LITMIR.BIZ

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You couldn’t even trust someone as sweet as a cupcake to tell you the truth.

      “I want to convert the apartment into a tea room. A place I can rent out for parties or book clubs—”

      “Serenity Springs has a book club?”

      She frowned. “Local clubs could have meetings up there or I could serve special lunches and have tea tastings. It’ll be nice…”

      Sure. For her. And everyone else in town who wanted him gone since the Serenity Springs Gazette ran that article about his five years in a maximum security prison.

      But for him? Not so freaking nice.

      “My lease says you have to give me thirty days and written notice.”

      Nina rubbed her thumb across the base of her left ring finger. “I’m giving you thirty days. And this—” she reached into her back pocket and pulled out a folded-up envelope “—is the notice.”

      He took the envelope from her. Noticed the unsteadiness of her hand. Great. He’d obviously scared her. He wanted to tell her to develop a backbone so the world didn’t eat her alive. But then he supposed he should stop scowling at her and giving her a hard time. Try to put her at ease, like a nice guy would.

      Then again, he’d stopped being a nice guy a long time ago.

      He ripped open the envelope and quickly skimmed the paper while his mind turned with questions. If she was kicking him out because of his past, did he have legal recourse? Could he prove it? And the big question: where could he go?

      He doubted anyone else would rent to him. After the police had suspected him of killing a woman a few months ago and that damn article ran in the paper, he’d lost two jobs he’d hoped would pull him through the winter. Despite being cleared of any wrongdoing.

      He scratched his cheek. Wait a minute. What was he getting angry about? He’d be done at The Summit, a local bar he was renovating, any day now. He could blow this town. Truth be told, he should’ve been done two weeks ago but Allie Martin, the bar owner, kept giving him small jobs to do. More than likely because she knew he didn’t have any other work.

      Not that he liked charity, but he did like working for Allie. It was hard not to. She was smart, funny and gorgeous. Almost too bad they were better suited as friends than lovers.

      And he hadn’t had any real friends since before he’d been sent away. He didn’t want to do anything to ruin his friendship with Allie.

      He wasn’t really surprised Nina was kicking him out. Ever since she’d bought the bakery from her grandparents, he’d known this day was coming. He supposed after having it not come for so many months, he’d grown complacent. Too comfortable. Too secure.

      No, this wasn’t something to get angry about or fight over. This was an opportunity. Or fate’s way of telling him to get his ass in gear and get out of Serenity Springs.

      He placed the eviction notice in the envelope and tucked it in his back pocket. “I’ll be out after Kelsey’s wedding,” he promised before pushing open the kitchen door.

      “You don’t have to move out so soon,” Nina said, following him into the dining room. “You can stay the full thirty—”

      “No need.” He grabbed his coat off the back of the chair and put it on. “Besides, I’m sure you want to get started on that tea room as soon as possible.”

      “Of course I do,” she said unconvincingly. “It’s just I don’t want to rush you. It might be difficult to find another place in two weeks—”

      “Don’t worry about it.” He pulled his hat on. “I’m not going to.”

      He reached for the door when it swung open. Nina’s kids, Hayley and Marcus, came barreling inside. The little girl spotted Dillon immediately and skidded to a stop. Unfortunately, Marcus kept going, plowing into his sister and knocking her down.

      Sitting on the floor, Hayley’s lower lip quivered and her eyes welled with tears, but she didn’t make a sound.

      “Honey, are you okay?” Nina asked, bending to pick up her daughter. Dillon couldn’t help but notice her shapely backside.

      “Everything all right in here, Nina?”

      Trey Carlson, Nina’s pretty-boy ex-husband, stood in the open doorway. And from the expression on the guy’s face, he’d noticed Dillon checking out his ex-wife.

      Great.

      Before Nina could answer, Dillon zipped up his coat and said, “If that’s all you wanted, I’m heading out.”

      “Oh. Yes, that’s all.” She looked like she wanted to say something else but didn’t. Her daughter had her face buried in Nina’s neck. Her son had taken off his hat and his pale blond hair stuck up all around his head. The boy’s eyes were huge in his round face as he sidled next to his mother and put his arm around her leg.

      “Thanks for lunch.” A stupid thing to say considering she’d only fed him so he’d stick around long enough to be evicted.

      At the door, Carlson blocked his way. Perfect. Just what he needed. A pissing contest with the town’s self-important, arrogant psychologist.

      Dillon didn’t move. And he sure wasn’t going to say “excuse me” or anything civil to this guy. Carlson had made his displeasure about Dillon living above the bakery known to anyone and everyone who would listen. He’d even written an article for the Gazette about the psychology of a killer.

      It hadn’t taken much to deduce which particular killer he was referring to.

      After a long, silent stare-down, Carlson stepped aside.

      Dillon smirked. Yeah. That’s what he thought. All flash. No substance.

      He lowered his head against the driving snow and walked around the building to the entrance to his apartment.

      He couldn’t wait to get as far from Serenity Springs as possible.

      Chapter Two

      THE MUSIC SWITCHED to Bing Crosby crooning “White Christmas.” The sentimentality of it would’ve fit Nina’s current circumstances perfectly—snow was falling, Christmas was approaching and she was with her kids. Except she was also with Trey. The man she once thought she’d be spending the rest of her life with. The man she had once been afraid she’d never escape.

      Trey took his time closing the door and brushing the snow off his shoulders. Closing in on forty, he could pass for ten years younger. Nina wondered if his patients knew their psychologist was afraid of growing older—or at least, looking older—so much that he had his tawny hair professionally highlighted once a month.

      Or that he went to a salon two towns away to keep them from finding out.

      But not even a bit of gray or the few lines bracketing Trey’s blue eyes could detract from his movie-star looks with his conservative haircut, perfect tan, suede jacket and dark designer jeans. And he still had the sense of privilege and entitlement he’d had when they’d first met ten years ago.

      At nineteen she’d been way too young. Too young, naive and, if she was honest with herself, stupid to ever get involved with Serenity Springs’ supposed golden boy.

      Live and learn.

      “Nina, put her down,” Trey said in what she thought of as his professional voice—soft and carefully modulated. “You know tears are a self-indulgent luxury. Coddling only encourages her self-indulgence.”

      Nina smoothed a hand over Hayley’s back. Her daughter still clung to her but at least she’d stopped crying. “I’m comforting her—not coddling. She’s hurt.”

      “She hurt her pride more than her backside.” He reached for Hayley. Short of using her daughter in a game of tug-of-war, Nina had no choice but to let

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