The Bad Boy's Redemption
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Syndi Powell
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CHAPTER ONE
BEING THE ONLY candidate currently running for mayor of her Michigan hometown, Shelby Cuthbert was almost guaranteed to be elected.
It was the almost part that kept her awake at night.
Pouring her fourth cup of coffee, she debated the merits of checking if another candidate had gathered enough signatures to place their name on the ballot for August’s election. She glanced at the time on the punch clock. It was close to three. Only an hour left until the deadline passed.
“Just go, Shelby.”
Shelby glanced behind her. Eddie, her chief mechanic and all-around right-hand man in the business, stood stoically next to an ailing Chrysler. “Go where?” she asked.
“City hall. The deadline’s coming up, right?”
“You read minds as well as rebuild engines?” She turned back and added cream to her coffee mug and stirred the liquid. “There’s no point in me going over there. Besides, I was hoping to scan the internet for that battery lead. I want my car to be ready for the Fourth of July parade.”
“Found it online last night, and it’ll be here by the end of next week.”
“Then I should be going over the books to make sure we’re current on our bills paid.”
“Which you said you already did this morning.”
She peered at Eddie, who had worked at her father’s garage for as long as she could remember. She could recall him teaching her the parts of the engine as they rebuilt the one in her Mustang. He’d never treated her like a kid, even though she hadn’t been much more than sixteen at the time. She’d worried that being his boss would hurt the relationship they had, but in her nine months of taking over the business, they had never had an issue. Until now. “Are you trying to get rid of me?”
“If you leave early, then there’s a chance I’ll scoot out and get a nap in before dinner with my wife. Besides, we’re caught up for the day.”
Eyebrows raised, he watched her patiently. Silently, she debated whether she should go to city hall or not. It wouldn’t change anything, so what was the point? “You and the rest of the guys take off. I’ll lock up.” When Eddie looked at her, she shook her head. “I’m not going down there. Whatever’s going to happen will happen, and me being there now won’t change it.”
“Except it’ll give you some peace of mind.” Eddie put a hand on her shoulder. “You’d be the best mayor this town has seen, and everyone knows it, so stop worrying about it.”
“Thanks, Ed. I appreciate your support.”
He nodded and left to tell the other two employees they could leave early. She grabbed her coffee mug and retreated to her office to back up her computer files before leaving for the day.
Business overall was pretty good, but the garage needed steadier work to keep them busy as well as in the black. Ever since her father’s retirement, the books told her that things would have to improve or cuts would become necessary. The last decision she wanted to make was to lay off employees who had been loyal to her dad. It’d be tantamount to admitting that she was failing.
Something she’d never do.
Eddie popped into her office. “Everything’s put up for the night, and I’m heading out. Stu is coming in at seven tomorrow morning to have his brakes checked, so I’ll be in at about six thirty.”
“I can open for him.”
“It’s my job, so I’ll do it.”
She nodded at Eddie, then turned off her computer. “Go have that nap.”
He saluted her. “Have a good night and try not to obsess about the election. You’re guaranteed to win.”
“There are no guarantees when it comes to politics.”
He nodded and left her office. With the employees gone for the day, the garage was too quiet. Figuring an early afternoon exit wouldn’t hurt her either, she grabbed her purse and locked the side door before walking to her car.
If she went home now, she’d only be watching the clock every five minutes until the deadline passed. She tucked her car keys back into her purse and strolled down Thora’s Main Street to her best friend’s bookstore and opened the door.
Melanie Beach looked up from reading what looked like instructions and pushed off the counter. “You’re here. Good. I need a second set of hands to help me figure out this machine.”
Shelby approached the long, worn counter that held a cash register on one end and housed the coffee bar on the other. Farther back sat a large copper machine with several handles and spouts. “Your new espresso machine came in early.”
“This gives me a chance to learn how to operate it so I can teach Emma before the weekend.” She thrust the instruction booklet into Shelby’s hands. “Read page three to me.”
After several attempts, Melanie produced a small cup of espresso that smelled heavenly. Mel took a small sip, then nodded. “Not bad.”
She wanted to pass the white demitasse to Shelby, who held up a hand to ward off the cup. “Espresso’s not really my thing.”
