Page 77 of Fortune's Control
Aiden raised his hands. “That was me. I was one.”
Pete was the other. “Today’s goal is to review the numbers so I can complete the grant proposal.” The two other meeting attendees blinked at me. “What did I say?”
“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” Sophie picked up one of my printouts. “These are tax tables.”
“The best kind of tables. What am I missing?”
“These are tax tables,” Sophie repeated, as if that made her point clearer.
Sam removed his worn-out fisherman’s hat to scratch a pile of unruly white hair. “We’ll need someone to manage thiseffort, assuming it goes through.”
“That’s why we have Sophie.” I grinned at her. It’d give her a reason to move home again, which she clearly wanted. Her relationship with Shane still needed improvement, and this would help.
26-Shane
I looked up, surprised. “Sam, how are you? Sophie is inside the house if you’re looking for her.”
“No, you’re the man I want.” Sam removed his fisherman’s cap and set it on the workbench, right on top of a pile of sawdust. “I took the mayor’s job to honor your father. He was a good man, and I see much of him in you.” His eyes roamed the workshop interior. “One of his wooden chests sits at the foot of my bed. All that work for an evening drinking beer.”
My smile softened at his memory. “He planned to spend his retirement here.”
“And now you are.” Sam shook his head to chase the cobwebs of old memories away. “Town elections are this fall.”
Casually dropped and full of meaning. “I’m not interested in taking up that role, Sam. You know that.”
“Your last name on the ballot makes it an easy win. You wouldn’t even need to campaign.”
Sophie could do the job if that were the only requirement. “You should ask one of your sons. It would create a new tradition.”
It was Sam’s turn to remind me of my father. His sharp stare disabused my idea. “Aiden is finally developing responsibility at thirty years of age, and his…relationships with women would create a county-wide scandal. Dean’s responsibility isn’t a problem: part-time volunteer firefighter and a game warden. I’m a damn proud father. For them, for all of you. But Dean, he lacks the people skills.”
Sam, despite all his protests, enjoyed the spotlight. He marched at the head of every Christmas parade and kicked off every fall festival. Dean would struggle with both. Like Aiden, Sam made friends with everyone. Dean saw criminal suspects until proven otherwise.
“You love the job, Sam. Are you sure you want to give it up?”
“Well, here’s the thing.” Sam picked up his fisherman’s cap, causing a cloud of dust to plume around his head. “I have a good feeling about your sweetheart’s proposal. Fortune’s Creek will get it; when we do, it’ll come with reports, forms, and updates.”
I nodded, understanding. “Sounds miserable.”
“Your sister has her plans, which I’m sure you know about.”
“I do.” Her job and career. She left Fortune’s Creek behind, and all we’d get were visits. “She has a busy life of her own.”
“It might grow worse.”
“I’m afraid you’re out of Wilcotts, Sam. That’s not my strength either.”
“You’re a vigorous man, Shane. It’s in you.”
I held back a laugh at his awkward praise. “I plan to grow this business. Pete suggested I hire an apprentice, which sounds like a decent idea. I’m also firing my rental management company.”
His eyes widened. “Why?”
“They keep suggesting I sell to a developer.”
“Your father would have never allowed that.”
That land sat on the river, undeveloped, as it ought to be. “I also decided to stay on as our baseball team’s captain.” I deliberated about the next piece of news and spilled it. Sam could make friends with a box of rocks, but he knew when to shut up, too. “I’m in talks with our school tocoach their baseball teams, the younger kids and the varsity.”
