Chapter Eight #2
Andrea retreated to the warm entrance of the Town Hall, where a few residents were in line holding their voters’ cards, and volunteers were checking names off a list. She offered a polite smile before slipping past them and heading to the single restroom, where she closed and locked the door, then stood at the mirror, looking at her expression reflected back at her—a mix of determination and something harder to define.
He’s not Harold, she reminded herself. Every interaction with Seth so far had been polite, respectful and warm, and laced with what she could tell was a mutual attraction that pulsed like an undercurrent between them.
Andrea closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She was in control. She was safe. There was no reason to let this unfounded anxiety take over.
A knock sounded at the door. “Just a sec,” Andrea called. She exited the washroom to find Angela Corey standing just outside, holding her purse and her voter’s card.
Angela’s face broke into a grin. “Andrea! Sorry, honey, I wasn’t sure if anyone was in there. You voted yet?”
“Not yet,” said Andrea. “I’ve been outside at the information booth. Not sure if you’ve heard, but there’s a—”
“A dino theme park!” Angela said emphatically. “I was just talking to that nice man outside.” She gave Andrea a sly grin. “Now, that man could sell me an empty box, I’ll tell you that much.”
Andrea grinned. “It’s a neat idea.”
“Look at you, getting all involved in every bit of town life.” She nodded her head approvingly.
“That’s what Tenacity needs. Young blood like yourself, willing to pitch in and make a difference.
” She shifted her gaze over Andrea’s shoulder.
“Speaking of which. There’s JenniLynn Garrett, come to cast her vote.
My grandson Ellis has mine. I think he’d do a great job for the town.
But JenniLynn is predicted to win. Just about everyone I’ve talked to is voting for her.
Don’t get me wrong. My grandson put up a good fight, and I hope he jumps back into the ring next time.
But I think if it’s JenniLynn, she’s gonna be great.
Whoever can get that fool Marty Moore out of here will make me happy.
” She rolled her eyes. “I’ll see you later, honey. ”
“Bye, Angela,” Andrea said. She watched as Angela crossed the foyer to greet JenniLynn, who’d dressed up in a nice navy-blue blazer for the occasion.
Andrea dug for the voter’s card she’d received in the mail a few weeks earlier, then approached the table and passed it to the volunteer.
The young woman scanned her license and checked her name off on the paper in front of her. “Here you go, Ms. Spence,” she said, then passed her a ballot and nodded toward the voter’s box. “You can make your selection there, then just pass it into the machine.”
Andrea clutched the paper in her hand and made her way into the voting booth.
Tenacity was her home now. And she was going to have her say.
When she rejoined Seth outside, his eyes underneath the brim of his Stetson were searching hers, as though he knew very well he’d said something that didn’t sit well with her. She had to do a better job managing herself.
“Hey,” she said. “I just cast my vote.”
He nodded. “Results are going to be announced at seven o’clock, on the front steps of Town Hall,” said Seth. “Are you planning on sticking around, or do you need to head home?” His words were careful, measured. Andrea relaxed. This wasn’t a man intent on controlling her. Still…
What she should do was go home and make a plan for the work she wanted to do for the rest of the week.
But the idea of being there to celebrate if JenniLynn won felt right.
And, if she was honest with herself, so did staying a little longer.
Despite the quiet alarm bells ringing about the undeniable pull she felt toward Seth, it had been ages since she’d let herself enjoy a night like this.
“How about a drink?” said Seth. He gestured down the street in the direction of the Tenacity Social Club. “We should celebrate all the great feedback today. It’s because of you that people seem open to this idea.”
Andrea smiled and shook her head but felt a subtle glow from Seth’s compliment.
“No way. You had them eating out of the palm of your hand. You’re good at making people feel reassured.
” And he had a knack for making her feel lots of other ways too.
She didn’t mention that she’d stumbled across a photo of him on the Taylor Beef website, or how she’d gone back to it more than once, just to admire the rugged allure of him commanding a herd on horseback in the open pasture.
“Either way,” he said, dipping his chin, his blue eyes alight with satisfaction, “I think this calls for a toast.”
“Alright,” said Andrea. “Let’s celebrate.”