“But coffee is. Just try it.”
Giving in to her friend’s request, Shelby took the cup and a tentative sip, and frowned. “Ooh, that’s strong.”
“But not bitter?”
Shelby had another taste and let the flavor linger on her tongue. “No, not bitter.” She handed the cup back to Melanie. “So, this is your plan for bringing in more customers?”
“At least until you’re mayor and use your brilliant ideas to promote Thora’s small businesses.” Shelby sighed and claimed a stool. Meanwhile, Melanie frowned at her. “You’re still worried about the deadline? Anyone who chooses to run against you would have to be confused, because you’re going to win.”
Everyone had more confidence in that than she did. “There’s no guarantee, even if no one else does enter the race.”
“Come on, Shel. You’re the town sweetheart. Everybody loves you.”
“Not everyone.”
“Well, the people who know you do.” Melanie took a seat on the stool next to Shelby. “You’re smart, compassionate and have the best interests of the town at heart. You want to build the small businesses in town to improve tax revenues. And you have a plan to promote Thora as a busy suburb with a small-town feel to attract more home buyers and business owners. I’m telling you. You’re going to win.”
“I should hire you to be my campaign manager.”
Melanie stuck her hand out. “I accept.”
They shook on it, then Shelby hugged her friend. “Thank you. I needed that shot of confidence.”
“Why don’t you go down to city hall, just to reassure yourself? You know you want to.”
“Eddie said the same thing.” Shelby smiled. “Fine. I will. You want to get together for dinner after you close tonight?”
“Sure. But we’ll have to invite Jack too. We had plans already.”
Shelby liked her best friend and cousin hanging out together. She pushed herself off the stool and grabbed her purse. “Well.” She took a deep breath. “Here goes nothing.”
“Positive thoughts, Shel.”
She nodded and exited the bookstore. Standing on the sidewalk, she opted for the short walk rather than driving to city hall. It was a nice early June day with blue skies and a promise of the warmth that summer would soon bring to Michigan.
At city hall, she glanced at the large clock tower that marked time in Thora. Five minutes to four. Only five minutes and the almost part of her election would be removed. She’d be the next mayor of Thora.
She opened one of the heavy oak doors, and a tall man with dark hair ran up from behind and strode past her. He didn’t glance back as he sprinted down the hallway. “You’re welcome,” she called after him.
Muttering to herself about how some people could be so rude, she went to the city clerk’s window and paused. The sprinter handed the clerk a stack of papers, and Shelby realized that there were no guarantees, after all.
JOSH RILEY PASSED the pages of signatures required for him to be a candidate for Thora’s mayor to the clerk. He’d planned to get the paperwork in much earlier, but getting the required number of signatures had taken him longer than he had expected. True, he might not have been back in town for very long, but this was where he’d been born and raised. People knew him.
Maybe that was the problem. They remembered the juvenile delinquent he’d once been. It had taken him hours and effort to convince folks that time and experience had removed his wayward tendencies and turned him into a strong leader. One who could bring Thora back from near bankruptcy. All he needed was the chance to prove it. In the end, he’d managed to garner just enough last-minute signatures to get his name on the August ballot.
The clerk at the window finished glancing through the paperwork and peered at him. “Everything looks correct.” She pointed at the clock on the wall. “You almost missed the deadline.”
“Almost, but not quite. I made it before four o’clock, as stated on the petition.” He gave her a smile that he hoped charmed her and noted her name tag. “And that’s the important part, right, Sandra?”
She gave him a skeptical look, then stamped each page of signatures before placing the documents into a manila envelope. In turn, she passed him a bright blue folder with the town’s coat of arms and its motto, “Suburban city with a small-town heart,” printed on the cover. “In there, you’ll find the required campaign-finance rules along with a list of election regulations. They’re also listed on our town’s website if you need further information. In a few weeks, I’ll also be contacting you with debate details. The debate’ll be held on the Fourth of July, before the annual fireworks. Questions?”
