Chapter 8
“Good morning, Diane,”Theo nodded to Diane on the way in the next morning.
Diane looked up from the envelope she was putting postage on and fixed him with her usual stern look, but Theo wasn’t fooled. Diane was one of the few people that couldn’t be charmed, bought, or cajoled out of her opinion of you, and Theo counted himself lucky that she was on his side. He kept her in a steady supply of chocolate croissants and flowers on her birthday to make sure of it.
Theo knew she was an intimidating woman. Hell, she scared him sometimes too, but in all the years he’d known Diane, he had never known her to be cruel. She just didn’t suffer fools.
“Good morning, Mr. Mayor,” Diane said formally. Her wiry hair was pulled back tight in the same bun she had worn since the nineteen eighties when he met her. She wore no makeup, and her idea of office wear was a rotation of utilitarian suits, navy and black for winter, gray and tan for the rest of the year. Come to think of it, Theo hadn’t ever seen Diane in anything else, even at the Christmas parties he hosted every year.
“You’re looking lovely this morning,” Theo said, taking the stack of mail she held out. “Tan is your color.”
“And you’re looking tired,” she said tartly, “or I’d say the same.” She looked at him severely. “Still not sleeping?”
“I’ll sleep when I’m dead,” Theo said with a wink. It had been after two when he finally put his computer away and fell asleep, but that was usual these days. “Is everyone here?” he asked casually, as if he hadn’t already checked for Amber’s car in the parking lot when he pulled in.
Diane pursed her lips tightly. “Your assistant called to say she was going to be late.”
“Was there a reason?”
“She said,” Diane looked down at the phone notes she meticulously kept. “Betty is being a stubborn bitch, and she would be there as soon as she could get her lazy butt moving.”
Theo’s jaw went slack for a second. Inappropriate laughter threatened before he stifled it. “Thank you, Diane,” he said gravely. “Perhaps we can direct her toward the mechanic’s shop when she arrives.”
Theo strode down the hallway, nodding to Todd and Charlotte on his way to his office. Amber’s office door was open, and he took a quick peek inside. She had left her notebook on the desk, and a pen with a fuzzy purple tassel on top.
He shook his head and made his way to his office. He had a mountain of work to catch up on today. After yesterday, he had been so distracted by his assistant that he didn’t accomplish even half of what he usually did, and he wasn’t happy about it. He had spent a sleepless night thinking about all the reasons she wasn’t a good fit for the office. Time management, for one. He checked his watch again. Nine fifteen. Where the hell was she?
When she was in the office yesterday, she didn’t know the first thing about office etiquette. She spent most of the morning talking to Todd. He frowned, remembering her draped over Todd’s desk like some kind of vintage pin-up girl, all softly rounded curves that he had a hard time tearing his eyes away from.
When she’d stopped in the doorway in front of him, he’d caught another glimpse of her pulse beating furiously in her throat. How absurd that with all those luscious curves, it was that little unguarded flutter he couldn’t stop thinking about.
She was a distraction.
One that he didn’t have time for. With the election coming up, he couldn’t afford to take his focus off the goal. That was partially why he had sent her and Charlotte out for the rest of the day. That, and he knew if Amber chose a dress from her own closet for the Finger Lakes dinner, he might have an actual heart attack.
Did the woman ever dress for comfort? The image of her in those black heels with the tiny strap around her ankle made him sweat. As soon as he caught a glimpse, he wanted to feel them digging into his back. On his shoulders. Draped over his desk.
See? Distracting.
“Why are you glaring at a blank screen?” Ford asked, leaning on the doorway.
“I’m thinking,” Theo said shortly. Ford’s law office was next door to the town hall, and they frequently stopped into each other’s offices. Theo was usually glad to catch up with his brother.
“Listen, I have to run to an early deposition, but I wanted to check on Amber. How’s she doing?” Ford asked.
Theo ticked off his fingers. “She’s late for the second day in a row. She doesn’t know how to work in an office. She dresses like a Victoria’s Secret model. That’s not distracting at all,” he said wryly. He held up a fourth finger, but Ford was laughing.
“That good, huh?” Ford smirked. “That is one hell of a woman.”