They dropped the sign and the remaining information pamphlets off at Seth’s car, then descended the stairs into the Tenacity Social Club, which sat underneath the post office and barber shop.
The din of the pinball machine sounded amid the chatter of locals perched on stools at the old wood-plank bar drinking draft beer and whiskeys and Coke.
Beer signs on the wall cast the small space in a warm neon glow.
The floors were sticky and the whole place smelled a bit of stale beer.
Andrea glanced sideways to see Seth’s reaction.
Again, she was struck by the idea that it didn’t really seem like the kind of place he would frequent.
She pictured him drinking somewhere where you could order a beer, but it would arrive on a tray with a specially shaped glass designed to “capture the head” and “promote the aroma”—the kinds of things that would get laughed out of town around here.
A place with bar snacks like edamame and caviar with toast points, rather than the peanuts in shells in wicker baskets.
Then again, Seth was a rancher. She’d seen him so far in a perfectly cut suit as well as jeans and a flannel shirt, and he seemed fully comfortable in both, a fact that stirred something deep inside her.
He also seemed fully comfortable as he pulled out a chair for her at a two-seater high-top table. The gesture made her pause a moment before sitting. He’s not Harold. Being courteous didn’t make a man a chauvinist.
“You got the coffee. Drinks are on me,” Andrea said, turning to look at the draft list on the chalkboard by the bar.
“Alright,” Seth said, a twinkle in his clear blue eyes.
“I’ll have what you’re having.” And just like that, Andrea knew Seth was really nothing like Harold, and she felt like if she wanted to order a strawberry cooler, or a cosmopolitan, or even a root beer float with a spear of gummy worms for garnish, he wouldn’t bat an eye. Not that those were on the menu here.
“Two pints of Big Sky,” Andrea called to the bartender, who gave her a quick nod before grabbing two clean pint glasses and taking them to the taps. “Do you come here often?”
Seth shook his head. “I’ve been here a couple of times. This is actually where my brother met his boyfriend, Mike. He bartends here part-time. You?”
“Not yet,” said Andrea. “But I heard there’s live music here.”
“We should come listen to it sometime,” Seth said. “Or,” he continued, “we can go to the Holiday Hoedown together on Friday night.”
Andrea had been planning to attend the event on her own, but just because she was comfortable being solo at a social event didn’t mean she had to live a solitary life in Tenacity forever.
What harm would one date with Seth Taylor do?
After all, wasn’t this basically their second date, wrapped up in the guise of a business meeting?
“Sure,” she said, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips. “I’d like that.”
Seth’s gaze deepened with satisfaction, and he raised his pint glass in a quiet toast. “So, Friday night?”
Friday night was days away. Plenty of time to change her mind once the spell of his presence wore off and she was back to her usual routine. Still, in that moment, with the warm hum of the bar surrounding them, she picked up her glass and clinked it against his. “Friday night,” she agreed.
They drank their beer and talked about the dino park and the election, till Seth looked at his watch. “Only a few minutes until the announcement,” he said. “Shall we?”
Andrea paid the bill this time with no interference from Seth, which she appreciated, and they made their way back to the Town Hall, where many of Tenacity’s residents were congregated, all bundled up with an air of expectation hanging over them.
Everyone was assembled in front of an empty stage where a microphone was set up on a podium bearing the Town of Tenacity logo, as well as some red, white and blue bunting lining the platform.
“Let’s go stand over there,” Andrea said, pointing to an empty space with a good view.
Seth followed her through the crowd, his hand on the small of her hip.
Through the wool of her coat separated them, she couldn’t help but feel the warmth of his touch, as if it were pressed directly against her skin.
A municipal official took to the stage moments later and tapped on the microphone, and the buzz of the crowd quieted slightly.
“Good evening, everyone,” the man said. “I want to start off by thanking my staff, the good people of the township of Tenacity, who worked hard to make this election run smoothly and get your votes counted carefully and expediently.” A smatter of impatient applause sounded.
The man cleared his throat. “I’m pleased to announce your winner, by a slim but undeniable margin.
Please join me in congratulating the winner of Tenacity’s mayoral election, Mr. Marty Moore! ”
The reaction of the crowd was a mixture of celebration and a murmur of surprise.
