Page 93 of Axe-identally Married
Honestly, I hadn’t considered it. But I couldn’t tell him that, not right now at least.
“Thinking about it, sir,” I said firmly. “I’m working on going back to school and need to line some things up first. But I’m happy to stay on in a volunteer capacity.”
He nodded, clearly a bit put out that I hadn’t instantly jumped at the chance to work for him.
“I’m actually here on official business today,” I said. “Arlene from the library has really blossomed in her role as finance director of the festival. She and I are strategizing about partnerships and sponsors to reach out to.”
That lit his face right up. There was nothing politicians loved more than free money. “Of course, of course. That’s very prudent. You’re doing a great job, kid.” He was already losing interest now that I was talking about actual work. MayorLambert was a good enough guy, and he really enjoyed being mayor. But he didn’t seem to like all the nitty-gritty details, like paperwork, budgeting, and local ordinances, of the job. His administrative assistant, Marcus, did the lion’s share of the work and got no credit.
“Talk to Marcus. He’ll set you right up.”
With a nod, I headed to the open area where the admin desks were set up. Marcus was in his forties and had twin toddler boys at home. Naturally, he wore an air of pure exhaustion. He’d set me up with a login to the town records system last year and was content to let me do my own thing.
As I neared him, he gave me a nod and went back to his spreadsheets. So I grabbed an extra chair and opened my laptop.
City hall was halfway through the long process of digitizing. A lot of records were still in paper form, and since I didn’t want to rouse too much suspicion by poking around, it seemed best to set up shop and pretend to be working on festival financials.
I started with sponsors, vendors, and contacts from last year, thankful that Arlene and I had kept decent records. Though those searches yielded nothing. From there, it looked like I’d have to poke around in the file rooms.
Once I’d surreptitiously slipped into the large space, I worked to retrace my steps. Last spring, I’d pulled documents for previous town events and festivals, so I started there. But after hours of searching, I’d found no mention of Deimos, and I was getting more frustrated by the minute.
Was my brain playing tricks on me? I was beginning to think so. Where had I seen that name and why had it stuck out to me?
Needing a minute to clear my head, I put the box I’d finished looking through away and walked over to the new coffee shop to clear my head. The Caffeinated Moose belonged in a much trendier town than Lovewell, but that didn’t stop me from falling in love with the specialty coffee, sandwiches, and baked goods.Lila had gotten me hooked last year when I was recovering from surgery. She’d bring honey oat-milk lattes to me on occasion, like some kind of fancy coffee fairy. We’d been broken up for months by that point, but she still showed up, always worried about me.
I cringed when I thought of how I’d spoken to her then, how I’d disregarded her even before that point, and how I’d failed to appreciate her kindness and generosity for years.
As I sipped my latte, a sense of dread filled me. I’d been a shitty boyfriend to Lila. I was selfish and distracted and had never even considered her needs.
Fuck, that was a hard pill to swallow. Dr. Gleeson and I had discussed it, of course, but it wasn’t until I sat at a small table, with the stupidly delicious latte in my hand, that I realized how badly I’d fucked up.
Not because I still loved her, but because she was a wonderful person and I’d caused her so much pain.
Would I do the same to Willa? My gut clenched. I loved her. I knew it in my bones. And I wanted to be everything she needed and wanted. But was that even realistic, given my track record?
All this time I’d been sailing along in a bubble, deluding myself into thinking that I could take our accidental Vegas nuptials and turn them into a real and lasting marriage. But the coffee cup in my hand said otherwise. I’d already fucked over one lovely person, and the thought of hurting Willa was like a sucker punch.
“Cole.”
I was pretty deep into my shame spiral when the sound of my name hit me. Blinking back to reality, I scanned the shop. The man was only feet away when I finally saw him.
Dennis Huxley. I disliked him immensely.
His smile was fake, his tan was fake, and those teeth probably were too. They were far too sparkling to be anything but veneers.
“Dude, how do you even fit in that chair?” he asked, his tone pure condescension.
I glowered at him, squeezing my cup until it dented, startling me.
Dennis was a small, cruel man. Years ago, his father had been a state senator, and for as long as I’d known him, Dennis used this as an excuse to be a nightmare.
Thankfully, he’d gone to a private high school when his father went to Augusta. But for some reason that defied logic, he was back. His father was the classic politician. Fake tan, capped teeth, and empty promises. He wasn’t a bad guy. He had a really high opinion of himself. He’d taken Debbie out a few times, which had made my brothers furious. But from what I’d seen, he was mostly harmless.
His son, however, was a straight-up sociopath. He was thin, with light hair and beady eyes, and he seemed to think we had something in common. At least I assumed that was why he was always trying to draw me into a conversation.
“Good to see you in town. We should hang out sometime.”
I blinked a few times, swallowing back the wordsfuck off.
