“That’s great,” she said in amazement. “I don’t know what to say.”
He grinned. “We could talk about it more tonight.”
“I’d like that—"
The door buzzed and Nancy waltzed in. Her curious gaze took in Adam, then Heidi. “Good morning, am I interrupting something?”
“Hi Nancy,” Heidi said her voice flat with irritation. She looked back at Adam, hiding her emotions lest Nancy see them. “I’ll get that package for you.”
Chapter Seventeen
That night Heidi gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles as she drove to Adam’s house. Not only was she nerved up about dinner with the man who’d somehow captured her heart, the news Sam had shared was beating away in the back of her mind like a drum. How much property had the mayor sold? And how much more had he sold that wasn’t his? How much had he stolen from the city? Was he embezzling in other ways as well? What should she do now? Who even investigated city crimes? The sheriff? The state police?
“Mom?” Tyler interrupted, “—are you listening to me?”
She shrugged. “Sorry honey, what were you saying?”
He frowned. “Are you upset about us going to dinner at Adam’s house?”
“No,” she lied. “Why do you ask?”
The boy glanced out the window and then back to his mother. “Well, you know, cuz—”
She waited, picking up on his distress for the first time. Some mother she was, all wrapped up in her own problems, not even noticing that her son was upset.
“—Cuz I was a jerk last time,” Tyler admitted. “Sorry.”
“Oh Tyler…” she sighed, with all the wind sucked out of her sails. “This is—this is hard for both of us.”
“I know you loved dad,” Tyler said, his expression sincere. “But—it kind of feels like Adam is completely separate from dad, doesn’t it?”
Shocked to hear so much wisdom come from her young son, a lump formed in Heidi’s throat. Was it really that simple? It was true that she was available and Adam was a good man. Could they date without trepidation?
Tyler looked out the window. “I mean, Dad was special, he was—my dad. But Adam—” he looked back at his mother. “He’s okay, you know?”
Heidi smiled as tears formed in her eyes. “He is okay, isn’t he.”
He gave her an odd, unreadable look. “You’re not going to get married right away, are you?”
“Tyler!” She snorted, tossing him glances of disbelief. “Of course not.”
He shrugged and grinned. “Just checking.”
Heidi shuffled in her seat, thinking through the emotions surging under her skin. She would enjoy the evening if she could put aside her concern about the mystery and relax.
Adam heard a car door close. He wiped his hands on a dishtowel and Ralph trotted to the front door and put his nose against the crack. “You’ll be happy to see Tyler, won’t you?” he asked the dog.
Ralph looked up at him and Adam squatted down by the dog’s side. He patted the dog’s head. “I understand. You can play with Tyler and I won’t be jealous, okay?”
The dog lapped a wet lick across his face and Adam laughed.
A knock sounded and Ralph jumped, nearly knocking Adam over backward. Reaching around the excited dog, Adam opened the door and Ralph bolted out to tackle Tyler. The boy broke into a fit of laughter.
Adam smiled at Tyler and the dog, then his eyes moved to Heidi. She looked as cute and sexy as ever, but her eyes showed a hint of panic. His grin dimmed as he moved back to let them in.
“Adam,” she said with a polite nod as she stepped inside. “Thank you for inviting us.”
“My pleasure,” he assured, not taking his eyes from her face.
Tyler followed Ralph into the living room and engaged in a game of tug of war.
Adam tore his gaze away from Heidi, grinning as he watched the boy play with his dog. The last few days he’d lost a few tug-of-wars with Ralph too.
Heidi bustled into the kitchen and placed grocery bags on the counter.
Adam joined her, still concerned about her demeanor. “You okay?”
She shrugged off the question as she unloaded the bags.
“Heidi?” Adam asked, taking a head of lettuce from her.
Her eyes came up to his and she winced. “Yes?”
He put the lettuce on the counter and placed his hands on her shoulders, turning her to face him. “What’s wrong?”