Josh paused. Debate? He’d expected to do some fundraising as well as door-to-door campaigning and kissing a few babies, but an actual debate? He hadn’t been in one in years, and even then, he’d relied heavily on his partner to do the legwork while he relied on his humor and quick verbal skills. After all, he’d talked himself out of trouble enough throughout most of his life. He beamed at Sandra. “No questions, but thank you, Sandra. I hope to get the chance to win your vote.”
She immediately frowned. “You have no idea who you’re running against, do you?” She shook her head with a low chuckle. “Good luck. You’re going to need it.”
He placed the folder under his arm and turned, almost crashing into a woman staring at him. Quickly reaching out a hand to steady her, he gazed at her familiar face, but her name escaped his memory. “Are you okay, miss?”
“You’re running for mayor?”
He straightened and stuck out his chest. “Proud to. Gotta love the rumor mill if that bit of news is already spreading around town.”
“Hmm, it’s more the sound waves bouncing off the high ceiling here, creating an echo so that everyone in the building could hear.” She continued to stare at him. “You don’t really think you can win, do you?”
Why did everyone expect him to lose? He’d been gone long enough that they wouldn’t hold his past against him, right? He paused. “Why wouldn’t I win?”
The woman looked stunned. “Because you’re Josh Riley. The one who spray painted graffiti and obscenities all over the senior rock the week before graduation. The boy who spent more time in detention than he did in class. The kid who the principal thought had broken into the school’s computers to tamper with grades. And I haven’t even started to mention the broken hearts you left all over town. And you think you can win after that?”
“Okay, okay,” he said, lowering his voice. “You’ve made your point.” He grimaced as he recalled all the trouble he’d once gotten into, and that this woman seemed to know so much of it. Hopefully, she’d be the exception. “That was high school stuff. You’re not going to hold that against me. I’ve matured since then, and the voters will recognize that too.”
“But you’re not a resident. The election rules clearly state that you have to be a resident of Thora in order to be eligible to run for mayor.”
“I have been here for the last six months, which my cell phone bills and bank records will show. Or hasn’t the rumor mill also shared that I’ve moved back to take care of my dad?”
The woman opened and closed her mouth several times, clearly flustered by him. Hoping to redeem himself, he held out his hand. “I hope I can earn your trust and gain your support for mayor.”
She looked incredulously at his hand as if he’d offered her a dead fish. “You don’t remember me, do you?”
He let his hand fall as he racked his brain for her name and landed on one.
A long-forgotten memory of sitting with her in a library surfaced. She’d worn her hair longer then, and it had darkened to auburn from the strawberry blond it had once been. But how could he have not remembered those bright blue eyes? Another memory popped up, and he winced. “Right. Shelby Cuthbert. How could I forget?”
“And yet you did. More than once, if memory serves.” She fiddled with her purse strap. “I had heard that you moved back to town after your mom died. I haven’t seen you at any of the city council meetings. Maybe if you had been there, I would have discovered before now that you planned on running for political office.”
Maybe he should have made more of an effort to have gone to a few of those meetings. “With Mom gone, I’ve been cooking and caring for my dad. That means most of my evenings are spent at home with him and not going to meetings.”
“And how does Bert like having you back in town? Pleased, I’m sure.” The way she asked the question made it apparent that she didn’t know everything about him. His own dad had refused to sign the petition. It had been an old friend of his who’d convinced him that running for mayor would be the right thing to do, that his experience with budgets and ideas would get the town away from looming bankruptcy. “You obviously know my dad.”
“Bert has always been quite a character.” She sighed and tipped her head to the side. “And your mom was a big supporter of our library. I’m really sorry for your loss.”
He gave a short nod, still feeling the hole in his life where his mom should have been. He’d always thought he’d have time to reconcile with her. To make up for his youthful indiscretions. That’s why he’d moved back to town after his mother died. Why it was important to win the election, to prove to his dad that he’d changed. Maybe he’d get the chance to do so that he’d lost with his mother.
He cleared his throat. “I’m sure she’d get a kick out of seeing me run for mayor.” He glanced behind his shoulder at the city clerk, who watched them with a gleam of interest in her eyes. “By the way, Sandra seems to be convinced that I’m going to lose this election. You don’t happen to know who I’m running against, do you?”
Shelby smiled wickedly. He was instantly suspicious and smiled. “Why, yes, I do. You’re running against me.”