People in Tenacity talked to one another, and it was clear, at least among everyone Andrea had spoken with, that the majority had planned to vote for anyone other than Marty Moore.
But then again, as Andrea well knew, people sometimes said one thing and did another.
Still, she was disappointed as she looked to the side of the stage and saw JenniLynn, as well as Ellis Corey and Graham Callahan, shaking Marty’s hand, trying their best to mask their disappointment.
Graham took to the microphone first. “I think I speak for all of us who ran for this position. We congratulate Marty Moore and look forward to having him take Tenacity to new heights.” He kept his speech short and sweet, and Ellis spoke next, not saying much of anything different, but wishing him well and thanking the crowd for their support.
When JenniLynn took the mic, someone shouted from the back of the crowd. “We love you, JenniLynn! Don’t give up!”
JenniLynn smiled a weak smile and waved, then leaned over the mic. “You haven’t seen the last of me,” she said, to a roar of applause from the crowd. “Congratulations to you, Mr. Mayor, and know that you have the full support of your town. Tenacity shows up for each other. Together.”
A loud round of applause followed as JenniLynn waved to the crowd and joined Ellis and Graham at the foot of the stage.
Marty scaled the steps with a winner’s bounce and barely acknowledged JenniLynn as he grabbed the mic from the podium.
“Fellow citizens of our fine town, I stand before you today not merely as the newly elected mayor of this charming and industrious community but as a testament to the enduring power of excellence.”
Andrea glanced over at Seth and raised an eyebrow. He shook his head.
Marty wasn’t finished. “It is with a sense of profound achievement that I accept this mantle of leadership, a role for which I have been both impeccably prepared and unreservedly destined.”
“Laying it on a little thick, isn’t he?” Seth murmured in her ear.
“Gross,” Andrea agreed.
“I intend to steer this town toward unprecedented prosperity, and I assure you that under my stewardship, mediocrity will not be tolerated. To my rivals, your efforts have served to illuminate the path to my victory, and for that, I am appreciative.”
Andrea glanced over at JenniLynn, whose face didn’t betray any emotion.
Seth scoffed. “Let’s get out of here, shall we?” he said.
“I’ve heard enough,” said Andrea, and together they wove their way back through the other residents listening to Marty’s pompous speech and mulling over the results of the election.
Away from the small crowd and under the glow of the streetlamp, Andrea dug through her purse for her keys, then turned to Seth before unlocking her car door.
“It’s funny,” she said. “I’ve only lived here for—what is it now—just over eight weeks.
But I’m disappointed about the results. I feel protective about the town. ”
Seth nodded. “It’s your home,” he said. “That makes sense.”
“It’s my home,” she echoed, the full truth of it truly settling in.
It might be a little rough around the edges, but for all its remoteness and a pace that crept along a little slower than she was used to, she liked Tenacity.
And she knew that part of her newfound attachment had something to do with the man standing in front of her, who had his eye on making it an even better place to be.
“Get home safe,” Seth said. “And don’t worry.
Marty Moore might be a blowhard. But he’s only one person.
And this town has a lot of other things going for it.
Including,” he dipped his chin a little, “a certain entrepreneur who’s going to be showing people from out of town what a great little place this is. ”
Andrea warmed at the compliment. “Thank you, Seth,” she said, then opened the door and slid into her front seat.
“Tomorrow,” he said, eyeing her car. “Let me give you a hand picking up those silent auction items. I’ve got another vehicle that has a bit more space than yours.
I’ll bring it when I come back to town tomorrow.
I’m supposed to be meeting up with Barrett Deroy and Brent Woodson.
They’re working on a foundation whose goal is to restore Tenacity to its earlier glory. You should join us.”
Andrea paused. Another full day with Seth? The alarm bells were still ringing, albeit a bit more faintly now. But while her Jeep was a decent size, she’d have to do a few trips to manage all the drop-offs. “You sure you don’t mind?”
“All in the name of supporting the Tenacity city rebuild fund,” Seth said. “And meeting with Barrett and Brent will only help our cause down the road.”
She knew, however, that it had more to do with her than the fundraiser and the park, but she was happy to go along with that story.