I texted him again—I’d been texting him several times an hour. Yes, I was aware that it was crazy. Shoot, when I had told him we were done a few months ago, even he hadn’t texted me that much. But I couldn’t handle it. I needed him to talk to me.
“You are acting insane,” I scolded myself, deleting the frankly unhinged text I was about to send. I forced myself back to the task at hand, submitting the paperwork for Mr. Boyde’s medal.
The door to my office burst open. My heart soared for a moment, thinking it was Hunter.
“Hi, Ida,” I said, trying not to sound disappointed. “How can I help you?”
“You aren’t seriously giving that oaf a medal, are you?”
“He did find the alligator,” I reminded her.
“If he gets a medal, I want one too!” Ida insisted.
“A medal for what?”
“I don’t know,” Ida said. “Why don’t you give me a medal for not stuffing cat food down the storm system!”
“Sorry, Ida,” I said, not being able to take any more small-town kookiness. “I do have a meeting to run to. Maybe we can discuss this at another time?”
“Going to get some last-minute campaigning in?” Ida tapped her temple. “Don’t worry. I’ve been all over town campaigning for you. I even have a new advertisement up! They just finished the install.”
“That’s very thoughtful of you.”
* * *
As I walkedout of city hall, I came face-to-face with the advertisement.
There was yours truly in a ripped suit, my hair snarled around my face, wrestling an alligator while Hunter stood by in shock.
“Vote for a woman who dominates!” bold neon-pink text shouted.
This is my life.I stared up at the billboard. Unlike me, Hunter looked amazing. I wished he were here. I checked my phone. I hadn’t received so much as an emoji from him.
Was he seriously never going to contact me again, ever? I couldn’t even comprehend not having him in my life. He had always been there—looking out for me. I had complained when he would crash my dates, but part of me was secretly pleased when he would show up in his fancy suits and his swagger.
The tears came again. “I’m never going to have him back.” I sniffled.
Get it together.I still had my sisters to take care of. We didn’t have anywhere to live. If I lost the election, I was out of a job.You have bigger problems to worry about than Hunter.But he dominated my thoughts.
“You need to clear your head,” I pep talked myself as I walked to my car. But as I drove—slowly, of course, since I was still cursed with my station wagon, as I hadn’t been able to convince the FBI to impound it for evidence—I beat myself up over losing Hunter.
Why had I believed Hunter was going to post those pictures online? Why had I bought information about him from Leif? Why had I been so stupid?
I had broken the rules. Clearly it was a bad idea to have anything to do with a leader of a cult. Now Hunter was never going to forgive me. I was going to be a spinster, pining after him from afar, telling everyone in the old folks’ home about that time I had a billionaire in love with me and how he had bought me the most beautiful flowers.
I wished I had a faster car so I could just drive and drive and drive. As it was, my car was pushing forty-eight miles per hour, and it was starting to smell like burnt rubber. I slowed down, letting the car coast, and opened the windows. It was dark out, only the beams from my headlights illuminating the road.
You’ll probably hit a deer, and then your shitty life will be completely and totally in the toilet.Speaking of… there was something moving up ahead. I peered, slowing the car down. Were those deer? Whatever it was moved to the side of the road.Bobcat?
I hit the brakes. As I approached, my headlights caught several pairs of gray eyes.
“Goodness gracious!”
There were eight girls arranged tallest to shortest. The oldest one in front walked with purpose and with a big stick. Her blond hair was in a neat bun on the back of her head, and she had her younger sisters tied on a line of string behind her.
I pulled over on the side of the road.
“We are not in need of assistance,” the leader said. She looked to be younger than my sisters, maybe about twelve.
