I thought he might swallow the bite of ham-and-cheese biscuit he’d just taken. Nope. “I said, we were wondering if you’d be willing to be our new—” a piece of ham hit me in the cheek, “—fire chief. The salary starts at…” He looked to the side, like he didn’t want to repeat it. “$350,000,” he mumbled. “With benefits.”
Forgetting that there was pork dangling from my face, I nearly swallowed my tongue. “Ex-excuse me?”
I wasn’t ready to be a fire chief. I had less than three years of firefighting under my belt. Most guys worked their way up for fifteen before they even got close to that title. And I didn’t know a single chief anywhere making that kind of money. Maybe in some massive city full of skyscrapers and traffic jams. But in a town like Seddledowne, where there were arguably more cows than people? It was downright laughable.
Mayor Massey sighed, and I couldn’t fault him. Repeating—now for the third time—a salary that was probably triple what he made had to sting, especially with retirement creepingup on him. “Three hundred and fifty thousand dollars.” He sounded more annoyed by the number than I felt. “Though I was instructed to mention it’s…negotiable.”
I released a single guffaw. “So you’re saying I could ask for more?”
He exhaled through his nose. “Yes.”
When I looked at Ford this time, he smiled and tipped his hat.
I snorted.
Maybe another man wouldn’t mind that level of blatant nepotism. He’d take the money and run. But finding happiness outside of this town, away from my insanely rich and famous family, had taught me one important thing about myself.
I didn’t want a handout.
Especially one as ridiculous as this.
I looked back at Massey and simply said, “No, thank you.”
I attempted to sidestep him, but the man cut me off, blocking my exit. “But… but why?”
“Simple,” I said. “I don’t want a job that’s handed to me. I want to know I earned it.” Before he could counter, I added, “And I like it in Phoenix. Other than July and August, the weather is beautiful,andthere’s no humidity or bugs.”
Yes, there was the occasional scorpion, snake, and tarantula. But I’d take those over having a squadron of gnats dive-bomb my eyeballs the second I stepped out the door, mosquitoes chewing up my legs like I was their personal all-you-can-eat buffet, and sweating through my underwear before I even reached the sidewalk, June through September.
Massey got a dreamy, far-off look in his eyes. “No humidity or bugs?”
“That’s right. And the scenery out west is incredible. Have you ever seen a saguaro up close?”
Three minutes later, the mayor was looking up retirement communities in Scottsdale. But more importantly, I was proud of myself. I’d left Seddledowne a scared boy who had no clue how he was going to make it on his own. Every obstacle I’d overcome had turned me into a man. A man who didn’t need to ride the coattails of his uber-rich relatives in order to make a name for himself. A man who couldn’t be bought.
Ford’s scowl had carved deep lines across his forehead. I gave him a wink and tipped my own hat. Imaginary, of course. I’d taken the real one off the minute the funeral was over.
Unlike the rest of the men in my family, I was not a cowboy at heart.
I filled Jules’s glass, said my goodbyes to Mayor Massey, and headed back outside. But the women must’ve moseyed off somewhere, because I was the only one out there. The glass door slid open behind me, and I turned… to see Ford walking out.
I sighed. “Don’t even bother. You’re just wasting your time.”
“C’mon, Griff,” he said, voice smooth. “You’re seriously going to turn down that kind of money?” The look in his eye told me he would not let this go. Not until we hashed it out.
I set the glasses on a small metal table and folded my arms across my chest. “Yes. I am.”
He studied me. “Mind if I ask why?”
I could give him the same Life Is Better Out West spiel I’d just given Mayor Massey, but that wasn’t the real problem here. “Because unlike everyone else in this family, you can’t buy me off.”
“Ouch.” He chuckled, but I could tell it stung. “You really think that about me? I try to buy people off?”
I didn’t want to hurt him, but I also didn’t want to have this conversation a single time after this. If I ever came home, it would be because I wanted to, because the time was right,not because I was manipulated. Regardless of how well-meaning it might be. “You bought us all cars when we turned sixteen?—”
“Because I love you and I know it’s hard being my nephew,” he said, like he was baffled. “There should be some perks if you have to have the paparazzi all up in your business.”
“You’re right. That was very nice of you. And while I appreciate the free truck, that’s where it has to end for me. I’m a man now, and I need to make my own way in the world.”
