Page 16 of Falling for the Sheriff

I giggle. “Help me get the council’s approval. and I’ll let you rip it off of me later,” I tease, walking out while shaking my ass a little more than necessary.

We get to the town hall, and the parking lot is already crowded. We sign in and take our seats, waiting for our turn to get up and speak. We have to sit through an hour of the town complaining about various issues before we finally have a chance to get up and present our case. I take the podium while I hand over my computer with the website to the man in charge of audio and visuals.

He hooks it up but doesn’t turn the screen on. Not until I give him the signal. “My name is Nina Waters, and I work as an IT specialist here at the police department.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Nina. What have you brought for us today?” the gray-haired man in the center asks.

“I’m glad you asked. You see, working at the police department has brought some things to my attention. One, the youth in this town are getting into a lot of trouble. Two, the numbers of troubled teens in this town are on the rise. And three, an easy fix to both of these problems would be to give them what they need. I have here…” I pass over the file with my sketches. “The sketches of what I think the solution is. A youthcenter.” I motion for the man operating the screen to pull up the website.

“Kids today are getting bored, and with boredom comes trouble. I mean, if you think about it, there are only a handful of things for kids to do, and most of those things aren’t chaperoned in any way. This would be a way to keep the kids off the street. We’ll offer basketball courts, skate ramps, an indoor pool, classes, and tutoring sessions, in hopes this will keep them out of trouble and help them to prepare for college. I even plan on hiring some of the kids who need a little extra money. I also have with me the sheriff. He’s going to present on the climbing numbers of arrests of underage kids. Please welcome Sheriff Moore.” I gesture toward him, and he comes to stand at the podium while I step back.

I can’t help but watch him while he speaks to the council. His back is straight, and he looks sexy as hell in his police uniform. His looks alone will be enough to get people to sit up and pay attention, but what he’s saying is just as important. He gives the hard truth with proof. There’s no way the council won’t consider this.

I introduce the rest of the people I’ve asked to speak, mostly just townspeople who have suffered a loss due to troublemaking kids. Next, I walk them through the website to show just how much income this could generate for the town. I answer every question they have, most of them already planned for with answers thought out.

I watch as they look down at the information before them, excitement bubbling through me because I have a feeling that in the end, I’ll get exactly what I want—a youth center.

TEN

Bryce

Ican’t help but stare in awe of Nina as she speaks about something she so obviously cares deeply about. She’s beautiful and fearless, and she doesn’t back down, even when they seem to throw more and more questions at her.

Then someone on the council asks, “And how do you expect to pay for all of this?”

She looks down at her papers, clears her throat, and says, “I have a backer. If approved, you won’t have to pay a cent. It won’t affect town taxes. Nothing will change other than that we’ll have a nice place to help the kids.”

“And what happens if this backer pulls out or runs out of money? How will you address that?”

I watch her move from foot to foot. This is the first time all night that she’s looked this nervous. “I have it on good standing that this youth center will be fully funded without the town’s or government’s help, sir.”

The man at the table doesn’t like this answer, though. “May I ask who in this town has the kind of money that something like this will require to pull off?”

“I do, sir,” she says, nearly knocking me off my seat. She does? She’s never been very forthcoming about how she planson getting this thing paid for. I had no idea she had that kind of money. “I consider it an investment, not only to my bank account, but in myself, in the youth of this town, and the future generations to come.”

The whole crowd stands and starts cheering, clearly impressed that she’s willing to take money from her own pocket as a way to invest in the youth of this town.

The man at the table waits for everyone to quiet down. “What is it exactly you’re here to ask for today if you don’t need our help in building this place?”

“I need your support, sir. I need the proper permits.”

He looks at her from over his silver-framed glasses. “Everyone in favor of a youth center, say aye.”

One by one, each member of the board sitting at the table says, “Aye.”

“Request approved. You can pick up the necessary permits next Monday at the courthouse,” he says, and the room erupts again. Nina rushes to me and wraps me in a big hug. This would normally make me pull away, but I don’t. To everyone else, I’m just hugging the girl I helped by speaking at this meeting. I release her and help her gather her things, and we walk out, smiles on both our faces.

The second I climb behind the wheel, she moves to straddle me, her lips finding mine as her arms lock around my neck. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she says against my lips. I can’t even kiss her as I’m laughing so hard.

“You’re welcome. You did really well tonight. You did all the work. You deserve it, baby.” I cup her cheek and look deeply into her glassy eyes. “Why are you crying?”

“I’m just so happy. I never thought I’d actually be here, getting this approved. I’m one step closer to my dream.”

I kiss her one last time before starting the truck and taking us home. The question is on the tip of my tongue, but I can’t forcemyself to say it. I mean, it’s none of my business, but it doesn’t stop me from thinking about it. How did she get all that money? And if she does this, opens the youth center, is she going to be broke? Will she be pouring every cent down the drain?

When we walk into her place, I unbutton my shirt and toss it onto the couch with my hat. “Nina, can I ask you something?”

“Yeah,” she says, removing her shoes as she sits on the couch.

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