Her gaze was suspicious as she studied. “I’m still not going to support Wallace, so you can take your money and—”
“I’m not asking for anything in return. The money is for your library. You don’t have to name it after me or do anything for me. In fact, it’s probably better that you keep my name out of it. If people knew where the money came from, they might not support you in this effort.”
“What’s the catch?” she asked.
“No catch. I know people’s opinion of me and to be honest, I don’t know that I’ve done anything that bad in an effort to get my foothold in town. The only exception is bringing your ex-fiancé back. That was beneath me and I’m sorry.”
Tucker tilted his head as he studied me. “I knew it. I knew it someday love would show you the way.”
“Love?” Holly asked.
“We heard you got married, but you know how this town is about marriage.” Tucker laughed “Although even fake, they turn out, don’t they, baby?”
“Yes, they do.” She smiled, and it was filled with love for Tucker. I longed for Erica to smile at me like that. At one time she did, but I fucked that up royally.
“I will concede that love is good. But Ms. Edmonds and I won’t be staying married.”
Tucker frowned. “Why not?”
I inhaled a breath. “Because I love her and she deserves better.”
I left Tucker and Holly, and got into the car.
“Where to next?” Marvin asked from the front seat.
“To Jay Wallace’s. Since I’m not on a honeymoon as planned, we can spend this time prepping him for next week’s debate and then hope he loses.”
The following week, I was sure I was going to get my wish. Wallace said all the right things, but he didn’t have the passion that Sinclair Jones had. He looked like a man who was spoon fed the answers. A puppet. Of course, that’s what he was. He was my puppet. Or he would have been if he won and if I wanted to make him do my bidding. But all the air had gone out of my wheeling and dealing. I just didn’t care that much anymore.
For the last week, I lay in bed, trying to figure out how I could manipulate Erica back into my life. Except I didn’t want her with me because I’d paid for her or coerced her. It was fucking frustrating to want to earn something that I didn’t deserve to have.
When they finished, the candidates took questions from the audience.
“Rumor has it that you’re in that jerk Stark’s pocket, Wallace. Is that true? How can we be sure you’ll do what’s best for us versus what’s best for him?” Someone asked.
Wallace had practiced this. “We’re all citizens of Salvation and we all want what’s best.”
“Oh, come on, Jay,” Sinclair said. “That’s not true. Stark doesn’t care at all about farmers. He doesn’t care about anything but getting us under his thumb.”
“That’s not true.”
My heart jumped. I knew that voice. I turned in my chair to see Erica standing at the back of the auditorium.
“Ms. Edmonds, you’ve been investigating Stark. How can you stand there and deny what he’s done?” Sinclair asked.
“What has he done? He came to town with the support of the governor and the current mayor in an attempt to bring in jobs. Was he a bit heavy handed about it? Maybe.”
“Maybe?” Sinclair scoffed.
“That prison would have employed a thousand people, many of whom are leaving town,” I said. But Sinclair and others at the meeting weren’t buying it. The challenges kept coming, and for each I had an answer as I walked up the center aisle toward the stage. After all, Sinclair had fake married Wyatt, and hadn’t initially told him he was Alyssa's father. Ryder could have turned down Simon’s money, but instead he took it and put his financial future for him, Trina and their child in order. Mo was now happily married because he fake married to thwart Simon’s purchase of her father’s farm. Even Holly seemed okay with Simon’s admittedly asshole move in bringing her ex back, as she was now planning to get married to Tucker. And she and Tucker weren’t squeaky clean as they’d fake married to get money from Mrs. Reynolds.
I wondered if I was in the twilight zone. Why was she taking my side?
“We all know that somehow Stark got to you,” Sinclair said, trying to say it sympathetically. “But he’s conniving and deceitful.”
“And you aren’t,” Erica shot back.
There was an audible gasp. Sinclair flinched and looked to the front row where her husband, daughter, and rest of her family sat.