∞∞∞
Macy soon realized that the best thing she could do for Luca was stay out of his way. After he had checked the traps he had laid down and looked for the warmer basking spots he was hoping their prey would have settled in to, all that was left was for Luca to lurk the halls in his panther form, hoping for to scent the elusive cryptid.
“I wish I could help more, but it honestly sounds like I'm going to be best off just doing some paperwork while you work.”
To her surprise, Luca gave her a serious look.
“I would rather you didn't.”
“Er?”
“Work. I mean. Are you actually behind?”
“I'm one of four elected officials in a small town, there's always work that I could be doing.”
“But are you actually behind?”
Macy started to say that of course she was, that was just the way things rolled, but then at his earnest face, she stopped to consider it. She pulled out her planner and went over the task list she had set herself at the beginning of the week, and the onethat she had come up with at the beginning of the month. Even with the science fair delayed and a re-do needed, that had been one of the biggest things on her plate for a while now.
“No,” she admitted, and he nodded as if he had known.
“It's Friday night. I saw you working all day, and I saw who you were working with.”
“Keith's really not that bad.”
“Is that what someone else would tell me about Keith?”
“Well, no, probably not.”
“Keith is that bad, and I feel like whenever you deal with him, you get one 'get out of filing forms free' pass.”
“Those don't actually exist, but now I'm kind of wishing they did. Wow.”
“I have good news for you. You're the mayor of Clearwater. It turns out it is entirely in your power to write yourself that pass.”
Suddenly, Luca's eyes went wide and sad. She almost reached out to stroke his face before she recognized the ploy.
“You work too hard. I'd like it if you took a break.”
Macy laughed in spite of herself.
“You have known me for less than three days. You cannot know that I work too hard.”
“Doesn't matter how long I've known you if I'm right. And I'm right, aren't I?”
“You're still working,” she pointed out.
“I get to have a large meal, a great night's sleep, and to spend the whole day out on a trail somewhere when I'm done. You should come with me. But right now... please?”
Macy sighed and nodded.
“Okay. I'll sit up here and—I don't know, catch up on some TV or something while you're working.”
“Nothing would make me happier,” he promised, and she took a long look at him.
“You mean that.”
He nodded.
