She was a force of nature. She didn’t charm people by being bland or saying things that were easy to digest the way Danielle did. Danielle was expected. Exactly the kind of person that you would think would be mayor of a small town. Well, until the sex scandal. But even then … Even that scandal seemed pretty on brand for a politician. He was only surprised that as a woman, she had managed to slide around most of the judgment. Jessie was a maverick. She was unlike … well, anyone.
“I’m shocked that you’re trusting us with the fake-dating story,” Cassidy said, breaking open a dinner roll and slathering it with butter. “I mean, there are a lot of loose lips over here that could sink your ship.”
Jessie laughed. “It’s better than trying to maintain a lie with the people who know us best. Better to have you all on our side. And in the know. I don’t know if Flynn wants me bunking at his place every night.”
He cleared his throat. “No,” he said shortly.
“What’s the story?” Perry asked. “I mean, the official story of how the two of you got together.”
“We hooked up,” he said. “That night at the bar.”
“Really?” Perry asked, squinting at him. “That’s the best you can manage, Flynn? Making the woman you’re dating no more special than anyone else you’ve ever been with?”
“That’s what everybody saw,” he said. “I’m just keeping it simple.”
“Nobody wants simple,” Perry said.
“Oh, but if the story’s too elaborate, I might mess it up,” Millie said.
“No, you won’t. Because you know what makes a good story, Millie,” said Perry. “You love books. Is this a satisfying romance?”
Millie wrinkled her nose. “I guess not.”
“So what should the story be?”
“Maybe the story should be that they were friends, and then she almost hooked up with someone else, and he got mad and took her out back behind the bar and kissed her.” Cassidy said this deadpan, staring at Perry, and Flynn wanted to give his sister a high five.
Perry bared her teeth at Cassidy. “You know, I think that story might be taken.”
“Sorry for plagiarizing your life,” she said, stuffing the roll into her mouth.
“Yeah, I’m good. I think if this is going to be a really satisfying enemies-to-lovers type story, then there needs to be a dramatic culmination,” Perry said.
“Oh indeed,” said Millie. “A lot of will they, won’t they?”
“You’re describing the last three years of all of their interactions,” Austin said.
Flynn felt like his brother had hauled off and punched him. And Jessie Jane, being Jessie Jane, just laughed.
“Well there,” she said. “There’s the story. We did hook up that night at the bar, but there were years of denying it. Years and years.” She laughed as though it was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard, as if she wasn’t resisting a damn thing. As if the heat between them was entirely a by-product of his siblings’ imaginations. And his.
He didn’t like that. He didn’t like it at all.
“Fine,” he said. “Great story.”
“I think so,” said Jessie.
“And,” he added, “I encouraged you to run for mayor. Because I knew that you had a lot of great ideas for the town.”
“Excuse me, why am I giving any of my power over to a man?”
“You quite literally asked me to pretend to date you in order to help validate your candidacy?”
“Still. It was my idea to run for mayor.”
“I get that. But you’ve involved me, and the current mayor is my half sister, so don’t you think I ought to be involved?”
“He has a point,” said Carson.
