Page 46 of All Because of You

The man turned and joined Roxy in chatting with the reporter. Evan couldn’t help but notice how close Aldrin stood to her, his hand skimming her lower back. How she glanced up at her boss, flicking a grin his way despite the hollowness in her eyes.

Evan turned away, a sick feeling roiling through his stomach. Maybe her behavior should disgust him, but was he really any better, doing what he had to do—making deals with devils—to get what he wanted? Or what he’d thought he’d wanted, anyway.

Dad sidled up to Evan and cleared his throat. “I know I don’t say it often, son, but I’m proud of the hard work you put in to make this happen.”

Evan’s jaw fell.

The mayor clasped Evan’s upper arm and continued. “You’ve proven yourself to me, Evan. And I won’t forget it. In fact, I mean to see you win Bud’s seat in the upcoming election. As you know, he’s not running again. And I want you beside me. You have a great future in politics and in this town.”

He had absolutely no interest in politics, and it seemed like a conflict of interest for the head community developer to also own a seat on the city council, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the pride shining in Dad’s. Finally, his father saw before him a man he could respect. Evan hated how all of this had wounded Madison—and would probably never forgive himself for his role in that hurt—but maybe there was still a chance his relationship with his dad could be redeemed despite it all.

“Thanks for your confidence in me. I’ll have to think about it.” Just the fact his dad wanted Evan beside him, though. Man.

Dad led him toward an empty corner of the room. “And now that you’ve earned my full trust, there’s a matter we need to discuss. I can give you more details in the office tomorrow, but, essentially, we need to delay the library reopening for six months.”

“Why would we do that?” At the next town council meeting, Ashley was planning to present the finalized budget for the library reopening, and Evan was submitting his recommendation for the next-quarter grant funding.

“Between you and me, I may have promised a grant to Joe Meyer.”

“The owner of the golf course?”

His dad nodded. “And we have some wiggle room in the budget if we delay the library opening a bit.”

Evan stared at his dad. “The golf course is doing fine. It doesn’t need a grant. That money is for struggling businesses and government entities, like the library, that need help after the earthquake.”

“Joe wants to do some remodeling.”

“Remodeling. Right.” A caustic laugh slipped out. “Why would you promise a grant to someone? That’s my department. My job.”

Dad waved his hand in the air. “And you’re my son. I knew you’d support me. And Joe’s support, in turn, will help me win the election.”

Unbelievable. “So all this talk about getting Bud’s spot on the council is not because you actually believe in me but because I’ll give you my loyalty.”

“Lower your voice, son. And yes, you’ve proven your loyalty to me. Why wouldn’t you want that rewarded?”

Didn’t his dad understand? Evan didn’t care two licks about the power. He’d wanted people’s respect, not this. “I—”

“I knew you’d understand. I’ve got to run, but I fully expect you to take care of this. All right, son? Good.” And with that, his dad was off, melding into the crowd so he could schmooze with the townspeople.

Evan’s head ached, but his stomach hurt worse. He needed a quick getaway in case he hurled. If only that would purge his system from the filth that covered his soul. Sure, this was small potatoes compared to what other politicians dabbled in, but still . . .

Shoving his hands into his pockets, Evan pulled out his keys and strode toward the parking lot.

“Evan!”

He turned.

Alex jogged toward him. “You all right, man? You looked kind of sick in there.”

“Just a lot on my mind.” His head continued to spin. “I’ve gotta go. See you at the office tomorrow.”

“All right.” Alex’s eyebrows pushed together as he studied Evan. “Drive safe, OK? And let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”

“Thanks, buddy. I will.” Evan climbed into his truck and drove out of town, hopping on the highway going north and continuing around the bends and curves that hugged the ocean for what seemed like hours. His heart felt ready to leap from his chest, pounding with emotions he couldn’t name.

How had he found himself here? His intentions had been good. With Chrissy’s encouragement, he’d turned his life around.

So how had he still ended up as someone who hurt others for his own gain? Maybe he’d always be the forever-broken screw-up desperate for approval.

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