Page 84 of Just a Plot Twist
The mayor gives a brief smile before he clicks his tongue. “Well, until the city manager curse gets ya like the rest of ’em.”
The council members snicker along with him.
It’s allbeen so casual in the room that maybe they don’t realize what he’s said—the impact it can have and how unethical it is.
Still, I’m frozen to the chair, too shocked to speak, the blood draining from my face as I sort through my options now.
Do I announce that his remark was unethical?
Do I tell him he’s being sexist, and I’ll file a formal complaint with the state?
Or do I play the game and laugh along with them, assuring them I have no intention of getting married and having children anytime soon?
Except, maybe that’s not true anymore. I can’t plan all that with Benson yet, but in some ways, I can’tnothave it on my radar, right? Our situation isn’t the same as if we were two young adults with no attachments. We have to think ahead here.
“We can only go with a candidate who is firmly committed to the position for the long haul.” Mayor Whitten stares me down, the question ofare you committed to this or not?stamped on his face.
What he’s saying is clear. A blip of injustice goes through me as a look of pity settles in the mayor’s eyes.
He’s already made up his mind.
Maybe Rich knows he’ll get the job, and I misinterpreted his earlier surliness for a power high.
My line of vision sways to one side. Spots speckle my view.
If Rich gets the job, will he take over the trailways project, too? Will the mayor give him the project I’ve been working on for a year? The one I’ve come to care deeply about?
I could see it happening, especially since he’s mister nature, allegedly, with his L.L.Bean everything.
Now I really am going to be sick.
Chapter 27
Benson
I was such a sucker before meeting Claire. And even after meeting her, I had my head in the sand and thought I’d never find someone again.
I was wrong.
Two weeks ago in the lake, with her legs around my waist and her lips on mine, something deep inside of me that I believed was permanently closed began to open. It looks and feels a lot like hope.
And now, the sight of her, beautiful in the mid-summer sun as she’s in front of me on an e-bike, resurfaces that hope all over again.
Alec asked if I wanted to try out the e-bikes before he rents them to guests of the resort, and I said yes. Claire insisted her ankle was ready, so she’s testing them with me.
Alec built some bike trails near the resort so people won’t use the e-bikes out on the main road. One of the bike trails abuts city-owned land where an old hiking trail sits.
Claire’s long, light brown hair flies up and whips around her helmet in a dance. She looks over her shoulder at me and laughs.
She has the best laugh, like birdsong.
And the best hair, the color of warm honey. The texture of cornsilk.
And the best come-back lines.
And the best legs.
And the best sense of excitement about things in her life—things that a lot of people don’t even notice.
