4. Chapter Four
Chapter Four
T his shouldn’t take long.
Lily texted her assistant, Tanya, at the shop to let her know that she’d be delayed in order to swing by the market to speak with her sister.
She noticed the message didn’t send until after they stepped off the elevator.
Tanya immediately responded and told her not to worry.
So far, it was turning out to be a quiet afternoon.
And the slow business was why the arts festival was important. It was the last big event before the quiet winter months. They were lucky to have Aster to organize all of these events.
“I’m heading back to city hall now,” the mayor said, drawing her from her thoughts. “Do you want to pick up that stuff now?”
“Uh...” She could swing by city hall and then go to the market. “Sure.”
“Did you drive?” he asked.
She shook her head. “I walked.”
“My cart is out front. We can take it.”
Once they were outside, Lily felt as though she could finally take a full breath. She inhaled a deep breath and exhaled. She did it again.
“Are you feeling all right?” the mayor asked.
Oh no. He’d noticed something. That wasn’t good. She didn’t let on to anyone how much the hospital and doctors now bothered her.
She nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine.”
“It’s just that you looked a little pale when we were with Aster.”
Her mind rapidly searched for a legitimate reason. “I’m not used to seeing my friend in the hospital.”
He glanced over at her, as though he weren’t sure whether to believe her or not. Even though they’d known each other most of their lives, it wasn’t like they had the sort of relationship where they confided in each other. In fact, he felt more like a stranger these days.
When they reached his cart, he said, “Hop in. We’ll go grab the laptop. I’m sure there won’t be that much work left to do. Aster is always on top of everything.”
“That’s good news to hear.” And then wanting to stick up for her friend, she asked, “Is that why you haven’t hired her an assistant yet?”
The mayor was just backing out of the parking spot when his gaze met hers. His intense blue gaze caused her heart to skip a beat. There was a flicker of surprise in his eyes. Was it possible he wasn’t used to people calling him out?
When he put the cart in forward motion, he said, “If you must know, the hospital build went way over budget. Even though we had grants and an influx of money from their association with Crossroads Community Hospital, it just wasn’t enough.
We had to help make up for the shortfall from the island’s budget.
As such, there was no money left to hire anyone. ”
She certainly hadn’t been expecting such a detailed and legitimate answer. “Oh. I see.”
She laced her fingers together in her lap to keep from fidgeting, and then she looked out at the passing buildings.
That was a mistake because as they paused at a stop sign, her gaze met that of Agnes Dewey.
She was the town’s biggest gossip. The woman’s gaze moved from her to Tony and back again before her brows rose and unspoken questions shone in her eyes.
As they proceeded through the intersection, Lily inwardly groaned. She wondered how long she had until Agnes was phoning Lily’s mother. Knowing Agnes, she’d report that she was dating the mayor, which was so far from the truth.
After all, she couldn’t even relax around him. She always felt as though, well, she wasn’t sure what she felt. Her heart would beat faster when she was around him. When he looked in her direction, her stomach would dip.
He pulled into a special parking spot just outside of city hall. It had a special sign that read: Reserved for the Mayor . All she could think was it must be nice .
She had wanted some designated parking spots in front of the Lily Pad for her patrons.
The council had flatly turned her down. They didn’t even care when she told them that people parked in front of her store regularly so they could go to the Howling Dawgs, a hot dog shop.
The mayor was one of those people who had voted against her idea. But she didn’t hold grudges.
She got out of the cart. She didn’t bother to wait for him. She made her way to the steps of city hall. The next thing she knew the mayor was right beside her. Using those long legs of his, he’d caught up to her.
At the door, they both reached for the handle at the same time.
Her fingers grasped the brass handle first. His hand landed on top of hers.
His touch was warm. His fingers were long.
And the contact sent a shiver of awareness up her arm.
The sensation settled in her chest, causing her heart to skip a beat.
He was the first to yank his hand away. Was it because he’d had the same sensation? She wasn’t sure. And she couldn’t ask because she was suddenly tongue-tied.
She swallowed hard and hoped she didn’t let on that his touch had gotten to her. She opened the door and stepped inside. Thinking she needed a little bit of space, she swallowed hard and hoped her voice wouldn’t fail her. “I’ve got this. I know where her office is.”
Before she could walk away, he said, “But you don’t have the key.”
She inwardly groaned. Of course she didn’t. How could she have forgotten that?
She looked at him and sent him a tentative smile. “Right.”
