Chapter 9
Tate: Anything?
Will: Nothing. My boss is pulling everybody out tomorrow.
Tate: What’s your plan?
Will: I’m not sure where to go from here. I’ll come and get Liv soon.
Tate: About that. Let me keep her.
Will: What does that mean?
Tate: That means she stays here. Let me take over and see if I can draw him out.
Will: It’s too dangerous. He knows she’s gone. He’s probably looking for her now.
Tate: That’s what I’m hoping for.
Will: I don’t want her used as bait.
Tate: She already is bait. She’s been his bait for six months. He’s not stopping until he finds her. But this time when he finds her, he finds me.
I was a ball of nerves leaving the house tonight.
Going on errands with Tate a few days ago had been a nice boost to my spirits.
Once we got back to the house and I’d survived the whole thing without a Leroy sighting (with the exception of one questionable phone call), I was on a high for days.
Eating at a real restaurant felt so luxurious.
Spending time with Tate had been fun and even helpful as I’d now written three scenes since Elaine’s begrudging approval of my changes early this morning. I still hadn’t told Tate yet.
But our outing had been days ago. The high had worn off, leaving a fresh dose of anxiety in its wake.
Not to mention, Tate and I would be going to the party as a couple. I grabbed my phone to text my friends to warn them when Ari beat me to it.
Ari: Okay. I just wanted to warn you both that if you happen to see me hanging off of Wade’s arm tonight, just act natural. It’s for a good cause.
Me: UM. What?
Ari: No time to explain, but just don’t make it weird.
Reese: I LIVE to make things weird. I can’t be there, but maybe I should try to swing it.
Ari: NO. Stay home and thank your lucky stars you don’t have to witness this.
Me: Okay, this seems like a good time to jump in here. If you also happen to see Tate and me holding hands, please also don’t make it weird.
Ari: WHAT?
Reese: It was the tractor and those sexy forearms, wasn’t it?!
I hadn’t brought anything nice enough to wear to Autumn Ridge’s beloved Mayor Monroe’s fiftieth birthday party, so I was grateful when Landrie brought me one of her dresses to borrow.
It was a red halter top that landed just below my knees.
The skirt was light and silky and felt soft against my skin.
Ann lent me a pair of shoes to match. I did my hair in a twisty updo.
And walking into the town hall with Tate’s strong hand clutching mine and Walkers flanking me on all sides made me feel like I was somebody else for a night.
The Town Hall had always been a drab place of law and order.
Mostly I remembered the faint smell of paint and sterile white walls.
But now, cut yellow flowers sat in vases in the center of each table throughout the room.
Golden balloons covered almost every inch of the ceiling while soft candles provided mood lighting.
We were seated near the back of the room where we filled up on plates of filet mignon and garlic mashed potatoes. I passed on the steamed asparagus, leaving them untouched on my plate, and smiled slightly when Tate did the same.
Ann leaned around Tate to whisper to both of us, “I was hoping you’d be a better example for my boys about eating their vegetables.”
Tate’s nose wrinkled while I smiled. “If it were any other vegetable, I’d give it my best effort, but I can’t, in good conscience, eat asparagus.”
Ann grinned and went back to her plate, her blue eyes sparkling along with her blue gown. Someone in the front stood up to give a speech.
I had been trying not to look at Tate as much as possible tonight.
He wore a blue suit and tie that looked like it was tailor-made for him.
We’d been getting curious looks all night.
Mostly from friends of Tate who raised their glasses to him from across the table—motioning to me.
I didn’t watch the look Tate gave them, but it left them laughing and giving him a thumbs up.
The exchange had me feeling tingly and unable to sit completely still.
We leaned back in our chairs at the same moment, and he must have remembered we were dating at the same time I did.
He wrapped his arm around my chair, scooting me closer to his side.
It felt almost silly to be practicing this charade when the week was nearly over.
But I didn’t want to think about going back to my apartment right now.
“Did you email your boss about your screenplay idea?” he whispered, meeting my eyes briefly before he swept his gaze around the room.
“Yes.”
“And?”
I almost hated to tell him he’d been right, but then I couldn't help myself. “She approved it.”
His face lit up. I held up a hand to lower his expectations.
“With conditions. It has to be light. It can’t overshadow the romance or take over the plot. And she gets the final say. I had to phrase the request in a way that made it sound like I was knee-deep in my story and just wanted to add this element in.”
