Chapter 21
Landon
Pine Ridge Medical Center’s waiting room is filled with nervous families. The grey walls host beige abstract art that does nothing to relieve the discomfort setting in.
I’m too restless to sit and have paced the twenty-by-thirty space three dozen times as I wait for Zoe to leave her dad’s side and update us on his condition.
I just want to see her face and wrap my arms around her. Then I’ll know everything is okay.
But what if she chooses her dad over me?
It’s a selfish thought, but I can’t help myself. Does she blame me for putting her in this position?
If her dad demands she stop seeing me, will she comply with his wishes?
At the wall, I turn and start another lap.
The town council sit in chairs by the windows. Archer, Collin, and several women I don’t recognize are in the other corner whispering amongst themselves.
The weather turned as I followed the ambulance carrying Zoe and her Dad to the hospital. It’s as if the sky knew sunshine wasn’t appropriate for this afternoon.
Lucky scoots forward in her chair. “Since we’re all here, we need to decide what to do about the mayor.”
“We don’t know what’s going on,” Greyson says.
Lucky gestures toward the security door where we last saw Zoe and Mayor Winslow. “He’s obviously not well.”
Charlotte pats Lucky’s shoulder. “Zoe said he was healing.”
Elsbeth leans past Lucky and meets Charlotte’s eyes. “I don’t trust anything she’s told us.”
“Zoe doesn’t lie. It’s not in her character,” I say.
Paisley flutters her fingers at me. “She told you she was mayor.”
“That was—”
“Exactly like her.” Elsbeth lifts her eyebrow. “They kept secrets from us. Zoe kept secrets from her dad, and that landed him in the hospital again. We need a new mayor.”
“Elections take time to organize,” Jack says.
Bill taps his phone screen. “The regulations require we vote someone from the council in as the interim mayor if the current mayor is incapacitated. This qualifies.”
“I think it should be Lucky.” Elsbeth nudges her friend’s elbow. “She has the most experience running a business, besides Charlotte and Bill, of course, but she’s got more time since she’s a manager and not an owner. Charlotte, don’t you agree?”
Charlotte’s mouth twists. “We’re not that busy, but it’s a lot of extra work. Does anyone else volunteer?”
They glance between each other, but no one else steps forward. Nausea swirls in my gut. “You’re rushing this. Zoe can—”
Charlotte raises her hand. “Mr. Prince, you aren’t a member of the council.
Even with all your money, you can’t buy our votes for Zoe.
First and foremost, she isn’t a member of the council and is therefore not an eligible candidate.
Secondly, she lied to us about her father’s health.
That’s not a track record that speaks to high moral character. ”
“She was following her dad’s request.”
“That doesn’t make it right.”
“What about Archer?” I ask. “He can be mayor.”
Charlotte swivels her head to the group. “Archer, how about it? You feel like being mayor?”
“We’re jumping the gun. We should wait until we hear from the doctors,” Archer says.
“It can’t be Archer because of his conflict of interest as part of the estate renovation.” Greyson shrinks into the collar of his shirt. “Sorry. Lucky’s the only candidate who’s willing.”
Archer scowls.
Charlotte turns to Lucky. “Do you accept the nomination?”
She straightens her posture and shakes her hair over her shoulders. “It would be an honor, ma’am.”
“All in favor of Lucky Reynolds as interim mayor, raise your hand.”
Six hands lift. Archer votes against Lucky.
“You’re making a mistake,” I say.
“It’s a precaution. Nothing more.” Charlotte pats my arm. “The town needs leadership, that’s all.”
“Mr. Prince?” a nurse in navy scrubs waves me toward the desk.
“This isn’t over.” I tell the council then stride toward the nurse. “Yes?”
“Miss Winslow is asking for you. Follow me.”
“Landon!” A blonde with her hair in ringlet pigtails and an old concert T-shirt waves at me. “Tell Zoe we’re here for her. Tell her we’ve got her back.”
“I will.” Depending on how this conversation goes, it’s nice to know I’m not the only one who will help Zoe navigate this chaos.
The nurse badges us through the security door, and I follow her into the emergency department. The color scheme in this part of the Medical Center isn’t any more joyful than the waiting room. The pictures are identical.
Zoe stands outside a closed door nibbling her thumbnail. Relief washes over her face when our eyes meet.
Thank God she’s happy to see me.
I gather her into a hug. “Are you okay? How is your dad?”
“It wasn’t a heart attack.” She presses her tear-streaked cheek to my chest and exhales. “Anxiety and stress.”
“And you?” I squeeze her tighter.
“I don’t know. Still processing, I guess.” She nods toward the door. “I didn’t want to leave him.”
