Page 7 of A Perfect Pairing
“Still waiting on you to say yes to going out with me again.” Evan wiggled his eyebrows and gave her his most charismatic smile.
“We’ve already talked about this, and we agreed that we’d be better off as friends.”
“That was last year. I was hoping your feelings might have changed now.”
She shook her head. “You’re a really nice guy, but nothing has changed. Sorry.”
He shrugged. “Can’t blame a guy for trying to be with one of the prettiest women in town.”
Natasha smiled. “Flattery will get you nowhere, Mr. Brooks.”
He laughed. “See you around, Tasha.”
She watched him make his way through the crowd and sighed. Maybe there was something wrong with her. There had been two other guys interested in her as of late, but neither of those relationships had worked out, either.
“Hey, girl.”
She spun around and let out a squeal. “Serenity!” The two women hugged as if they hadn’t seen each other in months. “Oh my goodness. When did you get back?”
“Yesterday.”
Giving her friend a once-over, she said, “You look so good and relaxed.”
Serenity gave her a saucy smile. “That’s what happens when you spend a week in Paris and another in the Bahamas with a sexy man.” They broke out into a fit of laughter, then quickly covered their mouths, still giggling.
Natasha fanned herself. “You’ll have to give meallthe details. Where’s Gabriel?”
She scanned the room. “He went to find Nana.”
A moment later, Dana and Terri joined them, and another round of excited chatter ensued. Natasha shared her good news about the condo project.
“Oh, girl, we’re going to have to celebrate. Give me a few days to get myself together, and we’ll have a supper club dinner. Then I can tell you about how much fun being married is,” Serenity whispered conspiratorially with a wink. The women howled. “Let me go find my husband, and I’ll catch up with you next week.” She sashayed off.
“I’m so glad she decided to give Gabriel a chance,” Terri said.
Natasha and Dana nodded, still smiling. When Gabriel first came to town last summer, he’d planned to stay only a few months, and Serenity had been leery of starting a relationship with him. The two started off on the wrong foot, but things had worked out for them, and Natasha couldn’t be happier. At least one of them had found her forever man.
The mayor stepped up to the podium and asked everyone to take their seats.
The three women found a spot midway in the community center’s large auditorium.
Once everyone had quieted, the council’s secretary read the previous meeting’s minutes, and then the treasurer gave a financial update. The transparency was one thing Natasha loved about her hometown.
When it came time for new business, Mayor Brewer returned to the microphone. “I met with the real estate development company slated to begin the condo project and we couldn’t agree, so we won’t be using them.” People began talking at once, shouting questions. He held up a hand. “Let me finish. No, we aren’t scrapping it. They wanted to build a six-hundred-unit multi-building complex when we asked for something on a much smaller scale, as in no more than thirty or forty.”
“And who did they plan on moving into those homes?” someone called out.
“They wanted to bring in folks from the surrounding big cities, at least a thousand.”
“I don’t think so!”
“No way!”
Mayor Brewer cut in. “Exactly, which is why I told them to take a hike and didn’t sign the papers. I know we’re all for a little tourism, but something that large scale doesn’t fit with the small-town charm we all love.” Cheers went up. He waited until it was quiet again before continuing. “I’ve already talked with Charles over at Davenport Construction, and they’ll be taking on the project instead. I also understand that Natasha Baldwin will be the exclusive Realtor on this, so congratulations.”
Natasha smiled and nodded her thanks as the room erupted in applause. Her emotions swelled.
Dana leaned over and whispered, “See, everybody knows you’re the best one for the job.” They shared a smile and tuned back in to the mayor.
