Page 19 of His Curvy Distraction

I jumped into plans for the winter break and let my thoughts of Mayor Knight drift away.

The only day Mayor Knight had available for a meeting the following week was two days before Christmas. It was the last day of school before winter break, and the last day of afterschool care for the year.

It was a busy damn day. A day Amelia couldn’t get away to meet with the mayor. No matter how important it was.

“I’m sorry, Natalie, I really am, but you can handle this. You already had a meeting with him.”

“And it was not good.”

“What? I thought it was fine. You said he agreed with you about the proposal and the phases. What happened?”

Crap, crap, crap. I could not tell my boss that I was thinking about kissing her boss during the meeting. That would not be okay. “It was fine. Sorry. I’m just awkward. I didn’t feel like I explained everything well, and I?—”

“Natalie, you are fine. You need to stop doubting yourself. I mean, really, I don’t know why he wants me there at all. I’m not involved in the project aside from being your boss. I trust you completely.”

“Yeah, but you run the community center.”

“And one day you will, Natalie. If you want. I have no doubt you could do this.”

“Where are you going?” I asked, panic rising up.

Amelia laughed. “Nowhere. But one day I might retire and enjoy my old age with less activity. Every morning when I roll out of bed, I find a new pain.”

“You’re still young,” I said.

Amelia laughed even louder. “You’re too sweet. I have no problem with my age. I know the alternative to growing old is dying young, and that’s not what I want either. But I feel the need to slow down coming. Not yet, but one day. And I have to think about who will take over. I’m hoping it’ll be you.”

I wasn’t sure what to say. I saw the way Amelia operated, the way she talked to people and made everything look so easy. She was an amazing boss, fair and kind and creative, and I was positive I couldn’t do all the things she did.

“You don’t have to decide anything right now. But what I want you to do is go to that meeting with Omar and channel me. Push back on him if he’s asking too much. And weekly meetings are too much. I don’t really know what the point of today’s meeting is. We haven’t been able to make any progress with the busy time of year and the weather.”

Amelia’s tone made me question the meeting, too. I didn’t think about it when Mayor Knight asked for it the week before, but I was flustered and anxious with him showing up at the community center.

Why did we need to meet?

The question ran around in my mind as I returned to my office to gather my things. But what things? I had no new information. I hadn’t scheduled anything. No one was doing much until the holidays were over. I’d asked.

I walked out of my office with nothing in my hands because I had nothing new to show the mayor. I thought about canceling the meeting, but after the way he behaved last time I did that, I knew I had to show up, even though I had nothing to show him.

I said goodbye to Amelia and left for the meeting with Mayor Knight. Town Hall was quiet when I got there, many people either gone for the holidays or out for other meetings. My guess was the first one.

Jane was sitting behind her desk when I arrived and told me I could go in. The door to Mayor Knight’s office was open, so I stepped inside, feeling like I was walking into the lair of a beast.

His head was down, focused on a stack of papers in front of him. He looked tired, like he was worn out by the job.

I took a second to appreciate the man, the curve of his fingers, the bunch of his muscular shoulders, even the beard that covered his jaw. I wondered what it would feel like against my skin. My pulse jumped at the thought, and I must have made a noise because he looked up at me.

His gaze locked on mine, something intense and intimate passing between us. I was frozen, locked in place like he’d cast a spell on me that limited my movements.

What would he do to me if that were the case?

I shook my head, breaking the contact and snapping the tension in the room.

“Is Amelia with you?” he asked.

“She wasn’t available. Today is our last day of afterschool care before the winter break, and she has a lot to have ready since tomorrow we have kids all day.”

“Why didn’t you reschedule this meeting?” he barked, as though angry at me for showing up.

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