She sniffed and did a side-eye toward the groceries.
“Are you still mad at me?” he asked, stuffing his hands into his front pockets.
“No,” she sputtered. “Not at all. I’m just wound up about—” her mind spun, still thinking about the mayor being crooked. If the whole project was one big illegal action, what did that mean for her house? Where had the bloody parcel come from and what did it mean? Would a demolition review even matter in the big scheme of things? Could she save her house?
“Then what is it? I can tell you’re upset.”
Heidi’s face scrunched. She couldn’t tell him about the society, and it was hard to say much about what was happening without letting on.
“You do know that you’re not talking, right?”
“I got some bad news today and I’m just upset.” She finally said.
His hands came out of his pockets and he relaxed. “Oh, I’m sorry. Is there anything I can do to help?” When she only nibbled on her lower lip, he knew she was uncertain. He tossed a glance into the living room where Tyler and dog still played. “Hey, your mom and I will be out at the grill,” He called to the pair, then he picked up the plate of steaks and motioned for Heidi to follow him outside.
She stood on the far side of the porch, watching as he opened the steaming hot grill to place the steaks on the rack with tongs. Then she turned away to look through the darkness, across his property.
Giving her time to stew, he sprinkled seasonings and fussed with the steaks, and then closed the grill. For a long moment he took her in, standing there on his back porch.
He wandered up behind her and slipped his arms around her waist. She was short enough that he could put his chin on the top of her head. At first, she stiffened but then she relaxed. He didn’t know how relieved he was at her reaction until his breath released. She was so tiny but so mighty—he was amused and attracted to her at the same time.
They stood that way for a while, each keeping their thoughts to themselves.
She turned in his arms, her eyes shining in the dim light.
He could tell that she was still holding back, that something had shaken her, but she wasn’t ready to talk about it. So instead of talking, he leaned down to kiss first her cheek, then her lips. Just a gentle sweep of a kiss, nothing that would frighten her away.
Her eyes fell closed, and her lashes were dark against her cheeks.
He couldn’t help himself and more kisses followed.
The next morning Heidi’s phone dinged on her way to work. She ignored it because she was driving, and it dinged three more times before she pulled into the post office parking lot.
“For heaven’s sake,” she huffed, fishing in her purse for the phone. She finally found it and read the texts from Sarah. Her mouth fell open and the phone dropped into her lap. This changed everything. She had to call Monique.
She unlocked the back door and hurried to her desk. With her fingers shaking she dialed Monique and waited for her to answer.
“What’s up,” the muffed voice on the line asked.
“I have news. Big news,” she said in hushed tones. “We had it all wrong.”
The voice asked what had happened.
“I heard from—” Heidi stopped and took another look around, nervous that someone would hear her. “I found out that it’s not the mayor who has the gambling debt.” She said in a hoarse whisper. “It’s his son!”
That evening, Heidi waited while the women settled into their chairs. The group was uncharacteristically quiet and subdued as the
y pulled out their notebooks and arranged their coffee cups.
Heidi couldn’t wait any longer. “Ladies, I’m dispensing with formalities. Please listen carefully. Things have come to a head and we need to get organized.”
A hush fell over the room. All eyes were on the grand master.
Heidi motioned across the table. “Sarah, this is your news, please catch everyone up.”
Sarah gathered her wits. “Well—” she cleared her throat. “In class we were talking about families and one of the kids—I won’t say her name but her father is, uh—” she looked to Heidi for direction.
“Her dad is the mayor,” Heidi commented.
Sarah looked relieved. “Yes, well she said she doesn’t like her brother anymore because he’s a ‘no good gambler’.”
An audible gasp arose from around the table.
Jessica clamped her hand over her mouth and Monique shook her head.
“That explains the declined credit cards,” Michelle said. “Marjory didn’t know her son had gotten ahold of them.”
