Page 33 of His Curvy Distraction

Her eyes widened again, and she rolled her lower lip in, pinching it between her teeth.

I cleared my throat that time and moved away from the woman who was making me forget my place. “Please get me the information for the fundraiser, and I will make sure I am there. And don’t go out to the campground alone again. Not without a plan to make sure you’re safe. I don’t want anything to happen to you, Natalie.”

She nodded, staring at me.

“We will. Thank you, Omar,” Amelia said, dragging Natalie from my office with hushed whispers I couldn’t understand.

And probably didn’t want to.

Some of the local men had invited me to join them on Thursday nights at O’Kelley’s, and I always said no. For some reason, after my meeting with Natalie, I decided to go.

The bar was not a place I’d been in many times. It had a good, casual feel, but I wasn’t a big drinker and bars were never my favorite places to spend time. But if I was going to get reelected and if I was going to show my support for the fundraiser, I was going to need to get over going to a bar.

“Mayor Omar Knight. To what do we owe the honor?” Hudson Grant asked when he spotted me. Hudson always made sure to say hello when he saw me in his bar, but this was a different situation.

“Evening. I thought I’d see what this guys’ night is all about. Derek and Patrick have both invited me, and I’ve always had other things going on.”

Hudson nodded, letting the half-truth slide. “Well, glad you joined us. Can I get you something?”

“Anything local?”

Hudson nodded and grabbed a glass, filling it with precision before placing it in front of me. “Enjoy.”

I nodded and took a sip. It was light and refreshing, with a hint of something deeper underneath. “Very good.”

Hudson grinned. “It is. One of my favorites.”

“Mr. Mayor! How are you?” Patrick Hill asked, taking the seat next to me. “Is it okay if I sit here?”

“Of course. Good to see you, Patrick. How’s Goldie?”

“She’s good.” The man beamed at the mention of the woman he loved. “She’s hoping you’re running for reelection. Any decision on that?”

I looked at him, wondering why he didn’t know. “Uh, yeah. I thought it was public knowledge that I was running.”

“Great news. You’ll make her very happy. She really likes working for you. We all do.”

I appreciated Patrick’s vote of confidence. “Thank you.”

“Omar,” another voice said. “I didn’t know you were going to be here.”

I turned and saw Amelia’s son, James Rucker, approaching. James was a police officer but not someone I’d met more than a few times. He seemed to have a good sense of humor and a low tolerance for bullshit, but a huge heart for the underprivileged in our community. He definitely got that from his mother. “Nice to see you, James. How are you?”

“Good. Making plans to help my mom out with that tree. Have you seen that campground? It’s going to make a beautiful summer camp.”

“Did she tell you to tell me that?”

James blanched a bit. “No, sir. My mom is pretty straightforward with people. She doesn’t do manipulation or coercion.”

“I apologize. I didn’t mean to imply anything. She definitely speaks her mind. Unlike Natalie Edwards. That woman has to get worked up before she says what she’s thinking. She could take a few notes from your mother.”

James smirked at me, clearly catching something I didn’t want him to catch. “I’m sure she could. But Natalie isn’t around a lot when I’m at the community center. The few times we’ve spoken, she’s ducked out before I got her all worked up.”

My cheeks warmed at the obvious implication. I nodded and sipped my beer, hoping James would let the subject drop before I confessed even more about how I wanted to get Natalie Edwards worked up.

“Another beer, Mr. Mayor?” Hudson asked, taking my attention from James.

I shook my head and realized the one I was drinking was almost gone. “Omar, please. And I’ll switch to water. Thanks.”

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