SHELBY ENJOYED SEEING how Josh’s jaw dropped at her news. Maybe he’d realize that he should pull out of the race now. Maybe he’d back out with grace rather than lose embarrassingly to her. She already had the support of Thora’s small business association, half of the current town council and the PTA. She was the one who had stayed in Thora, while he’d run away not long after high school. She knew what Thora needed to succeed, not him. It was her duty to run for mayor. She’d been encouraged to do so by her family since she’d been a young girl. They expected her to not only run, but to win because that’s what Cuthberts did.
And despite the man standing in front of her, she would be the next mayor.
He held out his hand. “May the best candidate win.”
Then again, maybe he wouldn’t concede.
She shook his hand and looked him in the eye. “Don’t worry. I will.”
He smiled and winked at her before leaving city hall. Shelby watched him go, thinking how much he had changed from his lanky teen days. His body had filled out nicely, but his cocky grin hadn’t changed one bit.
“Can you believe that? Josh Riley running for mayor,” Sandra said from her counter. “I’d never have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes.”
Shelby went to the clerk’s window and leaned on it. “Stranger things have happened in Thora. This just means that I need to step up my game.”
“I wouldn’t worry about Josh. Everyone remembers what he was like. Irresponsible, untrustworthy...”
Shelby did remember how he’d used her in high school, but she wasn’t the same person that she’d been back then. Maybe Josh wasn’t either. “People can change their minds.”
“But not their memories.”
SHELBY RECOUNTED WHAT had happened to Melanie and Jack later that evening over dinner at their favorite Italian restaurant. Melanie twirled spaghetti carbonara onto her fork. “Josh Riley? After all these years?” She looked up from her plate and leaned in closer to Shelby. In a low whisper, she asked, “So how did he look?”
Too good. “Remember that superhero movie you took me to last month? And how we drooled over the villain who was dark but really dishy? Yeah, like that.”
Melanie’s eyebrows shot up and her lips made an ‘oh’ shape. “Yummy.” She put a fork full of pasta into her mouth.
Jack wrinkled his nose at the topic of conversation. “So how will this change your campaign strategy?” When she and Melanie turned to look at him, he shrugged. “You’ve obviously thought about how you’re going to beat him. You’ll have to change tactics. Everybody loves a bad-boy-becomes-good-and-comes-back-home story.”
Melanie nodded. “He’s right. We can’t assume that you’re going to automatically win because Josh once had a reputation in this town. He returned to take care of his dad. That alone shows he’s changed a little bit, at least. And the sympathy from that could earn him votes.”
“Changed or not, he doesn’t have the first clue about what it will take to help Thora. He’s been gone too long.” Shelby tapped her finger on the table. “I’ve been here my whole life. I know how things work and what we need to do to fix them.”
“Which we will be sure to emphasize while out on the campaign trail.” Melanie shifted her attention back to her dinner. “Besides organizing the door-to-door canvassing, I’m thinking we need to start preparing for the debate next month. We can have practice sessions at the store after hours.” She swallowed another forkful of pasta and readied the next. “Jack, you’ll help, of course.”
His expression suddenly brightened. “I could pretend to be Josh.”
Melanie eyed him up close. “From the sounds of it, he’s got you beat in the looks department.”
“But not the smarts or the compassion or the—”
“We’ll have to see about that, won’t we?” Melanie said.
Shelby covered her smile with her napkin. She’d been watching her best friend, Melanie, and her cousin Jack flirt for ages, but they’d never dated. Not for lack of trying on Melanie’s part. “I’d appreciate the practice. Thanks, Jack.”
“Good. We’ll start on Tuesday nights after the store has closed.” Melanie pulled a small notebook and pen from her purse. “We’ll have to come up with a better slogan for your yard signs and pamphlets.”
“What’s wrong with ‘Shelby Knows Best’?” They had liked it when she’d come up with it a few months ago. With Josh entering the race, had her good ideas become dull? “We agreed that it would work.”
“When you were running unopposed, yes. Now it makes you sound too cocky.” Melanie wrote several things into the notebook and handed it to her. “We need to position you as the candidate who has the knowledge and the experience to lead Thora. We also need to emphasize the Cuthbert name. Your family has played a positive role in the town since it started.”