Mildred scowled. “You mean the mayor’s son lost all their money gambling, not the mayor?”
At the announcement the group burst into excited chatter. Heidi let them talk, watching each woman as they discussed the new development and what all it meant. Seeing them act naturally once again made her realize how intelligent and talented each lady was in her own right.
“I gambled with the mayor of New York City once,” Stella chuckled to herself, but no one paid her any mind.
Mildred shuffled through her notes and then froze, her eyes wide behind her glasses. She stood, knocking her chair over backward in her haste, her face bright red with excitement. “Do you know what day it is? Oh, my goodness, we completely forgot!”
All the women shushed, staring at their old friend.
“What did we forget?” Heidi asked.
Mildred slapped a palm to her forehead. “Tomorrow is the spring festival! We have a reenactment to do!”
The next morning Adam was at the post office bright and early. Being Saturday, the post office counter closed at noon and he didn’t want to miss seeing Heidi. The drawings for the bypass should have been delivered that morning and he couldn’t wait to go over them with her.
Several customers were there when he entered, so he checked his mail box and happily tucked the envelope of expected drawings under one arm. Smiling, he rocked on his heels while he waited his turn. When the last customer went out the door he walked up to the counter and placed a manila envelope in front of Heidi.
“What’s this?” she asked.
He smiled broadly. “The preliminary drawing of the bypass.”
“Oh, right,” Heidi said, her face flushing. “Sorry, things have been a little crazy.”
“Want to see them?”
“Now?” she gasped.
He shrugged. “Why not?” He opened the packet and removed two large sheets of paper. Heidi could see that the engineering firm had pretty much taken a copy of a topographical map and sketched in the town and where the bypass would go. They’d also blocked out two optimal locations for a parking garage.
Heidi pointed to the new route for the highway where it went around town instead of up Main Street. “Do you think we’ll lose a lot of business due to rerouting traffic?”
Adam shook his head. “No more than you lose now because there’s nowhere to park. You can put up advertising, some billboards, out on the highway. I think it will be okay.”
Michelle rushed into the post office, practically beating the door buzzer in her haste. “I got the blood! I had to drive clear to Boone but—" When she spotted Adam she ground to a halt.
Adam’s eyebrows rose and he glanced from one woman to the other. “Blood?”
Heidi chuckled. “Today is the spring festival and our historical society is putting on a reenactment about Sugar Mountain’s first hospital.”
“That’s… nice,” he said, still a little put off by the blood.
“Anyway, I just wanted to let you know,” Michelle said, tossing Adam a curious glance. With that she turned and hurried back out.
“Are you going to the festival?” Heidi asked Adam. “You should come.”
He rubbed the back of his neck. It had been his plan to stay anonymous, but he wasn’t doing a very good job of it. “I’m not sure what a Spring Festival is—could I hang out with you and Tyler?” he asked hopefully.
She waved off his question. “I’m sure Tyler will be running around with his friends, but you’re welcome to be with me.” She paused. “I do have to do the reenactment, of course.” Her eyes lit up. “Want to be in it?”
He backed up. “Oh, no I don’t think so.”
She laughed. “Your loss.”
“Should I go home and get Ralph?”
She grinned. “That’s a great idea!”
He folded up the drawings and shoved them into the envelope, then backed toward the door. “Where will I find you?”
“Probably near the bandstand.”
He grinned and his eyes sparked, sending heat across the space between them. “Maybe afterward we could go out for a piece of pie.”
She shivered and she wasn’t sure if it was because she was surprised that he offered to take her out or if it was the thought of being with him that excited her. Maybe it was the pie. The whole dating thing was turning out to be surprisingly fun. Why had she been so worried? “We could,” she answered.
He offered her a goofy grin and backed right into the door. Embarrassed, he waved and went out.
Heidi watched as he sauntered across the parking lot. But then a black car pulled in next to Adam’s truck and her happiness vanished. It was the mayor. What would she say to him? Should she let on that she knew he was a crook?
