“Nowcher—” Leo starts.
Yeah, they’re going to regret this. “I love you! See you at home!” I call, then slam my door
Brewser has his hands on his hips, frowning, but Wilson is just shaking his head, and Leo is laughing now.
I start the truck and pull out of the parking spot, heading in the opposite direction from where the men are standing. Three minutes later, I merge into the line of cars heading toward New Orleans and blow out a relieved breath.
I concentrate on traffic for several miles. I love New Orleans and visit regularly, but I absolutely prefer the lighter traffic and slower pace around my hometown.
Finally, we cross the bridge and turn toward Rebel. I relax in my seat, then glance over and realize Alex is watching me.
“You okay?” I ask him.
“What were you doing before you came to rescue me?” He looks over his shoulder at the truck bed.
“Gardening club. We were picking wildflowers we planted earlier this summer to use in art club next week.”
“You’re going to have a lot fewer to work with at art club.”
I look in the rearview mirror. “Dammit!”
His suitcase is keeping the flowers in one of the wooden crates, but the other is still open on top, and the flowers are being picked up and scattered by the wind.
“You sacrificed both the gardening club and the art club for me?” Alex asks.
I glance at him again. “I did.”
“I appreciate it.”
“You sure?” It’s not like he’d beenenthusiasticabout getting in my truck.
His gaze drops to my mouth. “Yeah. I’m sure.”
Damn those tingles. I focus on the road. “I’m going to drop you off with Bruce at the apartment, but I need to find out if he knew about their plan.”
“Who’s Bruce?”
“One of my grandfathers.”
“Is he mad about the meet-and-greet and everything, too?”
I look over. “Yeah. Definitely.”
Alex winces. “I feel bad about it. I don’t really remember much about it, to be honest. I was in a lot of pain, the doc gave me some meds. I was pissed and worried and…” He sighs and shoves a hand through his thick, wavy dark hair. “Just not at my best.”
I nod. “I know. But Harley only expected five minutes of your time. You’re coming to a town where everyone is pretty generousand shows up for one another and just doesn’t let their own shit get in the way.”
Alex shifts on the seat, turning toward me more fully. “That night ruined my career. I only played four games this entire past season. And I didn’t get my contract renewed. That’s pretty bad, trust me.”
I look away from the highway to meet his eyes. “Harley had astroke, Alex. His impairments are permanent. He’llneverget back to one hundred percent. And there’s now a guy who’s planning to take his job away from him because of it. You can at least still play hockey even if it’s not at the pro level.”
Alex is quiet for a long moment, then he says, “What’s his job?”
“He’s the mayor of our town.” My heart squeezes. Harley has been a leader in our community his entire adult life. Nothing means more to him than taking care of our town and the people in it. “And now Sean Patrick, the I’m-too-good-for-this-little-hick-town asshole who couldn’t wait to get away from Rebel back when he was eighteen, has moved home and is running against Harley for mayor. Worse, he’s using Harley’s stroke as a reason he’s no longer qualified to hold the position.”
Alex groans. “The guy I snubbed with the meet-and-greet is themayorof the town I’m moving to?”
“Yep.”
