Page 3 of Faking I Do
“Mayor Cherish, you’ll need to come with me.” His voice was all business. The commanding tone sent a shiver straightthrough me. But his lips twitched. A hint of humor shone in those deep gray eyes. I’d spent way too much of my life thinking about what it would feel like to lose myself in those depths.
“What are you doing here? I’ve got a shift.”
“I’m aware of that.” His fingers closed around my elbow, eliminating any argument, propelling me toward the door. “But we’ve got a problem that needs your attention. Now.”
CHAPTER 2
BODIE
I grippedLacey’s elbow a little tighter as I led her outside. I wouldn’t admit it, but I kind of enjoyed spending time with Idont’s new mayor—much more than I expected, and a lot more than I should.
“Stop, Bodie. I’m not taking another step until you tell me what’s going on.” Lacey planted her feet as she wrapped her arms around her middle. It was chilly, even for Texas. I should have grabbed her coat, but now I didn’t want to take the time to go back inside.
“Here.” I slid my jacket off then draped it over her shoulders.
“I don’t want your jacket.” She shrugged it off and tossed it back at me. “I want to know why you dragged me out here during my shift. Helmut’s going to pop a blood vessel over this. What’s so important?”
“There’s a protest down at the warehouse. Seems Jonah Wylder has chained himself to the front doors. Says he’s not leaving until someone gives him his job back.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” She tilted her head back, giving me a full-on glimpse of the smooth ivory column of her neck.
When did the little girl who used to bug the hell out of me turn into such a beauty? Seemed like she’d always been underfoot as a kid. Her big brother, Luke, and I couldn’t go anywhere without her tagging along. Since she’d been back, I hadn’t paid much attention to her—I’d been too focused on trying to figure out a way to get out of Idont myself. But now with her taking on the doomed role of mayor, I started to wish I hadn’t ignored her for so long.
“So, what do we do?” With her jaw set, she leveled her gaze at me. “I suppose I need to try to talk some sense into him.”
I tried to suppress a smile. “Good luck with that. Jonah’s not exactly known for keeping a level head.”
“Let’s go. I’ll ride with you so we can talk on the way.” She didn’t give me much choice but to follow behind her as she crossed the parking lot to my truck.
Should I try to open the door for her or let her handle it on her own? I wavered as we got closer. I’d never treated Lacey as anything but a kid. But now, there was no trace of the freckle-faced teen. I increased my pace to make it to the passenger door before her.
“Thanks.” She barely glanced at me as I held the door while she climbed into the truck.
While I waited for her to get settled, I couldn’t help but notice the way her skirt rode up on her thighs. Rubbing a hand over the scruff on my chin, I chastised myself. This was Luke’s little sister I was undressing in my mind. I needed to shut that shit down. Fast. I closed the door and stomped around the truck to get behind the wheel.
We rode in silence for the first few minutes, giving me a chance to sort out my thoughts.
“So how do you suggest I handle Jonah?” Lacey swiveled in her seat to face me.
“Let him sit out there and freeze his ass off.” I took a sip of water from my travel tumbler. “Jonah’s a hothead. He’ll make a scene, but once everyone goes home and the excitement wears off, he’ll slink back to the rock he lives under.”
“That’s one of my constituents you’re talking about.” Lacey adjusted the vent on the dash.
“Yeah, I feel sorry for you about that. He was an asshole when he was younger, and he’s grown into an even bigger asshole now.”
“Great. How long is my term again?” She twisted a strand of her long blonde hair around her finger as she gazed out the front window.
“Four years. But as long as you don’t get arrested, you’ll probably get reelected.” I meant that as a joke, a little bit of humor at her dad’s expense, but Lacey didn’t smile. I glanced back and forth from the road in front of me to Lacey’s profile. Her pulse ticked along her jaw as she drummed her fingers on her knee. “You know I didn’t mean anything by that, right?”
Her breath came out on a long sigh. “I know. Wish I knew what Dad was thinking when he decided to go on a joyride.”
“If it’s any consolation”—I gave her an apologetic grin—“I really didn’t enjoy arresting your dad that day.” Her dad had been more of a father figure to me growing up than my own flesh and blood.
“Nope.” Her mouth quirked into a half-smile. “That doesn’t make me feel any better. I don’t know why I thought it would be a good idea to run for mayor. What was I thinking?”
“You want me to answer that?” I could tell her if she really wanted to know. Lacey was a fixer. Always had been and always would be.
“No.” She closed her eyes and let her head roll from side to side, like she was trying to ease some tension. “I just wish I’dthought it through. Seemed like the thing to do when Dad had to step down.”
