Page 142 of Faking the Shot
“Hmm. Okay, well, let me see what I can do.”
He made a call, and Zac waited, praying for favor. He tried not to listen too hard as the mayor spoke to one person, then another, then nodded.
“Okay. I’ll send him in now.”
Zac’s heart pricked. Was it really that simple?
“Zac, let’s go for a walk.”
“Uh, sure.” He collected his folder, smiled at the secretary on the way out, and followed the mayor from the spacious office and down a hall. A twist of corridors, then up a half flight of stairs, and he was in an area of the council administration that he guessed probably didn’t see too many celebrities visit.
“Dean?” the mayor called, before glancing at Zac. “He’s the planning officer. I suggest you speak to him.”
“In here.” A man dusted off his tie and drew near. His eyes lit up. “Zac Parotti, as I live and breathe.”
“Funny, that’s my name too.”
The mayor joined the laughter, before excusing himself thanks to an urgent meeting. “But we’ll talk soon, I hope.”
“Thank you, sir.” Zac turned to the planning officer, who gestured him inside his office. “Thanks for your time.”
The man stuck out his hand. “Hi, I’m Dean Karlsson.”
Pennies dropped as though from heaven. “Not the brother of—”
“The great Brent Karlsson.”
“No, I was gonna say Bree Karlsson.”
“I like you already.” He gestured for Zac to sit. “You know Bree?”
“A little bit. We met at Chris Thomas’s house a month or two ago. She was there with Mike, Franklin James, and a bunch of others.”
“I remember now, she was talking about you. She was really excited to meet Ainsley. Hey, I heard about that. Sorry you two broke up.” He shook his head. “I can’t believe she got fired from her own show.”
“Right? Actually, I’m kind of here on her behalf, which is why the mayor has sent me to talk to you.”
“Go on.”
Zac went on to explain the situation, giving virtually the same spiel as he just gave to the mayor.
Dean frowned. “I don’t understand. Isn’t this in the system already?”
“Yes. It’s been there for months. Her lawyer believes it had some holdup, maybe due to an objection made by one of the neighbors.”
“That’s something that can be overruled for community interest if necessary.” Dean’s head tilted as he eyed Zac. “And you want this sorted now because…?”
“It would prove a real blessing for that family at this time.” He swallowed. “Ainsley’s aunt is dying, and her grandmother was a victim of domestic violence. That’s what motivates her with this project.”
“Wow. I didn’t realize that.”
“It’s not common knowledge, and I’d prefer it to stay that way.” His lips tweaked wryly. “I probably shouldn’t have said anything.”
“Have you got the case number?”
Zac pulled from the file the sheet of paper Mack had given him with the relevant details. “I think you’ll find everything you need here.”
Dean looked it over and nodded. “Hmm. It looks like it’s just waiting for a sign off.” He glanced at Zac. “I’ll admit this is not the usual way we prefer things to be done, but I can understand the need to look into what’s happened.”