“Is that what brunch is about?” I asked.
“I’m afraid so. Lacey hosts them once a month in an effort to stay in their good graces. She’d never hear the end of it if she deprived them of being some of the first to welcome you to town.”
I had an inkling of what to expect. I’d been speaking at women’s groups and luncheons since I’d won my first big title. As my mother used to tell me all the time, “It’s not what you know, it’swhoyou know.” I shouldn’t be surprised that Mayor Cherish was using my visit to impress some of her constituents.
“You ever get tired of it?” Jasper pulled out of the parking lot, leaving Helmut and his giant smoker behind. The air cominginto the truck cab changed and the smell of the fresh outdoors tickled my nose.
“Tired of what?”
He glanced over at me before turning his attention back to the road. “People using you.”
I let out a long breath. “Comes with the territory, I suppose. Besides, isn’t that what we all do?”
“What do you mean by that?” His hands tightened on the steering wheel, and I looked away.
“We all use each other in some way. Call it networking, or mentoring, or collaborating. But I think most people rely on others for a lot of their success.”
“I suppose.”
“Haven’t you ever used someone else to get ahead?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
“Well then, that makes you different than any man I’ve ever met.” I settled against the back of my seat, taking the slightest bit of pleasure at the slight shock on his face.
Jasper didn’t say anything else until he brought the truck to a stop in front of a sprawling country home. A narrow porch stretched the entire length of the front, complete with two big rocking chairs and a miniature kid-sized one where Lacey’s son would probably sit someday.
“You ready for this?” he asked.
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” I gave him a smile that was supposed to hold all of the confidence I didn’t feel as I climbed down from the truck and stepped onto the stamped concrete sidewalk.
The front door opened wide and Lacey stood just inside. “There you are. Welcome.”
“Thank you so much for having me.”
“My pleasure. Come on in, everyone’s so excited to meet you.” Lacey held out a hand and I took it. “Hey, Jasper. Why don’t you come back in a couple of hours to pick her up?”
“You got it, boss.” He lifted his hand to wave.
I glanced back as the door shut behind me, a tiny part of me wishing I were spending the morning with Jasper instead of being subjected to the fine ladies of Ido.
Jasper
After I leftDelilah in Lacey’s care, I headed into town. I wanted to check on the power and water hookups at Helmut’s to make sure there wouldn’t be any additional issues. So far, the generator Bodie provided had been working, but Helmut had someone coming out to take a look at the wiring. As I passed through the square on my way to the Burger Bonanza, my phone rang.
I hadn’t talked to my aunt Suzy since last night when she’d delivered Delilah to the kickoff event in a sidecar. “Hey, did you have fun last night?”
“You heard from your brother lately?”
“Which one?”
“Colin.”
My heart lurched. “No, why?”
As far as I knew, my brother was playing by the rules we’d set up. Rules we both agreed to the last time we’d seen each other in person.
“I’ve got a feeling.” Suzy let out a long-drawn-out breath. “I swear I saw his ghost while I was leaving the feed store over in Swynton.”
