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“The mayoral campaign kicks off.”
“How is that big news?” I shrugged. “Amaryllis has been mayor for like four terms. She has run unopposed since I moved here.”
“There’s a challenger. Someone at city hall blabbed that a second mayoral candidate filed paperwork. I’m ready for the mudslinging to start.” Gabe rubbed his hands together and raised his eyebrows meaningfully.
Before Gabe and I could get caught up in local politics, it was Rae’s and my turn to order breakfast.
“Atley, my favorite cowboy, I’d come hug you, but this group is starving. What can I get you?” Elena’s dark eyes sparkled with good humor, and I blew her a kiss in place of our normal hug. She was the kind of woman who treated everyone like her favorite child.
“Give me four with sausage and potato, please. Rae?”
“I was thinking two, but they smell so good, give me three, same as Atley’s. Thank you.”
“No problem.” Elena marked down the order and urged us down the line to where the real magic happened. Elena’s two kids were both cranking out orders as fast as they could. Her son stood over the flat top browning the chorizo, scrambling eggs, and heating the tortillas. Elena’s daughter oversaw assembly.
“Don’t skip the salsa station. Mom makes them from scratch,” Elena’s daughter advised as she foil-wrapped our last two tacos.
After a stop for salsa and drinks, we took our food over to join Wilson and Cami at a table.
“About damn time.” Wilson stood and started clapping. “You guys are adorable.”
Most everyone in the clearing joined in the round of applause and whoops of congratulations. Rae’s cheeks were stained with a faint blush, and I tipped my hat brim low to avoid eye contact with all the Blue Star idiots I called co-workers.
“Oh my God, Wilson. Shut up or Atley is going to punch you.” Cami pulled him back to sit on the bench.
“Nah, I won’t punch him. I’m in too good a mood.” I sat and wrapped an arm around Rae to give her a quick side hug.
Tacos and Rae… best morning ever.
Chapter 31
Rae
Atley opened the backdoor of his truck and Major bounded out, running directly for me and Georgie where we sat on the steps of the dancehall. Atley followed at a more reasonable pace. I petted Major while Georgie danced in excited circles around the much bigger dog.
“Mind if I join you?” Atley drawled in the low, sexy voice that I had more dirty dreams about than was sane.
“Please do.” I patted the step next to me. “How was your nap?”
“Necessary. I was dead on my feet.” He stretched and yawned like he’d just woken up. I watched the bob of his Adam’s apple as he tipped back his head. Had a man’s throat always been so erotic? I swallowed and tried to rein in my raging lust. The kisseshe’d given me before and after the harvest breakfast had me primed and ready to explode.
“Can’t have you falling asleep on our second date.”
After four breakfast tacos and a beer that Jameson forced on him, Atley had barely made it home from the harvest breakfast. Exhaustion hit him like a Mack truck, and I’d sent him directly to bed, leaving him at his door after we shared a long, breathtaking, toe-curling kiss.
“I’m not sure this counts as a date. Isn’t this a work thing?” He pointed at the crew from the tent company setting up the events tent where the very fun but messy grape stomping would happen.
“Nope, it’s Elmer’s version of the dog park date. Exceedingly popular in Chicago.” I pointed at the two dogs racing around the parking lot, taking turns chasing each other. Georgie’s purple mohawk looked even more ridiculous than his flowing hair had.
Atley sat next to me on the step and kissed my cheek, like we were a normal couple, not a pair of middle-aged morons trying to figure things out for the third time.
“I even brought you an iced vanilla soy latte. It’s the full big city dog park date experience except we didn’t drop twenty dollars on Starbucks.”
His lip curled as I passed him an insulated cup with a metal straw that held my homemade froufrou coffee drink. When the closest coffee shop was twenty minutes away, a city girl had to learn a few tricks to feed her addiction. The sugar-free flavored syrups I’d ordered from Italy were worth every dime I spent on them.
He took a skeptical sip.
“So?”