“Everyone is waiting for news.”
“I don’t know what to say.” She wiggles out of my embrace and slumps against the wall. “He’s weak, fragile. He’s not taking care of himself, and now they know it.”
“They just voted Lucky in as interim mayor.”
“Of course they did.” She digs the heels of her hands into her eyes. “Makes sense that they wouldn’t promote me to his position since he was in the middle of firing me.”
I tug her back to me and tilt her chin so she looks me in the eye. “Zoe, you deserve to be mayor, but only if you want the job. Don’t do it for them.”
“They don’t respect me.” She blinks rapidly, but tears gather along her eyelashes anyway. “Dad doesn’t. If everyone only sees me as Baby Girl, what’s the point?”
“I didn’t ask what they wanted. Do you want to be mayor of Rainwater Bay? Or is this my opportunity to whisk you away to the French Riviera and lavish you with so much attention you get sick of me?” I brush a soft kiss against her lips.
“I can’t just leave. What about the estate? The renovation? Dad’s sick.”
“And you’ve taken great care of him for months, but caregivers are allowed to take breaks.
You don’t need to worry about the house.
Collin has everything under control.” I thread our fingers together and press the backs of her hands to my chest. “Stop worrying about everyone else and decide what you want. Do you know how to do that?”
“Not really.”
“You can’t let anyone else decide what your future holds.” I brush my knuckle over an escaping tear. “Even me.”
“But what if what I want doesn’t fit what you want? You have a life outside Rainwater Bay. Your people need you, and I don’t know if I can just leave.”
“Zoom meetings are annoying, but they get the job done.”
“You would stay?” The desperation in her voice kills me.
“I want to be with you. If you’ll have me.”
“Rainwater Bay isn’t too boring? This isn’t the French Riviera. No sun-kissed beaches.”
“Are you looking for reasons to drive me away? I like the rain. It’s a great reason to stay in bed with you.”
She nibbles her bottom lip with the first hint of a smile I’ve seen in hours. “That is a good reason.”
The constriction in my chest loosens. We’ll figure out how to balance my work demands with the life we want to build together.
Because no matter what, as long as she’ll have me, I’m not leaving Zoe’s side.
Hard and fast is the only way to explain how I fell in love with her, but it’s the truth.
It’s also the only way it could have happened. She’s too passionate, too magnetic, too hypnotic for me to have resisted. She’s my soulmate, and I will do everything in my power to show her she’s the most amazing woman I’ve ever met.
We slide to the floor, and she rests her head on my shoulder, waiting in silence for whatever happens next with her dad.
“You don’t have to decide today, but they are going to hold an emergency election to fully replace your dad. If you want to run, I’ll help you.”
“I’ll think about it.” She closes her eyes. “This is all so exhausting.”
“Is your dad staying overnight?”
“For observation.”
“Are you staying with him?”
She chuckles mirthlessly. “He kicked me out.”
That explains why we’re on the floor in the hallway, then. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Not really.”
Distraction time. “Did your mom ever tell you about secret passages at the estate?”
She lifts her head to meet my eyes. “No. Why?”
A lean my forehead against hers. “I have something for you to look forward to.”
“Good news?”
“I hope so.” I wrap my arm around her shoulders. “I meant to tell you, there are some women out front with Archer and Collin. They asked me to tell you they’re here. Are you up for a walk?”
“As long as you hold my hand.”
“Always.”
Zoe
True to his word, Landon doesn’t let go of my hand as we walk to the waiting area in Pine Ridge Medical Center. Kelsey, Emberly, Archer, and Collin are the only friendly faces in the crowd. The town council is gone, thankfully.
I head straight into Kelsey’s waiting arms. “Tell us everything,” she coos in my ear.
“It was not another heart attack.” I fill them in on the doctor’s diagnosis and my dad’s prognosis but don’t tell them dad’s frustration and anger. They already know he fired me, so there’s no reason to rip open that wound.
He wouldn’t have had the anxiety attack if it weren’t for me. If he’d found out about Landon and my relationship another way.
But I can’t change the past.
I won’t change my relationship with Landon for anything, even my dad’s approval.
Dad needs to learn that my life is mine. More and more, I realize I will always be his little girl, but it’s not because he doesn’t want me to grow up. It’s because he doesn’t want anything to change.
He has held me and Rainwater Bay captive since Mom died. He’s held us back because he never dealt with the grief.
It’s why he doesn’t want us to renovate the house. He blames it for her death. If she hadn’t been driving home from the estate, she never would have crashed. If he had been with her like he’d promised instead of campaigning, EMS could have gotten to her faster and she might have lived.