A thought occurred to Theo that made him stiffen. “Do you and she ever...”
“No,” Ford shook his head. “But not for lack of trying on my part,” he said. “She’s allergic to kids.” Ford’s son, Landon, lived with him full-time after his ex-wife bailed with some big-shot producer she met when Landon was a baby.
“Doesn’t she have plenty of nieces and nephews?” Theo knew of Davis Henderson from several development meetings. He’d heard he married Amber’s sister, Allie Hart, a few years back and saw both of them around town with their menagerie of kids.
“Yeah,” Ford shrugged. “But having a kid is different from living with one. It’s a hard pass for some people.”
Just then, Amber peeked her head around the doorway. Red. It was the first coherent word that made its way into his brain. Then, heels. Then, holy Mother of God. The woman was going to kill him. Red heels, fitted white blouse, tight black pencil skirt. She looked like a fifties pin-up model. He pinched the bridge of his nose hard.
“Hi, sorry I’m late. Did you get my message?” she asked breathlessly. Her blouse, snuggly cupping her generous breasts, heaved, and those full, smooth slopes gripped Theo until he forcibly shook his head. Jesus.
Then he noticed something else. “No more pink hair?”
She fingered her darker hair and shrugged. “New job, new hair.”
“Hi Amber,” Ford greeted her. “Theo said things are going well for you here.”
“He did?” Amber shot Theo an uncertain glance, and Theo winced for an entirely different reason. It was that same quicksilver look on her face from that night in the parking lot. A little uncertain, a little lost. Wholly different from her usual boldness. A protective instinct hit him out of the blue and he stood up.
“Ford, I’ll see you later this week,” he said curtly.
Ford blinked. “Have I just been dismissed?” He grinned at Amber, whose dazzling smile was back. “See you around, Amber. Don’t let this guy work you too hard.” Ford gave him a knowing look that Theo ignored as he closed the door firmly behind him.
“Come in and take a seat,” Theo said more formally than he intended. He adjusted his tie and took a seat behind his desk. He breathed easier with the monstrous desk between them.
Amber sat down, tucking one leg over the other, and whipped out a pencil from behind her ear. ”I”m at your service, boss.”
Theo passed over a paper on the desk without a word.
“What’s this?” Amber asked.
”This is a list of your job duties. If there”s anything you don”t know how to do, let Diane know.”
Amber tapped the pencil on the sharp white tips of her bottom teeth. “Sort your mail, pick up your dry cleaning, make travel arrangements. I think I can handle it,” she said dryly. “Is there anything else?” she asked with a hopeful note.
”No, that’s everything.”
She continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “Because I’ve been thinking about your campaign, and I have some new ideas about how to get your numbers up. Northfield’s population is turning over. They want to know the mayor?—”
Theo cut her off firmly. “No. That’s not in your job description.”
She shrugged. “I guess I’ll just take messages, then.”
Theo looked pointedly at his watch. ”Yes, that”s the idea.”
”Are you sure there isn”t anything else I can do?” she prodded.
Theo leaned back in his chair. ”No,” he said evenly. ”There”s nothing else that I want.”
She looked like she wanted to say more, but she stood instead. ”Door open or closed?” she asked.
”Closed,” Theo said firmly.
For the rest of the morning, Theo worked just as hard at keeping his thoughts from straying to the woman in the office next door as he did on the speech he was writing.
Three times he was interrupted.
“Come in,” he said the first time.
She opened the door and read from a paper. “Mr. Wivell called. He wants your opinion on building squirrel bridges on Main Street to increase safe passage.” Her lips quivered when she met his eyes.
He cleared his throat and tried for professional interest. “Please tell him I will take that under consideration.”
“On it.” She nodded smartly and spun on her red heels. His collar felt too tight, and he was suddenly too warm. Theo cursed the heat outside and took off his suit jacket.
The second time she knocked, he looked up and the feeling of anticipation surprised him. Kelsey would never have interrupted him this many times. He wouldn’t have allowed it. He took off his glasses. “Yes?” he asked, already anticipating her heart-shaped face in the doorway.
