Midlife Love Story

“I can assure you that is not the case.” To prove my point, I waved her in to have a seat. “Dammit,” I growled and stood, rushing around the desk to remove the stacks of folders and books taking up the seat I’d just offered to her.

She looked around the cluttered office with a blank expression. “Are you getting ready to move offices?”

“I wish,” I grumbled. “I need more shelving in here, but I don’t want to forfeit my workspace or my peace and quiet for a full week just to get them done.” CJ had said the contractor would take a week to complete the project, so I put it off again, and again.

Carlotta said nothing for a long moment as she looked around my cluttered office, nodding as if taking notes inside her head. “Okay. Hang on.” She held a finger up and pulled out her phone, thumb swiping quickly while she ignored me. I opened my mouth to growl at her for stopping by uninvited only to make a phone call, but her next words stopped me.

“Hey Grady, it’s Carlotta.” She laughed and tilted her head back, almost in a flirty way.

Grady? The bartender? Were they seeing each other?

“I’m good, thanks for asking. How are you?” She listened with a smile as the bearded bartender said whatever he said. “That’s good to hear. If you want to throw an event to advertise it, I’ll give you the friend’s discount.” She laughed again and my nostrils flared. “Right. Does your barback still do construction and carpentry? Because I need a small job done for a big client, and it’s gotta be done over one weekend.” She set her red purse down and pulled out a small, flowered notepad and pen to jot down some things in a quick scribble. “Perfect. Thank you, I’ll call right now.”

She turned to smile at me before she went right back to her phone and dialed another number. “Jameson? It’s Carlotta.”

“Another call?”

She turned to me and pointed to the phone. “Yep, that’s me, the lady with the dresses.” She laughed and rolled her eyes, before asking a few questions about something I didn’t pay attention to, because her lush red lips moved nonstop, and I couldn’t look away. “You can? That’s great! I’ll give Mayor Carson your phone number so you guys can talk details. Thanks again Jameson.” Whatever he said made her blush. “I’ll keep that in mind. See you soon.” Carlotta ended the call and dropped the phone back into her bright red purse as she turned to me with satisfied grin. “Ask and you shall receive.”

I blinked. “But I didn’t ask for anything.” Had I?

“Didn’t you?” Her gaze swept the room again. “I guess I must have heard what you were thinking, then.”

“Um, thanks for whatever that was.”

She laughed and walked over to me, removing the stack of books and papers from my hand and setting them on the floor beside the chair. “That was a friend doing a favor for a friend. We’re friends aren’t we Chase?”

I’d known her my entire life, but we hadn’t exactly been friends because of the age difference. As kids it seemed so vast, but lately it didn’t seem to matter as much. “I would say acquaintances, but those are a type of friends, so sure, we’re friends.”

“I appreciate your honesty Mr. Mayor.”

She did? Most people didn’t appreciate my honesty, or what they deemed my constant briskness. “Thank you. I think.”

Her big brown eyes stared at me and for the first time I noticed they were shaped like almonds, giving her a slightly exotic appearance. Had Carlotta always been so pretty? I wasn’t sure about before, but I’d noticed a lot over the past week. “We have a few matters to discuss.”

“We do?”

She nodded and reached inside what I now knew must be a clown purse, because the giant binder she pulled out from said purse couldn’t have possibly been in there. “Yes, we have a wedding to plan.”

I groaned and dropped my forehead to my desk. “I thought, or maybe I hoped that Pippa had forgotten. New mom brain or something.”

“Sorry, but she didn’t forget. In fact, Pippa called me to let me know you were my planning buddy in her place, just to make sure you didn’t wiggle out of it.” She dropped the thick binder on my desk with a thud. “I assure you that I won’t forget either.”

Carlotta was a force of nature, and I knew that first hand when she last marched up to my office to tell me that she was planning my election night party, and then months later, my inauguration party. She didn’t ask, she told me, insisted it would be perfect. And it was.

So today I watched her lips pull into a slow, satisfied grin as I gave my reluctant acceptance of what was to come. “What do I need to do?”

She relaxed into the chair and crossed her legs. “Input mostly,” she said with a sympathetic smile. “I have some clue about what Pippa wants, but when it comes to things like favorite cake flavors, colors, themes and things like that, I’ll be counting on you.”

Yeah, okay. “Pippa lives here in town, so why do I have to do this?”

“Because,” she sighed with infinite patience. “Pippa has a brand new baby, which means she probably won’t get much sleep and when she does, it won’t be during regular hours. I’ll do the heavy lifting, but when you stop by to see Ryanna, you can get her approval on things.” Carlotta sucked in a deep breath, a move that made her ample cleavage swell. She let it out slowly. “I know it seems odd, but I don’t have time to go back and forth while planning other events.”

I nodded. Her explanation made perfect sense. Sort of. “How am I supposed to know what kind of cake she wants for her wedding?”

She shrugged. “For starters, she’s your sister.”

True. “And if you wanted to know what kind of cake she liked at sixteen, I could tell you. She hasn’t lived in Carson Creek for years, and I’m just getting to know her again.”