by Maria Geraci
Mimi and Pilar belonged to Whispering Bay’s oldest established Bunco group, affectionately known around town as the Bunco Babes. Every Thursday night the group rolled dice, drank frozen margaritas, and gossiped. It was the best girls’ night out in town. The group consisted of twelve members, all fierce and loyal friends. Once a year every April they allowed their significant others to join them. The men liked to pretend that they had to be dragged along, but it was all an act. The truth was, everyone looked forward to couples Bunco. Even Zeke, the original grumpy cat.
“Believe me, Zeke knows we’re taking a time out. He’s sleeping at the office.” At least, she assumed he was sleeping at the office. She hadn’t asked and he hadn’t offered up the information.
“But this is temporary, right? I mean, you guys are going to work it all out.”
That’s exactly what Mimi had thought when they’d first gone to counseling. But that had been a year-and-a-half ago and nothing had changed.
Mimi gave her friend a shaky smile. “It’s hard to work out your problems when one of you doesn’t think any exist.”
“Who else knows?” Pilar asked softly.
“No one yet. Zeke asked me to wait. But I can’t hold off forever. I mean, people are going to notice he’s not living at the house. We’re telling the kids first, of course, then our families, and then…everyone else.”
“So Allie doesn’t know either?”
Allie was Zeke’s younger sister. Although Mimi was only four years older than Allie, she felt more like a mother to her than a sister-in-law. Allie would take the news hard. She was engaged to marry her high school sweetheart Tom Donalan this summer and Mimi had promised she would help with the wedding, a promise Mimi would naturally keep. Just because she and Zeke were having problems didn’t mean her relationship with her sister-in-law would change.
“I’m having lunch with Allie tomorrow. I plan to tell her then. After I have a couple of stiff drinks.”
“You don’t think Zeke has already told her?”
“This is Zeke we’re talking about. Remember?”
Pilar smiled sympathetically. Like the rest of Mimi’s close friends, Pilar knew Zeke well enough to know that when it came to discussing his feelings (or anything else remotely personal), Zeke was the poster boy for the strong and silent type. Allie might be his sister, but like the rest of the people in Zeke’s life she was on a need-to-know basis. And there was precious little Zeke Grant thought people needed to know. Plus, there was the fact that Zeke was still hoping this whole time out thing would blow over and they could pretend it never happened.
“Please let me know if there’s anything I can do.” Pilar drew her into a tight hug. “And pretty please, and I’m speaking as both a friend and a lawyer here, don’t do anything rash.”
“I promise,” Mimi said, swiping away a tear. “Oh, God. Do mayors cry? Because I’m pretty sure they don’t.”
“Mayors do whatever the hell they want. It’s part of the benefit package.”
*~*~*
The meeting resumed with more talk about the city budget. Bruce went into what sounded like a rehearsed speech, talking banker talk that, frankly, Mimi didn’t really understand all too well. A year ago, when she’d announced to her family that she was running for mayor, Zeke had pointed out her lack of fiscal experience. She’d brushed it off at the time, but he had a point. If she was going to do a good job as mayor she was going to have to understand all the numbers in this budget.
She tried her hardest to concentrate, but it was as if Bruce was speaking Greek. He probably enjoyed talking above her head. It was his way of subtly reminding her that she didn’t belong here.
Only, she did belong here. She was just going to have to hunker down and get with the program. Instead of PTA meetings, her life would now be all about city council meetings. And budget talks. And whatever else she was supposed to do as mayor.
Don’t do anything rash.
Pilar’s words echoed through her head like a Swiss yodeler in the Alps.
But Pilar had nothing to worry about. Mimi wasn’t the rash type. She’d had a long time to think about her marriage and a time out wasn’t a divorce. It was simply…a time out. A time of reflection to think about things without the everyday pressure of living together. She’d start by telling Allie tomorrow. Then her parents. And then she and Zeke would sit the kids down and tell them together and everyone would be on the same page.
