Page 44 of Always You (A Lilac Bay Novel)

“What favor?”

“Uh, see, my brother was wondering if maybe you guys might stop by the restaurant, you know. Grab a bite to eat.”

“Get off my desk, Andrew.”

“He said to tell you that he knows you love David’s desserts so much, and he’s sure the TV people will love them too.”

“Andrew.”

“—So, you know, if you brought them by he’d be sure to give you a box of something to take home with you.”

“Is Edward trying to bribe me with sweets?” I asked.

“Well, not a bribe, not necessarily—”

The phone started to ring again and I directed my irritation at him.

“Go. Away.”

He shot me a sheepish glance before heading across the room towards his own desk, leaving me to deal with whatever annoying neighbor was waiting for me on the phone.

Somehow I managed to get through the morning without killing anyone. I even managed to go through my notes a few times and brief the mayor. Of course, it helped that I set my phone to voicemail. Let them make their requests to the recording.

Around ten-thirty I went to knock on Mayor Jones’s door. “Come in,” he called. I peeked my head around the door to see him hunched over in front of a small mirror, apparently brushing out his mustache.

“We should probably head down soon, sir,” I told him. He looked up at me, his expression full of panic. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he said quickly, pulling out a monogramed handkerchief and wiping his forehead. “Just the heat.”

It was a balmy sixty degrees out.

“Would you like me to get you some water before we go?”

He slid the mustache comb back in to his pocket, along with the handkerchief, and stood. “No, I’m fine, thank you.”

“We should probably get moving,” I reiterated, looking at my watch. The team was set to arrive in twenty minutes. It would take us less than ten to make the walk, but I wanted to be there early, just in case.

“Okay,” he mumbled, paling in front of my eyes.

“Mayor Jones, what’s the matter?”Oh, God, I thought to myself.Please don’t let him be sick. Not today, please.

“I’m just a touch—you know.” He laughed weakly and met my eyes. “I think I’ve got a bit of stage fright.”

“But I thought you said you were a great public speaker. All those commercials—”

He actually whimpered a little as he sank back into his chair. “Those were decades ago.”

“Decades?”

“Baby food,” he moaned, burying his face in his hands. “Baby food commercials. That’s the sum of my acting experience.”

“But—you said—”

“I may have exaggerated a little bit,” he said sheepishly. “I was just so excited! This is a huge opportunity for our town!” He whimpered again. “And I’m going to ruin it all.”

I knew I needed to get control of the situation, and fast. The man looked like he was going to throw up.

“You are not going to ruin anything,” I said firmly. “You are our beloved mayor. The people of Lilac Bay elected you seven times—”