Page 22 of This Christmas

The place was just a few doors down. After she parked in the parking lot, she got Charlotte out of her car seat and they walked hand in hand into the store. The bell over the door jingled as they entered. The smell of warm bread, meats, and fruits filled the air, and the aisles gleamed under the overhead lights. Charlotte skipped ahead.

“Frozen pizza first,” Ally said, steering the cart toward the frozen aisle. “Then we’ll grab popcorn and maybe some juice.”

They’d just turned down the frozen food aisle when someone stepped out from behind a display. The man was tall and was dressed in a long dark snow coat and heavy boots. He wasn’t familiar, but the way his sharp gaze landed on her made her skin crawl.

“Allyson Wilson?” he asked in a clipped tone.

Her heart stopped. She knew better than to answer him directly. “Can I help you?”

He gave a humorless smile. “My name’s Peterson. I’m working on a case that involves your ex-husband.” His eyes flicked to Charlotte, who was humming to herself, oblivious. “Mind if I ask you a few questions?”

“I do mind.” She reached for Charlotte’s hand and pulled her daughter close. “This is a public place. My daughter is present and she doesn’t need to be involved⁠—”

“I just have a few.”

She knew men like him. Joe was right, Ted’s new watchdog wouldn’t be kind or considerate like he was. She’d dealt with men like this before and knew exactly what to do.

Quickly, she sidestepped him, but he shifted to block her path. The aisle suddenly felt too narrow, too small.

“Ma’am, this won’t take long.”

“I said no.” Her voice trembled despite her effort to stay calm.

“Mama?” Charlotte, sensing her distress, started to tense up.

Before she could say anything more, another voice boomed from the end of the aisle.