“Message from a—” Amber paused, her brow furrowed in mock seriousness. “Mrs. Slaughter. She wants to know what—wait, let me make sure I get this right.” She cleared her throat. “What woke bullshit is on your agenda for the next state of the town address?” She looked up innocently, and Theo caught the mischievous look in her eyes. “What shall I tell her, sir?”
“Please tell her,” he said just as solemnly, “that the agenda includes mandatory yoga for all council members, to improve flexibility in decision making.”
“Understood, Mr. Mayor.” Amber’s lips curved delightedly.
“And, Amber?” Theo added as she turned to leave, “hold all future messages, please.”
Amber nodded. “Got it, boss. Priorities only.”
An hour later, she came back with a Post-it note and put it on his desk silently.
R.E. Annual Pirate Day. A formal request for “Talk Like a Pirate Day.” Do you accept? Yay or Nay.
Theo stared at the note for a full ten seconds.
Amber held out a purple pen.
Theo took it and checked ‘nay’ with a heavy hand.
Disappointment made her lips pouty. He had a brief, wicked hot thought of taking that full bottom lip between his teeth. He waited until she turned around to leave. “Amber,” he called.
“Yes, sir?” She turned with an eyebrow raised. The air in his office seemed to disappear, and Theo had a sudden image of those red heels digging into his back again.
“No more interruptions.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” She closed the door with a little snap.
And Theo was alone in his blessedly quiet office again.
Which was no fun at all.
At noon,Amber cracked open her Diet Coke and fished a package of Red Hots out of her purse. She had typed a report, made a golf reservation, and thought up inappropriate Post-it note messages to write to Theo for the last hour since he kicked her out of his office.
She snickered, remembering Theo’s reaction to her interruptions. Every time she knocked, she was half-convinced Theo would lose his patience with her, maybe even fire her, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself.
It was that wild feeling that had gotten her in trouble her entire life, but with Theo she couldn’t seem to stop herself. If she were honest, she didn’t want to. It was like earning a congressional medal when she got him to loosen up. That yoga joke had been pretty good actually, not that she would tell him that.
Theo needed more fun in his life, as far as she was concerned. Now that she had her hands on his schedule, she could confirm that he did very little aside from work. No wonder he looked tired.
Idly, she popped a few pieces of cinnamon candy into her mouth and pulled up Phillip Beckerman’s website. His event schedule for the summer was full of her favorite Northfield events: the carnival, Fourth of July fireworks at Canandaigua Lake, the arts festival on Main Street—the guy was everywhere this summer.
She pulled up Theo’s calendar and compared, made some notes with her favorite pen, which she took time to admire. She was just finishing up when Theo appeared in her doorway.
“I’ll be back in an hour,” Theo said, rolling down his shirtsleeves over tanned, muscular forearms that she eyed with interest. His classic gold watch gleamed at her, drawing attention to the forearm porn in front of her.
If she were in charge of his campaign, she’d make sure to grab some shots of Theo just like that. He had the casual, confident grace of a man who was a born leader. Not for the first time, she wondered how Beckerman was topping him in the polls.
“Got it. I’ll just be here making sure things run like a well-oiled machine.” She slid the Post-it notes under her notebook and blinked up at him.
Theo eyed her suspiciously before staring at something else. Amber followed his gaze to the Twinkie wrapper on her desk.
”Is that your lunch?” he asked, distaste written all over his handsome face.
”Yep. Want half?” she said, already breaking the Twinkie in half. She licked the sticky, white cream with relish.
“Good God, no. Do you have something else to eat?”
“Yeah,” she said. “I brought Red Hots.” She dug in her bag and waved the box of candy at him. “Want one?” she asked with a mouth full of Twinkie. “They’re my favorite.”
He sighed. “Come with me. I’ll buy you lunch.”
Free lunch? Amber popped up. “I’ll just grab my purse.”
Aside from Mrs. Dubois eating what smelled like egg salad, the office was quiet for the lunch hour. Outside, all up and down Main Street, election signs painted the sidewalk in bold promises.
