Christmas In Paradise (Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mysteries Book 4)

Christmas in Paradise

by

Kathi Daley

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places
, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2014 by Katherine Daley

Version 1.0

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.

This book is dedicated to my son Danny
, who will be graduating from the University of Edinburgh with his master’s degree at about the same time this book comes out. Congratulations, Danny. I love you and am proud of you.

And I must mention my team of advance readers for taking time out of their busy lives to help me launch each new book and the awesome bloggers in my life for helping me publicize them.

And, as always, love and thanks to my sister Christy for her time, encouragement, and unwavering support. I also want to thank Carrie, Cristin, Brennen, and Danny for the Facebook shares, Randy Ladenheim-Gil for the editing, and, last but not least, my super-husband Ken for allowing me time to write by taking care of everything else.

Paradise Lake Series:

Pumpkins in Paradise

Snowmen in Paradise

Bikinis in Paradise

Christmas in Paradise

Puppies
in Paradise –
February 2015

Zoe Donovan Mysteries:

Halloween Hijinks

The Trouble With Turkeys

Christmas Crazy

Cupid’s Curse

Big Bunny Bump
-off

Beach Blanket Barbie

Maui Madness

Derby Divas

Haunted Hamlet

Halloween Hijinks Anniversary Edition –
September 2014

Turkeys, Tuxes, and Tabbies
– October 2014

Christmas Cozy –
November 2014

Alaskan Alliance –
December 2014

Road to Christmas Romance:

Road to Christmas Past

“It’s starting to snow,” Tj Jensen said to her best friends, Jenna Elston, Kyle Donovan, and Nikki Weston, as she joined them at their regular table at Murphy’s Bar. It was the start of the Thanksgiving break, giving Tj an entire week off from her job as a high-school coach and teacher.

“I heard a major storm might blow in by the end of next week,” Kyle added as he poured Tj a beer from the pitcher.
“They’re predicting as much as four feet of fresh powder.”

“That’s a lot for this time of year,” Jenna
said. “Maybe Bonnie’s new boyfriend will decide to cancel his visit and I won’t have to spend the Thanksgiving holiday visiting my husband in jail.”

“I’m sure it won’t be that bad
.” Tj laughed as she waved at one of the waitresses, who was decorating the most pathetic Christmas tree she had ever seen. It was hard to believe it was only a little over a month until Santa would make his magical ride. Tj loved Christmas, but it represented an increase in her workload. She might have three weeks off from her job as a coach and physical education teacher at Serenity High School, but there was always tons of decorating, shopping, wrapping, and baking to do, in addition to the extra work she usually took on at the resort.

“Don’t
be too sure about that.” Jenna’s tone portrayed an element of doom. “When Dennis finds out his mother is engaged to a man she’s only known for two months, he’s going to hit the roof.”

“I can’t believe you haven’t told him a
bout it by now,” Kyle commented as he picked at one of the buffalo wings the group was sharing.

“I keep hoping Bonnie will come to her senses and call the whole thing off,” Jenna admitted.
“I know Dennis seems like a mild-mannered kind of guy, but when it comes to his mother . . .”

“I have a feeling I’m coming into this conversation in the middle of the movie,” Nikki
said with a laugh.

While Jenna was Tj’s best lifelong friend and Kyle was her best new friend, Nikki was he
r best work friend, a teacher at Serenity High School who had been dating the football coach for the past year. Prior to her relationship with Carl, Nikki had hung out with Tj and Jenna quite a bit, but after she became romantically involved with a man who had his own friends and interests, the amount of time she spent with Tj had decreased dramatically. Things had changed, though, when Carl had been offered a job coaching football at a large college in Los Angles. While Nikki and Carl cared about each other, neither was willing to go so far as to make a permanent commitment, and the job, they both agreed, was too good to pass up. After quite a bit of angst and considerable conversation, the two had decided to break up. Carl’s last day at Serenity High School had been two weeks earlier, and Nikki had taken his leaving harder than she imagined she would. This was the first time she had felt good enough to go out for a drink with the gang.

“Bonnie,” Jenna
said, referring to her mother-in-law, “met a man named Bob King back in August, and he invited her to attend a retreat geared toward restaurant owners and chefs in September. I guess while they were there they developed a romantic relationship of an unspecified nature. Bob lives in Los Angeles, so once the retreat was over they went their separate ways but kept in touch. A few weeks ago Bonnie flew to Los Angeles to visit him, and when she came home she announced to me that she was engaged.”

“Wow,” Nikki said. “And you haven’t told Dennis?”

“Not yet. Dennis’s parents were high-school sweethearts. Bonnie had never dated anyone other than Dennis’s father until this Bob King. I realize Dennis’s father has been dead for quite some time, and Bonnie might want to move on with her life, but I’m fairly certain Dennis won’t see it that way. I’ve been looking for the right time to tell him, but so far that time really hasn’t presented itself.”

“I’ve made all the arrangements for Mr
. King to stay in one of the empty cabins,” Tj assured her. “I figure that way we can keep an eye on him. If Dennis does go ballistic, maybe his being at the resort will help us control the situation.”

“I really want to thank you for doing this. I know the resort is closed for the fall holiday and most of your staff is away on vacation.
If I wasn’t so nervous about things, I’d just have him check into a hotel in town.”

