She was impressed.He’d done his homework.And furthermore, the modest start-up cost he’d estimated was well within what Cobbler Cove could afford to pay.She knew because she was the keeper of the town's budget and was its bookkeeper.She was certain the county would pony up funds to help restart a fire station on this side of the lake.The county commissioner had loudly lamented the loss of the Cobbler Cove Fire Department and about once a year brought up trying to restart it.
Grayson finished speaking and silence fell in Lucas's office.
She heard the mayor's leather desk chair squeak the way it did when he leaned forward to plant his elbows on his desk.
“Do it,” Lucas said.
Bonnie’s eyes opened wide.Really?Just like that, Lucas was agreeing to re-open the fire department?He never made snap decisions of this magnitude!Yet again, it crossed her mind to wonder what wasupwith him.
Gray stepped out of the mayor's office looking nearly as gobsmacked as she felt.“Thank you,” he said gravely.“For putting me through to see him.”
“That's my job.”
“Did you hear what the mayor and I discussed?”
She smiled a little and teased him lightly, saying, “Well, I heard you give your entire presentation and the mayor say, ‘Do it.’I wouldn’t call that a discussion.”
He flashed his quick smile at her, and that was the end of coherent function in her brain for a few seconds.
“Do you know what happens next?”he asked.
She collected her wits hastily.“I'll need a copy of your proposal to send to the other members of the town council.They meet next week, and they'll vote to approve it.”
“Do I need to be at that meeting?You know, to answer questions or convince them to sign off on it?”
“No.They rubber stamp everything Lucas decides.The big hurdle was getting him on board.”
“Then what happens?”
“As soon as they approve the measure, I'll set up an account at the bank to fund the department.You'll need to submit an initial budget to me, and I'll start disbursing funds to you.At the end of every quarter, you'll send me an accounting statement of what money you've spent and how.I'll use that to adjust your funding for the next quarter.”
He held the folder out to her.“I already built an initial operating budget.It's in the package.”
She nodded back and took the folder.Efficient, he was.She liked that about him.
“You’ll need to apply for an occupancy permit, but you don’t need to wait for the town council vote to submit that.I’ll have the mayor sign it as soon as it comes in, and you can get to work in the station.”
He nodded.“I’ll get right on filing that.”A pause.“As soon as I figure out how to do it.”
She smiled warmly.His uncertainty on how to proceed after he marched into the mayor’s office so confidently was rather endearing.“Let me print one up for you now.”She typed quickly, and in a moment, her printer disgorged the blank application.
“Thanks.”
He sat down in the visitor chair by her desk and filled out the form in neat, precise handwriting.She took the form from him and carried it into Lucas’s office.The mayor was on a call, so she dropped the application in her boss’s in-basket.
Gray was still standing by her desk when she emerged.She asked, “Is there anything else I can do for you?”
He hesitated.She recognized the look.He was working up to asking for something.
With a cautious glance at the closed door to Lucas’s office, he lowered his voice.“The blueprints we talked about.Would it be possible for me to look at those sometime?”
She murmured back, “They're in the city's document storage unit.I have the key.I can let you in and help you find what you’re looking for.”
“Whenever works for you.No rush.”
But the way he said it, too casual, too unpressured, told her it was anything but casual.He wanted those blueprints.She didn't know why, and she wasn't going to ask.Most of the answers that came to mind were possibilities she shied away violently from thinking about.
“I'll check my schedule and let you know,” she said.
