Page 139 of Mistletoe and Mischief

“Sheriff Troy Davis,” he announced authoritatively.

Silence followed, which was a blessing after the racket of the past several minutes. Then they heard the unmistakable sound of furniture being moved.

“What seems to be the problem here?” he asked when Danielle slowly opened the bedroom door.

“I have to get out of here,” Danielle said, dabbing her eyes with a wadded tissue. “Ihatethis place.”

“I found a flight that can get you to LAX, leaving Sea-Tac in a few hours,” Kent rushed to say. This was obviously the information he’d been wanting to tell her for some time.

“Fine,” she said, slamming her suitcase shut. It was on her bed, although little else was. In fact, the room looked as if it’d been hit by a hurricane. Bedding lay on the floor. So did a potted poinsettia, with dirt scattered everywhere, and a framed picture, its glass now broken. And that wasn’t all....

“I’m really sorry about this,” Kent said, apologizing to the Beldons.

Danielle seemed to think he was talking to her. “Why didn’t Hunter tell me sooner?” she wailed. “It worked out so well that I could come here for Christmas.... He said he’d be tied up, but I said that was fine because my boss invited me to visit his family until Christmas Day and then...then...” She broke into a fresh bout of tears. Angrily, she grabbed the tissue box from the floor and jerked out three. “Then Hunter waited until this morning to tell me.... He didn’t even do it to my face. Instead, he sent me a text message and said he was seeing someone else. He let me come all this way and make a fool of myself.” She dabbed at her eyes again. “Now all I want is to get away from this horrible town....”

“We’ll need to get her to the airport.”

Kent shifted uncomfortably. “I had plans with my family but I feel responsible for her. I’ll drive her to the airport.”

“I want to go home!” Danielle screamed. “I don’t care who takes me to the airport. Isn’t there a taxi or something?”

“I have a friend who owns a car service,” Troy offered. “He can drive you to the airport.”

“Fine!” Danielle shouted. “I want to leavenow.”

“Please call your friend,” Kent said. “And I’ll pay whatever it costs.”

The small group watched as Danielle finished gathering up the last of her things, stuffing them in her carry-on. Kent seemed relieved not to be taking her to the airport. She swung the suitcase off the bed, and it landed on the floor with a loud thump. Straightening her shoulders, she wheeled her bag out of the room, ignoring everyone.

As soon as she’d left, Kent slumped on the edge of the bed and heaved a sigh. He lowered his head and plowed his fingers through his hair.

“You all right?” Troy asked.

Kent nodded. “I’ve made a big mess of things.”

“It’s not your fault the sailor broke it off.”

“No,” Kent said. “My mistake was taking her out to meet Beth and the girls. I let them assume Danielle and I were romantically involved. It was a stupid thing to do and I regretted it almost immediately.” He looked disgusted with himself. “Danielle went along with it, since she knows I still love my ex-wife and she wanted to do me a favor. But she totally overplayed her role.” He sighed again. “I wanted to tell Beth last night, but before I had a chance Danielle phoned in hysterics because she couldn’t get hold of her boyfriend. After that, the situation went from bad to worse.” He gestured around him. “I’ve botched everything.”

“Don’t be so sure,” Faith said, coming to stand next to Troy.

“Do you think there’s a way to salvage this?” Kent asked hopefully.

“Troy and I were in the pew behind you and Beth at the service last night. I believe if you speak to Beth honestly, you’ll discover she feels the same way.”

Kent’s eyes brightened. “Really?”

Faith nodded.

“First let me see if I can arrange this airport ride,” Troy said, reaching for his cell. He punched in the appropriate number and waited. Logan, the son of a friend, had recently started a car service, focusing on airport transportation. He was hungry enough to take the fare, even if it was Christmas Day.

After a short conversation, Troy closed his cell. “He’ll be here within thirty minutes.”

“Have you ever done anything so stupid you wonder what you could possibly have been thinking?” Kent asked Troy.

The sheriff wasn’t sure whether this was a real question or a rhetorical one. He decided to answer it anyway. “We all have, at one time or other. All you can do is learn from it—and you’ve certainly done that. And like Faith says, things will probably turn out okay.”

Kent looked up and gave a slight nod. “I appreciate the encouraging words.”

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