Page 36 of The Mayor and the Mystery Man

“Don’t you have the authority to stop them?”

“I’ll have to check the bylaws.” I could feel the smile just behind my ear. “Moving on.”

He turned me a few degrees to the right, my body heeding his touch. “Do you see a hair salon?”

“I do. Is that where you go?”

“I worked there in high school; only it wasn’t a hair salon. It was a video rental store. I’ll never forget how two sets of parents almost got into a brawl over renting the last copy ofBabefor their kids. I got one of them to agree to rentMonkey Trouble. I consider that my first successful negotiation.”

“The kid's movie compromise.”

“One of the other customers watched me handle that situation and said I’d make a good lawyer. He was a lawyer and offered me a summer job working in his office right over…” Another twist of my body. “There.”

The office was now a vet clinic, but I pictured Leo with a familiar spring in his step rushing to his internship, gleefully handling volumes of paperwork. He had ambition, only unlike me, his panned out.

“Am I boring you?” he asked.

“No.” I might’ve leaned back into him. I was being taken on the Leo tour, and I loved every second. We’d been friends forever, but there was so much I still wanted to know about my friend.

With his hands on my hips, he guided me to view Caroline’s in the heart of downtown, where he first sketched out his plan to run for mayor. He told me he still had that piece of paper, and it still had grease stains from his burger.

“And now for the final piece, one of my proudest achievements,” he said into my ear as he shifted me to gaze upon a grassy knoll along the river surrounded by construction cones and tape. In the center was rusted over machinery from an old plant.

“This is Renegade Park. There was a bottle factory in town that’d been closed ever since I could remember. The land had been abandoned for decades, used as a place for teenagers to come hook up. I had Sourwood buy it, and we’re turning it into the area’s largest public park, similar to Gasworks Park in Seattle. We’re commissioning artists to create sculptures out of the unused equipment and scrap metal. We’re designing jungle gyms for kids based on the old assembly lines. We’re putting in an outdoor theater. And the remaining part of the factory building is going to be converted into a public greenhouse.”

As he spoke, my mind filled in the details he sketched out. I could see it all. This patch of desiccated land turned into a vibrant ecosystem. Children playing. Artists creating. Families picnicking.

“You are a man with a plan.”

“It’s definitely my most ambitious project to date. Some people aren’t thrilled about it.”

“Who wouldn’t love a public park?”

“Housing developers who want to build on primo real estate.” Leo huffed out a breath. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m all about building houses and bringing more people.”

“If you build one of the best places to live, they will come.”

“I know that, but the riverfront should be for everyone, not a select few who can pay for multi-million dollar mansions. I don’t want Sourwood to turn into yet another overcrowded suburb that’s all strip malls and housing developments. I’ve seen that happen with other towns in the area. It sucks all the personality out of them.”

I nodded my head in emphatic agreement. Los Angeles was filled with expensive suburbs with the same chain stores and cookie-cutter houses.

“Renegade Park can be something that lasts in Sourwood, that builds community. It will keep this little enclave a special place.”

I turned and looked at him. I didn’t need binoculars to get a good view of Leo. His eyes were wide and alive, brimming with ideas, concern creasing his forehead.

He cared. Truly cared about this town. It was inspiring to be around someone like that. I wished I’d brought the same to our friendship, but too often, it felt one-sided—that I was taking more than giving.

“You care,” I said.

“Is that a bad thing?” He didn’t step back. Our bodies were close, magnets trying to resist.

“It’s a wonderful thing.” A pain hit my chest. I was the one who stepped back, breaking whatever moment was happening between us. “We should get back to it.” I jogged in place, forcing a smile on my face.

“What’s wrong?” Leo didn’t budge.

“What? Nothing.”

He saw right through that.

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