Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 82349 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82349 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
“Thank you.” I toss my keys on the desk and look over the schedule. “Busy day with meetings.”
“It sure is. It’s a good time for everyone to meet you and for you to fill them in on how you’ll be running things.”
I nod at her and sit down. “Thank you, Bonnie.” She nods and walks out, closing the door behind her. The only thing I do before I start the meeting is text Savannah about the plans tonight.
The day flies by the time I get up and walk out of the third meeting of the day with everyone else who attended the meeting. When I shake the head guy’s hand, I have to think about his name, and when I can’t come up with it, I just smile. “Let me know if you need me for anything.” He nods, and I turn to walk to Bonnie. “Any messages?”
She smiles at me. “No, but your mom did call and told you that she expects you for dinner tonight.”
“Yeah,” I say, shaking my head. “That’s not going to happen,” I mumble while I walk into my new office. I sit behind the desk, leaving the door open. Taking out the budget folder that I was looking at in the meeting, I see a couple of things that I didn’t understand. The logical thing would be to ask my father, but I’d rather eat nails. I’m looking at the numbers when I hear a knock and look up, seeing Jacob.
“You’re back?” I lean back in the chair, and he nods, coming in and closing the door behind him. He sits in one of the chairs in front of the desk and leans his head back and groans.
“I didn’t think I would make it,” he mumbles. “By the time we got to the house, they were both puking out the windows.”
“Yuck,” I say, shaking my head. “Where are they now?”
“I dropped Kallie and Ethan at her parents’ house,” he says, and I nod my head. I don’t acknowledge the way my stomach flipped at the thought of them in my house. I grab my phone and send Savannah a text, asking her if she wants me to bring her lunch instead of meeting me. “Grady told me about your car.” I toss my phone down and nod. “You think it’s the same person as Savannah?”
“Doubt it,” I admit finally. “My guess is it’s my brother.” He just looks at me. “Do you think my brother also did that shit to Savannah?” I ask, my stomach sinking. “You really think he’s that much of a prick?” I ask, and his face says it all. “Fuck.”
“Anyway,” he says. I watch him, and I know he’s nervous about something, but I can’t imagine what it is. “The reason I wanted to meet with you is to go over the mayor’s role.” I cross my arms over my chest and listen to him. “It’s no surprise that you are not your father,” he starts. “And he had his own way of doing things.” He looks me in the eye when he says the next part. “Not ethical either.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” I ask, not sure I want the answers.
“It means he did things his way, and you either were with him or you weren’t. And if you weren’t, it sucked for you because you wouldn’t get anything.” He comes right out and says what I was thinking. “He was always the one cashing in on favors.”
“I called Tony while I was at the bar,” I say. “He said my father made it clear that she was off-limits. He thought it would lose the contract.”
“Wouldn’t be the first time,” he tells me, and I just look at him. “Let’s just say it’s good to have a good guy sitting behind that desk.”
“What else am I missing?” I ask, and he takes a deep inhale.
“Your father was not a liked man,” he says. “He did things shady as fuck, but he made sure he covered his tracks.”
I shake my head and hang my head. “This is the man I wanted to look up to and be like,” I say.
“You surpassed him a long time ago,” he tells me. “That said, we are on the same page, and we both want what is best for the town.”
“I agree,” I say, and he gets up. “Now if you will excuse me, I’m going home to shower and then get my girl.” He stops halfway to the door. “You going to keep Savannah with you?”
“Yeah,” I say.
“You going to tell her that you love her anytime this decade?” he asks, and I shake my head.
“I don’t want to ruin what we have,” I say. He puts his hands on his hips, and I raise my hands. “I know, I know, but …” I shake my head. “I will take her any way I can, and if it’s only through friendship, then that is what I’m going to do.”