Jasper
Sitting in Lin’s office, I look over at Kade, and I can tell he’s as uneasy about this meeting as I am.
Nate called this morning and said he needed to talk to us about the mayor’s case, and Kade was able to get him to agree to meet us here, instead of the station.
Kade is sitting in the leather chair behind the desk, and Lin is on his lap. He’s holding her to him a little tighter than normal.
I’m sitting on the couch with Brynn pulled to my side, as close as she can possibly get. I’m beginning to understand why Kade has Lin on his lap, when Nate walks in wearing his police uniform. It’s a sign this is a work call, and not a friendly one.
He greets us, and then closes the door and sits down in one of the empty chairs.
“So, we did some digging. There was no reason for the mayor to go off the way he did. It didn’t make sense, when what you did about Main Street is good for the town. Something didn’t sit well with me about him ignoring what the town wanted and pushing this development.”
Nate shifts in his seat. “Looks like the mayor was going to get a big payday for himself for putting the land contract through. Upwards of the high six figures.” Nate says.
Kade curses under his breath. “That’s why he put a stop on the villa’s permits, trying to get us to back down.” He says.
“Yep. The paperwork is in process, and he’s being removed from office. He was taking all sorts of bribes from people out of town, and he wasn’t even hiding them. As soon as the paperwork is complete, the interim mayor will be put into place.” Nate says.
“Who is that?” I ask.
“Josh.” Nate smiles.
“The metal detector guy?” Kade asks.
“That’s him,” Nate confirms.
Josh is known for working at the bank his whole life. He’s now semi-retired and working there just two days a week. The rest of his time is spent metal detecting on the beaches on the island, especially after storms.
“Well, then there shouldn’t be any issues getting the villa’s moving,” Brynn says.
“Agreed,” Lin says.
“The mayor, well he isn’t the mayor anymore, so we’ll have to go back to calling him, Bert.” Nate shakes his head. “Anyway, Bert was given bail, but he hasn’t posted it. There is a good chance he won’t, but just in case, I wanted to let you know. If he posts bail, everyone knows to inform you. He isn’t allowed to leave The Island, until the trial.”
“Oh, fun,” Kade says dryly.
I know what he’s thinking. He will probably be right back here if he posts bail. We both need to take precautions if that happens. He’s not normally a bad guy, but when people get backed in a corner, you just never know.
Nate says his goodbyes and leaves, but the four of us don’t move.
“I don’t want you sleeping alone,” I tell Brynn without thinking.
“I haven’t been.” She chuckles.
“I’m also not sure I want to leave my mom alone, if Bert gets out.” I think out loud.
“I’ll get some extra security here and station someone outside her house. You don’t have to tell her, if you don’t want, too.” Kade says.
I shake my head. “I have too, she’d notice.”
“Yeah, she would,” Brynn laughs.
Brynn’s laugh is what I needed to pull me out of this funk that Nate’s news left me in.
“Go for a walk with me, Firefly?” I ask her.
She nods and stands up. After saying goodbye to Lin and Kade, we head out to the beach hand-in-hand. She’s quiet for a few minutes, before she starts talking.
“I think Josh will better for the town. But it’s only six months, before we will be electing a new mayor.” She says.
“I wonder if Kade is still interested in running. Though, I think he’d have a hard time going up against Josh.” I say.
Kade is liked, but Josh is a local and liked just as much. So, if it came to it, I think the town would vote for a local, before they’d vote for someone so new to the area.
“I think the only reason Kade was talking about running was to get Bert out of office. If Josh does a good job, I don’t think Kade has any interest in it.” She says.
I nod my head in agreement.
“Here’s to hoping we can finally move on with the villas, though. I’d like to have them up, before next season, and be able to work out the kinks in the off season.” She says.
“Knowing Kade, he’ll make it happen the second he has the green light to do it. He would move mountains to make Lin happy, and Lin will agree with you on having any problems worked out, before the season.” I tell her, giving her hand a squeeze.
When she looks up at me and smiles, I couldn’t stop myself from leaning in and kissing her, if my life depended on it. She kisses me back with a smile on her face.
That smile is still there, when she pulls back. I know that look, playful Brynn is about to come out. It’s also a smile that warns me to be on guard.
She wastes no time in proving me right, when she runs ahead of me a few feet, and then turns back and kicks her foot through the water, sending a spray of water at me, soaking my shirt.
I rush forward and grab her around the waist and lift her over my shoulder.
“You’re going to pay for that!” I say, as I spin her around with her ass in the air.
When I set her down, the guy she had a date with, Daniel, is standing on the back steps of The Sunset Inn, watching us with a look I don’t like on his face.
Brynn must follow my line of sight, because she sighs.
“What’s he doing here?” She mumbles more to herself, but I still feel the need to remind her she’s mine.
“Probably wants another date,” I say, as she looks at me. “What are you going to tell him, Firefly?”
She gets an evil look on her face. “Well, not what I want, too. My mom would come back from the dead just to whoop my ass.” She smirks.
“You are mine,” I growl.
She pats my arm and turns to head over to see what he wants, but I grab her arm and pull her back to me.
Then, I stake my claim. I kiss her, and my body only relaxes, once she melts into me and kisses me back. She knows what I’m doing, and she’s letting me be a caveman.
“I’ve been yours from day one.” She says, pulling back with a smile and winking, before turning to go see what Daniel wants.
I follow not too far behind her. After the events from the other day with the mayor, Bert, I’m not ready to let her out of my sight just yet.
“Hey, Daniel. Anything I can help you with?” She says in her formal work voice.
I walk past them and sit on the wicker couch and pull out my phone, pretending to be doing something else. I have no idea what is even on my screen, because all I focus on is them.
“Oh well, I was out-of-town, getting the rest of my stuff from school, when I had heard about what happened with Bert and all, so I wanted to come and check on you,” Daniel says, as his eyes keep darting over to me.
“I’m fine. Thank you, Daniel.” Brynn says.
“I was also hoping for another date, but…” Daniel says.
“Sorry, but Jasper and I are back together.” She says, and I don’t even hide the smirk on my face.
Daniel nods. “Guess it’s easier to date, when he’s right here all the time.”
I narrow my eyes at him. I didn’t like his tone with that one. So, I stand up and move to Brynn’s side, wrapping my arm around her waist.
“Also helps we have a history,” I tell him, smiling.
He gives us a strained smile, before nodding.
“Well, I wish you two the best. See you around.” He says and heads back inside towards the lobby.
When the door closes, Brynn turns in my arms to look at me.
“You didn’t have to do that.” She says, fighting a smile.
“I didn’t like his tone.” He says.
“Jasper, even if there was no you, I wouldn’t have accepted a second date. I was so freaking bored.” She groans and buries her head in my chest.
I pull her close and kiss the top of her head.
“Well, there is me, and I’m not going anywhere. You are kind of stuck with me. But Lin will pay for setting you up on that date.” I tell her.
She giggles, but I feel it against my chest more than I hear it.
“Let’s go in and get ready for The Sunset event,” I say.
It’s gotten even bigger, since we can now use the beach for it. Each one is different, so we have to adjust to make sure everything is set up.
But it’s all worth it, because during every event, I get to hold Brynn, as we watch the sun go down. It’s my favorite way to end each day.