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 thingsrun 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 himfiring 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 inthe 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.
