14. Iris
14
IRIS
I spend the night tossing and turning as I dream of Jake’s mouth all over my body. Whether he issued the words as a promise or a threat remains unclear.
Either way, my body aches with a yearning I’m not ready to name. I pull myself out of bed for a six a.m. run, then shower and head to the office.
Yeah, I know. Running at that hour is ridiculous unless a bear is after you, but it’s one of the few methods I’ve found—legally anyway—to quiet the voices in my head. Exhausted as I am from the aforementioned lack of sleep, the mental chatterboxes are having a field day with Jake being back in my life.
With a kiss that left me wanting more.
I’ve spent years building walls that kept me safe, that kept me from becoming the kind of reckless, impulsive mess my mom was. Jake makes it hard to remember all the reasons why I shouldn’t want more.
I make coffee once I get to the office. Jodi did it when her uncle was mayor, but the moment I was appointed, she informed me it was no longer her responsibility. I don’t deserve her hostility, but whatever she needs to get through the day. The truth is, I make a damn fine pot. So much so, staff from other floors come to our reception area to refill their cups all day long.
Acts of service have always been my love language, but until now I listened to the muffled voices of town employees enjoying my coffee skills through the closed door of my office. I’ve been under the apparently misguided perception that they understand Skylark means something to me, even if I’m not great at casual conversation. But I’m a quick study and determined to win people over, even one cup of coffee at a time.
By the time Jodi rolls in just after nine—she always stops at the local coffee shop for her morning brew—a small crowd has gathered around the coffee station.
“Hey, there.” I offer her a smile. “I know you’ve already got your caffeine fix, but let me know if you need a refill. We’re doing a Friday Funday coffee bar.”
“That’s not a thing,” she says, wrinkling her nose like I just offered her a dog turd.
I wink. “It is now.”
“Did you know the mayor put herself through college as a barista?” Heidi from the parks department asks. “She can do foam art. I got a tree.”
“Because you take such good care of the trees around town,” I confirm.
“I have work to do,” Jodi grinds out. “We can’t have people loitering like we’re a coffee klatch.”
I smile wider, ignoring her attitude. “That’s a great idea. What do you guys think? Once a month, let’s move the Friday Funday coffee bar into the conference room.” The half dozen people loitering in the office nod enthusiastically. “I’ll bring donuts and we can talk about…”
What are we going to talk about?
“Our weekend plans,” Heidi suggests. “There’s always something fun going on in Skylark.”
“That’s a perfect idea. So much fun .” I begin cleaning up the remnants of my impromptu coffee bar and incline my head toward Jodi. “You’re welcome to join us. Give your budget a break from those expensive coffees.”
“I didn’t buy my own coffee this morning.” Her smile is self-satisfied. “Someone bought it for me.”
I wait until everyone files out before asking, “So your coffee’s from a secret admirer?”
“No secret. Jake was in line and we started talking. He remembered me from the produce section.”
I force my hand to loosen the Hulk-style grip I have on the vanilla syrup bottle and return her smile. “Broccoli brings the world together.”
“Whatever works,” she answers, hanging her vest on the coat tree in the corner. “The Bistro Boys Band is playing this weekend after the rodeo. He asked me to go with him. On a date.”
“Sounds fun.” At the moment, I hate that word with the passion of a thousand burning suns.
She studies me for a long minute. “Are you jealous?”
Hell, yes.
“Of course not. Like I told you, Jake and I are dance partners because we’re both getting something from it. Actually, we ran into each other last night at Tony’s.”
She gives me a look like I just told her I climbed Mt. Everest since we last spoke. “What were you doing at Tony’s?”
“Karaoke. Isn’t that why everybody goes to Tony’s on a Thursday night?”
“You’re not everybody.”
Fair, but I don’t appreciate having it pointed out to me again. “Let’s focus. I mentioned you to Jake, and he seemed open to the idea of a date.”
“Wait, you were the one who suggested he ask me out?”
I shrug. “Just living up to my end of the bargain. I might have also mentioned that you frequent Skylark Roasters most mornings.” Okay, that’s not true, but if I’m going to take credit for the match, I might as well go all in.
“You’re really not interested in him?” she asks.
Don’t lie, my lady bits command. They are very interested in Jake. Especially after that kiss and feeling his hard length pressed against my body. His impressive length.
“We’ve already covered that. And you can say all you want about me not being fun or fitting in around here, but I’m a woman of my word. Jake and I have history, and it’s not good. We’d be a terrible match.”
“Picking bad matches never stopped your mother.” She crosses her arms over her chest.
“I’m not my mother.”
She nods. “My cousin is going to announce his campaign tomorrow at the rodeo.”
I groan. “That’s a pro move.”
“Everyone in town will be there, including you,” she says, then rifles through the papers on her desk and hands me a sheet.
I look down at the itinerary that has me kicking off the rodeo with a horse-drawn carriage ride around the arena. “This isn’t going to happen.”
“You weren’t at the rodeo this summer, either.”
“Because I’m allergic to horses.”
“On-board some allergy meds because you’re part of the main event. I’ve already said yes on your behalf.”
“You can’t say yes on my behalf. I didn’t know about it.”
She shrugs the same way I did earlier. “I’m holding up my end of the bargain, too. Joey plans to play up the fact that this community needs a mayor who supports local events.”
