“You won’t have to worry about me finding a job in Andalusia again.” I turned away from him. “I’m going to take yours.”
I started walking away from the scene of the fire, feeling my anger build as what I said truly began to resonate. My anger got the best of me, but of all the people in Andalusia that could have criticized what we did, I couldn’t take it from Mayor Stevenson. I grew up hearing the rumors of where the money went, and if even half of them were true, he was a disgrace to the office he held. People looked the other way because they were either in bed with him or scared of the repercussions. One call from Mayor Stevenson could do to them what he threatened to do to me—make sure they became unemployable in our small town. There weren’t enough jobs to go around as it was.
There was another reason I was angry, and it wasn’t just because a rich person’s house burned to the ground. Mayor Stevenson’s mismanagement was why Eliza had such a hard life. The foster system had been in shambles for years. He refused help from the state because he didn’t want them in his business. People who took in foster kids got a stipend for doing so, but it wasn’t enough to look past a few problems. It was easier just to push one kid out the door and find one that was more likely to behave. If the system wasn’t so badly mismanaged, there would have been more homes available. I was going to have to get my hands dirty if I was going to actually challenge the incumbent mayor in the upcoming election, but I had to do something.
I stayed in Andalusia because I wanted to make a difference, and I thought I could do that as a firefighter, but I think there’s more that I can do.
16
Eliza
The next day
“Oh my god! You’re serious?” I blinked in surprise as Hudson told me what happened the previous night.
“Yes.” He sighed and started to nod. “I’m tired of this shit. Nobody else is going to do anything.”
“This is—a huge step.” I leaned back in my chair. “But I’m proud of you. I knew the foster system in this town was a mess, but I had no idea why…”
“Mayor Stevenson always talks about how poor this town is, how everyone is struggling to get by, yet he lives in a fucking mansion.” Hudson shook his head angrily.
“Do you think he’s stealing money?” I tilted my head inquisitively.
“No, he’s not that stupid. My Dad used to talk about how things were when the mill was still open. This place thrived. It was still a small town, but people didn’t have to worry about putting food on the table.” He folded his arms across his chest and I could tell he was contemplating something. “There have to be a few good people left in Andalusia—people that want things to change.”
“I’m sure there are. Maybe they just don’t have anyone to rally behind. I mean, when was the last time anyone even challenged Mayor Stevenson? He’s been mayor since I was a kid.” I raised my eyebrows and nodded.
“Yeah, they changed the law so he could remain in office after he served his first eight years.” Hudson sighed. “I can’t do this without help though, so I need to start making calls today.”
“I’ll help.” I reached over and grabbed his hand. “Whatever you need.”
“You’re pretty busy with Melanie’s wedding.” He rubbed his thumb across my knuckles. “I don’t want to distract you from that.”
“Everything is planned now. The only thing we have to do is get through the bachelorette party and then get her down the aisle.” I shrugged. “I should have plenty of time to help.”
“Thank you. That means a lot.” A smiled formed on his face.
“What about Preston? Are you going to ask him to help as well?” I leaned back in my chair but continued to hold onto his hand.
“I’ve been thinking about that.” His smile faded, and a look of concern spread across his face. “He certainly knows how to talk to people. Would having him around make you uncomfortable? I know you forgave him, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend time with him.”
“It might not be the easiest thing in the world, but he’s your brother.” I nodded slowly. “He’s always going to be around in some capacity.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” Hudson nodded. “I’ll talk to him.”
I was nervous about Hudson running for mayor, but it was also exciting. I had already decided to stay in Andalusia, but I had no idea what I was going to do for work. Helping him with his campaign would provide a little bit of distraction while I looked for a job and got my own place. I couldn’t deny that having Preston around did worry me a little bit, but I had been trying to find a way to undo all of the damage he did. Maybe the campaign could do that—to strengthen the brotherly bond that he destroyed when he lied to Hudson. It wasn’t something that could be erased, but I hoped that time could heal the wounds. My future was with Hudson, but I didn’t want to completely exclude Preston from our lives. They would always be brothers, and their bond was once stronger than the one I had with Hudson—it was one the three of us shared. We might never have a bond as strong as we did the summer we spent together, but we could move past the lies.
* * *
Later that day
“Wow, Hudson is running for mayor?” Melanie smiled and nodded as I told her the news. “I definitely wouldn’t have expected that from him. Preston is the one I would have expected to turn into a slimy politician.”
“Yeah, but I don’t think Hudson has any interest in being a typical politician. He wants to bring real change to this town. There’s nobody else brave enough to step up and try to do something about it.” I leaned back against the couch. “We’ve never seen this place when it was thriving, but it has to be better than what we’re used to.”
“I agree.” Melanie turned towards me. “I bet Dave would like to help out too. He got an Economics degree at Troy, but there aren’t many jobs around here. He’ll probably end up working in construction with his Dad, so I’m sure he’d jump at that the opportunity to put the degree to good use.”
“Hudson will definitely be over his head when it comes to the technical side of running the town. I’m sure he wouldn’t turn down the help.” I leaned forward to pick up my glass of wine. “I don’t know how I can help, but I want to…”