Shelby read over Melanie’s ideas. “This is why I’m glad you’re my campaign manager. These are better than I came up with.”
Melanie patted her hand. “This challenge isn’t one we anticipated, but you don’t have anything to worry about. Everyone expects you to win.”
Jack gave a shrug. “What if Josh is a bigger problem than you’re thinking?”
When Shelby and Melanie both stared at him, he held up his hands. “All I’m saying is that this isn’t going to be the cakewalk you expected it to be. Sure, Josh has a reputation and he’s been gone from Thora for a dozen years, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a threat. You need to get intel on where he’s been since high school. What has he done? What’s his job? What’s behind his decision to run for mayor of a town he hasn’t lived in for more than a decade?”
Shelby agreed and flipped to a blank page in the notebook to add all this. “I never would have thought of that stuff.”
Shelby had a feeling that a few sleepless nights lay ahead of her.
JOSH CARRIED HIS empty dinner plate to the sink, scraped the last bits of peas and carrots into a plastic container, then rinsed the plate before placing it in the open dishwasher. He turned back to look at his dad, who poked his fork at a pea. “Come on, Dad. It’s not going to hurt you to eat a green vegetable.”
“You cooked it, so it might.” His dad pushed his plate away. “I don’t like peas.”
“You didn’t eat the carrots either.” Josh finished packing up the leftovers from dinner. “If you’re not going to eat it, bring your dinner plate to the sink.”
“You don’t need to boss me around.” But his dad stood and carried over his dish and glanced at the plastic containers. “Keeping more of those vegetables to torture me with tomorrow?”
“I’ve been cooking for you since the beginning of the year, Dad. Have I poisoned you once?”
“Don’t mean you won’t try when you get a chance.” He shuffled out to the living room, and Josh heard the television click to life.
After putting the food away, Josh started the dishwasher. Wiped down the table and kitchen counters, much as he had when he’d been a kid. Glancing around the dated room, he realized that nothing had changed since he’d left at eighteen. It made him wonder if he could change people’s opinions of him.
Once the kitchen was clean, he joined his dad in the living room. His father sat in a recliner in front of the television. At least that piece of furniture was different. He’d probably worn out the rust-colored chair that had once been there. This new recliner didn’t squeak when his dad pushed the bar on the side to raise the footrest, but it still had the afghan his mother had crocheted, which was older than Josh himself.
Josh took a seat on the couch and pulled out his cell phone, scrolling through emails while the news played on the television. He’d been doing pretty much the same thing every night since he’d moved back in just after the New Year. Over five months of sitting on the couch and thinking that he needed to make a change and not being sure of how to go about it. His dad wasn’t getting better, and his heart certainly wasn’t thawing toward Josh.
“You get those signatures you needed?”
Josh looked up at him. “Yes, I did. Surprised?”
The old man made a noise at the back of his throat. “What makes you think you can be mayor?”
“Night after night, I’ve listened to you complain about how the old mayor doesn’t do anything. How his affair with the city attorney besmirched the dignity of the mayoral office. And how it’s about time that somebody makes a difference in Thora.” Josh tapped his chest. “Why not me?”
“Word around town is that Shelby Cuthbert is running too.”
“You rarely leave the house. How are you getting news like that?”
His dad shrugged. “I’ve got my sources.” He peered at Josh. “You really think you can run against Shelby and win?”
Those were his exact thoughts too. Shelby Cuthbert was practically Thora royalty. She’d been high school valedictorian. President of student council. As a freshman in high school, she’d started a petition to add more computers to the school’s library, then raised enough funds to buy them. She had been a powerhouse back then. Twelve more years of experience might have made her even more unbeatable. He was in over his head. “I’m going to try.”
His dad cackled and turned back to his program. Josh gritted his teeth. “Why is it so funny that I could win?”
“Besides the fact that you’re always going to be a delinquent? Not much I can think of.”
“I am not a delinquent.” He rose to his feet and purposely stood in front of the television. When his dad protested, Josh pointed his finger. “I’m going to be the next mayor of Thora because I’m willing to do whatever it takes to win. Just you wait.”
