Chapter 9 #2
“As much as I love feeling up her daughter, I don’t want to feel her wrath.” He nudged along her collarbone, moistening the skin with his wet kisses. “I know it’s a drive, but do you want to come over to my place once the game is over? Please, don’t say anything but yes.”
“Yes,” Paxton said, loving the desperation in his voice. It matched what she was feeling.
Goodness, why had she fought this for so long?
“I’ll see if Donovan can take over for me behind the bar. Then I’ll follow you in my car.”
“You know,” he said, pulling her closer and trailing his tongue along the seam of her lips, “you could just pack up enough clothes for the week. You wouldn’t have to worry about that long commute. Hell, we could decide not to go into the office at all. Just work naked in bed all day.”
The thought of that set Paxton on fire, but she knew she couldn’t. Spending the night was one thing. Spending the week was something she would need more time to process before she agreed to do it.
“I doubt any work would get done,” she said. “Maybe we should leave the naked fun to the weekend.”
Sawyer growled his disapproval, then pulled her bottom lip between his teeth, biting gently before taking her lips in another long, decadent kiss that had her humming with need.
The unmistakable squeak of the bar’s back screen door put an end to their sexy party.
“Pax?” Belinda called.
Paxton and Sawyer broke apart like a couple of teenagers who had been caught necking. A flutter of excitement lifted her belly. She’d never had the experience of being caught with a boy back in high school.
“Paxton?” Belinda repeated, walking over to them.
“I was just on my way,” Paxton said. She and Sawyer were both grinning at each other. “I’ll see you in a little while,” she said.
He gave her another kiss, waved goodbye to her mom, and headed for the parking lot.
“How serious is this thing with Sawyer Robertson?” Belinda asked. “What’s really going on between you two?”
Paxton looked at her with a raised brow. “You sure you want to know? We share a lot, but I’m not sure you want to hear about the really good sex I’m having. I usually save that kind of talk for Shayla.”
The sight of Belinda’s stern jaw made Paxton feel as if she were a teenager again.
“I told you already that you don’t have to worry about me,” she said, pulling her mother in for a hug. “It’s adorable that you still do, but really, Mom, I can take care of myself.”
Belinda frowned. “It sounds strange to hear you call me Mom,” she said. “Stick with Belinda. That, I’m used to.” Her face became serious again. “Be careful. I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“Sawyer won’t hurt me.” Paxton shook her head. “My heart is well guarded. You taught me how to do that.”
“Well, at least I was good for something,” her mother said.
“If I had to list all the things you’re good for, we’d be here until next week.
Now, let’s get back to work, so I can get out of here,” Paxton said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and heading for the bar.
She bumped Belinda with her hip. “I’ve got good sex waiting for me at the end of my shift. ”
Her mother slapped her on the arm. “Stop trying to make me jealous.”
Paxton pulled into the parking lot of the high school auditorium, the only place in town that was big enough to hold tonight’s town hall meeting. Her mouth fell open at the sight of all the cars already crowding the parking lot.
“And here I thought I was early for once,” she muttered.
She’d known there would be some interest, but she never imagined a meeting about the mundane technical details of a flood-protection system would suddenly be the hottest ticket in town.
She spotted Sawyer standing in front of his open trunk. He waved her over and pointed to a spot two places down. By the time she reached his car, he had an armful of topography maps.
“Hey there,” he said, closing the trunk with his elbow.
“Thanks for saving me a spot,” Paxton said. She reached over to help alleviate some of his burden, but he moved the maps out of her reach.
“I’ve got this.” He looked over both shoulders, then gave her a swift but deep kiss. “But this is what I need.”
“Stealing kisses in the school parking lot?”
The devilish grin that slipped across his lips held so many naughty promises. “Don’t you remember I played baseball, too? Stealing bases was my specialty. But I much prefer stealing kisses, especially yours.”
Paxton leaned over and whispered in his ear, “For future reference, you don’t have to steal them.
” Then, despite his protest, she slipped several of the cylindrical cartons from his hold and started for the brick building.
“It looks like this is the place to be tonight,” she called over her shoulder.
“Interest is high,” Sawyer said. “News broke about the potential change in the flood zones. Everyone is concerned about what it may mean for insurance rates.”
