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“Please,” he said, finally letting go of my hand. “Call me Rick.”
“Call me Kanan, Kan, whatever. I’ll go get your drinks,” I said, in a hurry to escape those eyes that hadn’t left mine since they’d set on them.
When I was behind the counter, Gwen was right there, before I could get the ice for the tea. “What was that?”
“What?”
“He was practically drooling over you! You don’t think he’s…gay? I mean, he’s been married to two different women.”
I didn’t tell her, but I got huge gay vibes from the man and the way he’d held onto my hand, long after the handshake should have organically ended, his eyes locked on mine, shining that way…
“He’s likely just being a politician,” I dismissed, but in the back of my mind, I knew that wasn’t the truth.
“Yeah, right. All he has to do for votes is say he won’t raise taxes and flash that pretty smile. He’s been mayor for ten years. Wow, the man is gay. Well, probably bi, but…”
I took him the tea and the sippy cup filled with milk and he was ready to order. “He’ll have the chicken nuggets and fries, and I’ll do the Cobb salad.”
“Dressing?” I asked while touching the screen of the tablet to place the order.
“Oil and vinegar, on the side.”
“Got it,” I said after adding the note. “It’ll all be right up.”
“Thank you, Kanan.”
Gwen was waiting for me again. “That man is on you. Wow, I never would have thought he was gay.”
“He’s not,” I argued. “If anything, like you said, he’s bi, but don’t read so much into it. He’s the mayor, and as a result, he likely is excited to see new people moving to town. That’s always good for leaders.”
“Kan. Please,” she said and left me as she laughed and grabbed some menus for the new patrons that were coming in the door.
I watched the mayor from behind the counter, the way he talked to his son, and dabbed his mouth with the napkin after Colby got a milk mustache. He was gentle and sweet with Colby, and he smiled so easily.
After she had taken care of her table, Gwen was back at my side with her voice low and admiration barely contained. “That kid is a sweetheart. He’s lucky that his dad is rich enough to stay home with him.”
“He’s rich?”
“Richest in town, but that’s not saying a lot. A lot of folks here have money, sure, but we don’t have billion-dollar homes all over the place. Kendrick Belish is a trust funder who took over his dad’s business when senior Mr. Belish retired. His folks moved to California, Malibu, to be exact, before they passed a couple of years ago. Now, all that egg money is his.”
“Egg money?”
“They own an organic chicken farm. Free range, no cages, you know, the expensive eggs. They were some of the first to use their practices as selling points. Smart. Lots followed, but they were the first, and their eggs are really good. Dark yolks, rich. The bakery in town, the one that makes our pastries and pies, they only use Belish Eggs.”
Rich, handsome, and likely not into guys. Just my type, I thought bitterly. “Well, why don’t you give it a shot?”
“With him? No, thanks. He has terrible luck with women.”
“How?”
She sighed and pulled me back into the hall, the few freckles across her nose fading as she flushed from the excitement of the gossip. “His first wife, high school sweetheart and all, she died in childbirth. She had their son, and rumor is that she held the baby for a few seconds and just…died. It’s very sad. So, the mayor went on with just his son for years before he finally found someone else and married again. Then, almost as quickly as Colby was born, she figured out she wasn’t the nurturing mother kind, so she split. He had to raise both those boys on his own. Chandler is…shoot…eighteen now, I think.”
It was a very sad story. I felt terrible for him, especially losing the love of his life, as I could relate as well as having lost both parents. “Poor guy.”
“Yeah. Maybe he just needs something new to make him happy.”
“Funny, Gwen, but even if he’s suddenly turned full queer, I’m not on the market. I may never be in another relationship. They…are not for me.”
“Because you got a lemon? If you don’t keep trying, you’ll never find the one that you’re meant to be with.”
