I listened as the door closed behind the mayor and nearly fell over. I could finally breathe with him gone.
I could not be attracted to the mayor. I couldn’t. It was a bad idea. It was the worst idea. He was not in my league. Not even close. Those looks he gave me…
I misread those. He wasn’t attracted to me either. It was just an emotional time and…
Crap, I didn’t know. But there was no way Mayor Omar Knight actually wanted me. No matter what the look in his eyes made me think. I had misread far too many looks from men in my life and knew trying to guess what he was thinking was an even bigger disaster than the last time I thought a man was looking at me with desire.
Oh, no. That time was embarrassing. After a few weeks talking to a guy on Book Boyfriends Wanted, we met in person. We danced and kissed, only to find out he was using me to make his ex jealous. It worked, and she stole him right out from under me. Not that it was really stealing when he wanted it to happen.
I wasn’t attached, so it wasn’t a big deal, but this time? No. Mayor Knight was someone I had to work with. I could not get sucked into a fantasy of my own making. I had to be real.
“Did I see Omar leaving?” Amelia asked, startling me out of my daydream about the man in question.
“Yeah.” I cleared my throat, gathering the papers all over the table. “He came by for that meeting.”
“I thought you were going to his office.” Amelia gave me her stern mom look, with one raised eyebrow, a hand on her hip, and her lips pursed disapprovingly. “Did you make him come here?”
I shook my head. “No. I didn’t.”
“Then why was he here?”
“Because I canceled the meeting,” I confessed softly.
“Natalie. I thought you were fine with it.”
“I thought so, too! Then I came in this morning and knew I couldn’t do it.”
“Yes, you can. I know you can. You are so passionate about the summer camp, and when you show that, it’s infectious. But you have to be willing to show it.”
“I did. I think. He said he agreed with what I said about getting things done before camp opens.”
Amelia grinned. “That’s great news! Did you talk about the phases?”
I nodded. He prompted me, giving me a chance to formulate my thoughts without feeling like I was rushing through things. “We did. I think he agreed with everything, but I’m not entirely sure.”
“What do you mean?”
“He wants to meet again next week—with both of us.”
“That’s not bad. It means he’s on board with everything. He’s not giving up.”
“He ended our meeting kind of abruptly,” I said, biting my lip to keep in the way his looks made me feel before Mayor Knight got the hell out of there.
Maybe he saw how I felt on my face, and it scared him off. Crap. I was trying not to let him know I was drawn to him. I hadn’t meant to lean in when we were talking, but it must have bothered him.
“He probably had other meetings. He’s busy, especially with Christmas in ten days and people taking time off for the holiday. Jane said today was the only day he had available to meet, so he probably had somewhere else to be.”
“Yeah, I’m sure you’re right.”
Amelia nodded. “Don’t worry. We’ll meet with him next week and go from there. Speaking of the holiday, we have a full group for the break. What are you thinking for activities?”
I jumped into plans for the winter break and let my thoughts of Mayor Knight drift away.
The only day Mayor Knight had available for a meeting the following week was two days before Christmas. It was the last day of school before winter break, and the last day of afterschool care for the year.
It was a busy damn day. A day Amelia couldn’t get away to meet with the mayor. No matter how important it was.
“I’m sorry, Natalie, I really am, but you can handle this. You already had a meeting with him.”
“And it was not good.”
“What? I thought it was fine. You said he agreed with you about the proposal and the phases. What happened?”
Crap, crap, crap. I could not tell my boss that I was thinking about kissing her boss during the meeting. That would not be okay. “It was fine. Sorry. I’m just awkward. I didn’t feel like I explained everything well, and I—”
“Natalie, you are fine. You need to stop doubting yourself. I mean, really, I don’t know why he wants me there at all. I’m not involved in the project aside from being your boss. I trust you completely.”
“Yeah, but you run the community center.”
“And one day you will, Natalie. If you want. I have no doubt you could do this.”