ELECT PHILLIP BECKERMAN - A NEW VISION FOR NORTHFIELD
ELECT JANE GILDERSLEEVE - KEEP OUR TOWN GREEN
ELECT MAYOR THEO CLAIRMONT - HONORING TRADITION, LEADING WITH INTEGRITY
Theo pointed down the street toward the Northfield Pub. “Do you want to eat there?” he asked, “or there?” He pointed toward a cozy little diner in the opposite direction.
Amber hesitated. In a town as small as Northfield, there was no way she could avoid running into Killian, but she was still feeling too raw for that encounter. It wasn’t even so much him firing her, which she could finally admit had happened. It was what he said after that was still stuck in her gut.
Maybe you need to figure out why you keep falling.
Yeah, no thanks.
“I don’t feel like eating bar food. Let”s go there.” She pointed toward the diner.
Theo looked at her knowingly, but she turned and walked ahead. She didn’t have to think about anything at all on such a beautiful day. She waved at Mrs. Kittleburger, who was watering the petunias in front of the town hall. Every shop they passed, someone called out ‘hello’ to Theo, and he stopped to chat. He knew each person by name and inquired about their families or their businesses with genuine interest while Amber hung back and watched him do his thing. It was yet another strongly disconcerting moment for her—to not be the one in the spotlight—but for once in her life, she was content to watch someone else take the stage.
At the diner, Theo held the door. Once inside, the room came to a standstill before people came over to greet him, including the waitress, Eden. Amber knew her from singing at the pub and considered her a friend, or at least an acquaintance. She wasn’t the friendliest person around, she kept to herself mostly, but she was polite, and Amber had always liked her.
”Nice to see you again, Eden,” Theo said.
“Hi, Mr. Mayor. Always glad to see you. Would you like your regular booth?” Eden asked. She wore her long, dark hair in a high pony, and her cat-eye liner was perfectly drawn.
Eden had worked at the diner serving breakfast and lunch for years, but everyone in Northfield knew her best for how she sang at night. She was a regular on stage at all the local bars for a reason. Her voice was a masterpiece of emotion that made everyone wonder why she didn’t leave town to pursue a singing career. With a voice like that, she could have sung anywhere in the world. Instead, she worked at the Maple and Main Street Diner during the day and tore hearts out one by one at night.
“Yes, please,” Theo said. She led them back to a booth along the wall of windows that looked out over Main Street. The smell of burgers and fries made Amber’s stomach growl. Aside from half a Twinkie and some Red Hots, she hadn’t eaten anything yet today. She was still trying to catch up on bills, and grocery money was tighter than usual.
“Unsweet tea, like usual?” Eden asked and Amber glanced up with interest. Eden was one of the few people who didn’t seem to have fallen under the charming mayor’s spell. She knew she liked this woman. Eden didn’t look impressed with either one of them. She looked rather tired and distracted, actually.
“Yes, please,” Theo said. He looked at Amber. ”What would you like to drink?”
”Diet Coke,” she said, daring him to say anything. He didn”t. Eden snapped her book closed and left the table.
Amber glanced at the menu and then settled back more comfortably in the red leather booth. “So, what’s it like to have an entire town at your beck and call?”
Theo fixed her with that look, the one that was partway between exasperated and amused. “If I had everyone at my beck and call, you wouldn’t have been in my office with those messages this morning.”
“Those were important messages from your constituents, sir,” she said, bringing one hand lightly to her chest. “I was only doing my job.” She trailed one finger down the deep valley of her V-neck blouse and watched Theo’s reaction. His eyes didn’t waver from hers. She dropped her hand. “Do you ever get tired of that?” she asked abruptly.
”Of what?”
“Being the go-to person for everything. The one everyone expects to solve their problems.”
”No, I don’t.” he said, looking genuinely surprised. “I love my job. I’ve never wanted to do anything different. It can get heavy at times, but it’s what drives me,” he said simply.
”I”ve always wondered what it must be like to be the responsible one. I”ve never had that, thankfully.” She laughed lightly. ”I don”t think anyone would come to me for life advice. Dating advice, I’ve got that covered. For example, I could have told you it was bad move to ignore your date?—”
”You seem to have done well for yourself since that night,” Theo interrupted quietly.
