Midlife Love Story

“A meal as a way to say thank you?”

“Um, yeah,” I swallowed nervously.

“How can I resist?” I could hear the smile in her voice and I smiled in return, wishing we were on a video call so I could see her face.

“You can’t?” I wasn’t sure if she meant the offer was too good to turn down, or that she couldn’t say no because I’m the mayor and her wedding planning assistant.

“I rarely turn down a good meal, especially if it’s free, and especially if the company is good. So you figure out all the details, do a little planning, to prepare yourself for your upcoming wedding planning.”

I groaned at her reminder. Carlotta laughed again. “It won’t be so bad, I promise. I’m very good at my job, Mayor Chase.”

“I’m very good at my job too, but it doesn’t happen to be wedding planning.”

“You’re good at details though, and that’s mostly what I need from you, Chase. You’ll see. I’m happy you like your new shelves, maybe I’ll pop by one day soon to get a look at them myself.”

The call ended before I could tell her to stop by anytime, and still I smiled. That woman was a whirlwind, but she was a fun whirlwind who spoke her mind.

Even though we were just friends, the more time I spent with Carlotta, the more I grew to like her.

Chapter 7

Carlotta

I was going to have dinner with a man.

Okay that man was Chase, mayor of Carson Creek. But he was still a man, and he was still taking me out to dinner, so it counted. Of course, that was probably because I hadn’t been on an actual date in about a million years, so anything that was close to a date, or date-adjacent, I would accept with open arms.

It was just Chase, and I didn’t mean that in a disparaging way, only that Chase and I were friends. Strictly friends. But I was also a friend who loved to get dressed up like every single day was a special occasion, it was one of the habits my mama taught me that stuck. I browsed my closet in search of something that wasn’t too sexy, but not at all demure. Something that was eye-catching and would boost my confidence, but not so much that I gave Chase the wrong idea.

Eventually, with just thirty minutes to spare, I settled on a red slip dress that showed off my curves and hid the extra inches around my middle. I paired the outfit with my favorite black stilettos, they had gold heels, and I loved them to death. After I touched up my hair and makeup, I was ready to go. With just fifteen seconds to spare.

I took advantage of being ready early with a long, slow, studious perusal of my reflection, making sure not one hair was out of place and not one speck of lipstick stained my teeth.

I looked good.

I felt good.

But I also felt something else. Off. Nervous, even.

It was a strange sensation that I didn’t want to think too hard about. Thankfully I didn’t have to, because the doorbell rang at seven o’clock sharp, because this was Chase, and the man was as punctual as they came.

My black stilettos didn’t fail me as I hurried down the stairs, stopping at the door for one last, long deep breath before I opened the door with what I hoped was a friendly smile.

“Chase, holy hotness! You look…good.” Good was an understatement, but it wouldn’t be right to pant over a nice man taking me out to dinner as a gesture of gratitude. “You look nice, Chase.”

“Thanks,” he answered nervously, unable to stop the blush that crept up his neck and face. His hands moved nervously down his dark green blazer with the navy blue vest underneath, down to his dark jeans with a crisp crease down the center. He looked chic. And sexy. Two things I had never associated with Chase until this moment.

I need to get a real date if I’m lusting after the grumpy mayor.

“Come on in,” I told him in a breathy voice I didn’t recognize. “I just need to grab a sweater and my purse.” I rushed upstairs and came back down in less than two minutes, breathless, anxious, excited and ready to go. “Ready?”

Chase turned and I saw the heat flare in his eyes when he took in my appearance. Those green eyes took a long, slow journey from head to toe and back to my face again. “You always look great Carlotta, you know that, but this is…wow.”

“Wow? I’ll take it, and cherish that compliment, Mayor Chase.”

His lips quirked up into an amused grin and he held out his arm for me. “Shall we?”

“Sure. Yes. I mean, let’s go.” He flashed a wobbly smile that straightened when I took his arm.