The town council meetings were more like an open town hall where the residents came to air their grievances and debate each other over mostly inconsequential shit. Ellie always compared them to something on that show Gilmore Girls but hell if I knew what that meant.
What concerned me was taking up valuable time that could be better spent on things that mattered. So even though I wasn’t in charge, I tried to use my sway with Gus, who was the Town Council Chairman, and his cousin Leo, who was our mayor.
Leo didn’t get the tall genes from their family like Gus did. His white mop of hair barely reached my chest when he stood next to me, and that was when he wasn’t hunched over his cane. He’d been mayor since the early nineties and ever since the council made it more of an honorary title than a practical one, no one bothered to run against him. But he showed up every other week in his newsboy cap and wool vest, prepared to listen to the townsfolk of Moon Harbor.
I’d recently gotten them to enact a new format for the meetings, insisting on a sign-up sheet ahead of time for people who wanted to raise issues, and an open call at the end of the meeting limited to three people on a first-come, first-served basis. It had shortened the meetings considerably and we usually made it out of there before nine o’clock now.
As I sat and listened to Gus go over the rules and regulations for open containers on the beach—for the third time this month—I saw Sara walk in and take a seat next to Ellie in the second row. I ignored the feeling of relief that passed through me, and absolutely refused to think about the fact that I’d been wondering where she was this whole time.
And why the fuck did she have to look so good? Her Hair was wild, in loose curls that she had swept behind her shoulders. Those bronze shoulders that were showcased now in a shirt that she had no business wearing in April. It was still cool out and she sat there with some kind of contraption of a top that left her entire collarbone and shoulder area bare.
I definitely wasn’t thinking about what it’d be like to sink my teeth into that little curve of her neck. Not at all. And I told my dick that as it strained against my zipper.
She whispered something to Ellie and I pretended to not pay attention, but she caught me as she turned her head back to the front of the courtroom we used for these meetings. Her eyes lingered on mine for a moment and then settled on Gus. Something uncomfortable settled in my stomach.
I decided to distract myself by thinking about the new Red Sox lineup and their stats. It worked for a few minutes until it was Sara’s turn at the microphone.
Now that she stood in front of everyone, I could see the skinny jeans she wore that looked like a second skin. Her long legs rose up out of ankle boots, straight up to her generous hips that she had tilted to one side. From my angle on the side of the dais I could just see the curve of her ass. No one had any right having such a perfect one, and I had my hand on it the other day, and now she stood ignoring me. I cursed myself for making such a mess of the situation.
“This council has repeatedly denied The Coastal League’s request for a permit. We’ve submitted all applications in a timely manner and request that you override the previous denials.”
“Now Miss Sara, I don’t have a problem with your chapter but we do have concerns with the group as a whole.” Gus leaned forward as he spoke. “If we grant you this permit for public gathering, what’s to say we won’t have an influx of violent protesters here in town?”
“All due respect, Gus, The Coastal League is a peaceful organization that only wants to protect this town from irreparable environmental damage. If other chapters have had issues with violence at their protests, that has nothing to do with us. We have the same right to peacefully protest as any other group of people.”
“Well, now—”
“Furthermore,” she continued, “this display of bias is not something the town should be taking lightly.”
“Sara, I—”
“And might I suggest if the council is so concerned about violence, it raises these concerns with the Sheriff and his office, whose job it is to protect this city and its citizens, regardless if he agrees with them or not. Or am I incorrect about the mission of the Sheriff here?”
The room got a whole lot quieter, or it might have been the white noise of blood rushing to my ears. Gus turned his head to look at me, obviously wanting a response. It was my turn to lean forward to the microphone in front of me.
“Yes, Miss Lowell, my office does its best every day to protect the citizens of this town.” I leaned back, satisfied that the smirk on my face was just obnoxious enough to get my point across, without going overboard.
Sara shot daggers at me. Perhaps I misjudged. Her lips pursed and she turned back to Gus with a radiant smile.
“Well then, if the Sheriff has zero concerns about his ability to keep order, I don’t see why you can’t issue the permit right now.”
Damn.
Gus looked back and forth from Sara to me, and then nodded.
“She’s right. Okay, Sara, we’ll issue the permit.”
He could have put up more of a fight, in fact, Sara and I both seemed startled by his acquiescence. But she recovered quickly, smiling kindly at Gus and the council. She ignored me completely as she turned to walk back to her seat, her ass taunting me as it swayed behind her.