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I felt my jaw dropping, but Henry just laughed. “You all aren’t real quiet around here in the afternoons. We like those fellas you’re staying with just fine, son. That Joel is a good kid if ever I knew one. Still, a man likes to have his own place, his own kingdom.”
“You’re both…so kind. Thank you.”
Claire patted my hand and then they left, and Gwen came rushing over. “They are the sweetest things.”
“Yes, they sure are.” I felt the cash between my fingers, glowing as I thought of how much I’d benefited once I’d moved to this small town. Most of them, I knew, were gossipy places that judged and criticized like it was a sport. There was plenty of gossip in my new home, obviously, but I hadn’t experienced bigotry or judgment yet.
After Claire and Henry left the diner, I helped Gwen with the prep for the dinner crowds, and just as we were readying for that, we heard the bell on the door chime. She peaked around the doorway where we were in the hall, coming out of the kitchen.
“Hot man alert.”
“Oh, yeah?” I peeked over her and nearly groaned. The man that came in with the small child was possibly the hottest man I’d ever seen. “Who is that?”
“That, my friend, is the mayor of our fine berg.”
“The mayor? Wow, he’s…”
He had two swaths of gray, one on either side of his head, the rest of his hair battling to be dark blond, but it was turning black, so he was on the verge of having that salt and pepper hair, like Noah Oliver.
He was tall, lean, smiling sweetly to what I assumed was his little boy. “Colby is so cute.”
“That’s the little boy?”
“Yeah. Hard story. That man’s been through some shit. Go wait on him.”
“Me? He’s sitting at your table!”
“So? Split the tip with me. You have got to get a closeup of that man. You will have him in your dreams, I promise.”
“Just what I need, a straight man haunting my dreams. Great,” I said, then laughed and grabbed two menus before I realized the little boy likely wouldn’t need one. I placed one back and got the placemat with pictures to color and a tiny box of crayons for the child, then started over for the table.
The little boy had blond curls, big brown eyes, and was chattering nonstop as his father listened, hanging on every word.
“Nanny took my bear because I ate the other cookie, but I got him back.”
“Oh? Were you good and earned it back?”
“Yeah! She told me I was a good boy, so I got back bear.”
When I got to the table, the mayor was laughing but stopped the second he turned his face up to me. Our eyes met, and his smile faded, but he wasn’t glaring hatefully or anything. In fact, his eyes brightened, and I saw specks of pure gold in the dark blue of them. I also saw his eyelashes were dark, lining his eyes like makeup. He was truly beautiful.
“Can I get you and your…son? A drink?”
He didn’t answer right away, taking that time to stare at me. “What?” He shook his head and then laughed at himself. “Sorry, uh, yes, please. Milk for him, and I believe Stanley has some sippy cups back there.”
I’d given them before to patrons with small kids. “He does. And for you?”
“Iced tea, no lemon, no sugar. Please,” he said and as he said it, his mouth widened into a smile. “I don’t believe I’ve seen you here before.”
“New. About two weeks.”
“I’m Kendrick Belish,” he said and stretched out his hand to me. I put my small tablet into my left hand so I could shake his. He held it while we spoke further, shaking it slowly.
“The mayor, right?”
“My reputation proceeds me. Yes, I’m the mayor.”
“My name is Kanan. Kanan Pavra. Nice to meet you, Mayor Belish.”