Speaking of the kids… She sneaked a peek at her watch. It was almost three. Time for Cameron, her twelve-year-old, to get out of school. Claire was supposed to pick him up, and so far, she’d been doing a good job of helping out with her younger brother. But for the first time ever, her kids would be home alone after school. She thought about what she’d make for dinner tonight. There was leftover roast beef from two nights ago. Or she could defrost some chicken in the microwave and maybe grill that up. Or even stop for pizza—
“Let’s see what Mary thinks about this,” Doug said.
Mimi glanced up, startled, and just a little guilty to be caught not paying attention. But Bruce Bailey and that nasally monotone voice of his could put anyone to sleep.
The council, though officially on duty, had agreed to keep a “friendly” tone and address each other by their first names. “Please, call me Mimi,” she told Doug. “Everyone else does.”
Doug smiled. “All right, Mimi it is.”
“I think all this number talk is boring our new mayor,” Bruce said. He turned to Mimi. “You’ll find this is all a little more complex than keeping track of your average PTA bake sale receipts.”
There went that urge to stick her tongue out again.
Instead, she straightened in her chair and tried for a professional smile. “Of course I’m not bored, Bruce. I was just sitting here wondering how the city could be so financially unstable, considering they had you at the helm. But I’m sure once I take this report home and study it a little more, I’ll be able to figure it out.”
Bruce’s face went red. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Doug raise a brow as if impressed with her comeback and Gus discreetly gave her a thumbs up. It was nice to have allies, but Mimi hoped that comeback wouldn’t come back to bite her in the butt. Like it or not, she was going to need Bruce’s support to make a smooth transition into her role as mayor.
Larry cleared his throat. “Perhaps we could go over all the different departments and see where we can cut corners?”
“Why don’t we start with the police department since it’s the biggest item on the budget,” Doug said.
The Whispering Bay school system was under the county’s jurisdiction, making the police and fire departments the most expensive items in the budget. There were road improvements and beach maintenance, and other pricey items as well, but once again, county taxes helped underwrite those areas.
Bruce made a noise in the back of his throat. “The police department has been off budget for the past three years. No matter how much we’ve tried, we just couldn’t rein them in. Poor management, if you ask me.”
Mimi stiffened. This was the moment she was so not looking forward to.
“I don’t think that’s a fair assessment,” Pilar said. “Going over the monthly reports, I think the chief has tried very hard to stay within budget. It’s not his fault that two of the cruisers need to be replaced. Those things are pricey.”
“What do they need cars for?” Denise Holbert asked. “This is a beach town. Can’t they ride bikes?”
“Now that’s not a bad idea,” Bruce chimed in.
“Bikes?” Pilar said. “Are you serious?”
Mimi bit her bottom lip. She should probably say something, except she wasn’t sure how to broach this. Not without seeming partial.
“Maybe if they rode bikes they could work off some of those doughnuts they’re always eating,” Larry said. “Have you seen Rusty Newton lately? He doesn’t need to keep a spare tire in his car. The one around his waist is good enough.”
Bruce and Denise openly laughed. Gus looked offended. Pilar just shook her head in disgust.
“Maybe we can get a better perspective on this from the chief himself,” Doug suggested. “I asked him to come speak to us this afternoon to give us his insights.”
“Here? Now?” Mimi heard herself squeak.
“What better time than now? He said he would be here at three. Let me go check.” Doug stood and poked his head out the open door and into the hallway. “Chief? We’re ready for you.”
“Here comes tall, dark and handsome,” Pilar whispered so that only Mimi could hear.
Mimi steeled herself as Whispering Bay’s Chief of Police, Zeke Grant, strolled into the room. It had been four days since Mimi had last seen Zeke. Somehow, the times he’d been at the house to see the kids, or pack up more clothes, they’d managed to avoid one another.
