Page 58 of Side Hustle
There were some gasps, but the clapping and whistling started quickly thereafter. Chief Waldo stood off to the back of the crowd, a big ol’ grin on his face. He raised his beefy arm and gave me a thumbs-up. That was all the encouragement I needed.
“Now, I’m not sure if you’re cheering for the free muffins or for me”—the crowd tittered just like I knew they would—“but I’d like to lay out some of my initiatives should you elect me as your mayor. First and foremost, I’d like to implement an oversight committee to ensure that no current or future public servant can get away with funneling resources away from the town and into their own pockets.”
A loud cheer went up from my fellow citizens who’d been outraged by my father’s actions. I wanted to make it very clear that though he and I shared a last name, I did not intend to keep walking in my father’s shoes. He and I were as different as Auburn Hill was from the big city.
I continued to tell them the highlights of a few more things I stood for and what I hoped to do as their mayor. By the time I finished, the town gave me a round of applause that made all my doubts float away. Whether I won this election or not, I’d feel good about putting myself out there. For taking the strides to build the life I wanted. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
“Let’s get some of those muffins!” I waved the crowd over to the tables set up with coffee and pastries. I gave Hazel a wink and hopped off the raised platform to shake hands with people I’d known my whole life.
Hazel started handing out the flyers we’d made, my quickly put-together slogan front and center.Elect the RIGHT Bennett.It was a not-so-subtle dig at my father, which gave me some delight. But mostly, it was just being honest. I would step down before I’d ever put myself before the town. My father simply hadn’t been the right man for the job, just as the chief had talked about.
Most of the crowd stayed for over an hour, never a town to go home if there was free food and a chance to gossip. Toward the end, when I thought my throat might not handle yet another conversation about when our first stoplight might go in, Hazel nuzzled up to my side.
“Got a second?” she asked sweetly.
“Excuse me,” I muttered to the small group around me. I stepped away with Hazel, seeing her cheeks pink and her eyes sparkling. Fuck, I just wanted to strip that dress off her, tackle her to the ground, and celebrate how well everything had turned out today. Probably not appropriate for a guy running for the mayor spot…
“Everyone is so excited, Rip!” She bounced up and down, aerating the lawn with her spiky heels.
I pulled her into my arms, kissing those lips that hardly ever held any shape other than a smile. She’d always be the sunshine I needed at the start of every day and before I drifted off to sleep. None of the things I was doing here today mattered if she wasn’t by my side for it all.
“They’re certainly loving your flyers, future Mrs. Bennett,” I whispered against her lips.
She blushed like I knew she would, but then she pinched me in the side and had me jumping back.
“Speaking of which, I just wanted to let you know that I’m heading out with the girls to drop off flyers door-to-door.” She hooked a thumb over her shoulder to where the Hell Raisers were gathering in force.
“Stick together, okay?” We knew everyone in Auburn Hill, but I also knew there were some crazy-ass wild animals around that could do more harm than a human.
“Got my trusty bat ready to go.” Amelia pretended to swing like a professional baseball player.
“Easy, slugger.” I grabbed her hips and pulled her into me, stealing another kiss before I let her go.
She tossed me a wink over her shoulder as she walked off to join her friends. I almost missed it since I had my gaze trained on her calves eating up the ground.
I stayed at the park until the last citizen patted me on the back and headed home. The early evening air turned chilly and all I could think about was getting home and celebrating—naked—with Hazel. Lukas, Lenora’s brother and a barista at Coffee, gave me a wave, staying behind to clean up the food and tables. I always liked that guy.
“Rip?” a voice called from behind me.
I turned to find Kendra Redding in a pair of dirty jeans and an oversized sweatshirt. I wasn’t expecting to see her today, but she’d saved me a phone call to the hotel.
“Hey, Kendra. I’m glad to see you.” I moved to stand closer to her.
Her eyes went wide. “You are?”
I nodded, stopping a few feet away when I caught a strong whiff of alcohol. Whoa. I’d come up with a plan to get her to leave town in just the nick of time. Hazel would be pissed to find her mother walking around town intoxicated.
“Yeah, I have an idea I wanted to run by you. I know you want some cash to finance, well, your life. So how about instead of you sharing in the profits with the rest of the town, you take part of my cut and you leave town?”
She frowned. “Leave town, you say?”
I nodded quickly. “Yeah. I’ll give you half of my cut of the gold in exchange for you leaving town permanently.”
Her head tilted and her eyes glazed over. My thumb started tapping my thigh as the silence stretched out. She had to take the deal. She’d be an idiot not to. It was the only way I could see to get her out of town like Hazel wanted. Kendra was motivated by money. This was her ticket to continuing to see more profits than if she stayed here in Auburn Hill. It was a win-win.
“Yeah. Yeah, okay.” Kendra shifted from foot to foot. “Deal. Can you drive me to the bus station and give me an advance?” She rushed to clarify. “Just this once so I can get out of town and hold up my end of the deal.”
I checked my watch. Hazel probably wouldn’t be home for another hour. The girls were going out for a drink after dropping off all the fliers. I had just enough time to swing Kendra off at the bus stop two towns over.
