She nodded. “Hopefully this will work.” She took another swallow of water and laid her head back down on her desk again.
Chapter Eleven
Over the next couple days, she slowly began to feel better. Apparently, she’d gotten sick from something she’d had to eat at the station because two of the other firemen had fallen ill, too. She wasn’t sure who’s cooking was to blame, but she didn’t wish the vomiting and nausea on anyone. The smell of smoke hadn’t helped either.
By Friday, she was back to her old self again. Well, at least physically. Emotionally, she was still all over the place, knowing what she was about to encounter with Mayor Burns and Colton.
Just before daybreak, she left town and headed towards Keebler Hills. The trip was so impromptu, she hadn’t even bothered to call her parents. Knowing the interview wasn’t real, at least on her part it wasn’t, she didn’t want them to get their hopes up.
When she arrived at City Hall, she checked in with the Town Clerk then took a seat out in the lobby. As she stared at the pictures on the wall—images taken of various places throughout the city—she was a bit surprised to find she was the only one there. Barbara Allen had said there were other interviews scheduled for today hadn’t she?
She checked the time off and on for twenty minutes. For it to be an interview process, the person heading it up needed a reminder that promptness was expected from not just the interviewee but from the interviewer as well. It was a bit ridiculous that, other than Barbara, no one had bothered to communicate with her, much less apologize for the delay.
She became restless and even more irritated, and after another ten minutes passed, she stood up from her chair toleave. Barbara hadn’t returned to her desk yet and she couldn’t believe how unprofessional the entire set-up had been.
Just as she was about to walk out the door, Mayor Burns walked in. She was taken back a bit, since she thought he was already inside the conference room with the committee conducting an interview.
“Ahh, Ms. Jenson, you’re here.”
“Of course, I’m here,” she pointed out snidely.
She looked down at her watch to confirm how long she’d been waiting. Forty-five minutes and he hadn’t even bothered to say he was sorry.Geez! What a jerk!
She followed him inside his office and closed the door. “When will the others be here?” she asked as she sat down in one of the seats across from his desk.
“The others?”
She looked at him, confused. “I am here for an interview, right?”
“Of course, you are, Ms. Jenson.”
“What happened to the city council members? It was my understanding that this was an interview with them as well.” She winced at the thought of seeing Colton. Seemed a bit unethical that he could be a councilman while his father was still in office.
“No ma’am. There was a slight change in plans. I’m conducting your interview…alone. That’s okay with you, isn’t it?” he asked then walked around to stand beside her chair.
She wasn’t sure what Mayor Burns was up to, but everything about the situation suddenly made her feel uncomfortable. Then, he placed his hand on her shoulder. As far as she was concerned their interview was officially over.
“Mr. Burns, I do believe this interview has been cancelled,” she looked at him sternly. Her words were very clear and precise. “As of right now, I am withdrawing my name from your list of candidates.”
“We’ve not even had a chance to get to know one another.”
“And we won’t.” Just as his hand slid down the front of her shirt, his fingers slowly groping her breast, she shoved it away.
Mayor Burns looked at her with a smirk on his face. “You know, I had to find out if you’re a real woman or not. Playing with those men all day long—"
She stopped him before he could utter another disgusting word with a slap across his cheek. Just like she’d done his son back in the third grade. But this time, her hand connected with such force, Brent Burns had to catch himself from stumbling over the chair. What was it with the Burns family? First Colton, now his father.
As she walked out of his office, not bothering to close the door behind her, she wondered what had possessed him to do such a thing. What gave him the right to touch her inappropriately?
When she reached her car, she looked up just in time to see Colton. He’d parked his truck right beside her. She didn’t want to talk to him or anyone else for that matter. Thank goodness she’d been able to hold herself together long enough to get out of the building. The whole thing had been a set-up…at her expense. Who knows what the mayor had had up his sleeve?
She tried to avoid Colton but couldn’t get into her car quick enough. Memories of that night in her hotel room flooded her mind, only to wake up and find out he’d disappeared.
“Blayze, I thought that was you. What are you doing here?”
With tears streaming down her face, she walked right up to him and pounded both fists into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
“You,” she screamed at him. “And your father. You’re both jerks!”
