To Get Me To You: A Small Town Southern Romance (Wishful Romance Book 1) (28 page)

She almost didn’t stop. In Chicago, she’d have gone straight for her car without giving the guy more than a passing glance. But this wasn’t Chicago, so she slowed, stepping quietly up beside him. Dressed in jeans and a black pea coat, Norah pegged him to be in his late forties, a bit younger and a lot fitter than her father. And he looked…lost. Not like he needed directions somewhere local, but direction for his life.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Always was,” the stranger agreed. “Though it still ran the last time I was here.”

“Been away a while?”

“Almost thirty years.”

“Long time. Was this home?”

He shook his head, not taking his eyes off the fountain. “I loved a girl from here once.”

And clearly he’d lost her somehow. Still caught up in the heady promise of a future with Cam, the thought made her ache for whatever put that look of heartbreak on this man’s face.

“Is she what brought you back?” Norah asked gently.

“The memory of her.” He finally shifted his attention to Norah, expression sharpening with recognition. “And you, actually. I was in Jackson on business and saw you on the news last night. Norah Burke, right?”

She suppressed her instinctive whoop at the fact that they’d made it outside the regional news. “I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage, sir.”

“Gerald Peyton.” He offered his hand.

She took it, appreciating the quick, businesslike shake before he released her.

“So indulge my curiosity,” she said, knowing she’d already asked him a more personal question than this, “what about the interview made you come back to Wishful?”

Gerald lifted a brow.

“I’m in marketing, so I’m always working on refining my campaigns, seeing what works, what doesn’t.”

“And you’re marketing the town?”

“Something like that,” she said, and waited.

“The reminder of my personal connection was part of it. I was nostalgic. But it was the fountain. This place always reminds me that hope springs eternal.”

The familiar phrase circled around in her head. “I expect everybody could use a little reminder of that from time to time,” she said. “It’s certainly why I came.”

“Yeah? Where’d you blow in from?”

“The Windy City, as it happens. I came for family and got caught up in the cause.”

“And a relationship, apparently,” he noted with amusement. “Or was that dip staged?”

“Nope, not staged. Just a very unexpected side effect of a wish.”

His look was more one of curiosity than contempt. “You believe in that stuff?”

“I didn’t when I got here, but I think I’m changing my mind.”

They both looked back at the fountain.

“Are you going to make one?” she asked.

“That didn’t turn out so well for me last time.”

“Cam told me you have to be really careful what you wish for. It can rebound badly.”

“Cam? Mr. Dip?”

Norah smiled. “Campbell Crawford. He’s one of the City Councilmen.”

“Crawford?” Gerald went still.

“His mom Sandra is mayor. Did you know her?”

Something flickered across his face and was gone. “No. No, I didn’t know her. Just recognized the name.”

“It might’ve been somebody from Cam’s dad’s side that you knew. I’m afraid I don’t know anything about the Crawford side. His dad left years ago, and I don’t think there are any relatives still here from that branch.” She laughed at herself. “Sorry. They’re rubbing off on me. Can’t seem to have a conversation without talking about who’s related to who anymore.”

“It’s the way of the south. Listen, it was nice to meet you. Good luck with your campaign. It’s not often in life you get a second chance at something, and this town really deserves one.”

He turned to walk away.

“Mr. Peyton?” Gerald glanced over his shoulder. “I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

“So do I.”

Chapter 16

Cam dug the blade of his sharp shooter shovel into the earth and blessed the groundhog for having given the middle finger to winter. The rising, early spring temperatures had landscaping clients coming out of the woodwork, which meant he could finally get his hands dirty with something other than political bullshit. The weeping cherry trees that hadn’t arrived in yesterday’s shipment were easily traded out for Japanese magnolias, so, with the exception of Dewey May, who hadn’t shown, he and his crew were going full-tilt on the demolition of Moriah Keaney’s dated, overgrown front flowerbeds.

An hour and a half into the job, Cam was getting worried. Dewey hadn’t called in. He was the soul of responsibility. He’d fallen on hard times, another victim of the plant closing. Cam plugged him into the crew as often as possible for part-time work, just to help him keep his family afloat. That hadn’t been often during the slow winter.

Cam paused in his work to try the house phone again. No answer. He tried Dewey’s cell, wondering if he’d misdialed the first time, but the recorded message told him the number was no longer in service. “Hey, anybody know if Dewey got a new cell number?”

Steve Vessey paused to mop his brow with a faded bandanna.“I think he had to let his cell service go. They had to keep the land line because of the kids, you know?”

None of the rest of the crew knew where he was.

Prying up the overgrown boxwood hedge, Cam decided that if he’d heard nothing in another hour, he’d take a break and get Violet to call over to check with Dewey’s wife Pauline at the salon where she worked.

Even as Cam dragged the boxwood to the trailer to haul off, Dewey’s ancient, mud brown Chevy rumbled up and parked behind the line of vehicles.

He leapt out and made a beeline for Cam. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry I’m late.” A moon-faced man with a body like a fireplug, Dewey picked up the other side of the hedge and helped Cam heave it into the trailer. “I’ll understand if you had to replace me for this job.”

“We’re fine. Is everything all right with you, though? Nothing’s amiss with the kids or Pauline?”

“Oh no. Didn’t mean to worry you. I was up at the job fair. It took a lot longer than I expected.”

“What job fair?”

“Up at the community center. That new store GrandGoods is up there taking applications.”

An event like that would’ve required special permission. It should’ve gone through cursory City Council review, and yet this was the first Cam was hearing of it.