Her eyes flew to him and stayed. She knew which night he was talking about, and nope, they were not doing this. Somehow, in the ten plus years since, they had never spoken of the night he had found her on the side of the road in a torn ball gown, and she planned to keep it that way.
“I’m sure you”re joking,” she smiled, dazzlingly bright. ”Everyone has heard about all the careers I”ve had. It”s a running joke around here how often I find a new one.”
For a moment, she thought he would press the issue, but he nodded instead. An understanding of sorts, a silent acknowledgment of her boundaries, and she let her breath out slowly. “Tell me about your last job,” he asked instead.
“The pub? I’ve worked there on and off since I graduated from high school.” A little twinge of sadness caught her off guard. She really did miss that place. “I read a little something about you on the town’s Facebook page, Rochester’s Most Eligible Bachelor.” She smiled teasingly, on more familiar ground. “I guess your date that night didn’t get the memo about what a stud you are, huh?”
“Before the pub. Where did you work before then?” he asked. She suddenly remembered the college degrees on the wall behind his desk. He must have been a fierce attorney. She was struggling not to squirm under those cool blue eyes, and yet another thought occurred to her.
He wanted to know her.
She could sense it in the seriousness of his gaze, and the utter focus he gave her across the table. It was not empty small talk or biding his time. He wanted to know her, not the version of herself she gave to everyone else. It was thrilling. It was terrifying.
She covered up her sudden breathlessness with a nonchalant shrug. ”A few places,” she said, looking around for Eden. “I’m starving. Are you ready to order?”
He pressed, ”Where did you work?”
“Here and there,” she deflected, sitting back with a huff. “The usual haunts of the highly ambitious—a brief stint in owning a dog walking business, some interior decorating at my mom’s firm, a little pole dancing to keep things interesting. You know, the usual.” She crossed her arms in irritation. “What’s with the ninth degree?”
He raised one eyebrow. Impulsively, she leaned over and forcibly pushed it back down. His skin was warm to the touch, and she hesitated there with her finger on his brow. ”This eyebrow of yours makes me want to commit homicide,” she said quickly, leaning back and withdrawing her hand.
Eden set down iced tea and Diet Coke in front of them. “Are you ready to order?” She asked, not looking very interested either way.
“We are,” Theo said. He looked at Amber.
”Cheeseburger, medium well, extra pickles, and crispy sweet potato fries, please,” she ordered.
Theo handed his menu to Eden. ”I”ll have the summer berry kale salad, please,” he requested politely.
Amber pretended to gag. ”Kale? Seriously, kale? Who actually eats that?”
”Every time I”ve seen you, you”re eating something out of a package,” he said dryly.
She tried for a laugh. “I’m cheap and easy. What can I say?”
Theo shook his head slowly. “No,” he said simply. “You’re not.” His eyes held hers. She was painfully, thankfully, aware that whatever might have heard about her, he knew the truth. She wasn’t ashamed or embarrassed by what some people assumed about her. She even encouraged it when it suited her purpose. She had a knack for self-preservation, and she wasn’t afraid to use everything at her disposal.
But it was a heady feeling to be seen.
“Did you go to college after high school?”
“Yeah, but I dropped out. Just wasn”t for me,” she shrugged.
“What did you do after that?”
Amber sighed loudly. ”Can we talk about something else?”
”Why?”
“Oh, I don”t know, because I”d rather not dwell on my failures in front of a man whom the town thinks walks on water.” she said sharply. “Why do you want to know?”
Theo looked genuinely surprised. “I’m curious how someone as resourceful as you didn”t have a Plan B,” he said.
Amber scoffed. “Don”t you know? I have a magic ability to screw up every opportunity that comes my way,” she said, and she hated the hint of bitterness that tinged her voice. How ironic that her tolerance for what people said about her sex life was vast compared to what was said about her character. One she knew wasn’t true. The other was her greatest fear.
Theo didn’t flinch at her tone. “If you don’t like that version of yourself, change it.”
And that was her cue. The last thing she needed was a pep talk from Theo Clairmont. She leaned her elbows on the table and rested her breasts on them, giving him a pretty view. “Are you saying you don’t like this version of me, Mr. Mayor?” she purred with her usual wide-eyed look of utter fascination. It never failed to elicit at least a double take.