“I support the local community. There’s a line item in the budget for the Cows for Kids program.”
“Iris, you can’t just throw money at things. That isn’t enough. People around here want you involved.”
I think about all the hugs and back slaps I got after karaoke.
“Fine. I’ll stop by the pharmacy store this afternoon.”
“That’s the spirit.” She gives me a thumbs up, and it only looks a little bit like she’d rather be flipping me the bird.
I take it as a win. “Thanks for letting me know about your cousin’s plans.”
“As long as it doesn’t get back to my mom.” She takes a seat behind her desk. “She might disown me.”
I won’t argue whether it’s right for her mom to take out her bitterness on me. Even after so many years of watching it happen, I’m still not sure why my mother gravitated toward married men.
Elena Moore wasn’t the only wife to detest her. It didn’t matter that the men she cheated with were the ones in committed relationships, and I’m not going to pretend that made it right. Mom knew what she was doing.
I also don’t bother to explain to Jodi that much of my where-fun-comes-to-die vibe is actually anxiety. The uncertainty of never knowing how long we were going to stay in one place or who my mom was going to make an enemy out of in her quest for a good time.
That chaos taught me that love–or lust–are fleeting, conditional, and dangerous, but I built order out of that mess. But given the self-made mess that brought me back to Skylark, I have to wonder if that wild part of her lives in me, too, waiting to wreck everything I’m trying to hold together.
I turn for my office then whirl back around. “Can I ask you a question?”
She glances up from her computer screen. “You just did.”
“One more, then.”
“Can I stop you?”
That almost makes me smile. Almost. “Would your cousin be a good mayor?”
“I think so,” she admits after thinking it over a few seconds. “He’s a bit of a lone wolf but seems decent enough now. He was a dick as a kid…used to rip the heads off my dolls when my parents hosted Christmas.”
“Sounds like my brother,” I say with a laugh.
“Joey’s mom took off when he was around five, and his dad never got over it. They seemed to resent our family and Uncle Homer’s happy marriage, but it wasn’t like we got any closer after the scandal and my dad’s death.”
“But your mom supports him in the election?”
Jodi wrinkles her nose. “She supports you not being mayor. He hasn’t contacted me, so I don’t know why he’s doing this.” She flashes an awkward smile. “But I support you, and not just because of Jake. You do okay as mayor.”
“A ringing endorsement,” I murmur.
“Are you thinking of backing out of the election?”
Jodi sounds oddly bothered by the idea.
“No,” I lie. I’m thinking exactly that, as imposter syndrome and the fear of failure dance the cha-cha across my nerve endings. “In fact, I have a strategy meeting with Gloria before dance class this afternoon.”
Jodi nods. “She can help you.”
I hope so.
“But right now, I need your help,” she says, gesturing me forward.
Is hell freezing over or are Jodi and I becoming friends…or at least friendly?
She points to her computer screen. “What do you think of this dress?”
I always wonder what she’s working on so intently as she sits at her desk glaring at me. I’ve never asked or tried to get a peek since I wanted to respect her privacy. And not give myself a migraine thinking about how much work she isn’t doing.
Most of my suspicions about how she spends her day are confirmed by the number of open tabs—a mix of online shopping and social media sites. The dress she’s considering is a pale blue gingham with a deep-V neckline. It’s also short enough to function as a T-shirt, and Jodi has great legs.
“I’m thinking of this with my sparkly cowboy boots for the date with Jake. Is it too much?”
I can imagine his reaction to the dress, except the thought of it makes me feel mildly nauseous. Like I’ve made a terrible mistake encouraging this match. “You’ll look like a rodeo queen.”
She startles, and I immediately straighten. “Is that bad?”
“Not necessarily,” she answers with a sharp laugh. “I was supposed to be Skylark County Rodeo Queen the summer I turned sixteen. But my mom made me pull out of the competition. I was Lil Miss Skylark when I was ten and part of the princess court every year after that.”
“Why weren’t you the queen?” I ask the question even though I’m pretty sure I know the answer.
“Too many people were talking about our family. Mom thought laying low was the best idea. There was no question of me putting myself out there.”
“I’m sorry. I wish I could have stopped my mom.”
“Like I said, I spent a long time hating you for what she did,” she tells me. “My mom tried to rationalize things by saying your mom targeted my dad because she wanted a good man to be a father figure for her kids.”
“I wish my mom had considered Nick and me,” I admit, stepping back. “Having her cheat with a married man would have been the last thing either of us wanted.”
“I get that now.” She nods. “But back to the dress. It’s in stock at a shop in Fort Collins. Would it be okay if I take a long lunch to run up and get it?”
Since Jodi has set her own schedule I took office, I recognize her question as an olive branch and gladly take it.
“There’s not much on the calendar, and I’ll be back after my dance class. After you pick up the dress, take the rest of the day off.”
She beams at me. “Thanks. You’ll do great tomorrow.”
“I hope so.” I try not to look as panicked as I feel.
“Hey, Iris,” she calls out as I head toward my office.
“Yeah?”
“A little advice. Those shiny cowboy boots you wear whenever you think you need to look the part of a Coloradan? Bang them up a bit. You’ll look more like a local with scuffed boots than ones you keep in a box on your closet shelf.”
“Pro-tip.” I offer a genuine smile. “Thanks.”