I watch the snow fall on the town from my office in City Hall. My desk gives me the perfect view of the main strip of Troping. When I first moved here, I wasn’t sure how I’d take to things. I grew up in a small town in Alabama, so I knew moving to another small town wouldn’t be much of an issue. More so since I didn’t grow up in it. That's what I wanted: to escape and start anew.
Some people might love growing up and living in the same town their whole life, but when you’re the nerdy girl that got picked on through high school, not so much. Still, I loved the idea of a small town, so when I saw Troping, Colorado had a job opening for a personal assistant, I jumped at the opportunity.
Never in a million years did I think I’d get the job. It kind of just fell in my lap one day. Or more specifically fell in my email inbox. I think it might have to do with that LinkedIn page I made randomly one day. I didn’t put much effort into it and actually forgot about it. There wasn’t a lot to add since I only have an associate’s degree of general studies, which I got online.
During the Skype interview, I almost fell out of my seat when I saw Mayor North for the first time. They clearly make men a whole lot sexier in Colorado. We chatted about everything and nothing, but he didn’t really ask me much about my skill set. By the time the interview was done, he hired me on the spot. I was shocked.
Then the panic set in. I couldn’t just move from Alabama to Colorado—or so I thought. I was still living with my parents, and I had no idea where to live once I got to Troping. I was clueless on how to get there, but somehow North sensed my panic when he told me I’d gotten the job. Right away, he started checking off all the boxes that I had going in my head. He reassured me I’d have a place to live when I got here and that everything would be taken care of. North has always been true to his word. That’s one of the first things I learned about him.
Since I lived with my parents, I didn’t have much stuff. I worked as a receptionist for a dentist in my old town and saved up enough to buy a car the year before so I packed it with all my things and made the drive.
That was six months ago.
I’d gone from a small town that lived and breathed football to a small town that lives and breathes Christmas. This place is lit up like a Christmas tree year-round, and I kind of love it. Plus, the snow. I’d never seen it until I moved here, and even now, it can still distract me. Right now, I should be going over emails and some rezoning thing, but I’m looking through the window and watching the thick snowflakes fall.
The front door swings open, pulling my attention away from the snow to greet whoever has entered City Hall. Which is rather small. At the moment, the only people in the building are Mayor North and me. It’s typically that way.
“Good afternoon.” I give Donna a smile before pushing my glasses up my nose.
She grew up in Troping but only came back to town recently after passing the bar and becoming a lawyer. So I only met her a month ago even though she knows everyone. We don’t really need a lawyer around here, but maybe one wouldn’t be the worst idea. I just think she might get bored. Unless she gets her hooks into Mayor North, which I think has been her plan since she got back to town. She’ll have to get in line since most of the single women in town want North. The way he shows zero interest makes me think he might be asexual.
“Joy.” She barely pays me any attention even as she says my name. Most everyone here in Troping is friendly, but Donna doesn't care for me because I’m not a local. Or maybe it’s because her normal demeanor is rude. Either way, I keep a smile on my face. “I’d like to see North.”
“Do you have an appointment to see the mayor?” I already know the answer to my own question, but she just rolls her eyes at me.
“Just tell him it’s me, and I’m sure he’ll make the time.” Now she gives me a sugary sweet smile that is as fake as her personality. With the way she’s dressed up today, I’m impressed she’s wearing those heels in this weather.
“I’m sorry, what is your name again?” Her lips pull tight into a firm line. She can be outwardly rude, but I’m Southern. I’ll be rude while politely putting her in her place.
“Donna Hale, lawyer.”
“Right, sorry about that.” I pick up the phone on my desk and ring North’s office, which is right behind me. The line barely rings and North is picking up. A lot of the time he leaves his office doors open, and I can pretty much turn around and talk to him, but for some reason he has them closed today. He might have been on a call or something.
“Joy.” My stomach warms like when you take that first sip of hot chocolate. It always does when North says my name. North can be stiff and by the book, and I shouldn't think of him as warm at all, but for some reason my lady business does.
“Donna Hale is here to see you.” The line goes quiet for a long moment. “Sir?”
“Joy, I told you not to call me sir.” His tone turns thick, and I press my thighs together. How does he do this to my freaking body?!
“Mayor North.”
“You know I don’t care for that either,” he scolds. I don’t know why it bothers him when I call him Mayor, but for some reason he keeps telling me to stop. I know why sir gets to me. It’s because I read a few too many BDSM books when they were all the rage. “Send her in.” He lets out a sigh as he says it.
“Right away, sir.” Shit, I hang up the phone before I can get in trouble for once again for calling him sir. “He’ll see you now.”
“Of course he will.” She smirks at me. “Also, I need a coffee with two sugars,” she orders as I pull one of the doors open for her.
That smirk drops from her face when she spots North behind his desk. Her face lights up like it’s Christmas morning. The two of them really would make a good pair aesthetically.
The mayor of Troping with the only lawyer in town. That sounds right. I swear if they end up together, I’ll quit.
There’s no way I can deal with that woman every day. I forward the calls to the messaging system before I grab my bag. If I’m going to get this woman a coffee, I might as well get myself one as well. A cupcake too while I’m at it. The bakery is only two blocks down, and I debate if I should order her coffee wrong the whole way there.
I decide not to because I don’t have it in me to be spiteful. One of these days, I’ll grow a backbone, but then again, Frostie, the owner of the bakery, always said her favorite thing about me is how sweet I am to everyone.
Honestly, I don’t know if that’s always a good thing.