Page 27 of Love Resurrected
“Oh, you’ll never be ready.”
“Trying to cheer me up here, Nessa?” I half-smile in her direction.
“I just mean that if you are waiting to wake up one morning and feel better about everything and ready to move on with your life, that will never happen.”
“Awesome, I look forward to it.” My voice is flat.
“There is no cure for grief, Bradley.”
“You said you think of your late husband—William, was it?—every day, so how is it you can move on?” I ask.
“It’s a choice, dear. A simple decision at the start of your day.”
“No offense, Nessa, but I doubt it’s that easy.”
“I didn’t mean to imply that it’s easy. It’s not. But it’s a necessary evil. Whether or not you like it, life goes on. You are still alive, which means you keep on living.”
She makes it sound so doable.
“I don’t know if I can—” I start.
“It doesn’t mean you love her any less. Miss her any less. It’s a tribute to how much the two of you loved each other to find love again.”
“How is that a tribute?”
“Well, how else do you recognize love again if not for having experienced it before?”
I absorb her words, let them roll around in my brain for a moment. She makes sense. I just don’t like what she has to say because I’m still not fond of moving on. My thoughts are interrupted by my watch alarm, alerting me it’s time to walk to City Hall.
“We can head over the mayor’s office now, if you’d like.”
“Ready when you are.”
I offer her my elbow and lead the way.
9
Tenley
I arrive at the mayor’s office a few minutes early, so I head to the restroom first to freshen up. I had to park a few blocks away because I didn’t want to park at the fire station lot, which is the closest visitor parking for City Hall. Mainly because I have no idea if Brad is there or not, and I just kind of want to avoid him for a while. I’m a little uncomfortable with his dinner request last night and I don’t need him thinking I’m trying to run into him or something.
It’s warm out and I’m a face-sweater, a fact that I abhor about myself. So, it’s good that I prefer not to wear a lot of makeup since I’ll sweat it off anyway. Even though it’s warm here, it’s still way more tolerable than the mugginess from back home in Texas.
I press damp paper towels to my face to cool it off as best I can, then head back to the conference room, where everyone else has already gathered. I glance around and see the mayor, an older woman I’ve never seen before, and, oh shit—
“Tenley, there you are,” the mayor says. “Grab a seat.” She gestures to a chair next to Brad. “This is Nessa Brighton, she’s the representative for the police department, and I believe you already know Brad Mathews from the SSFD.”
“Great,” I mutter under my breath as I take my chair.
Brad must hear me because he leans close and mutters, “Feeling’s mutual, sweetheart,” in an equally flat tone. The look he gives me is a fairly accurate representation of what I am feeling right now.
Utter dismay.
Brad Matthews is the last person I want to work with on this project.
I turn to smile at Nessa and shake her hand. She’s a lovely well put-together woman who seems to be friendly. The mayor goes over the brief list of expectations she and the police and fire chiefs put together, and within ten minutes she’s gone, leaving the three of us on our own.
“Nessa has done a lot of these before, we should let her take the lead with it,” Brad says once the mayor leaves, even though the mayor made it obvious I’m the point person and the two of them are here to assist me with any knowledge gaps I may have regarding their industries.
