“Oh, come on, your boss is your husband.”
I leaned in, hoping I wasn’t making a big mistake by confronting her. “You might consider reporting real news, Ms. Edmonds. At the very least, respect people’s privacy.”
“The mayor is news.”
“The mayor’s actions and policies that impact Salvation are news. Reporting on his private life makes you a gossip columnist. Is that what you are? Is reporting real news too hard or too boring, so you’re resorting to peeping through keyholes to find a story that is no one’s business?”
Her eyes flashed with irritation, suggesting I’d hit a nerve.
“Why aren’t you writing about how the schools don’t have enough money for books in their libraries? You could actually do some good there.”
“Your defensiveness makes me suspicious,” she said, arching a brow.
“I’m not defensive. I’m angry that you’d corner me while I’m getting my coffee to inquire about gossip instead of real news. You seem articulate and intelligent enough to not have to debase yourself by writing about people’s personal business. Or, are you like Stark? Or maybe you’ve been hired by Stark. Is that why you’re here? Is this your version of crashing Sinclair’s wedding? You’ve really fallen as a journalist if that’s the case.”
Her jaw tightened. “You’ve made your point, Ms…Mrs. Valentine.”
I flinched at her calling me Mrs. Valentine. I’d never thought about myself as that, and yet, that’s who I was.
“I have to say, though, your reaction suggests there’s more to this story.”
“Of course, you would. Meanwhile, the schools’ libraries still need books, but will you write about that? Will you help in the effort to make money to remedy that?” I gave her a disappointed and dismissive look, and then turned and hurried out.
My heart was beating a million miles a minute as I worried that I might have made things worse. What if she wrote about the marriage? I needed to warn Mo. What would he do? He couldn’t deny it. She’d found the marriage certificate. And what was the big deal, anyway? Sure, it might cause talk that the mayor married his young assistant. He’d be embarrassed about being a cliché, but so what?
As I entered the office, I had to consider that maybe this was a good thing. Perhaps, forced out into the open, Mo would confront his worries, and we’d come out the other end a happy couple.
27
Maurice
It was ridiculous how good I felt. Except for that Frank would still kill me and I’d look like a letch for being with a woman nearly half my age, being with Brooke was fucking fantastic. I don’t remember coming as hard or as often as I had with her last night. Not even with Shelley, who, admittedly, was pretty good in the sack.
Brooke might have been inexperienced, but she was a natural when it came to sex. All the times I’d imagined her sucking me off while I jerked off in the shower paled in comparison to the real thing. Even thinking about it now made my dick twitch.
But it wasn’t just the sex. Brooke was a sweet and intelligent woman. She wasn’t afraid to speak her mind, but she didn’t do it in that bossy, condescending way that Shelley always had. Brooke respected me and my need to continue to keep our situation a secret for the time being.
I didn’t know what I thought would happen by tempting myself by marrying her. I supposed I hoped I’d be able to keep my hands off her and treat her as the friend that Frank was expecting me to. I’d made an effort at that, but now that Brooke and I were well beyond being just friends, I had to concede that Frank needed to know. Not that I was fucking her, but that I had fallen for her.
Jesus, just thinking of that made my insides go haywire. Some from the excitement of it but also dread about the fallout. One thing was clear; I wanted to be with her, and that meant Frank needed to be told, and I’d have to endure whatever the town happened to think about the relationship. Since I wasn’t running for office again, I suppose it wouldn’t matter in the long run that the townspeople thought I was a cradle robber.
Feeling good, I walked into the office and noticed Trina at her desk. Remembering that Brooke told me Trina had verbally attacked her, I decided it was time to deal with the admin’s behavior. She’d always been a prickly one, but I couldn’t a
llow her to abuse Brooke or anyone in the office.
I strode over to her desk. “What is your problem with Ms. Campbell?” I demanded, leaning over her desk.
She didn’t seem particularly concerned about my tone when she answered. “My problem is that she’s doing my job. I don’t appreciate having my duties reassigned without you consulting me.”
Anger flared, partly at her, but also at me for allowing her to go so long without a reprimand for her behavior. “I don’t need your permission to assign jobs. I’m the fucking mayor.”
She flinched at the venom in my tone. Good. She finally recognized who the boss was.
“I know your friend will likely be mayor after me, but I am right now, I have the authority to divvy out tasks as I see fit. I also have the right to be pissed that one of my staff is creating a hostile workplace for other staff.”
She blinked, and for a moment, I wondered if she was going to cry. “Of course, you can reassign work. I’d appreciate knowing when you do it. Otherwise, you’re paying two people to do the same work. The taxpayers probably wouldn’t like that.”
Anger flared hotter and, “You’re fired,” sat on the tip of my tongue at her insolence.