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“She’s worried about you.” Judging by his pallor, Betty had good reason to be worried. And the mayor could stand to lose a few pounds. Peter considered telling Hugh about their conversation regarding the election, but in the end, he simply said, “It’s Kona-blend.”
“That’s a plus.” Hugh took the top off and sipped the still-steaming coffee. “Now, what can I do for you?”
Peter hesitated, remembering Betty’s admonition. Better that he be prepared for tonight. “I want to start a youth recreational center in a building my grandfather owned.”
“I suppose it’s the same building your cousin wants to put a senior center in.”
Jake was going to give him a run for his money. Peter nodded. “Can I count on your vote?”
“Same thing he asked.”
“What’d you tell him?”
“At the time, I didn’t know you were going to be submitting a proposal in opposition to him, so I said yes, and I’ll give you my support, as well. But if you’re looking for funding, only one of you might receive it. Money’s tight, and there’s no guarantee either of the projects will be funded, though both do seem worthwhile.”
Peter should have realized Jake was on his way to see the mayor when he left Betty’s office. “Thanks. I’ll see you tonight.”
* * *
AT THE LAST MINUTE, Nicole had to call her mother to cover for her at the office after an expected shipment of lumber failed to arrive before noon. She paused just outside the front door of Norma Jean’s to collect herself.
If only she could lie. Really? But she couldn’t, not to her mother, anyway, not even little white lies about the person she was having lunch with. As soon as Joyce Montgomery discovered Nicole was meeting Jake for lunch, she would be off and running, practically planning an engagement party.
Not even if South Missi— Nicole broke the thought off. That’s what got her into trouble in the first place. She’d had no intention of accepting Jake’s lunch offer, but when he used that phrase, her mouth said yes even as her brain said no.
She straightened her shoulders and pushed the door open. Might as well get it over with. Besides, he’d only asked her in order to get her help. Keep that in mind. She scanned the room and spotted him in a corner booth, talking to one of the waitresses.
Nicole walked toward the booth, dodging harried servers and catching snatches of conversation. Not even noon yet, and Norma Jean’s was booming. Yet their waitress had time to stand and talk to Jake with a dreamy look on her face.
The man was too good-looking for his own good. When he came into the office this morning, she’d almost dropped the ornament in her hand. And then all that blarney about how she looked—he was probably telling the red-haired waitress the same thing. Her cheeks flushed just thinking about it.
“Sorry, I’m late,” she said and scooted into the booth. From the frosty look the waitress gave her, Nicole had arrived too early.
He checked his watch. “You’re not really late, more like right on time.”
“Water, with lemon?” Red asked.
The waitress already thought she had Nicole pegged. “I think I’ll have iced tea with the lemon.”
“Sweet or unsweetened?”
It was on the tip of her tongue to say she didn’t know Norma Jean’s served anything but sweet tea. Instead she smiled pleasantly. “Sweet.”
Red turned to Jake, and her smile stretched wide. “I’ll be right back with your coffee, hon.”
When the waitress was out of hearing range, Nicole gave him a sideways glance. “What did you tell her? That you were having lunch with the troll who lives under the bridge?”
He laughed. “There’s no use in having charm if you’re not going to spread it around.”
Jake was very good at that. His photo was often in the Jackson paper for various galas, and he never had the same woman on his arm. “Well, I’m immune, so don’t waste your breath.”
He laughed. “I can see this is going to be an interesting lunch.”
Oh. My. Goodness. He thought she was flirting with him. She wasn’t. Before she could say anything, Red brought their drinks and whipped out her pad and pencil.
“Are you ready to order?”
Jake leaned forward. “Nicole, do you know what you want?”
“I’ll take the lunch special.” It didn’t matter what it was, Norma Jean’s special was always good.
“I’ll take the same,” he said, winking at the waitress.
“Be right back with your meatloaf and English peas and baked apples.”
Nicole shook her head at his flirting, and before he could turn his charm back on her, she said, “So, exactly what do you want to discuss about tonight’s meeting?”
“No more fun and games, huh?”
“Nope.”
“But I haven’t found out what the G stands for in your name.”
