“Joy.” She barely pays me any attention even as she says my name. Most everyone here in Troping is friendly, but Donna doesn't care for me because I’m not a local. Or maybe it’s because her normal demeanor is rude. Either way, I keep a smile on my face. “I’d like to see North.”
“Do you have an appointment to see the mayor?” I already know the answer to my own question, but she just rolls her eyes at me.
“Just tell him it’s me, and I’m sure he’ll make the time.” Now she gives me a sugary sweet smile that is as fake as her personality. With the way she’s dressed up today, I’m impressed she’s wearing those heels in this weather.
“I’m sorry, what is your name again?” Her lips pull tight into a firm line. She can be outwardly rude, but I’m Southern. I’ll be rude while politely putting her in her place.
“Donna Hale, lawyer.”
“Right, sorry about that.” I pick up the phone on my desk and ring North’s office, which is right behind me. The line barely rings and North is picking up. A lot of the time he leaves his office doors open, and I can pretty much turn around and talk to him, but for some reason he has them closed today. He might have been on a call or something.
“Joy.” My stomach warms like when you take that first sip of hot chocolate. It always does when North says my name. North can be stiff and by the book, and I shouldn't think of him as warm at all, but for some reason my lady business does.
“Donna Hale is here to see you.” The line goes quiet for a long moment. “Sir?”
“Joy, I told you not to call me sir.” His tone turns thick, and I press my thighs together. How does he do this to my freaking body?!
“Mayor North.”
“You know I don’t care for that either,” he scolds. I don’t know why it bothers him when I call him Mayor, but for some reason he keeps telling me to stop. I know why sir gets to me. It’s because I read a few too many BDSM books when they were all the rage. “Send her in.” He lets out a sigh as he says it.
“Right away, sir.” Shit, I hang up the phone before I can get in trouble for once again for calling him sir. “He’ll see you now.”
“Of course he will.” She smirks at me. “Also, I need a coffee with two sugars,” she orders as I pull one of the doors open for her.
That smirk drops from her face when she spots North behind his desk. Her face lights up like it’s Christmas morning. The two of them really would make a good pair aesthetically.
The mayor of Troping with the only lawyer in town. That sounds right. I swear if they end up together, I’ll quit.
There’s no way I can deal with that woman every day. I forward the calls to the messaging system before I grab my bag. If I’m going to get this woman a coffee, I might as well get myself one as well. A cupcake too while I’m at it. The bakery is only two blocks down, and I debate if I should order her coffee wrong the whole way there.
I decide not to because I don’t have it in me to be spiteful. One of these days, I’ll grow a backbone, but then again, Frostie, the owner of the bakery, always said her favorite thing about me is how sweet I am to everyone.
Honestly, I don’t know if that’s always a good thing.
Chapter Two
NORTH
The moment I see Donna Hale walk in my office, my day goes to shit. Well, it wasn’t exactly doing so great to begin with, but my plan has been derailed by this woman one too many times lately.
“Hey, Northy, how’s it going?” Her smile is nice enough, but I can’t help but notice the glint in her eyes that makes my hackles rise. There’s something about her I don’t trust, but I can’t put my finger on it.
Maybe it’s the fact that she finds an excuse every other day to come in here and disrupt my afternoon. There’s never a real reason she’s here, and today feels no different. Just before the door closes behind her, I catch the silhouette of Joy and open my mouth to say something to her. Before I can, she’s gone, and my heart sinks.
“You’ll have to excuse me, Mrs. Hale. I've got a conference call with the Colorado News that I need to take.”
“This won’t take long.” She practically ignores my statement and comes around my desk to get closer to me.
Like a snake coming closer, I back away on the pretense that I need to look at the plant sitting on the other side of the room.