“Have you thought about getting to know your tenants? It’s a small town. Things work differently here. I know it feels odd, but if you give it some time, I think you’ll like it.” She knew Leonard was frustrating, but Justin obviously wasn’t used to dealing with people, which would make it hard for him to be a good landlord.
“My dad did.” Justin seemed to deflate. “I want to . . . I don’t know . . . make him proud. We weren’t close. I feel that now.”
“Take care of his tenants.” Her heart softened a bit because it was obvious he wanted to try. “I think you’ll find it’s a good way to feel the connection. Working here in city hall helps me feel close to my father. And like I said, give me a call if you have trouble with him again.”
She stood because it looked like she’d listened to her last citizen for the day, and she had a long afternoon of going over budget reports ahead of her, and then she had dinner with her two besties where she would hear about their babies. She didn’t even have a dog.
She’d thought she would have a baby by now. And a husband and a house that wasn’t falling apart around her.
She hadn’t even dated in the last year. She was so far from where she thought she’d be now.
Rene had stopped, smiling at the man he was talking to. His lips had kicked up in that smile that got her heart racing.
She was not going there again. Nope. He’d turned her down, and he’d honestly been right to do it. They’d been far too young, and now she knew he wasn’t the right guy for her. He lived in a different world. He dated models and beauty queens, and she dated intellectuals. Well, she did when she dated.
“So you’re the mayor?”
She’d practically forgotten Justin was still standing there. “Yes. That’s what they tell me.”
“You’re pretty young for a mayor.”
She got that a lot. “Well, like I’ve mentioned, this is a small town and Mayor Malloy had been in office for almost thirty years. When he passed, they weren’t sure who to replace him with. I have a master’s degree in political science and I worked in DC for a few years, so I got recruited.”
“Well, I’m glad you did. I’ll be honest, I was feeling pretty down. You’re good at your job, Madam Mayor.” He gave her a smile.
“Thank you. If you’ll excuse me, Mr. Hardy, I have another meeting to get to.” Lunch in her office suddenly didn’t seem like a bad idea.
“Hey, I was wondering if you would like to grab some coffee sometime, and maybe we can talk some more.”
“I have a ‘breakfast with the mayor’ event coming up next week. I would love to see you there.” Maybe she could introduce the man around.
“But I was hoping—” Justin was cut off when the door came open and Gertrude Cormier stood in the doorway.
Gertie had been working in city hall for twenty-five years. She’d been the mayor’s secretary for many of those years, and Sylvie had inherited her. She’d been a godsend since Gertie knew everything about everyone. Nothing got past the lady, and her eyes were immediately on Justin Hardy. “Pardon me, Mr. Hardy. I need the mayor for her next meeting. Madam Mayor, the sheriff is waiting.”
Justin immediately stepped back. “Of course. Thank you for your time. I’ll think about what you said.”
When the door closed behind him, Sylvie looked at her assistant. “I didn’t know Armie was on the schedule today.”
Gertie shrugged a shoulder. She was dressed in a business suit that might have come from the eighties, but she made those power shoulders work for her. “He’s not. You do know that man was hitting on you.”
He was? “No. I was helping him with a problem. That’s all.”
Gertie’s eyes widened. “Are you kidding? He was asking you on a date, but I think you were distracted. How is Leonard? Losing Brian is going to be hard on him.”
“You know Brian’s a raccoon, right?” Had she misread his intentions? Not that she would have gone out with the man, but she usually was better at picking up social cues. Or maybe she only thought she was good at them.
“Of course, but Leonard’s been lonely since Pearl passed,” Gertie acknowledged. “I think he also liked how Brian threw things at Hardy. It amused Leonard. He is not impressed with the new kid’s management skills, if you know what I mean. I told Zep to find a dog for him. That old man needs some companionship.”
Sometimes she swore Gertie could read her mind. “I was going to do the same thing.”
“Well, I caught Leonard in the hall. He wasn’t sure where Zep’s office was.” Gertie held her ever-present clipboard close. “I set him on the path and let Zep know he’s coming.”