Paxton’s footsteps halted. She slowly turned to face him. “How did that get out?”
He shrugged. “Small town. Someone may have heard us talking about it at The Jazzy Bean.”
“Are people upset or just curious?”
“Both.”
She pitched her head back and groaned. “I do not need this.”
“It doesn’t matter what you’re doing. You’ll always have at least a few community members who will have a bone to pick with you.”
“Sure, but I’m used to folks being upset over the inconvenience caused by construction. You know, roads being closed around the site and things like that. I’m not used to dealing with hostility this early into a project.”
“This is Gauthier. You don’t have to worry about the crowd turning hostile on you, but you are talking about people’s money,” Sawyer said. “They’re going to be concerned.”
“Wait? Is Sawyer Robertson actually lecturing me about money?”
“Don’t,” he said.
“I do believe I was the one who told you that people were not going to take too kindly to having to pay more, especially when so many of them were screwed by the insurance companies during the last flood.”
“We both knew this would be an issue, just as we both know the new flood maps are necessary.” Sawyer looked her squarely in the eyes. “We’ve been over this.”
“I know.” She blew out an irritated sigh. “Don’t worry—I’m not going to stray from the plan.”
They were in this together. They’d devised a strategy for dealing with questions regarding the elevation maps.
Whether or not they were getting the new flood maps was no longer the question; everyone—from the powers that be at Bolt-Myer to Sawyer’s superiors at the Army Corps of Engineers—had agreed that this project could not go forward without the new maps.
Their task tonight was to explain to the people of Gauthier just why they were needed and convince them that it was in the best interests of the town.
Yeah, she was not looking forward to this.
Paxton held the door open for Sawyer and followed him into the auditorium. If she was to give a rough estimate, she’d say there were at least a hundred people already filling the seats. The atmosphere suffusing the room held a tension that made the hair on the back of Paxton’s neck stand on end.
She spotted Shayla, who was at a table that had been set up in the corner. Six carry-away cardboard cartons bearing The Jazzy Bean’s logo sat atop the table, along with a stack of paper coffee cups, cream, sugar packets, and other coffee fixings.
“Thanks for bringing this,” Paxton said, giving her a hug.
Shayla hugged her back, then punched her in the arm.
“Hey!” Paxton said, rubbing the spot where she’d taken the hit. “What was that for?”
Shayla leaned in and whispered fiercely, “I didn’t get a post-orgasm call.”
“Do you ever call me post-orgasm?” Paxton asked. Then she held up a hand. “Don’t answer that.”
“Did you two do it or not?” Shayla asked.
Paxton glanced over her shoulder. “Yes,” she finally said. Shayla started to squeal, but Paxton seared her with a look that said she’d better shut it up right now. She spotted Sawyer coming up to them. “I’ll tell you about it later.”
“Hey, is Matt here yet?” Sawyer asked. He looked at Shayla, whose smile was so wide that Paxton didn’t know how her face didn’t split in half. Then he looked at her, one brow raised, his eyes lit with amusement.
“Don’t worry,” Shayla said. “She didn’t kiss and tell. Yet. And no, Matt isn’t here, but the meeting doesn’t start for another twenty minutes. He’ll be here on time. He always is.”
“It’s okay if he’s running a little late,” Paxton said. “Mya is before him on the agenda anyway. I’ve asked her to run the meeting. Residents have come to trust Mya. She’ll put people at ease.”
Shayla went back to smiling, and Paxton went back to wanting to knock her upside the head.
As the room continued to fill, so did the anxiety cluttering Paxton’s chest. She didn’t want to think about how it would be received if they told the residents that they may have to spend several hundred dollars more a year in flood insurance.
And that was on the low end. Some people—those in the most vulnerable areas, which were also some of the poorest areas—may have to pay upward of a thousand extra dollars a year if the revamped flood zones raised their levels too much.
Paxton didn’t have to try to put herself in their shoes.
She’d worn their shoes for years. Her mother still did.
They both knew exactly how it felt to pinch every penny you could find until old Abe Lincoln squealed.
She wouldn’t be surprised if most of the people in her part of town didn’t even have flood insurance.
They were probably relying on prayer to keep their homes and possessions safe.
She couldn’t help but feel like a traitor for going along with this plan that may put residents under even more financial duress.