AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Four. Wow. They could have that place cleaned out in no time."
He threw his head back and laughed. "That's what my dad said."
Turning toward the windshield and the road, she practiced even breathing to settle her racing heart and her erratic breathing. Why this conversation had her so mixed up was bewildering.
Henry seemed oblivious. "Mom said Bridget, that's Aiden's mom. I told you about Aiden, right?"
"Yes."
"Okay. Mom said Bridget would have a field day out at the farm. Her style is more old-fashioned than the others. Isi and Josh, their home is more Spanish in style. Sophie and Gaige, that's my boss and Tate's parents, their style is more modern. Yvette and Wyatt, that's Spencer's parents, they have a few pieces of antique furniture in their house, but not many. So, she'll likely enjoy the shopping."
So these were all the parents of his teammates. She felt a slight relief at finding out he didn't mean anyone he was connected to. Other than his mom of course. But no one of a girlfriend capacity. Of course, it didn't matter, because she'd be moving on soon.
He turned the truck into a parking lot. The silver lettering on the outside of the building said "Town Hall". Under it in smaller letters, "Glen Hollow, KY". The building was brick, and square and not nearly as quaint as she expected.
As she stared at the building, Henry left the vehicle and strode around the front of the truck. He helped her from the truck, her hand in his. Butterflies awoke in her belly, and she sighed.
She stepped into the building and was mildly surprised that the inside didn't match the outside. The square brick building with no personality on the outside warmly greeted her with country touches, flowers in mason jars on the counter above the receptionist. Photographs on the walls depicted the history of Glen Hollow.
"Good morning. May I help you?" The receptionist greeted.
"Good morning. Everleigh Hayes and Henry Delany here to see Mr. Simek."
"I'll let him know you're here."
The kindly lady stood and with much effort, limped to a door alongside her desk and poked her head inside. "Ms. Hayes and Mr. Delany are here to see you."
Everleigh watched the woman limp back to the desk, her back seemed too stiff to make movement easy and the limp suggested a hip issue. She confirmed just that as she sat down behind the desk once again.
"I have arthritis and need a hip replacement. That's coming in a month or so. It seems silly to say I'm looking forward to it, but all I've heard from others is the pain is less than I'm in now. So, it's welcome."
"Good luck with your surgery. I've heard that as well." Everleigh smiled at the poor lady.
"Good."
The door next to the desk opened and a man stepped out and faced her. He was balding, had a mustache and a bit of a beer belly. But he was impeccably dressed in a nice suit and clean shoes.
"Ms. Hayes and Mr. Delany. Please come in."
15
Another day spent listening to Everleigh question the various members of the Town Council. First up was Simek. After Simek, he insisted she talk to a couple of the other members. She dutifully listened to their concerns and took notes. He admired her dedication to listening to the little gripes and complaints without commenting on how petty they were.
She stood and stretched, her eyes searching for his. Throughout the day they'd stared across the room. Grinned, nodded periodically. He enjoyed silently communicating with her.
She pushed in her chair, shook hands with whoever this council member was, he'd lost track of them all. He felt like a fixture in the corner and his muscles ached to get on the farm.
Everleigh stepped toward him, a sweet smile on her face. "How about that for a day?"
Shaking his head, "I don't know how you do it. Some of these guys are just downright petty."
Her throat constricted as she swallowed and her smile faded, which made him sad. "I know. It usually goes this way when the wound has been festering for a long time. Neither side wants to let anything go. I suspect tomorrow's meeting will be filled with petty complaints too."
"Ugh," His stomach dropped. It would be a long day indeed. At this point, Craig could go to hell for all he'd done here. For him to have any petty arguments was bullshit.
Henry glanced at his watch, "Do you have plans for this evening?"
His heartbeat quickened as he waited for her to respond. "I don't. How about you?"
