Chapter 28
Grace closed and locked the door after Jared and Hayden left for the day. Glancing at her watch she noted the time at three-thirty. She had a fresh coat of paint on the cabinets in the kitchen, and they were drying. The flooring was finished. Her windows repaired. And, there was still a biker watching her place. She took a deep breath and decided to take the time to do some research.
Pulling her laptop from its case, she sat on the sofa. As soon as it booted up, she typed in Blossom Springs City Council. As the screen populated, she took a deep dive into the world of the Blossom Springs government and its workings.
After a while, Chiefy began to pace at the door and whine so Grace closed the lid on her laptop and stood just as someone knocked. She jumped. She hadn”t heard anyone pull into the driveway. Moving to the window, which offered her a view of the front door, she saw Sid standing outside. His posture was straight, his handsome face a pleasure to see.
She opened the door and stepped back as Sid entered. He kissed her lips, petted Chiefy, and looked at the windows.
”Everything looks great.”
”They”ve done a wonderful job.” She smiled, ”Did you take off work early today?”
His brows furrowed. ”No, I meant to, but I ended up working until five o”clock. Coop started showing me some things in the shop and how he handles the air conditioning when it acts up, and how he keeps track of inventory.”
She glanced at her watch. Her eyes rounded. ”Oh, my goodness. I”ve been on the computer for an hour and a half. I didn”t even realize.”
Sid chuckled. Grace turned to the sofa and pulled up her laptop. She sat in the same spot she”d recently vacated, and Sid sat next to her.
”I”ve been researching how to approach the city council about the bikers and their nuisance behavior. Officer Moody told me the police can”t do anything until the bikers cause trouble. They can”t run them out of town. They take their orders from their chief, who has to follow what the city council has written a law on and approved. Right now, to get in front of the board to discuss this, you have to call and submit your agenda item and then wait for the next meeting. At which time, they”ll discuss your agenda item. The thing is, after that, they”ll put it on the agenda to discuss how to handle it. Then, a law will have to be written, if the council decides it”s important enough to do so. Then, it”ll go through approvals, revisions, and that whole process. I”d guess about a year. Who knows what will happen in a year!”
He grinned at her. ”You”ve done a great job researching this.”
She smiled and stared into his eyes. ”Thank you.”
”So, we have to come up with another plan?”
”There is another way. We can ask for an emergency meeting and an expedited solution. But, we need a petition with five hundred signatures, which is nearly one-quarter of the population of Blossom Springs. How will we get that many signatures to ask for this emergency meeting?”
Sid leaned back as he stared at her computer. He slowly leaned to the side and pulled his phone from his back pocket. Without another word to her, he tapped his phone and put it on speaker.
Jace chuckled. ”Hey, buddy, what”s up?”
”In order to get the city council to hold an emergency board meeting and an expedited solution, we need a petition with five hundred signatures of Blossom Springs residents. Feel like holding a party?”
Jace replied, ”Fuck, yeah.” Rustling could be heard as it sounded like Jace was walking through the restaurant. ”So, two things. I need about a week to get the word out. Between regulars here, staff, and social media, we can reach a ton of people. And, I just heard today that Jami Hart and the Hurricanes are back in town. If I can talk them into performing, we”ll get a shit ton of people here and can get those signatures you need.”
Sid chuckled and winked at her. ”That”s perfect. Tell me what I need to do to help get the word out.”
”Let me put some things together. I”ll give you an update tomorrow.”
Oh, this was too good to be true. They”d get their petition if not completely signed, they”d have a fantastic start on it.
”Sounds great. What”s the second thing?”
”Ah, oh yeah. You can see the house at six o”clock. I”ll text you the address. I have someone opening it up for you to see it.”
”What do you mean you have someone opening it up?”
Jace laughed. ”Oh yeah. I own the house. I bought it when I first got here. Then the Governor”s Mansion became available and I moved after it was remodeled. My house has been sitting empty. I”ve kept it up though. Pest control and my cleaning lady goes in every two weeks just to dust and clean.”
Sid chuckled. ”You are full of surprises.”
”I suppose. You”ll like the house. It”s just out of town. Quiet. It sits up on the bluff. You can see the water, though there isn”t any access to it from up there. But, its views are stunning.”
Sid turned his head and their eyes met. He smiled so perfectly she could have swooned. Literally, he was just that handsome. But, this whole house thing was a puzzle.
”Sounds good. Send me the address. We”ll check it out.”
”Okay. Talk to you later.”
The call ended and Sid turned to face her. He cocked his left leg so it laid on the sofa, bent at the knee. ”So, since I”m buying the Garage I need a more permanent place to live. I mentioned it to Jace and as you heard, he has a place available. I”d love for you and Chiefy to come with me and see it.”
Butterflies took flight in her tummy and her throat dried. She swallowed to wet it, then took a deep breath. ”Okay.”
”You seem hesitant.”
She chuckled, more out of nervousness than anything else. ”I”m happy to look at it with you. But, it”s your decision where you live.”
He leaned forward and kissed her lips. ”I”d like your opinion.”