21. Special Preview Disaster Planning by Rose Bak
A Midlife Instalove Romance
I stared at the computer monitor, rubbing my temples. These damned spreadsheets always gave me a headache. I’d much rather be outside doing something active, but a mayor’s work was never done, even in a tiny town like Lawson.
My family had founded this town over a hundred years ago, eager to carve out some space in the mountains where they could engage in activities they loved, like hunting, fishing, and running illegal distilleries. As the town grew during the first half of the nineteen hundreds, we’d eventually gone legit. Mostly.
Our town had just over two thousand residents now, and every one of them was a little bit crazy. But in a good way. I’d lived here my whole life, other than my four-year stint in the Army. We were ideally situated: just far enough away to have the privacy most of us craved, but close enough that we could drive down to Denver for the day if we wanted.
I’d trained as an architect, but somehow, I’d wound up as mayor after my father passed away. I couldn’t say I particularly liked the job, but when you’re called to public service, you go. I guess I hadn’t been surprised when the citizens of Lawson had demanded I run for mayor after my father’s death, what with me being the eldest Lawson son, but I wasn’t thrilled about it either.
The part I hated the most was the administrative work, and I had a full day of it scheduled. I was startled out of my focus on the quarterly budget report by a knock on the door. I knew without looking up whoever was at the door wasn’t a Lawson resident. No one who lived here would bother with knocking. We weren’t much on ceremony up here in Lawson.
Glancing up, I saw a fuzzy figure and my entire body started buzzing. That was weird. I hoped I wasn’t having a heart attack. That was what had killed my father when he was only a few years older than me.
I removed my reading glasses and the woman in the doorway came into focus. She had a look that I’d call “girl next door”. She looked to be about average height, with dark brown hair pulled back into a ponytail and large blue eyes fringed by dark lashes. Her skin was white and smooth, her expression completely neutral. I couldn’t peg her age, but I’d guess late thirties, maybe early forties. Definitely younger than my fifty years.
The woman was wearing plain khaki pants, heavy duty snow boots, and a dark green puffy coat open to reveal a white button-down blouse. Her clothing was utilitarian, but that didn’t stop me from noticing curvy hips and breasts that looked like a nice handful.
“Are you Christopher Lawson?”
Her voice was a little deeper than I would have expected, a little sultry, and it did funny things to my stomach. There was something about her that I couldn’t define. It was a feeling, almost like I’d known her forever, which was impossible, because I’d never seen her before in my life. I was quite certain I would not forget meeting her.
“Yes. Who are you?”
“I’m Stephanie Holly from the Colorado Department of Emergency Management.”
My fascination with her immediately turned to irritation.
“How the hell did you get in here?” I asked, as if the city offices were Fort Knox.
A tiny line formed between her arched eyebrows, the only sign that she was irritated at my response.
“The door was open, and no one was in the lobby.”
Oh yeah, my receptionist and assistant would have gone to lunch by now. Or wandered down to the coffee shop up the street to gossip with her friends for a while.
“You should have made an appointment.”
She strode confidently into my office, as if she owned the place.
“I requested an appointment with you several times, a request which you ignored,” she reminded me. “You left me with no choice but to come up here unannounced.”
I gave her my best glare, the one that had earned me the nickname “Mayor Mc Grumpy”. It had no effect on her. She stopped in front of my desk, and I had a brief flash of myself laying her down on the scarred wooden surface and making her mine.
Where had that come from?
The bureaucrat sat herself down in one of the chairs facing my desk, making herself at home.
“As you’ve been repeatedly notified, Mayor Lawson, your town is not in compliance with the state legislature’s directive to create a comprehensive disaster plan, leaving you in jeopardy if there’s a natural or manmade disaster here in your town.”
“We don’t need a fancy plan Ms. Holly. Here in Lawson, we take care of our own.”
“Oh really?” one eyebrow arched up. “So, if there’s a train derailment on those tracks that run a few miles from here and toxic chemicals are released into Lawson’s air, you and your neighbors know what to do to take care of yourselves?”
I stared at her stonily as she continued.
“If there’s an earthquake here in the mountains which closes all the roads, you have a plan to provide food and medical care for up to six months while the region recovers? Helicopters won’t be able to get up here with all the forest surrounding you. What if an enemy nation bombs Denver, are you prepared for the nuclear fall-out? And what if an attack on the satellite grid takes down all your communications and electricity, leaving your community dark and cut off from civilization? You’re ready for that too?”
I felt my jaw drop open.
“Lady, you have a dark and disturbing imagination.”
“I assure you Mayor Lawson, these are real threats that can occur anywhere, including your little town. That’s why an emergency plan is so essential.”
I felt the first stirring of unease. Maybe I should have read all the information the state had been sending me the last two years. Those were scenarios that had never even crossed my mind. Then I remembered how much I hated all those state bureaucrats.
“Look Lady---,” I started.
“That would be Ms. Holly,” she said icily.
“Look Miss Holly,” I said, deliberately ignoring her use of the honorific ‘Ms.’ as my eyes dropped to her bare left hand. “I don’t need help from you or anyone. I’m a grown man who depends solely on himself.”
We were interrupted by my assistant bustling into the office. Sending a curious glance at Stephanie Holly, she walked over to my desk and placed a brown bag on the surface.
“Here you go sweetie, I brought you lunch. One peanut butter sandwich, one turkey, just like you like.” She squeezed my shoulder. “I got you a cookie too.”
“Thanks Mom,” I mumbled.
The bureaucrat across from me broke into a smile that took my breath away. I stared at her, feeling a thunderbolt that felt a lot like love, which made no sense at all. There was no such thing as love at first sight.
The warm feelings faded as she glanced at my lunch.
“What was that about being a grown man who depends only on himself, Mayor Lawson?”
***