Page 5 of The Rule of 3

“She’s probably shacked up with some grad student at college right now and not available anyway.”

“Work on it, Tan. There’s not a grad student, or any man for that matter, who can hold a candle to you.” He kissed Tanner’s head once more.

“And what are you going to do, Eli?”

Eli gave a tiny huff. “I’m not the one with political ambitions. Maybe I’ll just be a confirmed bachelor… or maybe I’ll meet a woman who completely knocks my socks off. Who knows? She might be out there somewhere. You know there isn’t anyone else I want to be with but you, Tan, but we’ll just have to make do. Don’t forget that youneed a wife. A couple of kids wouldn’t hurt either, future Mr. President.”

Tanner’s heart hurt with all the conflicting emotions he felt. “Eli, you know if I get married, I could never cheat on my wife to be with you. It would tear me apart to do that. And it would be the worst thing in the world to do to Zoë… or whomever I marry.”

Smiling gently, Eli sighed, “I know, Tan. You’re a good man. We still have a while, and we’ll be able to see each other sometimes, but you see the big picture. Your ambition is very sexy.” He winked at Tanner. “If nothing else, we can always be best friends.”

This time, Eli kissed Tanner on the mouth, and they spent the rest of their last night together making love. Neither had any idea how soon they’d be able to see each other again.

Chapter 6

Tanner returned to Honeybee Hollow a subdued man—but only inwardly. His need for Eli paralyzed him at night, and he couldn’t sleep. Some days he wanted to forget all of his ambitions and drive straight through the night to get to Eli and marry the man. He also wanted to reconnect with Zoë and see if he had any hope of restoring anything with her. He was tormented by the thought of being without one of them for the rest of his life.

Several times he picked up his phone to connect with Zoë—but to say what?I was a jerk and I’m sorry, so please take me back? He doubted that would impress her.

During the day, Tanner smiled and networked and dazzled people with his charm. He made stirring, eloquent campaign speeches, sent out eye-catching flyers, and went door-to-door asking for support with humility and a firm handshake. People were taken in by his sincerity and his beautiful words. If there was a bit of sadness in his eyes, none of the townspeople noticed.

A few well-orchestrated calls from New York went to the proper media channels, and Tanner quietly and gradually became the darling of Kentucky. There was nothing over-the-top about his campaign, but everyone grew used to seeing images of the handsome, always smiling young man who’d set out to reform his hometown at the tender young age of twenty-two. His dedication was an inspiration.

When the election was called, he won eighty-five percent of the votes. His parents stood by him, so proud they could barely speak. Tanner was elated, but when he went home that night, all he could think to do was call Eli.

Pouring himself a bourbon and grabbing his phone, he crowed into it, “I did it, Eli.Wedid it. I took all of your advice, and now you’ll have to call me Mr. Mayor!”

Tanner could hear the smile in Eli’s voice when he answered, “I’m so proud of you, Tanner. Let me know if there’s anything at all we can do to help you. You’ll want to build a strong foundation for when you’re ready to run for governor.”

Tanner’s successes as mayor of the small town became state news quite often. The media knew to keep tabs on the bright young star. They had all received polite suggestions in the form of advertising dollars to keep Mayor Lassiter visible and shown in a positive light at all times.

The wheels of the machine were beginning to turn.

Not too long after Tanner’s victory, his sister Madison returned from Emory where she’d been studying business. Her personal life was in shambles, thanks to her asshole former boyfriend, which only strengthened her resolve to realize her dream of being a successful milliner.

Tanner saw her business aspirations as a great opportunity.

Right before Tanner took office as mayor, a factory that employed several of the Honeybee Hollow residents had folded. Bad business practices and expensive taxes had done in the owner, who fired everyone, locked the doors, and moved to Florida all in less than a week. It was a black time for the community.

While campaigning, Tanner promised tax reform to attract new businesses into the area, and he again picked Eli’s dad’s brain on how to accomplish that the best way. He worked out an anonymous deal through the Whittakers’ foundation to secure a low-rate business loan for Madison so she could buy the necessary machines she’d need. All she knew was that it was a loan designed for female entrepreneurs. Tanner went in with her as a silent partner and bought the factory building, only his funding came from Eli.

The town watched the successful siblings flourish, and they could do no wrong. Tanner was the most popular mayor anyone could remember, and Madison’s business grew exponentially as she made a killing with online sales. There were several trendy shops in New York that started buying her hats in large quantities. Again, she never knew that she had what amounted to a guardian angel taking care of her business from afar. Eventually, however, her designs became so popular, she barely needed any help from Eli.

Chapter 7

Tanner tried dating some of the young women in Honeybee Hollow as well as the surrounding towns. Local residents constantly tried to set him up with their daughters, granddaughters, nieces, or neighbors. Photos of him surfaced quite often with an attractive lady on his arm, but none of the women appeared more than once.

After three long years, Zoë finally returned to town. It took him six months of watching her turn away, walk away, ignore, and once even glare at him for him to finally show up at her doorstep with flowers in hand.

On a Thursday evening, Mayor Lassiter knocked on the door of Honeybee Hollow’s beloved kindergarten teacher’s house.

Zoë Deliban opened the door with a book in her hand. Barefoot and wearing a pair of denim shorts that showed off her toned legs to perfection, she had on a tight tank top that didn’t hide a bit of the contour of her pretty breasts. Her long brown hair was piled on top of her head in a random, oddly-shaped bun, and the expression on her face was not hospitable. Instead of stepping back and welcoming him inside, Zoë asked coolly, “Can I help you?”

Tanner immediately felt like a door-to-door salesman without a solicitation permit.

Mustering all of his courage and bravado, he held up the flower arrangement to her and asked, “Zoë, please, may I come in and talk to you? I won’t take up a lot of your time. I’m sure you’re busy.”

“Why?”

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