Tilda and Belinda settled into the table beside him before Tilda spoke. “Saw Ramona leaving your office this morning. What was she doing there?”
In his peripheral vision, Ean saw Megan enter the bakery section of the bookstore. The other women weren’t aware of her approach.
He took in the pugnacious angle of Tilda’s chin and the suspicion in her gray eyes. “You sound as though you already know the answer.”
Tilda laughed without humor. “Going to play that game, huh? Well, I’ll tell you what I think. I think you’re in cahoots with her. I think you’re helping her to undermine the rest of us.”
Megan came up behind the older woman and took the chair beside Ean. “Why would he do that?”
Tilda’s expression remained combative. “Ramona and Ean have hated our small-town ways since they were kids.”
He couldn’t let that comment go unchallenged. “I never hated Trinity Falls. I was born here. I grew up here. At the time, I thought I wanted more than the town had to offer. Now I realize it has everything I’ll ever need.” Including the woman he was falling deeper in love with every day.
Tilda’s rough voice cut across his realization. “You came back to Trinity Falls with your New York ways. Now suddenly Ramona wants to bring big-city stores to the center. That can’t be a coincidence.”
“This isn’t sudden.” Megan’s voice was cool and measured, but Ean sensed her tension. “I have a feeling Ramona started planning this the moment the original center owners defaulted on the loan.”
Belinda flipped her glossy mane behind her shoulder. “I agree. Ramona’s crafty that way. And we never saw it coming. That’s a kick.”
“Then why was Ramona in his office this morning?” Tilda pointed at Ean. Her voice reeked of spite. “Rekindling old flames?” The old woman was determined to cause trouble.
Ean struggled to match Megan’s cool. “You’re right, Tilda. Ramona did ask for my help with her plans for the center—”
Tilda sprang from her chair. “You see? I told you!”
Ean ignored her interruption. “I turned her down. I also told her, I wasn’t interested in being the town’s power couple with her.” He couldn’t read the look in Megan’s eyes.
“‘Power couple’?” Belinda blew out a breath. “Girlfriend has a lot of balls. No offense intended, Megan.”
Megan’s inscrutable gaze remained on Ean. “Thank you for letting us know about your conversation with her.”
Tilda reclaimed her seat. “How do we know we can trust him?”
Megan experienced another stir of irritation. Tilda’s negativity had hindered the association almost since Megan had formed the group.
“Ramona has been in all of our stores. Should we start suspecting each other?” She gestured toward Belinda. “Are we going to question Belinda whenever Ramona buys a product from her salon?” She inclined her head toward Tilda. “Should we worry about you whenever Ramona buys a birthday card?”
Tilda scowled. “I’ve lived my whole life in this town.”
Megan’s voice hardened. “Ean wouldn’t sign a long-term lease and pay exorbitant rent just to help Ramona take apart the town center.”
Tilda gave Megan a grudging look. “I suppose you have a point.”
Megan was more than happy to change the topic. “Instead of wasting our time suspecting each other, we have to identify a candidate to run against Ramona in the next election. That person has to register in two weeks.”
Belinda waved a mahogany hand between Megan and Ean. “Why don’t one of you run?”
Megan looked at Ean. “What about it?” She liked the idea of Ean as mayor. For one thing, it meant she’d know how long he would stay in town. “With your legal background, you’d be a strong candidate.”
Ean was shaking his head even before Megan finished speaking. “I’m starting a law practice. It’s going to take all of my time to get it off the ground.”
Megan looked away to mask her disappointment. Was his business the only reason Ean wouldn’t run for office?
“What about you, Megan?” Tilda’s tone made the question an accusation. “You started the association. You’d be the best person to represent our interests to the council.”
Megan glanced over her shoulder toward the bakery’s counter, where Doreen shared a pastry with Leonard. “The mayor needs to represent all of the town’s interests, not just the associat
ion’s. We need a candidate who can speak intelligently to all of the community’s needs.”