Theo’s eyes dropped, and rather than a familiar leer, he looked disappointed. “I’ve been meaning to ask you about that advance check,” he said instead of answering. “What did you need that money for?”
”I had some things I needed to buy. Makeup, hair things, a new dress.” She batted her eyes.
”And your air conditioning,” he probed. ”Was that something you needed to get fixed?”
Amber thought about her still-broken air conditioning. ”No.”
“Is it your car fixed? You mentioned that”s why you were late this morning. Did you get that taken care of?” he pressed.
Eden slid two plates in front of them, and Amber jammed a fry into her mouth to avoid further questions.
”Here,” Theo said, offering her a bite of his kale salad. “Try this.”
”Thank you, no,” she said firmly. ”I”d rather not eat bird food. What”s with the twenty questions?”
“I’m curious why you”re so broke if you”ve been working all this time,” Theo said, not unkindly, but she bristled nonetheless. She bet he wondered. Men like Theo Clairmont had no idea what life was like for the other half, and she didn’t feel inclined to tell him. Let him think she was a flighty mess who couldn’t balance her checkbook for love or money. She didn’t owe him anything.
Amber looked back at him boldly. ”You and everybody else, but it”s none of your business. Let”s just say I have champagne tastes on a beer budget,” she said, yawning. ”I”m ready for a nap. You”ve got me working too hard.”
“Ah. Distraction again. Fine.” He sat back and looked her over coolly. “I’d have thought that extra hour of sleep this morning would have helped with that.”
She ignored that. “How about this,” she said as an idea came to her. “Let”s play truth or dare. We each get a turn, and you can choose to tell the truth, or you can take a dare.”
”Are we in middle school?” Theo asked.
“Come on, it”ll be fun, and I know you need more of that in your life. I’ve seen your schedule,” Amber cajoled.
Theo looked at her pointedly. ”You go first.”
Amber sat up excitedly. ”Dare, of course,” she said, challengingly.
Without hesitation, Theo scooped up a huge bite of kale salad on the end of his fork and held it out to her. ”Try this,” he dared.
Amber immediately balked. “Never mind. You don’t play fair. I”ll die if I eat that.”
”You”ll die if you don”t,” Theo smirked. ”Where’s your honor? You said you wanted to play this game.”
“Fine,” she opened her mouth, and Theo slid the fork between her teeth. They locked eyes for a moment before Theo pulled his arm back. Amber made a show of swallowing and pretended not to gag.
”That”s disgusting. I”ll probably get salmonella from the lettuce,” she said.
Theo laughed. ”You”ll probably add five years to your life because of those micronutrients.”
”Okay, now it”s your turn,” she said. ”Truth or dare?” She raised her eyebrows in a challenge.
Theo sat back and stretched his arm over the back of the booth, the very picture of an amused, confident, alpha male. He was so going to regret this. “Truth.”
She smirked. “Since you’re so interested in what I eat, what’s your secret guilty pleasure food?”
His eyes hooded as he considered, and he leaned in closer. “You want to know my guilty pleasure?” he asked huskily. The noise in the diner seemed to fade away until it was just the two of them.
She nodded, staring at those beautiful, sensual lips. “Oh, yes.”
“Peaches,” he said slowly. “Warm, ripe peaches baked with a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream on top.”
“Yes, please,” she whispered.
Theo cocked an eyebrow, and she blinked.
“Check, please, I meant,” she said into Theo’s laughing blue eyes. She grinned back.
He looked down at her burger, which she had demolished. “Are you ready to go?” he asked, decorous, respectable mayor once again.
“Chocolate milkshake to go?” she asked hopefully.
Theo looked at his watch. ”I have a meeting. Next time, Red Hot.”
Red Hot. She kind of loved that. She let her hips sway extra sassy on the way to the door and hoped he was appreciating the view.
Theo opened the door, and his hand made its way to her back to usher her out first. The touch sent a shiver through her body. She couldn”t help but think of all the other places on her body she wanted to feel his hands.