He hadn’t changed a bit, of course. No one changed in four days, did they? He was still the same man she’d known over half her life. Pilar wasn’t exaggerating when she called him tall, dark and handsome. Add sexy, confident and arrogant as hell into the mixture as well. It irritated her that after all these years he could still make her heart race and her thighs feel like jelly.
He locked eyes with her and for one crazy moment she went back in time eighteen years. To that moment she’d first spied him at the Whispering Bay Bowling Alley. She’d never been invisible to Zeke Grant. He looked at her now the same way he had then, as if she were the only person in the room and he could see everything about her. As if nothing she thought or felt would ever be private again. Not from him, anyway.
Mimi was in trouble all right, and it had nothing do with Whispering Bay’s budget.
Everyone turned to stare at her. Bruce looked like he was six years-old and it was Christmas morning. They all knew she was married to Zeke. Bruce would be expecting her to back up her husband. Then he’d find a way to use their relationship against her. It was just the way he was.
“Have a seat,” Bruce urged Zeke, as if he was the one in charge of the meeting.
“Yes, please, take a seat,” Mimi chimed in. She tried to gauge Zeke’s mood, but his expression was unreadable.
“I don’t believe we’ve been formally introduced yet,” Zeke said to Doug.
The two men shook hands. “Doug Wentworth. Nice to meet you, Chief. I hope you don’t mind taking time out of your busy schedule but I wanted to include your input when we discussed the upcoming budget.”
“Don’t mind at all.” Zeke took the chair next to Bruce, the farthest seat he could from Mimi. Which, in all fairness, was the only empty spot at the table, but she found herself wondering if he would have taken a seat next to her if one had been available
Doug handed him a copy of the budget. Zeke flipped the book open and began reading. His face remained inscrutable, the same way it did when they’d been at one of their many marital counseling sessions.
Just once, Mimi wanted him to lose it. Not because she wanted him upset. No, scratch that. She did want him upset. She wanted him to be angry that their marriage was in trouble. She wanted him to fight for her. To fight for them. But instead he’d sat back at all those sessions with the look of some bored martyr.
Even now, after two children and almost eighteen years of marriage he seemed like a stranger. A stranger she was in love with. Or maybe it was just lust. Maybe it had been lust all along. Because how could you be in love with someone who didn’t trust you enough with their biggest secret?
“You know everyone at the table, I assume?” Doug said to Zeke.
Bruce snickered and Denise gasped.
“I believe so,” Zeke drawled.
Doug frowned. Poor guy. He was completely of the loop. Which meant she was going to have to fill him in before things got even more awkward.
Mimi inhaled, then exhaled slowly. The way she learned to do in her beginning yoga class. But Downward Dog had nothing over small town politics. “You’re new to town, Doug, so I’m not sure if you’re aware that Zeke and I are married.”
“We’re separated,” Zeke said, looking at her directly for the first time. Or rather, looking at her hands. Her left hand to be exact. He kept staring as if he expected it to explode at any second. Mimi yanked her hands off the table and clasped them in her lap.
Talk about letting the cat out of the bag!
Denise’s eyes bulged. Damn it. Momma was probably on Denise’s speed dial. No need to keep their time out a secret any longer. After today’s meeting, half the town would know by dinner time. She imagined her mother would do some sort of victory dance. Or call her with a long belated ‘I told you so!’
“I’m sorry, Grant seemed like a pretty common name,” Doug said. “I didn’t make the connection.”
Zeke shrugged one broad shoulder. Mimi had been so rattled when he’d walked in the door that she hadn’t noticed his uniform. His long sleeved khaki shirt looked as if it was ironed to perfection. Was he taking his uniforms to the dry cleaners? For years, she’d been the one to iron those shirts. Not that she’d minded. It had been a source of pride to her, keeping her family and her home in tip top shape. If that made her hopelessly old-fashioned, then so be it.
“The separation won’t be a problem. Mimi and I are perfectly capable of conducting a professional relationship.”
She only just realized that he’d used the word separation. It sounded so…permanent.