She stopped herself from saying she was in a hurry to get this over with. She didn’t want him to think she was in a hurry to get away from him—that he got to her in any way, shape, or form.
The mayor phoned the maintenance man and asked him to meet them in the atrium. While they waited, the mayor spoke to a few people. Lily could only presume they were his staff.
She moved to one of the benches along the wall and checked the messages on her phone.
Unbeknownst to her, her family had been messaging her.
Each complaining about the other. She didn’t know why they thought she could be of any help.
But she supposed it was better that they complained to her rather than their mother, who was still mourning their father.
Honestly, she didn’t know what the solution was. If they were unhappy at the market, perhaps they should each go their own way. She was hesitant to put that out there. Without the Adams siblings, what would become of the Island Market?
She didn’t have any answer for that. After all, it was their father’s legacy. The thought of it going out of business, well, it was more than she could bear at the moment.
Just then she saw a man with gray hair and a friendly smile. He was wearing gray overalls and headed in the direction of the mayor. Please, let that be the maintenance guy.
“Lily.” The mayor gestured her over.
There was no need for him to call her twice. She was on her feet and headed in his direction. When she reached the men, the maintenance man had already walked away.
“Where is he going? she asked.
“He said he didn’t have the key on him. He has to get it, and he’ll meet us upstairs.” The mayor moved toward the elevator.
Her gaze moved to the stairs. She thought they would just walk up. It was only three-stories. City hall was one of the tallest buildings on the island. Her gaze moved between him and the stairs. “Let’s take the steps.”
Tony shook his head. “The elevator will be faster.”
“But the steps are better for your cardio system.”
“I don’t think walking up those steps one time is going to make that much of a difference.”
It was on the tip of her tongue to argue the point, but at the last moment, she decided to make life easier and ride the elevator with him. After all, it wasn’t a big deal.
Tony pressed the button as she glanced around. It appeared they were the only ones taking the elevator. A cheery ding sounded just before the gold doors slid open.
They stepped inside the small car. Not wanting anymore awkward silence, she said, “Do you like being mayor?”
He glanced at her. His blue eyes flashed with surprise. “Is there a reason I shouldn’t like it?”
She could think of countless reasons she wouldn’t like the job, starting with people complaining about this or that. “I just think dealing with the island’s problems would get old really fast.”
The doors closed, and the elevator jerked to a start. It startled Lily, causing her to reach out to whatever was closest. That just happened to be the rail that ran around the walls of the elevator car while her other hand instinctively grabbed the mayor’s forearm.
“Relax,” he said. Was there a bit of a chuckle in his voice? “We’re fine.”
She swallowed hard and then released her hold on him. When her gaze lifted to meet his, she saw the amusement dancing in his eyes. Heat rushed to her face. Her cheeks felt as though they were on fire.
Her back teeth ground together. “Maybe you should have someone look at this thing. I don’t think it should jerk like that.”
“It’s old, but it’s reliable.”
Suddenly, there was a high-pitched squealing sound. That definitely wasn’t a good sound. She resumed clasping the rail, but she resisted the urge to reach out to him.
She glanced over at him. He looked calm, cool, and collected. How could he not be bothered by the creepy sounds this elevator was making?
As soon as the elevator stopped, she was getting off. This was her first and last ride on it. This thing should be relegated to a museum.
She glanced up to the numbers above the door. The number two lit up. Finally. She couldn’t wait to get off. But the car didn’t stop.
“Why didn’t it stop?” she asked.
“Aster’s office is on the third floor.”
“I know that. I mean, why didn’t the elevator stop so I can get off this thing.”
He smirked at her. “Because you’re getting off on the third floor.”
The squealing started again. It was accompanied by vibrations that felt like what she imagined an earthquake must feel like. Her grip on the railing tightened.
“This thing is falling apart. I want off.” She didn’t care if he heard the panic in her voice. There was something wrong with him if he wasn’t worried.
A loud screech pierced her ears. She didn’t care what he thought; she reached out to him. In that moment, she was certain they were going to die.
He covered her hand with his own. His touch was warm and reassuring. Suddenly, the car jerked to a stop.
“Thank goodness.” She released a pent-up breath.
“I told you we’d be okay.” His voice had an I-told-you-so tone.
Then she realized the car was no longer moving, but the doors hadn’t opened. Instead, a tremendous jolt rattled the entire car. Her body was thrown against the mayor’s. Together, they were tossed against the wall. Tony took the brunt of the collision.
They were going to die. She could already see the headlines: Mayor and owner of the Lily Pad die in each other’s arms.