[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
. If I have to ask, then you clearly don t want it tohappen. How did he become the bad guy? Her feelings were hurt? Did she have any idea how much it hurtknowing she d rather pass out from oxygen deprivation and drown than stand up and admit she wassleeping with him? What don t I want to happen? Oh, come on Shaun.It s so obvious.You live in the middle of nowhere.You have no neighbors. Unlike at my house, nobody would see me coming or going from your place.We could spend theentire night together, and we wouldn t have to resort to a covert operation to make it happen. Shesighed and turned away. Clearly, you don t want me there. The accusation surprised him so much he pulled over.They d covered this weeks ago. That s nottrue.You know why I come to you.I told you about my sleep problems.Under the circumstances,having an overnight guest is a bad idea. You re afraid my company will keep you awake? I promise I ll be quiet as a mouse. He shook his head, to clear it rather than to disagree. No.It s got nothing to do with you.Virginia& I m not in control of myself when I sleep.You got a taste of it the night you cut my hair.Ihave nightmares.Sometimes I sleepwalk.I d just as soon avoid scaring the shit out of you again, orworse, putting a mark on you.I don t want to accidentally hurt you again. Her hand shot out and she landed a punch squarely in the center of his chest.Apparently she had nosimilar compunction about leaving marks on him, accidentally or otherwise. Spare me the guilt andthose so-called protective instincts.You didn t hurt me, you moron.I startled you, you reacted, andthen I woke you up.You should be begging me to spend the night.You could finally get some restwithout worrying about the consequences.I d have your back. I had you pressed up against a wall, and I didn t know what the fuck I was doing. In case you haven t noticed, I have two good lungs, and am fully capable of speaking up.It s allabout intent, in my book, and I know you d never hurt me.I trust you.You need to trust me. He scrubbed his palms over his face. I don t trust myself. How many bad dreams have you had since the night in my salon? His heart pounded against his ribs. None. How many times have you sleepwalked? None. Shaun, it s time to trust yourself. Okay.Fine.This was what she wanted? Damn him, he d try and give it to her, and if he didinadvertently hurt her, he d never forgive himself.He reached out and took her hand. Come to myplace tomorrow.Spend the night. I can t tomorrow. She pulled her hand away, raised her chin, and looked down her straight littlenose at him. I have Josh and Melody s engagement party tomorrow night, after the debate at thesenior center. That s what he got for assuming she d jump at his invitation.He d hurt her feelings, even if hisreasons were noble, and now she was going to play hard-to-get. Come afterwards.I don t care if it slate.I want to see you. Her mouth softened into the slightest of smiles.She reached out and fiddled with the front of hishair. Only if you really want me to. He saw all kinds of uncertainty in her eyes, but absolutely no fear. Sweet Virginia, I really wantyou to. Chapter FourteenGinny shifted in her seat.Surely she wasn t the only one suffering from the butt-numbinglyuncomfortable folding chairs the senior center had broken out for this afternoon s debate?Ms.Van Hendler, the moderator of the only official mayoral debate, presided over a packed houseof spectators mostly seniors all of whom seemed perfectly comfortable.Ginny stacked her handson the cool surface of the narrow, rectangular folding table and glanced down at her opponent seatedat the other end.Tom spoke to the crowd, sidestepping a question about city taxes.He d drawn firstresponse, so she did her best to put her head in the game and listen to his reply.Instead she thoughtabout the rest of her Saturday.Melody and Josh s engagement party.She d spend a couple hours atRawley s celebrating the happy couple.Maybe sneak out a little early and meet up with Shaun&A smattering of applause warned Ginny that Tom had reached the end of his long-winded, time-defying, and ultimately unresponsive response.Ms.Van Hendler spoke into her microphone. Your rebuttal, Miss Boca? She cleared her throat and looked out at the crowd. Thank you.I m a small business owner, so thesubject of taxes is near and dear to my heart& and my wallet.That said, I know my money supportsmany programs and services important to Bluelick.The fire department is a perfect example.Throughour tax dollars, we ve invested in top-notch personnel and the equipment they need to do their jobsafely and efficiently, and they, in return, protect our community and operate consistently withinbudget.The town benefits from having dedicated, local firefighters responding to emergencies, andthe results absolutely justify the cost. Why, thank you, Ginny, Tom spoke into his microphone, all confidence. I hired our new firechief and spearheaded the effort to have the city council approve the funds for new equipment.Iconsider those successes two of the biggest achievements of my current term as mayor. I do too, Tom, she shot back, because she refused to appear ungracious. But I wish we got thesame bang for our buck from the county sheriff s department. She saw his smile slip and turned herattention to the audience. Our contract with the county costs almost triple what it costs other townsour size to establish and maintain a small, local police department.We pay on par with what thebigger cities in this county pay, and yet we require fewer resources and worse, we get a much lowerlevel of service. Murmurs of agreement hummed through the crowd. If I m elected mayor, I ll propose to the citycouncil that we establish a Bluelick police department.We have a successful local fire departmentand there s absolutely no reason we couldn t duplicate the success with a local police department.Doing so would reduce the tax burden while improving the safety and security of our town. The rules of the debate didn t call for a rebuttal, but Tom spoke over the audience s applause. Miss Boca oversimplifies a complex issue.Comparing the cost of the fire department to the cost ofthe county sheriff is not an apples-to-apples comparison.Our contract with the sheriff s departmentincludes 911 dispatch, and Mr.Buchanan, Ms.Van Hendler cut him off, and held up a hand for silence, but Ginny dove intothe lull. No.You re wrong.911 services are provided by the county, but it s separate from the contractwith the sheriff s department.The 911 calls to our fire department use the same service.All thecontracts are available on the city website.I ve read every word of them.I know what I m talkingabout. Tom shook his head and gave her a patronizing look. These are long, complicated contracts,Ginny.You may have read them, but I don t think you understand them and frankly, there s no reasonwhy you would. He switched his attention to the audience. I negotiated those deals.The city counciland I spent weeks going over every clause with the law firm retained by the city This brings us to our next question, Ms.Van Hendler said into her microphone. Tell us whatqualifies you to be mayor of Bluelick.Tom, you have the floor. In a word? Experience, he answered, fielding the softball in the most predictable way
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
