Page 3 of The Mayor and the Mystery Man

Well, too bad for them; I thrive on competition.

“Rita’s an idiot. She’s done fuck-all on city council. Nobody will take her seriously.”

“Enough people do. She’s been gaining in the polls, and this situation will only exacerbate that.”

The world had officially gone mad. “What do people see in her?”

Vernita pulled up TikTok videos Rita did with her wife and young kids doing the latest online dance craze. They were the definition of wholesome and sweet, and I had CumDumpster4u, an angry ex-lover, and quasi-dick pics.

My confidence wobbled like it was walking on stilts.

“You think people would really vote for Rita?”

“If it's just on the issues and track records, no. But that’s not how politics works. Image is a huge part of it. Even aside from this situation, you have some issues with your likeability.”

Ugh. I hated that word. It was the moist of personality traits.

“People like me.”

“They respect you. But you can come off a little…” She searched her brain for a proper adjective. “Stiff.”

“Stiff?”

“I don’t see you doing one of those videos or cutting loose.”

I wasn’t going to be one of those candidates flop sweating to make himself look cool. Watching old, nerdy politicians try to make TikToks and Instagrams was all kinds of cringe. My sense of humor skewed sarcastic, which I worried could alienate people not on that wavelength. But above all, I listened, I treated people with respect, and I cared about everyone in Sourwood. Sadly, the only thing speaking for me was my Milkman profile.

“Maybe I can set up a fun piece with a local blogger where you two go for a drink or bowling.”

“Bowling?” I blew out a huge breath to the ceiling. “Yep, that’ll save my campaign.”

I thanked Marcy, the owner of For Goodness Cakes, and complimented her on the cake.

We strolled outside, where Maple Street was all decked out for fall. Decorations in the windows. Pumpkin-hay-and-wagon displays on street corners. Halloween cobwebs stretching across doorways. Sourwood had embraced fall more and more with each year, yet another example of this place feeling special and constantly filling me with warmth.

My heart beat in my chest as I watched my career, my passion slip away. I turned to Vernita.

“I love what I do. I love this town. I’ve lived here my whole life. I know more about every building, every park, every business, every street sign…I have worked so hard to make Sourwood a wonderful, inclusive community. We’ve been listed as one of the best places to live in the country for four years running, and there’s so much more we can do.”

When I first thought about running for mayor, I pictured famous ones who’d been with their towns for decades and had transformed them. They were like captains steering a ship with their steady hands. I wanted to be that steady hand for Sourwood.

“If you’re telling me I’m cooked, then I guess I’m cooked. You don’t bullshit me.” I flitted my hands through a cornstalk decoration twined around a light post. “But if you think I still have a chance to win, then don’t give up.”

Vernita listened and took in what I said. Her face could be inscrutable one minute and then wildly expressive the next. It was a temperature check I relied on. But slowly, her stern, stoic expression broke into a reluctant grin.

“That’s a smile. That means something positive is going to come out of your mouth.” I smiled extra wide to keep her on the right path. “Repeat after me: We. Can. Win.”

“I don’t know if we can win, but I think we can try and stave off embarrassing defeat.”

“There’s that Vernita non-toxic positivity I love!” It was a sliver of hope, but I clung to that sucker. I wasn’t ready to throw in the towel to a career I’d spent the past decade building.

We had a chance to turn this around. That was better than nothing.

2

LEO

When I stopped by my ex-wife Deirdre’s house, we sat our thirteen-year-old twins Ari and Lucy down and had one of those Very Important Talks about this scandal. We talked through the article, what it meant, dad’s personal life. We’d had several talks like this over the years: nine years ago when I decided to leave my law practice and run for office, then six years ago when Deidre and I got divorced, and I came out. And throughout the years, when people said mean things about me, we talked through them. Kids were smarter and more resilient than we gave them credit for, and being open with them was key to a great relationship.

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