The door buzzed and the eccentric man ambled in. His gaudy suit and curled mustache never ceased to amaze her. He had obviously been born a century too late. At least he wasn’t wearing the ridiculous sunglasses today. And oddly enough, he was alone. Rachel wasn’t with him.
As he neared the counter, they made eye contact. Heidi was surprised to see a healing cut under one eye, complete with the lingering yellows and greens of bruising. Had he been hiding a black eye with those glasses?
“Ms. Collingsworth,” the mayor drawled. He leaned one hip against the counter and inspected her every bit as carefully as she inspected him. One brow rose, and he glanced over his shoulder to where Adam’s truck was pulling out of the parking lot.
Heidi wondered if he knew about her and Adam. But that was silly, there was nothing to know. The kisses they’d shared on Adam’s back porch came to mind and she blushed. “What can I do for you today?” she asked, ready to get the man on his way.
The mayor appeared to be in no hurry as he stared down his nose at her.
She refused to be bothered and stared right back.
“I seem to have misplaced a parcel,” he finally said, his words full of innuendo and speculation.
Heidi’s blood ran cold. Could he be talking about the bloody tube of drawings? She stayed quiet, working to show no emotion, not even a twitch of an eyebrow.
“Have you, perchance, seen a tube of drawings addressed to my office?”
What should she say? What should she do? She couldn’t lie about the parcel. If he asked for it, she’d have to give it to him. Then again, she wasn’t doing anything with it, so what difference did it make? She’d never even opened it, of course, but somehow the parcel seemed vital to what was happening in the mayor’s office.
“I’ve seen many parcels come through for the mayor’s office,” she replied calmly.
The clock ticked on the wall as the two stared across the counter at one another.
“Sometimes,” the man drawled as he self-consciously touched the cut under his eye. “People get desperate. Drastic times call for drastic measures.”
What was he trying to tell her? Did he mean that the drawings in the outgoing mailbox had been some kind of drastic
measure related to the cut by his eye? Or was he just being his usual irritating self. “I heard your son will be coming home from school,” she said carefully, watching for his reaction.
He didn’t flinch, but understanding showed in his eyes. “Yes, he is. How is your little troop of reenactment ladies?”
Heidi worked to remain perfectly calm. Did he know what they’d been up to? How could he? How could he not? “They’re fine, we’re performing at the festival this afternoon.”
“How sweet,” he said, but his face betrayed his words. He was not completely pleased by the society for some reason. “All the ladies will be present on stage?”
Heidi bobbed a nod. Did it matter?
Painfully silent time ticked past and the mayor glanced over his shoulder, then back to Heidi. “I wonder, have you ever had a project go awry, Ms. Collingsworth.”
What did he mean by that? Was he baiting her? “Please don’t mock our reenactments, we work hard on them.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it,” he said mildly. Then his eyes narrowed. “But what would you do if one of your little projects was shanghaied?”
“What project? Who would do that? And why?” She got the impression he wasn’t talking about a project of hers or the society but one of his own. What a strange and cryptic conversation.
He pushed away from the counter. “Oh, someone mundane who you would never suspect, and when you are at your most desperate, too,” he said, articulating every word carefully. His eyes narrowed and his stare bored into hers.
She stood stiff behind the counter, her thoughts falling over one another like clothes in a dryer. If she didn’t believe the man was a blowhard she might have been scared by his bizarre words.
“Good day, Madam.” He spat, then turned on his heel and headed for the door.
“Wait,” she called. “Don’t you want your parcel?”
The park was crowded with festivalgoers and their pets. The city band played off-key on the bandstand. Kids ran past with cotton candy and snow cones. Townsfolk wandered between the tent booths selling everything from food items to knickknacks and bric-a-brac. A feeling of joyful celebration filled the air and under it all, laughter and music radiated from the park.
Trouble on Main Street Page 17
