“Don’t you have employees to handle the heavy lifting?” Aaron asked, resisting an impulse to help. She must do this sort of thing every day; she didn’t need him.
“They’re busy. When things are quieter midmorning, I’ll have them slice the onions and tomatoes and wash lettuce for the lunch crowd. We want our ingredients to be fresh.”
“We?”
Her expression went blank. “Saying we is a habit. I ran this business with my husband for more than a decade, and he’s only been gone a year.”
Aaron wasn’t sure how to respond. He’d been noticing how well Skylar filled out her jeans and T-shirt—slim, yet sweetly curved in all the right places—only to be reminded she was a widow.
“I see,” he said awkwardly. “Well, I’ll go, since you’re obviously busy. You’ll call when we can get together to talk about my expansion plans?”
Her eyes narrowed. “As I said last night, I’ll contact you in a few days.”
“Good. Great. We’ll speak then.”
Aaron made his way back to his Mercedes. He still didn’t have anything settled, but it couldn’t be helped. Diplomacy took time, and he was already at odds with Skylar. And it wasn’t as if they’d ever gotten along in the first place.
* * *
THE FOLLOWING Wednesday Skylar drove to city hall shortly before the time she’d set for her meeting with Aaron. He’d suggested they meet at Cooper Industries, but she was too smart to agree. She refused to be treated like a flunky on his payroll—city hall was her territory, and he was the one asking for something from the community, not the other way around.
Cooperton City Hall was one of those grand old buildings built in a confident era when they’d believed the town would soon need a large home for its government. Money and love had gone into planning and constructing the place. The offices beyond the public facade were nice, but the rotunda was the town’s pride and joy—with an ornate dome overhead and a beautiful mosaic wood floor that had been covered by carpet for several decades. When the restoration committee had pulled the carpet up three years ago, expecting the original surface to be ruined, they’d discovered it simply needed a good cleaning and basic repairs for carpet-tack damage.
It was a soothing atmosphere, but Skylar didn’t have time to appreciate the rich glow of wood, brass and polished granite. She trotted up the stairs and through the swinging doors of the mayor’s reception area.
Micki Jo looked up from the computer on her desk. “Hey, Skylar, ready for your big meeting with Aaron Hollister?”
“I suppose. Do you have those reports?
“Yup.” Micki Jo pointed to a box on the corner of her desk. “Copies for you, and copies for the big shot. And here are the keys for the council offices—keep them. I had duplicates made. You should have your own set. Everyone else on the council does.”
“Is that an executive decision, or a Micki Jo ruling?”
“Micki Jo, all the way. The mayor is too busy wringing his hands over what Mr. Hollister is doing with Cooper Industries to be bothered with minutiae. Small-town government requires secretaries who are willing to make decisions in the temporary absence of leadership.”
Skylar pocketed the keys. “Would your college professors approve of that theory?”
“Probably not. Secretaries aren’t appreciated enough.”
It was true, in more ways than one. Micki Jo had started working for city hall two years before, and despite her youth and inexperience, now practically ran the place behind the scenes. Chet was only in his office a few hours a day; the rest of the time he managed his restaurant. Micki Jo, on the other hand, worked full-time and eagerly jumped into every aspect of Cooperton’s government. She was taking night classes toward a bachelor’s degree in political science.
“How are your studies going?” Skylar asked.
The other woman flashed a smile. “I got A-pluses on my last two tests, and I’m writing a paper about Thursday night’s council meeting for my poli-sci course. The guys sure did a fast duck and cover with Aaron Hollister’s expansion proposal.”
“Tell me about it. Mr. Hollister wants a swift approval, but it isn’t going to be that easy. You may hear some yelling before we’re done.”
“My money’s on you, but if you come to blows, try not to get blood on the floor,” Micki Jo advised. “Our preservation chairperson will have hysterics if that hardwood gets damaged. You know how excitable she is.”
Skylar laughed and headed for the city council’s offices with the box of reports tucked under one arm. Three rooms in city hall were allotted to the council—including one for small meetings. She’d never expected to need the offices, so having a key hadn’t occurred to her. Come to think of it though, Jimmie may have had a set. If so, it would still be with his key ring in the dresser drawer, in the envelope....
Her lingering humor faded as she recalled being handed a large yellow envelope by the coroner’s office after Jimmie’s accident. “His valuables,” they’d said gruffly. She’d barely looked in it, tucking the thing under a pile of his T-shirts. Grace had helped her pack up most of Jimmie’s clothes and personal items, but Skylar had left that drawer alone. Somehow it seemed symbolic, a small goodbye yet to be said.
The council office was stuffy, and Skylar pushed thoughts of her husband’s accident from her mind as she opened a window. She’d gone over the Nibble Nook’s schedule, trying to find the best time to meet with Aaron, finally deciding morning would be best. Several of her employees were eager for extra hours, and she could get them to cover for her when she was gone.
Precisely at 9:00 a.m., Aaron came through the open door carrying a soft-sided briefcase. “Good morning,” he said with a formal smile. “You agreed to look at the PowerPoint program on expansion plans, so I brought my computer.”
“That’s probably the best way to start.” Skylar wanted to ask how Melanie was feeling, since Karin had mentioned her friend had been out of school sick both Monday and Tuesday, but it was best to keep the meeting on a purely professional level.
Aaron set up his laptop, and she realized they’d have to sit side by side while he changed the slides and talked.
Damn.
He moved his chair next to hers, and his elbow came perilously close to her breast as he started the program. Grimly she focused on the information. It was concise and to the point...and a big problem as far as she was concerned. Keeping her expression neutral became a challenge, and when the final slide had been clicked off, she had trouble unclenching her jaw.
“You want to expand east of the factory,” she said finally.
“It’s the best location.”
“That property has been leased to organic farmers for years.”
“But is still owned by Cooper Industries. The lease is coming up for renewal, so it’s an opportune time to move forward with updating and expanding the factory complex. The land just needs to be rezoned.”
Skylar
