Page 40 of Won't Back Down

Willa stepped out of the house just as I hung up, looking pretty as a picture in jeans and some lacy summer sweater thing with a wide neck that exposed more of those shoulders that were driving me wild.

Hands and mouth to yourself, Malone.

Shoving my phone into my pocket, I strode to meet her. “I just spoke to my buddy and got the list of things he’s gonna need to lay in a backdated electronic trail for us. He offered his congratulations, by the way.”

“Oh. Did you tell him why we needed all this?”

“I did.”

“And he didn’t think we’re out of our minds?”

“Dax isn’t in the habit of asking those kinds of questions. But he is very, very good at what he does.”

“Well, I’ll take all the help I can get. I’ve got a partial list of supplies here.”

“I’ve got one myself for out here.”

“Then let’s get on into town and get this done. It sounds like we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

CHAPTER 19

WILLA

Sawyer tugged open the door to town hall and gestured me inside. Roy stayed glued to my hip. I hadn’t had reason to come here since my grandfather had brought me to meetings with one of the previous mayors when I’d been a child, but I still knew my way. Bypassing the elevator, I took the stairs to the second floor. At the top, Sawyer took my hand, his thumb brushing over the ring on my left hand. It was a reminder that I was his—at least in a sense—and I wasn’t walking into this alone. I appreciated the silent support because I wasn’t precisely looking forward to this meeting.

I didn’t like Miles Busby. I’d never liked Miles, even when he was just my best friend’s older brother. He’d always felt like the politician he’d become. The sort of guy who was constantly looking at people to assess what he could get out of them. I fully expected more of the same from him now. Better to get it over with so I didn’t have time to work myself into a state over it.

Peggy Garrett sat at the reception desk, the only part of this office that hadn’t changed as the mayor did. She’d always had a glass jar full of hard candies to offer when I’d been a kid. I noted it was butterscotch disks today.

“Willa! How lovely to see you! What can I do for you, hon?” She automatically lifted the top off the jar, even as her smile wobbled a little at the sight of Roy.

I gave him a hand signal, and he quietly sat beside me as I pulled out a couple of the candies, passing one to Sawyer. “Hey, Mrs. Garrett. We don’t have an appointment, but I understand Miles has been wanting to meet with me about Founders’ Day. We were in town and had a little time, so we thought we’d take a chance that he could squeeze us in.”

“Oh, I… well, yes, he definitely will want to meet with you. Let me see if he’s available.”

She picked up the phone and punched a button. A voice said something on the other end. “Yes, sir. I’m aware, but Willa Sutter and her husband are here to see you.”

I frowned at that. Sawyer had a name and identity beyond being tied to me. For that matter, why hadn’t she assumed I’d taken his name? That was still the norm around the island.

“Mayor Busby will be happy to meet with you. Go right on in.”

“Thank you.”

We stepped through a wood-paneled door into a space designed to draw attention. An overly ornate antique desk sat in front of a pair of windows hung with lavish drapes. The patterned rug beneath held the kind of aged patina that didn’t come without a price. And if I wasn’t mistaken, the leather office chair behind the desk was raised as high as it would go, such that anyone who sat in the pair of conference chairs in front of the desk would be forced to look up at its occupant. I wondered if Miles had bankrolled all this himself or if the taxpayers had footed the bill.

The mayor himself looked a little more frazzled than I’d expected, with his tie already loosened and the top button of his collar popped. He faltered as he came around the desk and spotted Roy. “You came with an entourage.”

When I only arched a brow and signaled my dog to sit, he seemed to recover himself. “Allow me to offer congratulations on your marriage, and my sympathies for the loss of your grandparents. They’ll certainly be missed.”

Understanding how the game was played, I took his offered hand. “Thank you on both accounts.”

“Sawyer.”

My husband was slow to shake his hand, but at least he’d been acknowledged. I’d take the tiny win. “Sawyer mentioned you wanted to see us.”

“I did—do. I’m afraid I’ll have to be brief, as they’ve just officially issued a hurricane warning, and as you might imagine, there’s a lot to do to make sure that the town is prepared.”

“Certainly, I understand. We came into town to get some supplies ourselves.”