Donovan took my silence as a negative and began to explain. “I told you I was coming in today. I want to talk about cleaning up the city. I think it would be good for both of us, good for your firm and good for me.”
“But mostly good for you,” Cory said from behind.
Donovan frowned, not having expected such vehemence from his former teammate.
“Ignore him,” I said. “He’s just sore over a woman.”
“Anyway,” Donovan continued, walking into my office. I followed him, and Cory completed our little trio. We stood in the confines of my private space before each selecting a seat. “I have some family money, and I’d like to invest it in failing businesses. If I can pick the right places, I really think I can make a splash and bring hope back to the people of this town.”
“Spoken like a true politician,” Cory said.
“What is wrong with you?” Donovan snapped.
“He just found out that the woman he’s been pining after is Patrick’s sister.”
“Oh,” Donovan said, tipping his head back in appreciation. “Sorry, man.”
“Yeah.” Cory shrugged it off. “Sorry to be so negative. I’m listening.”
“Well,” Donovan continued now that the undercurrent of disrespect had been addressed, “like I said, I’ve got some family money, and I think your firm could help me funnel it to the people who really need it.”
I studied my friend seriously. I wasn’t even sure if he should be mayor. His father had made a mess of things when he held the title. There was a scandal involving a woman on the payroll who didn’t actually have a job. She was rumored to be a girlfriend or a prostitute, and Donovan’s father had used city money to pay her wages.
Add to that the scandal involving the police chief who took bribes to look the other way during a string of robberies, and Donovan’s family name was ruined. There was never any proof that the mayor knew about the police chief’s corruption, but there wasn’t any proof that he didn’t know either.
For the four years that his father held the title, nothing positive had happened to the city. The crime rate remained the same, and the housing market took a hit. All in all, I wasn’t convinced that anyone would vote for another Lancaster. But Donovan had his heart set on it, that much was obvious. At least he was thinking about the little people, even if he did have an ulterior motive. Who was I to say that his scheme couldn’t actually help struggling businesses? It wasn’t the worst thing in the world to want to revitalize parts of the city. And it would fit right in with the firm’s mission.
“You need to talk to our boss,” I said finally. “I’m nobody, and Cory just started here.”
Donovan looked at Cory, who nodded, confirming my assessment of the situation. “Come back to my office,” Cory said. “I’ll get you a meeting with the higherups. I’ll even introduce you.”
“Thanks,” Donovan said with a grin.
The two of them got up and walked out the door, as friendly as they had been in college. Cory’s bad mood evaporated, and they were able to put it all behind them. I hunted through my inbox for Donovan’s email when they left. Finding it, I read all about his plan. I had to admit, it was a solid investment proposal that hit all the right notes.
Donovan was no idiot. He might be able to capitalize on the name recognition his father had bequeathed him. If he could prove that he wasn’t corrupt like the old man, then maybe he had a shot at the power seat. It would be good to be friends with the mayor, I imagined. With Patrick’s connections at the ballpark and Donovan’s city contacts, my time in Chicago would be fun. All I needed was a woman to share it with.
With each passing day, the sting of rejection began to ease. My ex wasn’t the first thing I thought of in the mornings anymore and while I still had to stop myself from reaching out via text, I could go long periods of time without even considering that as an option. Sooner or later, I would be ready to date again, and when that happened, I would have millions of women to chose from. There had to be someone out there who was just right for me.
I was considering the list of attributes I would want in a mate when Donovan reappeared. He knocked on the door but didn’t wait for an invitation to come in. Judging by the grin on his face, I could see that the meeting with the higherups had gone well.
“Meet at the pub after work?” he asked.
“Sure,” I agreed.
Cory and I often went out for drinks. It was one of the perks of working with an old friend. We even had a bar around the corner that we frequented. They had good music and a good menu, although mostly we stuck to liquid refreshments.
“Everything went well?” I asked.
“Talk to you later,” he said cryptically.
I wondered what that was all about but didn’t get another chance to ask. Donovan disappeared as quickly as he had arrived, closing the door behind him. It seemed like things were looking up for one of us at least.
Cory was likely to still be down in the dumps about his bakery girl. I didn’t know what all the fuss was about and thought that maybe I should take a look for myself. If she was really that amazing, maybe she was the one I was looking for. I stopped myself short on that train of thought. She was Patrick’s sister, and that meant she was off limits. There was also the problem of Cory’s feelings. He clearly wanted to take her out, and I didn’t want to step on his toes.
I would just have to find someone else equally as appealing. For the first time since Africa, I began to imagine what it might be like to date another woman. I wasn’t a big fan of one-night stands, preferring instead to get to know someone. In my life, I had three important relationships with women, each one lasting more than a year. I liked the comfort of knowing who I was going to wake up with, but I had to start somewhere. The perfect girl wasn’t just going to fall into my lap.