Okay. Deep breath. I can do this.
17
Preston
Earlier that day
“Hey chief.” I walked into Chief Traywick’s office and closed the door. “You wanted to see me?”
“Yeah. Have a seat.” He looked up with a scowl on his face. “Have you talked to Hudson?”
“Briefly. He asked me to stop by if things weren’t too hectic here, so I should get a chance to actually sit down with him soon.” I walked over and took a seat in front of Chief Traywick’s desk.
“The mayor is losing his shit as I’m sure you can imagine. I just got off the phone with him, and he said he’s willing to forgive Hudson’s outburst. He’s even open to letting him return to the fire department, as long as there is an apology involved.” Chief Traywick put his hands behind his head and sighed. “I tried to call Hudson, but he didn’t answer.”
“So let me get this straight.” I folded my arms across my chest. “The mayor wants Hudson to apologize and beg for his job?”
“Yeah, pretty much.” Chief Traywick nodded. “I don’t even have to guess what your brother’s answer is going to be. I’m sure there will be a few expletives involved.”
“My brother is pretty stubborn, that’s for damn sure—and this shit has been bothering him for a while. Hell, it’s been bothering me too.” I shook my head back and forth. “It sounds like the mayor is scared of having a little competition in the next election.”
“Or this could be the only mercy your brother gets. Mayor Stevenson can be downright vicious when he’s backed into a corner.” Chief Traywick narrowed his eyes. “Your father knows that better than anyone.”
“What do you mean?” I blinked in surprise. “I know Dad didn’t like the way this town was ran, but he never had issues with the mayor, did he?”
“That’s not my story to tell, Preston.” Chief Traywick shrugged. “But there’s a reason he retired early—and why he’s been relatively quiet about the things he used to be so outspoken about.”
“Are you saying that the mayor did something to my Dad?” I leaned forward and felt my jaw tighten.
“You should talk to him.” Chief Traywick dropped his hands and nodded. “Why don’t you take the day off. Both of you need to understand the gravity of this situation, and if Hudson changes his mind, he’s got a chance to put all of this behind him before it really gets out of control.”
“Thanks.” I started to stand. “What about you? If Hudson does decide to run against Mayor Stevenson, will you support him?”
“I do what’s best for Andalusia—and sometimes those choices aren’t easy.” Chief Traywick pointed towards the door.
“Right…” I nodded as turned away from him.
I expected Mayor Stevenson to be angry at Hudson, but I hoped cooler heads would prevail once things settled down a little bit. I definitely didn’t expect an olive branch that quickly. I wanted to believe Mayor Stevenson was just trying to do the right thing, but I knew enough about how he ran the town to know otherwise. He didn’t do anything unless there was an agenda behind it that would benefit him in some capacity. I decided that I would go see my Dad first. He retired shortly after Hudson started working at the fire department and I got hurt. It was way too early for him to call it quits, but he told us he had made some good investments with his money and wanted to do something that wasn’t as stressful as being a firefighter.
Hudson and I thought it was a strange decision because our Dad always seemed to love being a firefighter. When he didn’t offer any additional information, we were forced to accept the explanation he gave us. That explanation wasn’t good enough anymore, and I needed to know the truth. I drove to his house and parked in the driveway. His girlfriend, Jenny’s car wasn’t there, so I assumed she was already at work. That would give me a chance to talk to my Dad without her interrupting, which might give me a chance to get the answers I needed.
“Good morning, Dad.” I smiled when he opened the door.
“Preston! Hey, come on in.” He pulled the door back. “I was just making some breakfast. Do you want some?”
“Sure.” I nodded as I walked into the house. “It’s been a while since I’ve had one of your famous loaded omelets.”
“Coming right up.” Dad grinned and headed towards the kitchen.
I had a casual conversation with my Dad while we ate breakfast and drank a couple of cups of coffee. I wanted to at least wait until we finished our food to talk about anything that would require him to focus on what I was saying. It had been a couple of years since I had eaten o
ne of his omelets, and it was like a memory as I dug in. He used to make them every morning when we were in high school—he said all the protein would help when we were in the weight room. After the meal was done, I told him what happened with Hudson. Dad listened with a shocked expression on his face, but he didn’t seem to be upset. After I told him what Chief Traywick said, his head dropped and sighed. There were definitely things that he hadn’t told us. That was clearly written on his face.
“Is Hudson serious about running for mayor?” Dad slowly lifted his head as he spoke.
“I think so.” I shrugged and nodded. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to him today, but he seemed pretty determined when I called him yesterday.”
“This isn’t a game.” Dad leaned back and picked up his cup of coffee. “Challenging Mayor Stevenson may have serious repercussions. Beating him isn’t going to be easy, and if Hudson loses—all of us are going to be looking for somewhere else to call home.”