“And you never will.” She should have known that was bound to come up. She gave him her most serious stare. If only her mother hadn’t named her Giselle. Even as a child she’d known the name didn’t fit her. It’d taken her father’s intervention to get everyone to call her Nicole. “The meeting tonight...”
“Oh, okay,” he grumbled. “Tonight I’m submitting a proposal to open a senior center in Cedar Grove, and I’d like you to support it.”
“That’s no problem. I’ll be glad to support that.”
He unwrapped the napkin from around the cutlery. “I also need twenty-five thousand dollars from the council.”
“That puts a different spin on it.” There was very little money in Cedar Grove’s coffers to spend on nonessential projects. She should know. She’d been going over the budget since last week. “Why do you need twenty-five thousand from the city?”
He leaned forward, his casual air gone. “Primarily, so the city will get behind the center. No money invested equals little interest.”
She saw his point. “How about you? Are you investing in it?”
“Yes, time and money.”
“Do you have a budget?”
He nodded and reached in his briefcase. “You’ll get another copy tonight, but I brought this in case you wanted to look over the proposal before the meeting.”
Jake was prepared, and she didn’t know why that surprised her. She flipped through the pages, and then set them aside. “Why do you want to do this?”
His blue eyes darkened as he caught her gaze and held it. “Because there’s no longer one here. The previous center closed because it wasn’t well run and the director lined his pockets instead of providing services.” He leaned back.
“I remember that,” she said. “I believe he’s now spending his time in a state-run prison facility.”
“Yep. And even with a new director, the center couldn’t regain its momentum, and government funding was cut, effectively closing it.”
“How will your center be different from that one?” Nicole asked. “How will you get senior adults to come?”
“There won’t be anyone stealing money, for one thing. And they will be running it, or at least an advisory board made up of senior citizens will be. I’ve talked to a lot of the senior adults in town, and they’ve told me they’d support a center if it provided what they needed.
“Several of them pointed out that they’d like to have a place to exercise without being intimidated or hurried by younger people. I want it to be a place where seniors can be comfortable.”
He sat up straighter. “Last of all, but probably the most important, it’s something my grandfather wanted. It’s a way I can honor his memory.”
Their waitress appeared and set their plates in front of them. Jake’s personality instantly moved into charm mode. “Thanks, sweetheart,” he said, dazzling her with a smile.
Nicole focused on her food. If passion were enough, Jake would make a success of this senior center. Her problem with the project was sustainability—his. If she agreed to help him to the tune of twenty-five thousand dollars of the city’s money, she’d first have to believe he’d stick to the project. Even though she really had no reason to believe he wouldn’t.
He can’t stick to one woman.
That was not a measuring stick, and she couldn’t let how he lived his personal life override his reputation for being a good businessman.
They ate in silence for a few minutes, and then he put his fork down. “Well, what do you think?”
She sipped her tea, trying to find a diplomatic way of saying what was on her mind. “I think it’s a good idea...”
“But?”
“Are you sure you’re the person to do this?” She’d feel much better about it if his cousin Peter were the one asking. “A month ago I saw in the Gazette that you were in Paris and before that, in the wine country in Italy. Do you really have time for this?”
Two red dots appeared on his cheeks. “Are you questioning my ability?”
“Not exactly. More like your focus or ability to commit. It’s a practical concern. And, if it’s something your grandfather wanted, why isn’t your cousin helping you with it?”
The red dots grew to splotches. He crossed his arms. “We don’t work too well together, and I assure you, if I get the go-ahead, I’ll make time for it.”
She’d hit on a touchy subject by the tone of his voice. “Tell you what, I’ll look at your proposal and see how the numbers add up when I get back to the office. I’ll let you know if I can support the center.”
He flashed her another of his high-wattage smiles. “You will. It’s a worthwhile project.”
She didn’t doubt that.
CHAPTER FIVE (#ulink_d4d973eb-ad5e-5ee8-acf9-628fffe35afc)
NICOLE TOOK HER seat in the conference room. They were going over the agenda before tonight’s open city council meeting. Often, problems could be worked out before the actual meeting convened in the adjacent room. It was also a time for minor requests to be moved to the front of the line.
Jake sat along the wall next to Rebecca Caine, a reporter from the Cedar Grove Gazette. Nicole had looked over his proposal this afternoon and had been impressed with how professional it was. Jake winked when their eyes met, and she looked away. The problem was, he was never serious for long.