Something must’ve shown in his expression because Dewey flushed. “I know you’re against them coming, Cam. But Pauline really wanted me to put in an application.”

“Certainly she did. You have a duty to apply for anything you can to support your family. I understand that.” But he sure as hell needed to find out what was going on.

Giving instructions to Dewey about what needed to be done before lunch, Cam rinsed off his hands and headed into town.

There was a line. It snaked out of the community center doors and wrapped down the sidewalk, all the way around the quarter mile walking track next door. A banner was tied up on the side of the building with the GrandGoods logo, proclaiming NOW HIRING. Cam parked down by Poor Richard’s Print Shop and walked the three blocks back. He didn’t miss the assorted grumbles from the masses as he strode past them all and went inside.

Tables were set up in the gymnasium. Bill Sutto was there, along with four other people wearing GrandGoods polo shirts, each talking to prospective employees. And, of course, in the thick of it all stood Vick Burgess.

“What’s going on here? Who authorized this?”

“Why, the City Council did,” Vick said with an avuncular smile. “You didn’t get the memo?”

“I most certainly did not.” Cam was willing to bet the bastard hadn’t even sent him the email.

“It passed the others with a quick review. Nobody saw any reason not to get the ball rolling since GrandGoods was approved. The people need the boost of some good news.”

“Nothing is definite yet. They still have to obtain the special use permit before they even complete the purchase of the land. What’s it going to do to community morale to get hopes up for a job, only to have the company defeated?”

Vick looked around at all the people. “Are you really so naive you think it won’t pass?”

Cam skimmed the crowd, noting as many familiar faces as strangers. This would pull in people all over the county and beyond. They’d get ten times the number of applicants they needed for a store the size they proposed. Under those circumstances, GrandGoods could afford to be choosy and pay low. The supply of potential workers was sufficient that no one would risk complaining because any job was better than none.

“When are you going to realize that you’re out-gunned on this, Crawford? You and your coalition are on a little island all your own, where it apparently rains glitter and everybody shits rainbows. This is reality. This is the future. You’d better get used to it.”

“I will fight you and this until my last breath.”

“What do you think you can do in two days?”

Cam had no answer for that. Knowing there was nothing he could do to stop the job fair from proceeding, he turned to leave. “This isn’t over.”

“It was over before you started,” Vick called after him.

Cam stalked out, noting with disgust and disappointment a few members of the coalition standing in line. Dave Lautner and Jordan Linley deliberately shifted away as Cam walked by, as if to pretend they didn’t see him, but the flush of red creeping up their necks belied the innocent gesture.

Cam didn’t stop. In his present mood, he sure as hell wasn’t in the right frame of mind to play even-tempered representative. He couldn’t blame them for hedging their bets. Not really. But Christ, couldn’t they wait until the fat lady had sung and the war was over? Having the community see them playing both sides didn’t look good for their cause.

Slamming the door to his truck, he cranked up and called Norah.

“Hey Leonidas, you snuck out early this morning.”

Despite his agitation, Cam felt his heart lighten at the sound of her voice. “Sorry about that. I had a landscaping job to finish prepping for. I figured you needed the sleep, and you looked all cozy in my bed.”

“Imagine my surprise when I went to sleep with you and woke up with Hush.”

“She’s a bed hog.”

“She also snores.” Norah laughed. “Are you free for lunch or are you working through?”

“Working through. Listen, we’ve got a problem.” He told her about the job fair and his encounter with Vick. “It’s not good.”

“You had to know that they’d counter with something. They’ve been too quiet while we put together this Shop Local movement.”

“I assumed that was because they were cocky.”

“Well, you’re not wrong about that. But the fact is, they wouldn’t have to put themselves out there like this if we weren’t making a dent in public opinion. It’s a waste of their man hours to take applications for a store that isn’t built yet when they could’ve just as easily waited.”

“Please tell me you expected this and that you’ve got some genius plan up your sleeve.”

“As it happens, I just might. Finish up your workday, and I’ll be ready to tell you all about it when you get home.”

Cam said goodbye and disconnected, musing that whatever happened, he could get used to the idea of going home to her.

~*~

Norah was drowning in paper and wishing for the swanked out office Mitch had designed her, or at the very least, the series of boards where she could organize and spread out. The open concept of Cam’s loft left almost no blank walls for her to co-opt. Cabinetry, shelving, or windows covered almost all of it. So she’d resorted to ludicrous numbers of tabs open in the browser on her laptop and piles on every horizontal surface, except for the sofa, where Hush had been snoring since they came in from an afternoon walk.

A giddy excitement bubbled in Norah’s blood, mixed with a low-grade anxiety. This wasn’t the killing blow Cam wanted to deliver to GrandGoods and their plans. But like the idea of opening her own firm, this was an option for Wishful she was certain no one had considered before. And it was the only alternative she could think of that would not only maintain the integrity of the town but capitalize on the very things that made it unique.

She just had to convince them it was the right choice.

A truck door slammed below. Hush scrambled up and off the sofa, tail sweeping across the coffee table and upsetting several of Norah’s piles in the process. Groaning, Norah sank to the floor to retrieve her research. She’d just managed to gather up the mess when Cam came through the door. Hush gave a delighted bark and began to dance in front of him, wagging her entire butt before starting to bounce back toward Norah.

“For the love of all that is holy, keep her over there until I can get this sorted. That tail might as well be a wrecking ball.”

“Wow. Is there actually any paper left in Wachoxee County?”

“Be thankful I restrained myself from taping it all over your walls. It was a near thing.”