Page 35 of His Curvy Distraction

“She’s not mine.”

“Maybe not yet, but you clearly want her to be.” Hudson crossed his arms and dared me to argue.

“Well, I guess my plan to get out and not think about her didn’t really work.” I grabbed my water and drank half of it, debating what to do.

“Don’t worry, Mr. Mayor. What we say at the bar stays here. Now, tell us about Natalie and how she has you so wrapped up and crazy,” Patrick said.

I looked at all of them. Could I trust them? Did it matter? It wasn’t like things could get worse.

9

“Natalie is… She’s…”

“Infuriating?” James suggested.

“Intoxicating?” Knox added.

“Addictive?” Hudson said.

“Are you all looking to screw around on your women?” I snapped.

“No, sir. We just understand that look on your face,” Patrick said.

I looked at the smirks of the other men and realized they were goading me. “I… You all suck.”

They laughed at my expense, and I found myself chuckling with them.

“Listen, we know what it’s like when you find a woman who turns you inside out and makes you want to punch walls and kiss her until you run out of breath, at the same time. We’ve all been there. And we’ve all helped each other through it,” Hudson said.

“There’s no shame here. Maybe some enjoyment of your discomfort, but we’re on the other side, sir. We know how painful it is to be where you are,” Patrick said.

“First, you need to quit calling me sir. Or Mr. Mayor. If I’m going to be here, I can’t have that separation.” I met the gazes of the men there and waited for each to nod. “Second, Natalie is not mine and isn’t going to be. I just need to figure out how to get her out of my mind.”

“Why isn’t she going to be yours? I don’t know of anyone she’s dating,” James said, picking up his beer to take a sip.

“She’s an employee. It wouldn’t be right.” I shook my head, knowing the way it looked and the way people would talk.

“Goldie is my boss. It kept us apart for a long time because she was worried about the same thing, but one of the things I love about her is she would never compromise her integrity or what’s right for the town because of my opinion. I’d venture to say you’re the same,” Patrick said, leveling me with a look that was as much questioning as it was assurance that he was right.

“I would never use my position?—”

“Which is what he’s saying,” James interrupted me. “My mom is a huge fan of yours. She speaks very highly of you.”

“So does Goldie,” Patrick added.

“And everyone else who works with you,” Knox added. “Or has had the pleasure of getting to know you. Derek tells me all the time how good of a person you are. Not mayor, person. You’re more than your title. And you’re allowed to have a personal life.”

“Natalie is…” I couldn’t find the words to describe her. And I wasn’t sure they would understand if I did.

“When I met Anna, my wife,” Hudson said, capturing my attention, “I hated the woman. She was obnoxious and loud and in my face all the damn time. She hated me, too. Thought I was going to fuck up her son by giving him a job. Fuck up their lives.”

“But she married you.”

Hudson nodded, the smile of a truly happy man lighting up his entire face. The stern, serious, intimidating bar owner was a softie for his family. “We learned to see beyond the mask. Anna was hiding a lot of distrust as a result of her ex-husband. I was hiding a lot of pain from losing my wife. Neither was recent, but neither of us had gotten over our pasts. It took her needing my help, and me proving I was not the same as her ex, for us to see each other differently.”

“And you’re saying I need to do that with Natalie?” I asked.

James shook his head. “No, what he’s saying is every woman is different. I judged Trinity the day we met. Saw a stranger and thought she was stealing. Wasted a lot of time we could have been getting to know each other because I jumped to conclusions about her.”

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