8. Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Mandy
I t's early morning, and I'm rushing to city hall. There's something wrong with one of the permits for my grandmother's renovation. I offered to come here instead of having Michael do it. I've been sort of hiding from him these past few days. I just don't want a confrontation and am doing everything I can to avoid it.
I park my car and go up the stairs to the old building. I think it's a historic site or something, but I'm here to do business. I approach the front desk for information on where to get my issue straightened out, and someone takes my papers and sits me in a comfortable chair facing what I think is the door to the mayor's office.
After thirty minutes I start to worry that there's something wrong, so I get up and ask the mayor's assistant for help. She tells me that everything is being taken care of and that I just need to be patient and wait. I'm not really good at that, but I give it my best shot. After one hour, my leg is tired from bouncing off the ground, and I'm at my wit’s end.
The door to the mayor's office opens, and out comes the mayor himself. He's a handsome man, but he got into a fight with one of the Hoffer brothers the day of the Christmas Mixer and half his face is a purplish and yellow color.
"Miss Schmidt, can you come in for a minute?"
I look at the assistant, but she does not spare me a glance. I get up slowly and walk towards the office. There's a chair in front of his desk, so I take a seat. I hear the door close, and there's a small sound as if the lock has been turned, but I don't know why that would be. I'm certain no one would barge into the mayor's office.
The mayor sits on the corner of his desk and crosses his legs in front of him. The tips of his shoes are almost touching my own and I wonder if no one taught him the meaning of personal space.
"Is there something wrong with my permit?" I ask.
"Jensen Buchanan."
A chill goes through me, and I almost jump out of my seat. The mayor puts his hand on my shoulder and pushes me back onto the seat.
"He's been looking for you, Mandy. May I call you Mandy?"
I'm shaking in this seat, and I don't really care what this man calls me, so I ignore him.
"Running from a man like Buchanan is not smart, Mandy. You're in luck, though. I can help you."
Another chill goes through me, and the leer on his face signals that nothing good can come from this conversation. I knew the loan shark would find me, but I thought I had more time.
"What do you want?"
"I can pay your debt. You'll be free of Buchanan."
"Just like that? What's the catch?" I eye him warily.
"I can see you're a smart woman, Mandy. You'll become my mistress, of course. First, we'll tell people we're dating, and then, if everything goes well, you'll be my fiancé."
He's surprised at the revulsion on my face. I don't know why. What he's saying is completely crazy.
"You're unhinged."
I start to get up again and he puts his hand on my shoulder once more. I'm about to push it away when the phone rings. The mayor answers it and seems to get annoyed at whatever they tell him over the phone.
"Tell him she'll be a few minutes."
Hope springs in my mind that Michael might just be out there. I wasn't supposed to be gone this long.
"Selling your grandmother's house will only pay half of what you owe Mr. Buchanan. You don't need to sell it at all if you accept my proposal."
"I don't think…"
"Everyone will find out that you had to strip to make ends meet back in New York. Even your little beau, Michael Hoffer. What else did you have to do to hold back Buchanan, Mandy?"
I turn around and walk directly to the door. When my hand is on the doorknob, he lets loose this diabolical laugh like they do in the movies.
"It's either him or me, Mandy. You're out of options. I'll give you three days to decide. I'll be waiting. Oh, here's your permit. Everything is fine now."
The door is locked, and I can't open it. My hands are shaking so much I almost can't turn the lock to get out. I'm livid with a mixture of rage and fear. I walk out of that office and onto the cold streets without looking at my surroundings. I just keep on walking until I'm close to Woodland Falls Park.
I keep going until I reach the center, where the big gazebo is. All celebrations in Woodland Falls are done here and I collapse on one of the benches. I stare out at nothing for a few minutes and then feel, more than see, Michael sit down beside me.
"What happened? You look so pale, Mandy. Did he say something inappropriate to you? There's a reason we call him Mayor Douchebag."
I try to compose myself. Michael is the last person I can tell about what just happened in the mayor's office.
"I'm okay, Michael. I think something didn't sit well with me during breakfast."
"You know you can tell me anything, right?" He leans forward to catch my eyes.
"I know. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something."
I try to avoid his eyes, but he crooks his index finger and hooks it under my chin, making me lift up my head so I can meet his gaze.
"Is this about the kiss?"
My head moves on its own, and I nod.
"Mandy…"
"I really liked it, but… but I don't know if it’s smart to start something right now. I don't even know what I'm going to do after I sell my grandmother's house."
"Okay. I liked it too, by the way."
I give him a small smile, and then I'm pretty sure I hurt him once more as words fly out of my mouth.
"It can be a no-strings-attached thing, you know?"
A dark look comes into his face, and he lets go of me.
"Is that what you really want, Mandy? For me to treat you like you don't matter to me?"
"I just don't want to make promises I might not be able to keep."
"Are you going back to New York, or better yet, Hollywood?"
"I…I don't know, Michael. It's the honest truth."
I can feel the heat of his body next to me, but very unlike himself, he doesn't put his arms around me to comfort me. I think he's really angry this time, but I can't deal with everything all at once. Something has to give. This wouldn't hurt so much if I still didn't love him. God, I love him. I start shaking and put my arms around myself to hold myself steady.
"Come on, let me drive you to Ana Maria's."
"I…I brought…my car."
"You're in no shape to be driving. I'll get your car back to you later. Let's go."
He doesn't reach for me, telling me just how upset he is. I get up and follow him to where he's parked his truck next to my car. We drive in silence, and anguish fills me. What will Michael think if he finds out the lows I had to go through to make ends meet back in New York? I'd almost rather accept Mayor Douchebag's offer than let him and all the fine people in this town know about what happened.
He stops in front of Ana's house, but I don't get out of the car. I'm frozen in place and confused, terrified and disheartened. I feel the door next to me open, and Michael reaches for my seat belt. He lets me loose and grabs me by the arm. I go willingly, and we step toward Ana's front porch. I reach for my purse to get the key out and I fumble with it, and it falls to the floor.
Michael bends down, grabs it, and opens the door for me.
"Are you going to be okay?"
I look at him like he's a ghost. What would he say if I told him the truth?
"Mandy?"
He reaches for my arm and squeezes it gently. That brings me back to the present, and I realize I'm acting like a fool.
"I'll be okay, Michael. Thank you for dropping me off."
He looks unsure of my response, but I walk with him up to the door and say goodbye there. He turns back toward the car but keeps looking back to see how I am. I close the door and go to the sofa and collapse on it. The tears start falling and I don't know how I'm going to get myself out of this hellhole I created.
If only I hadn't pushed Michael away all those years ago—and again now.
If only.