“It’s not a problem,” Tj assured her. “
The staff might be off for the holiday, but there will be plenty of family on site to see to things. What time should we expect Mr. King?”

“Bonnie is picking him up from the airport in Reno on Wednesday morning. She plans to bring him by the house to meet Dennis. I imagine he
’ll stay for dinner, so I guess Bonnie will bring him by after that, if Dennis hasn’t killed him by then. Of course, he might prefer to drop off his luggage and then come out to the house. I can have Bonnie text you and let you know when you should expect him.”

“And Thanksgiving?” Tj asked.

“I don’t know. I haven’t thought that far ahead. At this point I’m just trying to get past Wednesday with no bloodshed.”

“
Why don’t you and your family come out to the resort for Thanksgiving dinner and I can help you prevent your firefighter hubby from ax murdering his mom’s new boyfriend?” Tj suggested. “Besides, maybe you can prevent me from using Dennis’s ax on Captain Jordan Tanner; I just received confirmation that he’ll arrive on Wednesday as well.”

Jenna squeezed Tj’s hand. “
I’m sorry. Here I am, going on and on about my Thanksgiving mess, and you’re dealing with so much more.”

Tj sighed. “
I have to admit I’ve been a bundle of nerves since the moment I got the letter from Tanner’s attorney last summer, hoping for the best but mentally preparing for the worst.”

“Again,” Nikki commented, “I have no idea what you
’re talking about. Maybe it’s not such a bad thing that Carl was offered that job in LA. I’ve really been out of the loop lately.”

Tj looked at Jenna and Kyle. Both shrugged. She seemed to come to a decision.
“What I’m going to tell you is a secret. A
big
secret. No one knows about this except my dad and grandpa, Jenna, Kyle, and Hunter. You have to swear not to mention it to anyone.”

“Yeah, okay.” Nikki paled. “What’s wrong?”

“I got a certified letter from an attorney last summer, informing me that his client, a man named Jordan Tanner, had been informed by one of my mom’s old friends that he might be the biological father of my sister Gracie.”

“He finds out he
’s a father last summer and isn’t visiting until now?”

“Jordan Tanner
is a captain in the Navy and has been at sea since May of last year. This is the first opportunity he’s had to follow up on the letter. He admitted that he had a one-night stand with a woman meeting my mom’s description prior to shipping out for a six-month tour seven years ago, but he swears he had no communication with the woman after that night.”

“So why does he believe he
’s Gracie’s father?” Nikki wondered. “Your mom’s friend could have been wrong or even lying.”

“I did a background check on the man,” Kyle informed her. “Ther
e were photos. Captain Tanner has dark hair, dark eyes, and a dark complexion. He looks a lot like Gracie, whereas Tj, Ashley, Tj’s mom, and the girls’ father, all have very different coloring.”

“To be honest
, I’ve always suspected Ashley and Gracie might not be full sisters,” Tj admitted. “My mother looked a lot like me. She was petite, with dark auburn curly hair, blue eyes, and fair skin. The girls’ father, Jonathan Howard, was tall and thin, with light reddish-blond hair and green eyes. As you know, Ashley has straight red hair, green eyes, fair skin, and a nose covered with freckles. Gracie, on the other hand, has thick curly brown hair, brown eyes, and darker skin than anyone in either the Jensen or Howard families.”

“I see your point. After your mom died in that car accident and you brought the girls to live with you
, I remember wondering if they had different fathers. It didn’t seem all that important, so I didn’t ask about it. You were all going through so much with the adjustment. After I got to know the girls they seemed so much like sisters that I never gave it a second thought. Does this man want custody?” Nikki asked.

“The attorney says no. He insists
Captain Tanner wants nothing more than to meet Gracie. He’s arranged to spend a month at Maggie’s Hideaway over the holidays, while he’s on leave.”

“Wow. No wonder you
’ve been so distracted lately. I just assumed your funk was due to the fact that Dylan left.”

“No. I’m over Dylan,” Tj
said. “At first I was pretty bummed, but I’ve had time to gain some perspective and I realize we never really had a future. I’ve spoken to him a few times since the move and he seems happy. He likes his new job and his sister is beginning to relax. It means a lot to him that he’s able to be an everyday part of his nephew’s life. I think in the long run he made the right decision.”

“So you and Hunter
. . . ?” Nikki asked.

Hunter Hanson
had been Tj’s high-school boyfriend and the rock she had been leaning on since she’d received the letter that had tossed her world off its axis.

“Friends,” Tj answered.

“Yeah right,” Jenna snorted.

Tj gave Jenna the
look
, which warned her that Hunter, and her relationship with him, was a subject she didn’t care to discuss.

“So about Thanksgiving
. . .” Tj changed the subject to a safer topic. Her feelings for Hunter were complicated and not at all something she was willing or able to deal with at that moment in time.

“I think it’s a wonderful idea for us to all have Thanksgiving together,” Jenna
said. “We can help each other get through the day.”

Tj turned to Nikki.
“You’re invited as well.”

“Thanks, I’d like that.”

“Would you, your mom, and the girls like to come as well?” Tj asked Kyle.

“Yeah, that would be nice. Kiara will be home
, so I’m sure she’d love to visit with you.”

Kiara Boswell and her sister Annabeth
had moved in with Kyle’s mother, who had recently moved to Serenity to be near her only son, after their father was arrested for kidnapping both Kiara and Tj the previous summer.