Page 6 of Rival Hearts

“Do you want me to come in there?” Ruth asked, and the scrape of the chair legs on the wooden floor as she rose from herseat was clear through the phone and the thick oak door. Instead of waiting for an answer, there was a click in my ear, and Ruth popped her head into the office.

“What in the world?” I set down the handset and rocked back in my leather chair. The mayor’s desk, big, wide, and older than me, was laid out between us. I smoothed my hands along the grainy surface hoping, like a genie in a bottle, it would magically restore logic and order to my life. Grady Castillo returning to town unannounced and then running against me for mayor was insane.

“I know.” Ruth nodded. “Absolute lunacy. Why would he want to run against you?”

“Why would he want to run at all?” I raised bewildered eyes to Ruth. “Does he even own property in town?”

Ruth inspected the piece of paper in her hand. “Looks like he bought the old Whittaker place.”

“The Whittaker place?” I shook my head. “The mold penetrated his brain, that’s what’s happened.”

With a small laugh, Ruth shrugged her shoulders. “Looks like we have ourselves a race for mayor.”

“Seriously? What job did he list?” I rounded the desk, my heels muted by the gray carpet, and snatched the paper out of Ruth’s hands. “Musician? That’s what he put down?” Last night he’d told me he didn’t make his living off his voice anymore. So, what was this? A lie?

“Technically, probably true. The cash prize and then the royalties off his hit album.”

“One hit album,” I reminded her. “One.”

Ruth smoothed her chin-length salt-and-pepper hair. She was old enough to retire and had been for a few years. But when I had gotten into office, Ruth had agreed to stay on for my first term. Everyone had been counting on a second.

“There’s no way Grady wants to be mayor.” I thrust the paper at Ruth and spun on my heel to return to my desk. “You’ve met him? Grady Castillo can’t remember anyone’s name, ever. He and Trent were banned from the pawn shop when we were kids. Banned!” On the tip of my tongue was the reminder that Trent was a convicted felon, but I caught myself in time. I never talked about him like that, and I wasn’t going to let my temper get the best of me now. Grady had always brought out the worst in me. “He would be a terrible mayor. I bet he doesn’t even have a plan or a platform or anything.”

“He has managed to get you quite worked up.”

“A loophole.” I picked up the phone and dialed the former mayor, who’d retired when I took over. “There must be some reason Grady can’t run, right?”

Ruth shook her head. “I checked through everything I had on file to see if he was even allowed to run. It seems his candidacy as an independent is perfectly legal.” She worried her bottom lip for a moment in silence. “If the house he bought and the career he listed is any indication, he probably doesn’t have much money.”

I narrowed my eyes in thought. “And you need money when you’re an independent.” My fingers drummed on the desk as I waited for Bill to pick up. Thoughts swirled around my head as I tried to make sense of this new development. This week marked the end of June. I had until November to wage a campaign so strong I’d leave Grady choking in my wake. After what felt like the five hundredth ring, I set down the phone. Who didn’t have voicemail? I rested my chin on my open palm. “I can beat him, I think.”

“You sure can.”

I’d defeated Roger Gallagher four years ago to take this job. The campaign had been long and tough. My win had been earned. Already, something about the way this campaign was unfolding was unsettling instead of energizing.

“Who do you think he has helping him?” The Grady I remembered from years ago couldn’t have organized a drinking contest at a brewery. Creative, intelligent, but scattered, disorganized. Not mayor material. Not campaign material.

Ruth glanced down at the sheet in her hand. “Kelvin Brown signed as a witness when he declared his candidacy.”

I took a deep breath and released it in a huff. I stood up. I sat back down. “I don’t like that. Kelvin could run a half-decent campaign with markers and masking tape. Do you know him, Ruth? We went to high school together. Sort of. He’s older than me. Tyler and Grady’s age. God.” I put my head in my hands and then flopped back in my chair, totally discombobulated.

“What makes you think he’d be so good? He’s a dentist in town, isn’t he?”

I nodded and hummed while I considered how to phrase it. “Kelvin cares about how other people perceive him. So, he always puts his best self out into the world.”

“He’s like you,” Ruth said with a smile.

“He is.” I pressed my fingers into my temple. “See my point?”

“Grady alone might not be a problem. But with Kelvin by his side, they’ll give you a run for your fancy chair.”

A knock on the doorframe behind Ruth made us both jump. We’d forgotten to close the door. Lila stood in the entrance with dark glasses perched on her nose. Her appearance almost made me smile. There was no sun streaming into city hall, so Lila was feeling the echoes of her birthday celebration.

“Four more years?” Lila held up her phone with the time prominently displayed. “It’s closing time.”

“I’ll let you two talk.” Ruth slipped past Lila to her desk.

“Close the door,” I said. As soon as it clicked, I didn’t wait for Lila to turn around. “Grady Castillo registered against me.”

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