Page 104 of Imperfect Love

Me:You slept with her last night.

Jon:Only because her mistress turned me down.

Jon:I’d rather create a private oasis with you in bed.

I blink. That’s another Taylor Swift reference and not a single she put out. That’s fromDancing With Our Hands Tied.

I glance over at him again. He’s still staring at me. Those hot blue eyes are burning. I shiver and turn around.

Me:What is going on with you? Are you trying to get rid of me?

Jon:Truth?

Me:That would be nice.

Jon:I don’t know. All I can think about is kissing you again.

Heat flares deep in my belly, and I know there’s a good chance my panties are wet. I shift in my seat. Yep.

“Avery?”

I look up at Mayor Albert. He’s in his late fifties, missing most of his hair, and his gut spills over the waistband of his pants. He looks like he’s been cast as the stereotypical mayor of a small town.

“You have a proposal?”

I glance around and realize everyone is watching me. Great.

“Yes. Sorry.”

I slip my phone into my pocket and make my way to the stage.

Once I step on the stage, my brain starts working on sabotage. I have had a fear of public speaking for my entire life. Small groups don’t bother me, or if I’m online. When there’s a packed recreation center with the entire town staring up at me…that freaks me out.

I start using my breathing exercises as my gaze moves over the audience. As if I can’t help myself, I seek out those Pacific blue eyes of my housemate. The man who made me lose my mind last night. He’s watching me with a calmness that settles my own nerves.

“Good evening, everyone. I wanted to let you know that my original idea to speak to you tonight was about the animal shelter. Thankfully, our efforts on that front have been very lucrative. Thanks to the staff and their TikToks, we have received more donations. Also, the volunteer roster is full, although they are always happy with more people to help.”

“Then why are you here?” That question comes from Freddy Jones. He’s annoying. He owns the gas station on the way to I-35, and no one said he had to come tonight. Also, he’s always a loudmouth.

“I will be truthful. I did not expect the social media campaign to explode the way it did.”

“I did. You do such a good job,” Mrs. Petersen says with a smile. God love the LOLs. They see me as one of them and do not let anyone bully me.

“Thank you. But what I want to move to is this recreation center. I know that the LOLs raised the money to fix this building into a multipurpose space, and with the generous bid from Nancy and Travis, it was done in almost no time flat. But, a year later, it’s still not being used to its fullest extent.”

“That’s not our fault.”

I’m going to fucking strangle Freddy. Seriously, how can he be only in his thirties and so cranky? I try not to scowl at him and open my mouth to tell him to stick it. It’s hard to control my need to stand up for myself. I’ve been doing it for so long.

“I think you need to settle down, Freddy,” Estella calls out. I glance at her and smile but find myself transfixed by Jon. He isn’t looking at me. No, he’s looking at Freddy like he’s going to tear Freddy a new butthole.

I draw in a deep breath. “We need a director. Someone who can handle the schedules, and then we’ll need input from the town on what kind of classes and meetings you would like to hold here.”

That causes a lot of discussion, and I let it go on. I know Juniper. They need to discuss things ad nauseam.

“Hey, everyone, I get you want to discuss it. I encourage that, but how about we set a date to talk about it next month. If the town is interested, I can put together a proposal.”

Once more questions ring out, Mayor Albert rises from his chair to get people to behave. This shouldn’t be getting to me the way it is, but I can’t seem to keep my anxiety at bay for some reason. I glance around the room and notice CND—Creepy Neighbor Dude—glaring at me.

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