“Where are you going?” I asked, panic rising up.
Amelia laughed. “Nowhere. But one day I might retire and enjoy my old age with less activity. Every morning when I roll out of bed, I find a new pain.”
“You’re still young,” I said.
Amelia laughed even louder. “You’re too sweet. I have no problem with my age. I know the alternative to growing old is dying young, and that’s not what I want either. But I feel the need to slow down coming. Not yet, but one day. And I have to think about who will take over. I’m hoping it’ll be you.”
I wasn’t sure what to say. I saw the way Amelia operated, the way she talked to people and made everything look so easy. She was an amazing boss—fair and kind and creative—and I was positive I couldn’t do all the things she did.
“You don’t have to decide anything right now. But what I want you to do is go to that meeting with Omar and channel me. Push back on him if he’s asking too much. And weekly meetings are too much. I don’t really know what the point of today’s meeting is. We haven’t been able to make any progress with the busy time of year and the weather.”
Amelia’s tone made me question the meeting, too. I didn’t think about it when Mayor Knight asked for it the week before, but I was flustered and anxious with him showing up at the community center.
Why did we need to meet?
The question ran around in my mind as I returned to my office to gather my things. But what things? I had no new information. I hadn’t scheduled anything. No one was doing much until the holidays were over. I’d asked.
I walked out of my office with nothing in my hands because I had nothing new to show the mayor. I thought about canceling the meeting, but after the way he behaved last time I did that, I knew I had to show up—even though I had nothing to show him.
I said goodbye to Amelia and left for the meeting with Mayor Knight. Town Hall was quiet when I got there, many people either gone for the holidays or out for other meetings. My guess was the first one.
Jane was sitting behind her desk when I arrived and told me I could go in. The door to Mayor Knight’s office was open, so I stepped inside, feeling like I was walking into the lair of a beast.
His head was down, focused on a stack of papers in front of him. He looked tired—like he was worn out by the job.
I took a second to appreciate the man, the curve of his fingers, the bunch of his muscular shoulders, even the beard that covered his jaw. I wondered what it would feel like against my skin. My pulse jumped at the thought, and I must have made a noise because he looked up at me.
His gaze locked on mine, something intense and intimate passing between us. I was frozen, locked in place like he’d cast a spell on me that limited my movements.
What would he do to me if that were the case?
I shook my head, breaking the contact and snapping the tension in the room.
“Is Amelia with you?” he asked.
“She wasn’t available. Today is our last day of afterschool care before the winter break, and she has a lot to have ready since tomorrow we have kids all day.”
“Why didn’t you reschedule this meeting?” he barked, as though angry at me for showing up.
His frustration spun me up. “I wasn’t the one who asked for this meeting, Mr. Mayor. You are. And last week you had a fit when I canceled a meeting at the last minute because Amelia wasn’t available.”
He drew a breath and nodded. “You’re right. I apologize.”
“Thank you.”
He nodded.
I took a seat across the desk from him, thankful for the large barrier between us. It was twice the size of the tiny table we sat at a week ago and would be a much bigger divide to cross.
Not that I was going to. I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. I had to keep things professional.
“So, what updates do you have for me?” he asked after a minute of silence.
“None.”
“None?”
I shook my head. “Every contractor we’ve spoken to in the last week said they aren’t booking into the spring yet and to be in touch after the holidays. They have projects to finish up through the winter, and their schedules can be highly dependent on the weather, so everything is up in the air right now.”
“You’re telling me you have no new information. Amelia couldn’t be here. And you haven’t made any progress?”
I resisted the urge to growl at the man. How dare he question me? I wasn’t the one who wanted the meeting. I wasn’t the one who needed to micromanage everything. “That’s exactly what I’m telling you. I’d love to have more news, but we’re not doing anything at the site right now. Not with winter break next week. Amelia would be telling you the same thing if she were here right now, but she’s not because she’s working on stuff for break.”
