Page 9 of Rival Hearts

“We’ll announce my candidacy and use the celebration to launch our first political move.”

“And what’ll that be?”

“No idea.” I shrugged. “But I’m sure I’ll figure it out on my next walk.” I reached down and scratched both dogs idly.

“One last thing,” Kelvin said. “Once we announce, you’re going to need people to help organize things—distribution of signs, word of mouth PR, maybe run a few ads.”

“I’ve been gone for nine years.” Kelvin was the only person I’d stayed friends with. Any time I came back to Little Falls,which hadn’t been very often, I’d slipped into town for a day or a weekend with my mom, a quick beer with Kelvin, and then I’d disappear again. Being here had filled me with complicated feelings, ones I didn’t want to examine too closely.

“There must be some people,” Kelvin said, but I could tell by the look on his face both of us knew that wasn’t true. “Maybe play your famous card?”

“I’ll find some.” I made a circling motion with my beer. “I’ll round them up.”

“Okay, good. Look, I gotta get going.” Kelvin passed his second unopened beer back. “I’ve got a date in Utica tonight.”

“A date?”

“Yeah, this guy I met on a dating app. We’ve been chatting for a while, so I’m hoping dinner goes well.”

At the mention of Utica, I thought of at least one person I could convince to help with my campaign. ‘Campaign’ sent a chill across my heart. Why was I doing this? Why couldn’t I let it go as Kelvin had suggested? Maggie hadn’t paid any price for what had happened to Trent. Being inconvenienced a few times during a local election was minuscule in comparison. I could do this.

“All right, man. Good luck tonight. I’ll catch you later.”

As soon as Kelvin was out the door, I hooked my two dogs to their leashes and decided to take a long walk. Eight o’clock at night was prime thinking time. A brisk wind ruffled my hair and stirred up the fur on the backs of the dogs as I wandered down tree-lined streets. I’d covered almost every neighborhood in town at some point in the last couple of weeks. Kelvin was right—I did a lot of walking. So many areas of the town had become run-down. Shockingly so. Little Falls needed something to jump-start it back to its former glory.

In my mind, this town had always been small but full of life. Now, it was tired and beat-up. Perhaps if I’d stayed, that washow I’d feel too. Was it possible to make a life here? I’d never been able to settle anywhere for more than a year since I’d left. Something in me kept pushing me forward, away, on to the next thing.

Without realizing it, I’d ended up in Maggie’s parents’ neighborhood. I’d avoided this area of town thus far. Her parents were small-town royalty, her mother a lawyer and her father a doctor. There were few families who could compare. This was the most expensive part of town with bigger lots, bigger houses, and bigger opportunities.

Out on the front lawn, Maggie and her father, Jim, were talking and laughing. At the corner of the street, I hovered with Hite and Zeus, and they whined, eager to continue. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the scene playing out in front of me. Behind the pair was a massive wooden sign emblazoned with,Margaret Sullivan for Mayor–Building our Future, Together.It looked a little weathered. Jim patted the corner, and Maggie laughed again, shaking her head. They hugged, and Maggie’s sigh was almost audible from where I stood.

Watching them together was a muscle memory. If I closed my eyes, I could remember what a hug from a dad felt like. Every day since my father had died, I’d missed him. My feelings toward Maggie were questionable, but a part of me had loved Jim Sullivan for years.

As our family doctor, Jim had been in my life for as long as I could remember. When my father died in a drunk driving accident, Jim had been the doctor at the hospital to give us the news that my father wasn’t going to wake up. While my brother and mother had been saying goodbye to our comatose father, Jim had sat in the waiting room with me. Even now, years later, the words Jim said to me that day felt as fresh, as new as when they first hovered between us.

“Losing a parent is awful,” he’d said. “It’ll be awful for a long time, maybe forever. We never quite get over the loss. But someday, maybe when you’re a parent, it’ll make you love your kids a little harder. Or at least it did with me. Out of the darkness, there’s a bright spot, even if we can’t see it yet. If you ever need to talk, I’ve been there. I know what it’s like. And I’m always happy to listen.”

We had talked a lot over the years, in the office, on the street, while I was cleaning Jim’s gutters, but never about my dad. The topic had been too big, too impossible to broach even with someone as warm and approachable as Jim. Watching him with Maggie made my chest ache for that bond, the closeness, lost in an instant.

Back when Trent and Maggie had been dating, if that was even what had been going on, I had been jealous of the time Trent got to spend time with Maggie’s family. Jealousy evaporated the night Trent was arrested. Before I’d gotten the phone call, Maggie had declared‘It’s not what you think’about her relationship with my younger brother. In my mind, if they hadn’t been dating, Maggie wouldn’t have been mixed up in my brother’s dirty deals.

Truthfully, her as the mastermind made more sense than them dating. Trent as the muscle. Maggie as the brains.

With that thought at the forefront of my mind, I headed toward Maggie and her father. They broke apart at my approach, and Jim smiled, but there was a strain at the edges I hadn’t seen before. Around town, I’d experienced many moments like this since I’d returned, where time had taken its toll on someone, and I could see it stamped all over their face, their body, in the color of their hair. Sometimes the change was so great I didn’t recognize them. Jim had aged, but there was still a dignified air to his aging, his hair still mostly dark, his face still largely unlined, as though time had decided to be gentle with him.

“Grady Castillo!” Jim came forward with his hand outstretched. “Maggie tells me you’re running for mayor against her. May the best woman win.”

I couldn’t hold back a grin, even as I focused on Maggie with her arms crossed tight around her. Hite and Zeus strained on the leash, eager to get to Jim or Maggie. Once Jim shook my hand, he crouched down and ruffled the dogs’ fur.

“Beautiful beasts,” Jim murmured as I scanned Maggie, who was studiously avoiding my gaze.

“Nice sign, Maggie May.”

“Thank you.” A façade draped over her as she loosened her arms and wandered over to crouch beside her father. “I’ve loved all your signs around town too. What’s your slogan again? I can’t quite remember. I’ve read your campaign platform somewhere, right? My father would love to make an informed choice, if you could give him your spiel.” Her fingers massaged Hite’s neck before she looked up at me, a wicked gleam in her brown eyes.

I smothered a grin at her obvious attempt to get under my skin. “I’m not a seasoned politician like you, Mags. I’m taking my time putting together something memorable.”

She pursed her lips and tried to stifle a laugh. Whatever. Her laughter was fine. She had no idea what I was doing. Needling her was my goal, not winning the election. If she was stewing over any aspect of this race, that was a win.

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