Page 52 of The Good Luck Cafe
They pulled into the sheriff’s parking lot, and Ronnie parked the cruiser. “Let’s go, you two. I’ll get you some jailhouse coffee after I book you.”
“Book us?” Gil said. “You can’t be serious?”
“Mug shots and everything.” Ronnie chuckled. “It’s for charity, Mayor.”
***
Two hours after Moira had entered the jail cell with Gil, Denise walked in with a full face of makeup and her hair washed and styled.
“Well, good morning, you two,” she said, sipping from her cup of coffee from Sweetie’s Bakery.
“How’d you get a coffee from Sweetie’s?” Gil asked.
Denise smirked. “I insisted. And whenever I insist, I always get what I want.”
Apparently, she’d insisted on showering and putting her look fully together first too.
Denise sat down on one of the chairs in the cell, making a show of trying to get comfortable. “Oh, this is just awful,” she said with a distasteful expression. “This is one of the worst experiences of my life.”
“You’ve only been here two minutes.” Moira had given up on getting comfortable. She sat on the cot with her back against the cement block wall.
Denise shot her a look. “Deputy Bruno had his lights on when he came to get me. All of my neighbors saw me get into the front seat of his cruiser.”
“Front seat?” Gil asked with a look of disbelief. “We had to take the back. And we didn’t get showers or breakfast from Sweeties.”
“Well, Mayor Gil, as I told you, I know how to get what I want,” Denise said, casting him a pointed look. “That’s why I’ll make a great mayor for this town.”
Moira glanced over at Gil, who seemed to stiffen. He was good at keeping his cool, but she thought she saw the muscles along his jaw slightly clenching.
“And I don’t expect to be here too long before making my bail.” Denise sipped her coffee. “What a horrible, horrible experience,” she said again, shaking her head. Her hairspray helmet didn’t move. “Being treated just like a criminal. Never in my life.”
Moira massaged her forehead. She kind of hoped Denise did make bail sooner than later because she couldn’t imagine staying trapped in a cell with this woman for an entire day. Or perhaps Moira’s crowd would pull through and bail her out, leaving Gil to suffer Denise’s company alone.
“Okay, my favorite inmates.” Sheriff Ronnie stepped up to the other side of the bars. “We’ve got some media attention. Reva is here, and WTI-News is on their way over.” He rubbed his hands together, looking practically giddy for the usually solemn-faced sheriff. “Make sure you look real sad and pitiful so that folks want to donate to your bail.”
“That shouldn’t be too hard,” Denise whined.
“There’s something we can agree on.” Moira shared a glance with Gil, who was grinning. He almost seemed to be enjoying himself in this situation. Knowing him, he probably was.
“Hey, ya’ll!” Reva walked into the room with her camera already raised to her face. “I just need a few pics for my blog. Smile pretty! I’m appealing to those who will be donating to your cause.”
“How about all three of you stand right behind the bars and cling to them?” Sheriff Ronnie asked.
No one moved to strike his suggested pose. Reva took a dozen or more pictures, and then they all posed and smiled for WTI-News.
At noon, Sheriff Ronnie came back to see them, jingling a key in the air. “All right, one of you has already made bail.” He looked between them, his gaze finally sticking on Denise. “It looks like your husband pulled through.”
Denise huffed. “Well, he waited long enough,” she said ungratefully. She stood and headed out of the jail cell without a backward glance.
Gil looked at Moira. “Looks like it’s just you and me now.”
Her heart skipped a beat as she looked at him and remembered the kiss they’d almost shared in her dream this morning. Being locked in a jail cell with Gil wasn’t the most romantic of settings, and she really didn’t want to be attracted to him, but here she was feeling flushed and all out of sorts. “It’s kind of cheating if you post your own bail, isn’t it?”
“Oh, it is, but I’m not a bit surprised. If Denise can cheat her way into the mayor’s office, she will.”
Moira looked down at her intertwined hands. “This is the strangest fundraiser I’ve ever been involved with.” She looked up. “Is this the norm for a mayor’s life?”
“No. Being a mayor is pretty boring most days. My brother wakes me up, we have breakfast, and then I handle paperwork and have meetings with people. I’m guessing your typical day is a whole lot more exciting than mine.”