“Two weeks,” he barked. “I want you back here in two weeks, and I want an update.”
“And then what? Are you going to give us more money?”
“We don’t have more money.”
“Then why do I have to be back here in two weeks? Why do I have to be back here at all? Are you like this with all your departments? Do you micromanage everyone? Do you make everyone answer to your unrealistic demands? How in the world do you get anything done if you’re meeting with every single town employee who has a project happening every two weeks?”
He rose from his seat, leaning toward me like he did the week before, but this time in a less-than-friendly way. “You’re untested. You’re getting a huge bonus with this gifted property. You have never run a project like this, and I don’t know if I can trust you to do what’s best for the town.”
I matched his stance, rising up from my seat and leaning forward. “You can’t trust me? Are you kidding me? No. That’s not the truth.”
“Then what is? If you know me so well?”
“You don’t like me, Mr. Mayor. You’ve made that clear. You have something against me. I don’t know what it is, but you’ve decided I’m the problem and that you don’t want me taking control of anything. You just want to shut me up and—”
He kissed me. Holy crap, he kissed me.
His lips slammed against mine, a sharp inhale on his side saying it was as much of a shock to him as it was to me.
I should pull back. I should stop it. I should resist.
But I couldn’t.
My hands went to his shirt and pulled him closer. I parted my lips under his and licked his lips.
He growled and reached for me. His hands went into my hair, tilting my head to the side and devouring me like he’d been starving for me the same way I was starving for him.
My thighs hit his desk and reminded me we were in his office. I wanted to say I didn’t care, that kissing him made everything else disappear and not matter, but we were in his office.
Anyone could walk in and see us. Take another picture of us.
“Dammit,” I breathed, breaking our kiss and releasing him.
He let go of me immediately, his eyes remaining closed as he fisted his hands at his sides.
“Mr. Mayor…”
“Please don’t call me that.” He opened his eyes and captured me with the need reflected back at me. “Please.”
“Omar, I…”
“And don’t tell me that was a mistake. Just… you can go. I’ll see you in two weeks.”
I nodded, unsure what I wanted to say anyway. It was better if I put space between us—better for everyone.
I forced a smile for Jane, then got the hell out of the building. I told Amelia we had another meeting in two weeks and put my head down and worked the rest of the day, definitely not obsessing about Mayor Omar Knight kissing the absolute hell out of me.
I woke up the next morning with the sheets twisted around my ankles and my body flushed and aroused from the dreams I had about Omar all night long.
That was not okay. I was tired, and I was turned on, and I was going to be surrounded by children all day.
At least I didn’t have to worry about the parents.
I dragged myself to the shower and cleaned up quickly before going to the kitchen. Daisy didn’t open the store until ten, so she was still asleep. I fixed coffee quietly, leaving some for her, and grabbed a banana and a bagel, then left for the day.
Amelia was already inside and setting up games when I arrived. We had a sheet on the front table for parents and guardians to sign kids in and out. I shoved Omar even further out of my mind and helped Amelia get ready for the arrival.
At six o’clock on the dot, the first parents dragged their bleary-eyed kids inside, some helping them take off jackets and boots before stashing their outdoor gear in a cubby for later.
It wasn’t long before the sounds of basketballs bouncing, kids laughing, and sneakers squeaking were the only things I could pay attention to.
That was what I needed. Not Omar Knight and his far-too-tempting kisses. Not thoughts of him that kept me up half the night. No, I just needed to remember who I was and why I was in his office in the first place.
It was for the kids. Always for the kids. So we could put the smiles on their faces all summer when they came to summer camp. So we knew they were safe and cared for all summer.
Mayor Knight was going to help make it happen, but that was all he was going to do. He would help. It was his job as mayor.
And it was my job to stay away from him and not lose my mind with a man who would never work with someone like me. He needed to stay a fantasy—for good.
