He laughed, too. “I have an image to consider.”
“Squeaky clean choir boy?”
He shrugged.
“Underneath you’re a bad boy, though. I knew it.”
His eyes flashed with something, but I wasn’t sure what. He looked down at his plate. “Something like that.”
I studied him for a minute, wondering if, during this fake marriage, I’d be able to have more access to the real Mo. It occurred to me that since returning to Salvation, the Mo I saw was always reserved and controlled. He was playing the part of the mayor and a respected community member. But who was he deep down? Did he have dreams? Did he have demons? In the dark of night, alone with his own thoughts, were they dirty? I really wanted to find out what made Mo tick. To get to know the man underneath this finely crafted façade.
11
Maurice
Going down on my friend’s eighteen-year-old daughter notwithstanding, I’d always considered myself a good person. Even now, involved in a fake marriage with said young woman, I was trying to be sensitive to the awkwardness of the situation, but somehow, I was fucking it up. I wasn’t surprised that she was hurt by my actions four years ago. Running off the way I did had to have the sting of rejection. But the more I tried to explain my side, the more it seemed to hurt her.
What was really unsettling was the desire to prove to her that she was wrong about my not being into her. She was beguiling. She was full of life. She was open, not afraid to share what she was thinking. I appreciated a woman who was honest with herself and me. Sure, it was annoying sometimes, as I found out daily working with Sinclair and Trina, who had no problem telling me what they thought. It was easier, in the long run, to know that than to try and guess what went on in women’s minds. It was refreshing to not have to try to read the signs.
I’d known Shelley was unhappy in our marriage for some time, but I didn’t know the specific problem, as she wouldn’t tell me. The only place she was open about her needs was in bed. Other than that, I was left to try and read her mind. The fact that she walked out suggested I’d been a poor mind reader. Or maybe I just gave up trying. The truth was when she left, it had been a bit of a relief.
Sitting with Brooke, having this delicious dinner, I was enjoying myself. I found myself loosening up. She was right in that she wasn’t a child anymore. That didn’t mean I’d act on the urge to kiss her again, but I didn’t need to act a certain way for her benefit.
“To answer your question, I think Stark will be annoyed, but I also doubt that he’ll take the hint and leave. For some reason, he has a hard-on for Salvation.”
Her eyes flashed with amusement at my use of the word hard-on.
“So, you think he’ll just find someone else’s land?” she asked.
I nodded. “Or a local business.”
“Will he retaliate against you or my dad?”
“Maybe. He crashed Sinclair’s wedding…the second one.”
“Second one?” she asked, arching her brow in intrigue.
“They got fake married, too.” I shook my head. Was there something in the water in Salvation that led to us going crazy and getting fake married?”
“They look so happy.”
“They are. They might have initially married in a ploy to stop Stark—”
“Like us.”
“Right. But they loved each other. Even then.” I remembered feeling the sting of rejection from Sinclair. I’d been biding my time until I wasn’t mayor to ask her out, and she’d known it. Today, I knew she’d done the right thing. I admired her, and we worked well together, but I doubt she and I would have had a future, even if Wyatt hadn’t returned.
“I think that’s romantic.” She had a wistful look on her face.
“Have you been in love, Brooke?” I asked, curious about her love life even as a part of me told me that it was a dangerous discussion.
She looked at me. “Yes.”
“What happened?”
Her gaze held mine for a minute, and I wondered if she’d been referring to me. But then she looked down. “He didn’t return the sentiment.”
“Then it wasn’t meant to be. You’re young. You’ll find someone who’ll value and love you like you deserve.”