Page 12 of Forgetting Rafe Thomas
Dad clamps a hand on my shoulder and squeezes it. “I hope you come home with a fiancée, son. I really do, but even if you don’t, just know that your mother and I are proud of thelife you are building. You’re accomplishing things I can’t even comprehend, and things will work out however God sees fit. Lean on Him, okay?”
It’s a solid reminder of what I already know. I need to fix my eyes where they should be, and that isn’t on my own ability or Luna’s emotions. I nod and head to his office door.
“Can you let Mayor Kilmer in, please?”
“Sure thing. See you in a week or more,” I say and wave on my way out. Thank goodness it’s the mayor at the door and not his wife, or I’d somehow end up sticking around to perform her to-do list rather than packing for a life-changing trip.
I pull open the door and step aside. “Good morning, Mayor Kilmer. How are you?”
“Oh, Rafe! Just fine, son. Just fine. Beautiful morning to talk politics with your father. You know I’m trying to get him to run for that open city council seat?”
I squint and try to think. Had anyone told me that? I shake my head. “No, I didn’t know that.”
“Well, you know your father. He’s too humble, but I’m telling you, I’m going to make a councilman out of him yet. We need men like him behind the scenes, keeping our little town running smoothly.”
I shuffle aside a little and motion for him to enter. “Well, if anyone can convince him, it’s you. He said to let you in. He’s already in his office.”
“Thank you, son. You have a great day,” he says and adjusts his coat and tie as he heads down the hallway to my father’s office. After he enters, I hear them exchange pleasantries, then Mayor Kilmer dives right into his pitch.
“I already told you, I’m not sure the town would—”
“Oh, bah! And I told you this town will be plenty happy to have you in that seat, Brenner. I need men I can trust, and your familynever ceases to uphold what it truly means to be a Coldstone Creek family.”
I chuckle and shut the front door, knowing that by the time I return from Ireland, there is a good chance my father will have banners, posters, and all manner of signage all over Coldstone Creek to run for a position—most likely entirely unopposed—at the behest of our dignified and frustratingly insistent mayor.
But that is my father’s problem to manage. I have much bigger ones to ponder, so I turn myself toward my home and double-time it to get packing.
Chapter Five
Luna
“Luna, I hear whatyou’re saying, but this is a big project. I was hesitant to putyouin charge of it,” Mr. Drake admits. I’d already known that, but hearing him say it aloud is the smallest ding to my ego. Meh, who needs one of those anyway? “Natasha is wonderful. It’s why I asked you what you thought about her heading up her own display, but I’m not prepared to hand over the most important presentation all year to her.”
I have to be careful how I present this. I can’t very well tell my boss that I need time off to go chasing after my ex even if it is the truth. And…truth be told…it’s probably a horrible reason to ask for time off from a job I busted my rear end to secure.
“I fully understand your concerns, but I’ve gotten everything in order. All she has to do is put the pieces where I mapped out, ensure the paperwork is filed, and that’s it. I trust her over everyone else to get this done.”
Mr. Drake removes his glasses and sighs. “The transfer was unexpected and a mistake you made, Miss Parsons. I can’t haveanother mistake like that. The board will eat me alive if we cannot track our own pieces.”
“I understand. I do…” I fade, realizing this might be a horrible idea. What am I doing? My boss is counting on me to ensure this exhibit opening goes off without a hitch. I can’t possibly expect Natasha to shoulder that burden alone. And with the interns I’ve been given? No, it’s not possible. I’ll have to figure something else out, another way to make this work with Rafe without skipping town for a long period of time.
“Miss Parsons?” Mr. Drake reminds me I was midsentence and dropped out on him.
“Can I have five days? The exhibit opens in ten days. Natasha can call me if she needs help, and I’ll drop everything. I’ll confirm delivery of the pieces before I leave in the morning, and if they are off track, I’ll cancel my trip.”
He hesitates for a moment, but finally nods. “Okay. I suppose it is a good way to see how she works under pressure. We’ll call it an unofficial interview, but I warn you, Miss Parsons, if this blows up, it’ll beyourjob on the chopping block.”
“Understood. Thank you so much, Mr. Drake.”
“Of course. If you don’t mind, please send Natasha in so I can go over some things with her.” He puts his glasses back on and picks up the contract he’d been reviewing when I knocked on his door.
“I will. Thank you again,” I say and hurry out before he has a chance to change his mind.
By the time I got everything ready that Mr. Drake required me to do before leaving and assuring Natasha she would be fine, it was too late to pack and begin driving to my little hometown. Rather than arrive exhausted and frustrated, I decided to wait until this morning.
As my alarm blares in my ear, I find I’m grateful that I packed everything last night and even showered so I could get up early and head out. Even with all my careful preparations, I realize nothing could have readied me for the message alert flashing on my phone.
Left at three in the morning. From Rafe.