All the city council members were present except Peter, which was strange, as he was usually the first one at the meetings. But then the whole day had been strange, starting with Jake coming into the office and asking her to lunch.
Peter entered the room and slipped into the chair next to her. She sneaked a look at him and noticed how a lock of his blond hair fell over his forehead.
“Thanks for saving me a seat,” he whispered.
She turned to protest she hadn’t, but before she spoke, he asked if she wanted to grab a cup of coffee after the meeting.
The request caught her off guard. The day had just gotten even stranger. “Coffee?”
The blue pin-striped shirt he wore deepened the blue in his eyes and melted the no forming in her brain. He’s like Jake and only wants your help.Maybe not... The rap of Betty’s gavel kept her from answering.
“We’ll talk later,” he said as Betty handed out the agenda.
Nicole faced the head of the table as Mayor Gordon called the meeting to order. She frowned when he then turned it over to the city clerk. Hugh usually conducted the meeting, but tonight, he looked tired, and more than a little pale.
Nicole scanned the list of people who were on the agenda. She expected Jake’s name, and skimmed further down. Peter was on the agenda, too?
She glanced toward Jake, and amusement glinted in his eyes. Evidently he’d been watching her. She ducked her head and finished reading the list. Maybe Peter was here to support his cousin.
But that couldn’t be it. He wouldn’t be on the agenda unless he was asking for something. What was wrong with her? She looked up as Betty asked Peter to explain his reason for requesting to address the council.
“I’d like a permit for a dance on New Year’s Eve. It’s for a building my grandfather owned, and then I want to present a proposal for a youth recreational center in the same building.”
He passed around a sheet of paper. “This is a brief overview of what I want to do and the funds I’m requesting from the city. All I want tonight is the permit for the dance and a motion to consider the proposal.”
Nicole scanned the paper. A youth center at 1453 Washington Street. Wasn’t that where Jake planned to house his senior center? She lost whatever else was said as she read the outline Peter had provided. Nicole had long believed the town needed a place for older teens to gather. In fact, it was part of her long-range plans for the city—if she ever became mayor.
Betty called on Jake to explain his reason for being there, and Nicole turned her attention to him.
“I’m here to submit a proposal to the council, asking for approval and financial support for a senior center,” Jake said. He handed each member an envelope. “I realize you’ll need time to look this over, but I’ll be glad to answer any questions.”
Nicole had already read the proposal, but she wanted to see his five-year business plan and budgets. She found the address of the building: 1453 Washington Street. She hadn’t been wrong on that.
A slow burn started in the pit of her stomach. If Jake had drawn her into some sort of contest between him and Peter, she’d throttle him. She looked up as Boyd Anderson cleared his throat.
“Jake, how do you propose to get the rest of the money to run your center?”
Jake turned to address the oldest member of the council. “Boyd, I intend to form a nonprofit and have already applied for tax-exempt status. That way I can apply to foundations for money. I also applied for my first federal grant, getting it in just under the deadline. I’ll know in April if I’ll receive it. In the meantime, I have backers who will help fund it until the grant money starts coming in.” Beside her, Peter stiffened. She’d bet he hadn’t applied for tax-exempt status.
“This is a grassroots-type thing,” Jake continued. “Until I receive funding, we’ll start small and see where it goes. The first step will be renovating the building on Washington Street. I applied for a permit this morning.”
Peter raised his hand, and the city clerk nodded. “If you would all look at item four, you’ll see I applied for a renovation permit on the same building late yesterday afternoon, which supersedes Jake’s.”
Mayor Gordon nodded.
Cal Sheridan folded his arms across his chest. “Looks to me like you two need to get your ducks in a row.”
Nicole winced. When Cal used that confrontational voice, it meant they were in for a long meeting.
“That’s why I’m here tonight,” Jake said.
Peter leaned forward. “Same here. Item five is for the permit and the proposal for a youth center, and item six is my request for a permit to host a dance on New Year’s Eve.”
Mayor Gordon usually voted for whatever Peter proposed, but she knew he was a good friend of Jake’s, as well. She turned to see the mayor’s reaction.
