“If he was getting you worked up, why did you leave work?” Daisy asked.

“Because she refused to actually date the man,” Blake answered for Goldie. “Said he was too young for her. We tried to convince her she was wrong, but Goldie worried everyone would talk. He was young, and she was his boss, and she thought the whole town would be calling for her head.”

“My boss was,” Goldie said with a scowl.

“The mayor was such an ass,” Finley said. “He couldn’t see how good things were in this town if he just let well enough alone. Thankfully, Mayor Knight isn’t the same. He’s wonderful.”

“Hot, too,” Blake said.

“And he’s a good man,” Goldie defended. “I’ve had a lot of meetings with him and he’s always respectable and thoughtful. I just wish he would find someone.”

“Is he looking?” Karissa asked.

Goldie shrugged. “I don’t know. I know he’s divorced, but I don’t know the story. He’s an amazing man, so I hope he’s looking.”

“I wonder if he’s on my app,” Karissa said, pulling out her phone.

“You can tell that?” I blurted, fear tightening my throat.

“She can, but she doesn’t interfere anymore,” Finley said, reaching for Karissa’s phone.

Karissa let Finley take it and scowled at her. “You’re no fun. Omar is hot, and I was just curious if he’s been matched with anyone.” Karissa turned her gaze to Daisy and me. “You two are single. Any interest in the mayor?”

“Not me,” Daisy said. “He’s too serious for me. Natalie?”

All eyes swung to me, and my ability to lie faded with any hope of keeping my secret. “We’ve already been matched.”

“You what?” Daisy shouted.

Dammit.

11

“Was he your date last night?” Daisy asked, digging the hole I wanted out of even deeper.

I wanted to bolt. Just get the hell out of there and not have to tell any of them anything.

But the looks on their faces were warm and open, not judging or snarling. They were curious, but they weren’t looking at me like I was not worthy of Mayor Knight.

Not like I looked at myself.

“Yes,” I confessed.

“I thought you said he wasn’t who you thought he was,” Daisy continued.

So much for thinking my best friend in the world was on my side. “He wasn’t. He’s the freaking mayor of MacKellar Cove. He’s my boss’s boss. And he’s perfect.”

“Perfect doesn’t exist,” Daisy said, throwing my words in my face.

I glared at my best friend. “It does when we’re talking about Mayor Knight. He never has anything bad said about him. Everyone loves him. He’s exactly what everyone wants. All of you have been talking about how amazing he is. That’s not someone I should date. It would never work.”

“Why not?” Finley asked.

I gawked at her. She didn’t get it. She was married to a man who owned half the town, and her family was adored and connected. “We’re not the same.”

Finley shook her head. “Neither are Trent and me. He’s town royalty. Everyone knows him and wants something from him. When I found out who he was, I felt the same way you are right now. Except I was pregnant with his kid and he accused me of trying to trap him and get his money.”

“You would never do that,” I gasped.