Page 69 of Sundown Somewhere

I mean, convince to rethink their position.

“Seth Jennings,” Landon says. Plain and simple.

Seth Jennings? The town plumber? That doesn’t track; he’s not one of the nine. Unless someone was ousted and I didn’t realize it.

“When was he elected?”

“Last spring. Special election after Ellen Potter died.”

“Ellen Potter died?” I exclaim.

“Found dead in her living room—heart gave out.”

Huh, missed that.

Anton and Jace walk into the office, giving me a confused look. I barely hear one of them mutter something about “didn’t we attend her funeral,” but I can’t tell which one it is, so I snap my fingers at them, signaling for them to be quiet. Giving me another weird look, they park themselves in the guest chairs facing my desk, leaning in to listen to the rest of my conversation.

“This doesn’t make any sense,” I say. “Like, less than zero.”

“I’m just telling you what Z told me. Which is apparently what Dad told him. Your guess is as good as mine.”

I shake my head, trying to make it compute. As if somehow the movement will shake the pieces into place.

“Hux, don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re a Hayes. Can’t you just pay for whatever this is yourself?”

I scoff. If only it were that easy.

“It’s not about the money. If that’s all this were about, I wouldn’t have involved the town at all. I can cover it no problem.”

I can. Not trying to brag, which I know Landon understands. At the end of the day, it’s a simple matter of fact—my family has money. Lots of it. And has for generations. On top of that, I hold an executive position in the still privately held company said family owns and am compensated more than fairly for that profit I’m damn good at turning. Being a Hayes has its perks.

So no, money is not the issue here.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I lean forward, resting my elbows on the desk. “What I don’t have is a place to put it.”

Landon is silent for a moment, and I know I stumped him. I also know that he’ll never ask what it is I’m trying to build. That’s not who he is.

“All that Hayes land and you got nothing?”

“Hayes land won’t work for this. I don’t think. It’s not as simple as clear-cutting a bunch of yellow pine. You really think I didn’t think of that?”

He chuckles. “Touché. Alright, well, that’s all I called to tell you. I’m gonna go now because all this talk has me feeling like Mrs. Chamberlain, leaving me with the deep urge to shower.”

I shake my head, silently joining in his laughter. “Does that make me Mrs. Burch?”

I can see Dolly’s great-aunt now, huddled up with our former math teacher, the two of them intent on knowing everything about everyone in this town, and ready to use it against us. A shiver rips down my spine at the thought, and I can’t disagree that a shower sounds pretty good actually.

“If the shoe fits, man.”

We hang up, and I toss my phone on the desk. What the actual fuck. Seth Jennings. The town plumber. It’s hard enough to wrap my head around the fact that he’s on the town council, much less that he voted against my project. As the lone vote.

“Who was that?” Jace asks, cutting into my thoughts.

“Landon, doing his best Mrs. Chamberlain impression.”

“What?”

I shake my head, waving off my own bad reference. No need to drag the rumor mavens into this more than needed. In fact, keeping them out of it altogether is greatly preferred.