“She’ll love it. It’s a good idea.”
“Don’t let it go to your head.”
“Too late.” He flashed me a smile. “I’m going to be hard to live with after this.”
I huffed out a laugh and looked away before he caught me staring.
After speeches and dessert, the ceremonious feel of the evening relaxed into voices and laughter as people mingled and chatted amongst themselves.
Ari, who had indeed been sitting cozy with Wade on the other side of the room, had left right after dinner before I could say hi.
It had been so long since I’d been back to Autumn Ridge that I clung to the few familiar faces I found.
One of whom was, surprisingly, Mayor Monroe.
Mayor Noah Monroe had been a piece of eye candy in this town since as long as I could remember.
I believe the term “Daddy Mayor” had even been whispered amongst the more savage of the single female population of Autumn Ridge.
Even my friends on the cheer squad in high school had hushed reverently whenever he visited the high school assemblies.
And I mean…according to my research, he had all the qualifications for swoon in a small-town setting.
Medium build. Deep-set eyes. Hair the color of melted chocolate.
Single dad lovingly caring for a daughter on his own.
Kind, well-liked, service-oriented in the community.
The kind of stuff that would melt the hardest of anti-romantic hearts.
He had remained a single father since his wife died in a car accident twenty years earlier.
I waved to his daughter, Juliet, who stood talking with Luke like they were old friends.
I hadn’t seen her since I’d babysat her as a little girl.
She was still short, reminding me of the sweet, young thing I used to babysit, but in her dress, it was clear that she had since grown up.
The mayor stopped beside me, his eyes bright after a night spent with friends, and shook Tate’s hand before turning toward me.
“Now, remind me of your name, Miss.”
I shook the hand he held out and smiled at the handsome face staring back at me. “Hi, Mayor. Happy birthday. I’m Liv Rawlins.”
A puzzled expression furrowed across his brow. “Rawlins? Are you Nancy’s daughter?”
“Yes.”
“Ah, now I’ve got you pegged. You babysat Juliet a few times. How’s your mom doing? She moved to…New Mexico?”
“Arizona.”
He snapped his fingers in the air. “That’s right. How’s that new husband of hers?”
“So far, so good.”
He smiled before another guest came to whisk him away. I watched him go, feeling almost like the sun had disappeared behind a cloud.
Tate was occupied by a friend in a bolo tie, who introduced himself as Archer.
After the normal pleasantries, I took my opportunity to escape Tate’s light grip on my hand.
When he looked down at me in question, I motioned to Jaxon, who stood by one of the exits, looking bored.
He let me go but not before he leaned in close to my ear, looking like he was kissing my cheek, and whispered, “Don’t go anywhere without me. ”
The heated puff of air he injected into my ear at his words was the most feeling I’d gotten from him all night.
Ever since we’d stood from the table, he’d been pretty boring company, talking lightly with everyone around us but me.
I thought we’d made some significant strides toward friendship being stuck together the past week, sharing tractor rides and trips into town, but tonight had set us back significantly.
I walked toward Jaxon, conscious of Tate angling his body slightly to watch my movements.
“Why are you hiding out over here?” I asked Jaxon as I stopped next to him at the door.
“‘Cause I’m almost a married man, and the women in this town are scary.”
I snorted. “Where’s Landrie? I thought she’d come with you.”
“She hung out in the loader with me most of the day, but she had a girls’ night tonight.”
“Are you ready to go home?”
He shrugged and glanced out into the hallway. “Whenever you’re ready.”
My brow furrowed. “Whenever I’m ready?”
He nodded, and something suddenly dawned on me. I took a step back.
“Wait. Are you watching the door?”
Jaxon flicked his eyes to mine. “Yeah.”
“Why?”
“Because…” He trailed off, clearly unsure how to bring up the fact that I had a deranged stalker on the loose.
“Okay, I know why, but…” I trailed off, somewhat stunned. Being here felt so normal. I hadn’t forgotten about Leroy, but for a little while, I’d forgotten that I needed to worry about him here.
“He’s not going to break in and kidnap me, right?” I added, keeping my voice light.
Jaxon huffed out a laugh. “Not on Tate’s watch.”
Like a tractor beam, my attention moved toward the man in question, and I startled slightly when I found his dark gaze already on me. He was nodding along with Archer, but Tate’s focus was wholly intent on me.