“Good. Because we don’t have time to play Dr. Phil here.” Bruce tapped the folder. “Now, let’s get down to it. Chief, we’ve all had time to glance at your proposed budget for the coming year. You really expect the city to put up the money for two new cruisers?”
A muscle on the side of Zeke’s cheek twitched. Mimi was overly familiar with that twitch. There was no love lost between Zeke and Bruce Bailey.
Should she say something? She’d known when she decided to run for mayor that her marriage to the chief of police would put her in a precarious position. She needed to maintain a professional distance. Fair and impartial. It was a thin line. It was also her first official meeting as mayor and she was in the learning phase. No one expected her to come out guns blasting. Zeke was a big boy. She’d let him handle this one on his own.
“If you read the maintenance reports that I included in my budget outline, then you’re aware that repairs to some of our older cruisers are making them cost ineffective,” Zeke said. “We actually need four new cars. But I thought that might be too much. We’ll take two cars this year and two next year.”
Oh, boy.
Mimi might be a novice in the game of politics, but she knew enough to know they were embarking on what essentially seemed like a game of chess. By declaring what he expected, Zeke had made a bold offensive move. It was now the council’s turn.
Doug was the brave soul to step up to the plate. “Perhaps we could look into one car? Or maybe even purchasing a couple of used cars from another city? Without too many miles, of course.”
“And then there’s the problem of overtime,” Bruce said.
“Where did you get these numbers?” Larry asked. “Seems a little premature, don’t you think? Budgeting overtime without even knowing if you’re going to need it.”
Mimi bit her tongue. As a cop’s wife she knew how important overtime pay was to an already meager salary. If it wasn’t for the overtime and the extra money Zeke had earned working off duty security, they would have never made it in his early days as a patrol officer.
“What’s this on line seven of the budget?” Denise asked. “Continuing Education?”
“My officers need quarterly training to keep up with current practice. Most of it is safety related, but some of it involves sensitivity training. I’m sure the council doesn’t want Whispering Bay to end up on the front page of the New York Times,” Zeke said dryly.
“Absolutely not,” Pilar was quick to chime in. “As the city’s attorney, I agree. The police department definitely needs quarterly safety training sessions
.”
Larry made a show of impatiently flipping through the rest of the notebook. They asked a few more questions about different items on the budget. Zeke answered them curtly, but always careful to keep on the edge of politeness.
After what seemed like an eternity, Doug ended the questioning by thanking Zeke for taking the time out of his busy schedule to come talk to them. Zeke left without once making eye-contact with her (except of course when he’d made his big announcement). The whole thing was strange. Is this how it would be between them from now on? She supposed she should be grateful he was acknowledging their time out. She just wished he’d acknowledged it in private with their families first.
The door had barely closed behind him when the room exploded with conversation.
“I say we give him half of what he wants,” Larry said.
“He’s an arrogant SOB, that’s for sure.” Bruce’s gaze flicked toward Mimi, as if expecting her to respond.
Hearing Bruce call Zeke an arrogant SOB made Mimi want to punch him the nose. She and Zeke might be having problems, but he was her arrogant SOB, damn it. She fought to keep her expression neutral.
“I don’t think wanting the best for your department makes you arrogant,” Pilar said.
“No, but his attitude sure does.” Larry sighed. “Let’s go to the next item on the agenda.”
The meeting broke up an hour later with no real resolution that Mimi could see. She and Doug were alone in the conference room. Pilar had excused herself twenty minutes earlier and the rest of the council had bounded out the door the second Bruce dismissed them.
Mimi stuffed her papers into the new leather work tote bag she’d bought as a congratulatory gift to herself when she’d been elected mayor. Had it only been a few months ago? She thought she’d done her homework for today’s meeting, but she realized now she was woefully unprepared to handle delicate small town politics as they existed in Whispering Bay.
“Don’t worry,” Doug said, sensing her mood. “This was just the first meeting of the year. We have till April to approve a budget. There’s lots more where that came from.”
