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“Hm,” I muttered, already wishing I was on my flight back to New York.
“How about establishing the very first Love Country Club? We could call it the Orson Romero Club. Has a nice ring to it, don’t ya think? It would be an exclusive membership, of course, only the most important people would be part of it. We could build it out off road 2080, there’s plenty of land out there for an 18-hole course. Maybe with your clout, we could tempt one of the fancy chefs from Dallas or Austin to open a restaurant on the property. Can you image? We’d probably get featured in a magazine! I could be on TV!”
It was all I could do not to vomit in my mouth.
The mayor mopped the beads of sweat that were forming on his forehead with the edge of his bib. I didn’t whether it was the spice from the barbecue making him perspire or his grandiose ideas. The man’s blood pressure couldn’t be good in any case, given that his huge belly hung as far over his belt as Santa Claus’s. All he needed was the red suit.
“No,” I said, keeping my voice calm.
“Come again?” he replied, cupping his hand to his ear, clearly thinking he’d misheard me.
I shook my head. “No, I would never financially back something like that. However, I did want to do something to help Love.”
“Oh?” The man’s expression wavered somewhere between dejection and hope. “You have a better idea?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. I understand from the research I did before arriving that the elementary school is in desperate need of renovations. And many students here come from families who don’t have a computer at home. What I would like to do is invest in the educational system here. If it wasn’t for my coding club, I wouldn’t have gotten my start. I’d like to create more opportunities for the children of Love to learn the skills they will not only need to be successful in tomorrow’s technologically advanced society, but to spark their passions and encourage them to think outside the box.”
“Hm.” Mayor Orson drummed his pudgy fingers on the surface of the table. “Well, I still think my idea was better, but I guess if you want to do that, you’re welcome to. People will probably love it anyway so I may as well give you my official support.”
Pushing back my chair, I paused to accept the man’s half-hearted handshake before throwing my paper plate with my uneaten food in one of the nearby trash bins and heading for the exit. I needed a breath of fresh air if I was going to last the rest of the evening, much less the whole week.
As I left the party, I couldn’t help but look through the crowd another time, searching for a beautiful head of honey-blonde curls. But there was none.
One of the attendants pushed the door open for me, and I stepped out onto the sidewalk into the warm summer night.
In contrast to the noise and bustle inside the hall, the streets along the square were almost entirely devoid of activity. I walked a little way down 1st St. to the park outside the courthouse and found a bench to sit on. The familiar buzz of the cicadas made me smile and the knots in my neck and shoulders began to relax. Fireflies flashed their tiny lights in the darkness and overhead the sky was full of a million stars. I took a deep breath and was surprised to find tears welling in my eyes. I’d forgotten what the night sky even looked like without the interference of skyscrapers and billboards. Memories rose in my mind of Sami and me at the lake, lying on our backs in the lush grass and trying to find the constellations as we talked about everything from our pasts to our hopes and dreams. Where was she now?
Suddenly, the noise of an approaching vehicle caught my attention. Caught in the headlights, I was startled when the driver accelerated rapidly and screeched to a stop at the curb only a couple of yards away. I stood up and wondered if I needed to dial 911. Being a public figure, I realized that I needed to be careful about personal safety, but I preferred not to think about it. I hated being fussed over, which I knew annoyed my publicist to no end, but I couldn’t help who I was. My independence and privacy were paramount, and I wasn’t going to compromise either.
Up close, I could see that the car was a little red Miata. The driver leaped out and I immediately recognized who it was. Leann Davis, Sami’s first cousin. If looks could kill, I’d already be a dead man. Slamming the car door behind her, she marched up to me and pointed at my chest with her index finger.
“Stay away from her.”
“Nice to see you again too, Leann,” I said. “May I ask to whom you are referring?”
Her blue eyes narrowed into slits. “Very funny. I don’t know why you’ve come back to Love now out of the blue, but Sami doesn’t want to see you. So, make sure you stay away from her.”
I shrugged. “That might be a little hard to do. This is a small town, you know. I can’t help it if I happen to run into her while I’m here.”
She shook her head, making her blond hair swing over one shoulder. “You’re smart. In fact, you’re brilliant. So, I’m sure you can find a way if you want to.”
“I can’t control life, Leann,” I replied. “Things happen.”
“Look, all I’m asking is that you respect her wishes. Stay. Away. Sami’s been through enough. She doesn’t need this right now.”
I frowned. “What do you mean? I saw that your grandmother passed last year, and I’m sure that must have been really hard for Sami since Nettie raised her. I should have sent flowers or something; I’m sorry. I didn’t know what the right thing to do was.”
“Hence you did nothing,” Leann smirked. “As usual.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I was confused. What else had I missed? Sami didn’t use social media, or if she did, she kept her presence on the platforms private since I hadn’t ever been able to find her in my searches. I relied on my mother and my subscription to the online town paper for information about happenings in Love. Since Sami was a sore subject with Mami, I couldn’t hope to glean anything from her anyway; I’d learned about Nettie’s passing after noticing the announcement in the obituaries.
“Are you and Sami running the Cuddle Cup now?” I continued.
Leann flipped her hair. “That’s none of your business. Look, I have to go. But I’m glad I found you. Just do yourself a favor and stay away from Sami, okay?”
Pivoting on her heel, she jogged back to her car and got in after giving me a final glare. As the vehicle roared away from the curb and screeched around the next corner onto Oak, I was left alone in the darkness knowing exactly what I had to do. And that was to pay a visit to the Cuddle Cup as soon as possible.
Chapter Four
