“That’s not it. Ross isn’t doing great. He’s depressed, I think.” Vane shrugged.
“Tell him to take Vitamin D and work out and stop fucking away all his money.”
Vane snorted, and his eyes lit with amusement as he gave me a little razzle-dazzle with his fingers spread wide. “I have. Along with letting him know he looks hungover lately in half his publicity shots.”
“Good. Frankly it’s embarrassing. You deserve better, after all you’ve done for him,” I murmured.
His smile flattened to a grim expression that had an unusual tension settling between us. “I’m worried I’ve done all I can.”
“Then what are we talking about?” I tilted my head to the side, which didn’t help me think any better.
He reached out and brushed a light touch, almost a caress, along my shoulder and then grasped me there. “If I have to move upstairs for some reason, will you come with me? Or….”
“You must really be worried.”
He gave my shoulder a squeeze and sat back again with his arms crossed.
“Yeah,” he murmured. “I know I pissed you off, JP. I need to know if you’re still in my corner.”
I stood and leaned closer to him, anger instantly alive and sparking in me. His cologne, spicier than anything I would choose to wear, tickled my nose, and his plump lips curved, not quite a smile but sweet. Very few people could simultaneously make me want to shake them and help them at the same time, but Vane pulled it off. “Do not insult me. I’ve worked too hard to keep you from looking like Ross. I’ve done everything possible to ensure you’ll walk out of this association with him smelling like a gold-plated rose.” I straightened and smoothed down my tie. “One incident between us isn’t enough to dislodge my loyalty.”
“That’s a yes, then?”
“Of course I will. Do you think orknowsomething is happening with Ross?”
Vane shrugged. “I don’t know anythingfor sure. He’s Ross. Bullshitter extraordinaire. I ask, he tells me he’s good. He just doesn’t seem into his job anymore. Normally he puts his extra energy into racking up good publicity. It’s not happening now without a fight and the entire team pulling together. Somethingis wrong.”
“You’ve always been the driving force behind your association. Why did you let him take the lead?” It was difficult not to snap, and I wasn’t sure I’d succeeded because he rubbed a hand over his face and groaned.
“As mayor, you mean?”
I sat down and nodded at him.
“He asked me to join him when he started his campaign.”
“I didn’t realize.”
“Yeah, he got me into this.” Vane grinned. Movement outside the office door caught our attention—Jaxson and Max stood out there in deep conversation, the elevator doors closing behind them. Max nodded, and Jaxson had his hands out, using them to augment whatever he was saying with a flourish. They seemed friendly, and some of the worry I’d had for Max this afternoon syphoned off and disappeared. He glanced my way and sent me a small smile, though he turned back to whatever Jaxson was saying the next second as Jaxson tapped his arm and kept waving his other hand.
“You’d have to keep Mark,” I said after a few seconds. “Is there room for all of us upstairs?”
“We’d make it work,” Vane murmured. “I’m not getting rid of anyone.”
“Who would become deputy mayor?”
“Well, there would be an appointment to the position by the new mayor if something happened between now and the next election. But the mayor, who would be me—” He flashed me a winning, camera-worthy grin. “—gets to pick. Maybe you?”
“Are you joking?” My stomach plummeted and then bounced back. I wasn’t sure if it was a good or bad feeling, but I leaned forward to make sure he wasn’t tugging my leg. He didn’t slap my arm and shout “gotcha!” so I settled back. “You’re not joking.”
His smile wilted around the edges. “Why not? You know everything I do. Hell, you’ve done most of it at one point or another.”
“I hadn’t considered getting in front of the cameras.” My heart squeezed and an odd excitement pelted through me. “Really?”
Vane shrugged. “Why the hell not?” He stood and stretched, his attention squarely focused on his fiancé in the hall. I loved how he went all dopey around his boy. It was touching in a way none of his put-on boisterous attitude could ever hope to be.
The door opened and Max strolled into the office with Jaxson at his heels. “Hi,” he said to me softly and the air leaked from my lungs. His dark eyes were shining with interest instead of being clouded with anxiety. He was stunning, and I wanted to get him alone.
“Hello, Maxwell. We have fifteen minutes left on the clock.”
