Page 7 of Tempting Frey
“That young man is a force of nature, I’m telling you.” Jesse bit into his sandwich and chewed before continuing, his mouth full. “He turned up at the interview with a fifteen-page economic development strategy. I thought it would all be castles in the sky, but he sure did his research. Most of his ideas could actually work.”
“What ideas?”
“Well, there’s a lot. But mainly he says that our turning away developers is a good way to preserve the uniqueness of Beauville, but it’s stifling the economy.”
I sucked in a breath. What the actual fuck? If Oliver started convincing the old-timers to build a tourist resort out of Beauville, we were going to have words.
“We could have, like, a limited number of small developments, he said, not bigger than Monty’s. They would be marketed as private, exclusive getaways and would bring in money without crowding the town with tourists and changing the atmosphere.” Jesse was using a truckload of fancy words that clearly weren’t from his own head.
“You’re telling me the guys bought it?”
“They did when Oliver explained it would be great for the town’s other businesses. Plus, it would bring in more jobs for the younger generation, maybe even tempt some youngsters to come back home after they finish their education, just like Oliver. He has a few good points. You should read the thing.”
“He’s fresh out of college and hasn’t even started working,” I grumbled.
Jesse shrugged. “The kid has Phil’s smarts, I’m telling you. He’ll be an asset even if we never move forward with any of his bold plans.”
And so, little Ollie had the council wrapped around his finger before he even began.
That evening, I was too lazy to cook for myself. Besides, it was a lovely, warm night, and Jordy would have the patio open.Honey-glazed ribs, here I come.
As it often happened, it was Hunter and me at the bachelor table. Except our doctor was headed on a cruise the following week. Where he got the energy to date was beyond me.
“Not like I can find a mate on a cruise ship,” he muttered.
“Why do you do this to yourself?”
“One word. Sex.” He smirked at me over the brim of his beer glass and took a gulp.
When he put it like that… When was the last time I’d had sex? I started counting in my head.Shit. Four months? No, six. It had been before Christmas, a one-night stand at a conference in the city. He was a nice guy, cute and keen on a shifter. We went to breakfast together, and he even blew me in lieu of a goodbye before he left for the airport. That had been nice. A little impersonal, but more than good enough for a lonely loser like me.
“You should come with me,” Hunter said.
“I don’t have the time.” I couldn’t leave now, when so much was happening at work. Or was there? Aside from the fiber optic cables being laid in some streets, nothing was going on. We’d soon have tumbleweeds rolling through the corridors at the town hall. But Oliver was starting on Monday, and I had to be there, or he would get suspicious.
“Beauville will still stand even if you’re gone for a week,” Hunter pressed. “They make it without their doctor here and there, so why shouldn’t they be able to survive without the mayor?”
I was about to reply, but a flash of bright copper made all my thoughts come to a halt.
There he was. Under the twinkling fairy lights, Oliver’s hair glittered. The unique, vivid hues made him shine like a beacon. Sunset and gold and fire. He ran his hand through it, and the soft waves tumbled to one side. He sat at a corner table with Barclay’s mate, Calvin, who was drinking a soda and stroking his huge, pregnant belly. Even Barclay, the grumpiest hermit in Beauville, had found a mate, and they were expecting their first baby.
Oliver laughed at something Calvin said. He really was beautiful. It wasn’t just the unforgettable color of his hair, but his sea-green eyes were clever, twinkling with youth and ideas, and he always seemed to be smirking a little. Oliver looked somehowknowing, as if he could read my mind across the room.
On Monday, I’d have him right under my nose.
Damn.
“Hey, little Ollie is back. Chickie must be bouncing with joy.” Hunter’s words slapped me back into reality.
“Erm. Yeah. He sure is.”
“I wonder what he’s going to do now. I was convinced he’d come back with a mate. An attractive young omega like him must have alphas fawning all over him. But he’s single, isn’t he?”
“Oliver got a job at the town hall,” I said in what I hoped sounded like a neutral tone. “He’s starting on Monday.”
“Really? That’s great. You got lucky.” Hunter clinked his glass against mine. “With old Hughes retiring, you’d have had a hard time finding someone reasonable for the job. Oliver has adegree in economics, right? Chickie has been telling anyone with ears that his kid graduated with the highest honors.”
“He’s throwing himself away. He could have gotten a corporate job in the city or studied postgrad.”
