Page 31 of His Curvy Distraction

Natalie nodded.

I wanted to ask more, to find out what happened and how she was hurt, and if I needed to kill someone for causing her harm, but before I could voice those inappropriate questions, Amelia kept going.

“That’s part of what we need to talk about today,” Amelia jumped in.

Natalie’s eyes widened even more. She shook her head.

Amelia ignored her and focused on me.

I looked between them and waited for someone to tell me what was going on.

“Natalie was working at the campground alone on Monday and slipped. She sprained her ankle. She will be fine, but we need more money in order to make this project work.”

“I told you, we don’t have more money,” I argued, even as I ached to do anything to stop her from getting hurt again.

“Which is why we’re going to have a fundraiser. Many of them, I hope, but the first one is going to be in six weeks, right before mid-winter break. Because our plans have changed.”

“Changed?” Every inch of me tightened with that news.

Amelia nodded, her eyes wide and excited. “Yes. We have a huge opportunity with this location. If we can build the structure like Natalie suggested, but we can close it in, we can use it for so much more. We can have kids there for breaks during the school year, not just summer camp. We can host functions there. We can use it for more than just a summer camp.”

“And you think you can raise enough money to pay for it?”

“I do,” Amelia said with confidence. “Maybe not with one fundraiser, but I think we can. But the most important thing for me is keeping my people safe. Natalie was out at the campground digging up conduit for the sites alone and fell. She could have been more seriously injured, or worse, and no one would have known. She was trying to save money because you won’t give us more.”

Amelia was a shark. I never saw it before, but the woman knew exactly what to say to prove her point. “No more. We can’t risk that. No one is allowed out there without a plan. Whether that’s another person or a scheduled check-in or something, but we can’t risk people getting hurt.”

“I’m happy to hear you say that, Omar.”

I looked closely at her and knew I walked right into whatever she wanted.

“Natalie doesn’t agree with me, but hearing it from you might change her mind.”

Natalie scowled at Amelia, but schooled her features when she caught me looking at her.

“Ms. Edwards?” I asked.

“Fine,” she grunted.

“Are you taking time off to recover from the injury?” I asked her.

“No. I… I’m fine.”

“I thought your job was to chase after kids all afternoon.”

“Amelia is working with me.”

“So, your boss is making accommodations for your injury instead of insisting you take time off to recover?”

“Would you rather fire me, Mr. Mayor?”

That spark in her eyes and the way she said Mr. Mayor told me she hadn’t forgotten that kiss we shared anymore than I had.

And dammit, that spark was why I kissed her in the first place. I wanted to see it again and again, but I couldn’t act on that desire. I had to keep it together.

“No one is getting fired. Especially for doing something on town property with your boss’s knowledge. If she’s fired, she’ll have grounds to sue the town, and I’ll be the first one any lawyer worth a damn will name,” Amelia told me.

“Sue us?” I asked.

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