”
    He looked somewhat surprised, but to her relief he was not taking notes.
    “As you may have noticed, Rose is Hispanic. However, Carl’s father was not. He met her in Mexico, and she was quite a beauty in her day. They were one of those couples who married too hastily, if you know what I mean.”
    “I think I get your drift.”
    “Rose put up with a lot of grief from that man.” She shook her head, unwilling to say too much. “And Carl . . . well, you know what they say. The apple didn’t fall too far from the tree.”
    “I see.”
    “Carl and I parted ways, and Rose came to live with Megan and me.” She stopped talking, feeling alarmed at how much she’d just revealed. “I would appreciate it very much if that remained in this room.”
    He looked directly into her eyes. “You have my word on it.”
    “Thank you.” She sighed. “I don’t usually run off at the mouth like that.”
    “Really, it’s okay. You can trust me, Susanna.”
    “Yes, I think I can.”
    They moved on to city business. He asked her about the challenges of being a woman in a job that had previously been held by men, how she was adjusting to small-town life, and what had been her biggest challenge so far.
    “I’ve only been here a couple of months,” she began carefully. She wanted to say something quote-worthy without stepping on any toes. “I think the biggest challenge is striving to bring people and ideas together in a peaceful manner so that we can work together for the good of the entire city.”
    He chuckled. “Spoken like a true politician.”
    “Off the record?” she asked.
    He closed his notebook. “Absolutely.”
    “This whole thing with Matilda Honeycutt is turning into quite the three-ring circus.”
    He nodded. “I’ve noticed. I have a feeling the fun hasn’t even begun.”
    “Have you been able to interview her yet? Has she told you much about what’s going on? What she’s doing?”
    “I’ve tried, but with the resistance I get from her and Rose, I feel like I’m ramming my head against the big brick wall of the Barton Building.”
    “Well, I’ve got my concerns about her.”
    “Such as?”
    “Off the record—although I’m sure it’ll be public knowledge before long—I’m worried that she’s going to open a thrift shop without the proper permits in place. At least that’s what my mother-in-law is saying. Of course, Rose can’t see anything wrong with it, but she doesn’t know about Councilman Snider.” She bit her lip, wondering what would happen if Rose and the councilman went head-to-head. It would be ugly.
    “Councilman Snider will have a heyday with Matilda if she does that. He’s just waiting to get his hands on that building.”
    “Believe me, I know.” She nervously fingered the edge of the budget packet that she needed to take to her next meeting.
    “Plus the other retailers won’t be too pleased about a secondhand shop going in there. Most of them had been hoping for a furniture store. We haven’t had one in town for years.”
    “I wish that were in Matilda’s plans . . . but I’m afraid it’s not.”
    “Well, I hope you can help her to sort things out.”
    “So do I.” Susanna looked at her watch. It was time to wrap this up. “I really do like her, and I want to see her business succeed. But not at the expense of the other downtown merchants. That wouldn’t be fair.”
    “Quite the balancing act.” He stood, reaching for his coat.
    “You got that right.” She stood too. “Thanks for respecting my time, Tommy.”
    “No problem.”
    She wanted to say something