“Take care of me?” I bit down on my lip and raised my eyebrows in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“You would never want for anything. This entire town would belong to you. We would satisfy you in every way, show you how much we adore you, and treat you like the ravishing beauty you are.” Mayor Danvers looked to Sheriff James. “Right?”
“Exactly that.” Sheriff James nodded. “I know it might be a bit unconventional, but nothing in Granite Falls is conventional. We’ve got a house on the edge of town. The bank foreclosed on it years ago and nobody has put in a bid on it, but we’d like to make it your castle—your home in Granite Falls.”
“Um...” I felt a lump rising in my throat. “Are you wanting me to...”
“We want to take care of you.” Sheriff James reiterated with a firmer tone. “In return, you’ll take care of us.”
“I...” My words got tangled in my mouth. “I don’t think I’m the right girl for that.”
“You are.” I heard the door open and I turned around to see Axe entering.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Sheriff James started to stand.
“I asked him to come.” Mayor Danvers raised his hand.
“Samantha...” Axe walked towards me with a smile on his face and knelt down beside my chair. “I saw how special you were when I met you. I wanted you all to myself and I’ll admit it was a bit greedy considering how things are in Granite Falls, but what Mayor Danvers is proposing could be a wonderful arrangement for you. Imagine—you’ll never wake up wondering if you’re loved—never have to worry about the complexities of life. Everything will be provided for you and we will shower you with love and affection.”
“This seems really strange.” I looked at Axe and tilted my head. “Is this because I didn’t sleep with you? I’m a virgin, Axe. I can’t climb into bed with someone I just met...”
“Wow...” Sheriff James whistled through his teeth. “You really are special.”
“Something brought you to Granite Falls.” Axe took my hand rubbed my knuckles. “There is a reason you’re here. Let us show you how amazing life could be for you.”
“I can’t do this.” I pulled my hand away. “I need to go.”
“Here.” Mayor Danvers quickly wrote something on a piece of paper. “Come have dinner with us tonight. No strings attached—just a meal.”
“I don’t know.” I sighed heavily, but took the paper.
MY MIND WAS RATTLED with confusion when I left City Hall. I couldn’t believe they had actually asked me to remain in Granite Falls and partake in their strange arrangement. I felt like I needed a drink, but I didn’t want to go to The Water Barn so I just stopped at the gas station and got a cheap bottle of wine. I got back to my hotel room and locked the door, drinking from it as soon as my butt was on the bed.
My life hadn’t exactly gone as I had planned. I dreamed of growing up, finding a nice man, getting married, and raising a tribe of our babies. I was content with the idea of being a soccer mom. I met a man online while I was still in college and I thought he was the one—even if he was nothing but an image on the computer screen. I later found out he was just a guy I went to school with who was obsessed with me and he didn’t look anything like his profile picture. I didn’t believe anyone should be judged for their looks, but the deceit was too much for me to handle. I didn’t feel like I could trust him when I realized I had been lied to for over a year. After that, I had a series of bad dates—some of which could have been better if I wasn’t scared of losing my virginity to someone who would end up hurting me.
Drink. Forget this and just drink.
The wine kept flowing into my stomach, a bigger gulp going down each time I turned the bottle up, and before long it was empty. I couldn’t deny being a bit infatuated with the idea of Axe liking me. He was incredibly delicious, even if he did venture on the wrong side of the law. Mayor Danvers looked like he was a cardboard cutout of the perfect clean-cut man and if I met him first, I would have probably considered a date with him if he asked. Sheriff James was a bit older than the two of them, but age hadn’t done anything to distract from his appearance. I wasn’t even sure if the mayor was suggesting they would be the only ones to take care of me or if he was looping in others I had met. Steve, the sheriff’s brother, was hot—so was his friend Major, but both of them seemed a bit damaged. None of it made sense. I put the wine bottle on the table and saw the piece of paper with the address Mayor Danvers gave me.
Would it hurt to have dinner with them? Am I actually considering this crazy proposal?
I stood up and found my knees wobbly as I opened my suitcase. It was like someone else picking out my clothes and leading me towards the mirror to get dressed. In my head, I rationalized what I was doing. If I had dinner with them, I could show them I was nothing more than a timid virgin who couldn’t possibly fulfill their fantasies. I could put all of the craziness behind me and leave Granite Falls once my tire was fixed. Once I was dressed in the only decent thing I brought, a black dress with matching heels, I started towards the door. I felt a bit buzzed, but after clacking down the stairs in heels, it had started to wear off.
I walked outside and started to look around for my car—it was gone! Panic quickly rose up in my throat. Had it been stolen? Was this more of their game—to make sure I came to dinner? I turned to go back into the lobby when I saw a car pull up. The window rolled down and saw the face of Luther Madison peering out of it.
“Do you need a ride?” He flashed a smile and pushed open the passenger door.
“What? Where is my car?” I took a step back.
“Steve had it towed. It’ll be fixed tomorrow. Come to dinner, Samantha. If you don’t like what we have to say, you can leave Granite Falls tomorrow.” He gave me a hopeful stare.
“You’re in on this too?” I felt my mouth fall open in shock.
“Just give it a chance—one meal.” He smiled again.
I can’t believe I’m doing this.
Chapter 6: Mayor Joe Danvers