Page 49 of His Curvy Distraction

“He wasn’t wrong,” I argued.

“No, but you were sitting out because he didn’t make an effort to include you. He pushed you aside, then blamed you for it,” Elise said. “What’s his last name? I’ll go hunt him down.”

I chuckled. “He’s not worth it.”

“But you are,” Elise said, her voice full of conviction. “You are worth it, Natalie. Teenage you was worth it. He was a fool for not seeing that. And so is Mayor Knight if he can’t tell who you are.”

“But—”

“No,” Daisy said before I could argue. “Don’t you dare speak poorly of my best friend. You have always been quiet and you figure things out inside before you tell others. That doesn’t mean there’s something wrong with you. It’s just who you are. And finding someone who appreciates that is a good thing. Maybe it’s the mayor, maybe it’s not, but you have to stop hiding and believing some high school jackass was right. You are amazing, Natalie. And you need to trust that.”

I looked around at the women I wanted to be friends with but was afraid to let in. None of them had ever been nasty to me or said anything mean about anyone. They were kind and friendly and the kind of people I always wanted as friends.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“You’re welcome,” Daisy said.

I smiled at her, then lifted my gaze to the others. “Thank you to all of you. For accepting me.”

“We will always accept you,” Elise said. “None of us are perfect, but we’re pretty perfect together. And we’re happy to call you two our friends, too.”

“Thank you.”

“Now, what are you going to say when you apologize to Mayor Knight?” Elise asked.

I laughed. Then listened to all of their advice.

Monday morning was slow. Painfully slow. I was tired from thinking about what I should say to Mayor Knight when I saw him again. If I saw him.

Perspective was tough because it made me wonder if I was wrong about him. What if I hadn’t walked out? What would he have said? Was he serious in the messages he sent afterward about not being disappointed?

I owed him an apology, if nothing else. I didn’t like it, but that didn’t matter. He was right, and I asked him not to walk out as soon as he saw who I was, then I did it to him.

Amelia stuck her head into my office a little before lunch and asked, “Do you want to go grab something to eat? I’m dragging and need to get out of here for a little while.”

“Same. You pick.”

She smiled and went back to her office.

I grabbed my coat and made my way out of my office. She was waiting at the door for me, keys in her hand.

We were both quiet on the short drive into town. Amelia circled the blocks around Catherine Park before she found a spot near Cove Bakery.

“We need to stop in there before we go back to the office. I can smell the sugar from here,” Amelia said, pocketing her keys and heading toward Cracked.

We turned the corner and had Cracked in our sights when someone stepped in front of us. He was in a suit and had a microphone with a cameraman right behind him.

“We’re with channel six news, interviewing residents. Can you give us a comment about the allegations against Mayor Knight?”

Amelia stopped and glared at the man.

To his credit, he blanched but recovered quickly.

“What allegations?” Amelia demanded.

“An article came out this morning stating Mayor Knight is not good for this town. There was a picture of him caught in a compromising position with a woman on her knees at a local bar. And there are questions about his use of town funds.”

My cheeks burned, and I turned my head. He had to be talking about the night I fell and grabbed Mayor Knight. The night I was on my knees in front of the mayor at O’Kelley’s.

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