Who knew what crawled up his butt again? She had apologized for speeding, and they didn’t even get a ticket. She had gone to the bar to get their drinks and ran into her old friend Anthony. They had chatted for a bit, but she would have brought them their drinks, eventually.
If that had ruined his day, then the mayor was strung tighter than she thought. Maybe he was mad she interrupted the reporter and him? There had definitely been an underlying current between them. She almost asked, but she didn’t want to get her head bitten off again.
She sat back and enjoyed the scenery instead. Northfield was known for its charming original architecture and quaint old-world feel. The mayor's office sat nestled between the town hall and the community library on Main Street in a charming little red brick building draped in ivy. The post office was just down the sidewalk, along with cute little boutiqueswhere Amber liked to window shop. At the end of the main drag was the village green, where the town held the Harvest Festival every fall, and Candlelight Night in the winter.
On a Monday morning, the sidewalks were just starting to fill up with shop owners out sweeping and watering their flowers. Amber waved at some familiar faces.
If she wasn’t so irritated at Theo, she could grudgingly admit that he did a marvelous job making sure Northfield was a welcoming place to live. Where she grew up, Cedarwood Village’s tenements didn’t quite fit the aesthetic of the rest of the town, but Amber could appreciate the appeal just the same.
Her family had come a long way since those early days in Cedarwood, and Amber had just as many good memories growing up on the edge of all this charm as she did bad ones. Like Johnny. She never would have met him if she hadn’t lived in Cedarwood. She made a mental note to call him. He still didn’t know about her new job.
Theo, apparently over his snit, was back to being a gentleman because he came around to open her door when they arrived in the parking lot. Mrs. Dubois, who Amber recognized from the ribbon-cutting ceremony, was seated behind a desk like a sentinel.
“Good morning, Mr. Mayor,” she said. Her gray hair was neatly sprayed into place, the sides and top slicked back as if she dared a piece to escape and break ranks. Amber guessed not many dared break anything around Diane Dubois.
Mrs. Dubois’s fond gaze slid to Amber, trailing behind Theo. Amber sized her up immediately as the gatekeeper to the office.
“Good morning, Diane,” Theo greeted her, setting a white paper bag with the Morning Glory Bakery logo on it down on her desk. Diane’s gaze rested on Amber, doubt written all overher face at what she saw. Amber knew when her measure had been taken and she’d been found lacking. There wasn’t one instance, other than with Theo, of course, where she couldn’t use her considerable charm to win people over, and she made up her mind then and there that she was going to win over Diane Dubois.
“A chocolate croissant?” Diane’s eyes lit up and she looked up at Theo adoringly.
“Never miss a Monday,” Theo said. The dimple made an appearance so quickly Amber thought she missed it. “Diane Dubois, meet Amber Hart, my new assistant.” Theo introduced them.
“I think I’ll like working here if we get treats on Mondays,” Amber said, eyeing the bag hungrily.
“Too much sugar will kill you,” Diane said dourly.
“But what a way to go,” Amber said. “I’m all ears if you have any tips or advice for taking care of the mayor. How does he like his coffee?” she asked cheerfully.Black like his mood.
Diane stiffened. “I take care of that for the mayor.”
“I can get my own coffee, Diane. I’ve been telling you that for years,” Theo said, but the fondness took any sting out of his words. “Come on back. I’ll show you around.”
The office was an interesting mix of old and new. Large, six-paned windows let in plenty of light, casting a soft glow on the exposed wood beams that vaulted the high ceilings. Vintage rugs covered newly refinished wood floors leading to a hallway of offices. "This is Todd Myers, community outreach,” he rapped on the open door. A man in retro black glasses and a blue bowtie looked up from a computer.
"Todd, Amber Hart, my new assistant."
Todd took his glasses off and stood up to shake her hand. "We've heard so much about you.”
“All good, I hope."
“Not all. That would be boring.” He grinned. “We'll talk later, I'm sure," Todd said as Theo led her away to the next door with a gold plate that read Charlotte Thornton. Amber knew of her, although they hadn’t met formally.
The Thorntons and the Clairmonts were two of the oldest families that had settled Northfield and were practically royalty. Just in the five-minute drive to work this morning, Amber had driven by at least four buildings with their last names engraved on them. Theo knocked lightly.
"Come in." Charlotte sat behind a desk with two computer monitors. Amber assessed her expertly. Her suit was too large and a sad beige that seemed to absorb the light in the room rather than reflect it. With all the colors in the world, Amber had never understood why someone would wear that one. “Hello again, Amber.”
"Nice to see you again. Hope you enjoyed your wine.”
“Charlotte, I meant to ask you about the dinner this Saturday.” Theo said. While they talked, Amber played one of her favorite games. The makeover one.
Charlotte’s boring blouse became a vintage Gucci floral in hot pink that she’d had her eye on forever on eBay. Amber squinted, trying to see Charlotte’s hair color. Oh, yes. She’d take down that severe bun and give it some body, maybe a few highlights to put warmth into her face. And those pearl earrings were tasteful but boring. Amber was just getting warmed up when Theo cleared his throat.
"Did you get that?" Theo said, looking up with a frown. Amber jumped, guilty.
"Yep, got it all. Dinner party, Friday,” she said brightly.
Theo's scowl let her know she'd been caught daydreaming, but he didn’t say anything. “This,” he said, pointing to the last office on the left, “is Neal Barclay’s, chief of staff. He's not in right now; you'll meet him later at the Monday morningmeeting.”
