Chapter 3
“Good morning, Silas. He’s waiting for you in his office.”
Maggie had worked for Mayor Andrew Sexton for nearly five years. Silas had always liked her and was thrilled when she replaced her grandmother as the Mayor’s secretary upon her retirement.
“Thank you, Maggie. Is he in a good mood this morning?” Silas winked, as he reached for the doorknob.
“As a matter of fact, he is. He just got off a call with that Mr. Timmons from Top Choice Windows. I guess they’re planning to have the plant open in a couple of months.”
“Is Mike going to try to get on with them?” Silas knew several men in town were planning to apply for the new jobs.
“Oh, yes, he’s looking forward to it. All the driving he does to and from work has really taken a toll on his truck. He needs to replace it, but we can’t afford a car note at this time with everything else.”
“I understand Maggie. I’m sure he’ll get one of those jobs. Mike’s a hard worker, and they would be lucky to have him.”
Silas took a deep breath then grabbed the doorknob, “Well, I better get in there before he has a fit about me being late.”
“Good morning, Silas. I thought I heard you out there. Come on in and have a seat.” Andrew motioned toward the chair across from his desk.
“I’m glad you were able to meet with me this morning. As you know, I’ve been in contact with the representative from Top Choice Windows. This is an exciting time for our little community, and I want everything to go smoothly. Now, I have both good and bad news. The good news is that Mr. Timmons has told me they are planning to reopen the plant in a couple of months.”
Silas remained quiet, wondering what the bad news could be.
Andrew saw the look of distrust in Silas’ eyes, and honestly, he did not blame him. Realizing that he could no longer put it off, he sat up in his chair and cleared his throat before speaking.
“As you know, I had believed they would hire locals to do the renovation. I had made it clear to Mr. Timmons that we have experienced contractors here who would do the job for a reasonable price. Unfortunately, someone at their corporate headquarters decided to bring in their own people to do the job.”
Andrew paused a moment, noticing the look of disappointment on Silas’ face before continuing, “This plant is going to make the newest design of energy efficient windows. It’s quite exciting that they chose our town to build this new design. I had to make several concessions to convince them to come here, but I believe it will all pay off in the long-run.”
“Well, that all sounds good, but what do you want from me?” Silas leaned back in the chair and folded his arms across his chest. It always made him uneasy whenever a politician used terms such as making concessions. As far as Silas knew, it usually meant the other side ended up with the better deal.
Andrew leaned forward and placed his hands on the desk. He paused a moment, trying to decide how best to say his next statement. “Silas, I have the utmost respect for you, and I know the men here in town listen to you.”
“Okay.” Silas did not like the direction of this conversation. Over the years, he had discovered that anytime someone begins a conversation with telling you how much respect they have for you, it typically does not end well.
“I need you to talk to the local contractors and smooth any ruffled feathers there may be when they hear the news of the company bringing in their guys.” Andrew held Silas’ gaze, trying to gauge his response.
“Okay, so, let me get this straight. You want me to tell OUR friends, not to be upset after that company screwed them out of making money bringing in their people to do the work. Do I understand you correctly? Is that what you want me to do?” Silas’ eyes narrowed as he glared at Andrew.
“I wouldn’t exactly put it that way.” Andrew shifted in his high-back leather chair, realizing how cruel his request sounded.
“Fine, I’ll do your dirty work, but I can’t promise that they won’t march right in here and give you a piece of their minds, Mr. Mayor,” Silas said with a menacing grin.
“Andrew, you know how rough it has been for everyone in this town to make ends meet. For the past few weeks, I’ve watched the mood of the residents change since receiving the news of the plant reopening. Everyone seems to have a renewed sense of optimism that I haven’t seen in years.”
Many of the residents had struggled after both the window factory and lumber mill went out of business. To have families forced to move away over the years had steadily sucked the life out of the town. For this reason, when this opportunity arose, it was as though the dark cloud hovering over Sandley had finally lifted.
“Andrew, for the first time in years, people are excited about the future of this town. Hell, several have even decided to hold off on moving out of town with the chance of getting one of those jobs. This is not a good way for the new owners to begin their relationship with the people of this town. Hell, what other surprises will they have for us?”
Andrew understood Silas’ concerns and honestly, he had a few of his own. However, he knew this could be the beginning of something big, so he wanted to be sure that everything went along smoothly.
“Silas, can I depend on you to handle anything that may come up? Can I count on you to smooth things over with the local contractors?”
Silas shook his head, clearly showing his discomfort with the request.
“Yeah, I’ll be the bearer of bad news. I only hope they don’t want to kill the messenger,” he laughed nervously.
“Thank you, Silas. I knew I could count on you.” Andrew forced a smile, hoping it would put Silas at ease.
“Well, if there isn’t anything else you need of me; I’ll go drive the dagger through some hearts now. I might as well get this over with, so they’ll have some time to cool off before they see those other men showing up in town. Good day, Mr. Mayor,” Silas said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
“Thank you again,” Andrew, grinned nervously, as he watched Silas leave the room.
Maggie looked up from her work, surprised to see Silas leaving so soon.
“That was a quick meeting,” she said with a curious look on her face.
“Yeah, it doesn’t take long to dispatch the assassin,” Silas groaned sarcastically.
“What… an assassin?” Maggie was not sure what he meant, and, to be honest, she did not want to know.
“Oh nothing, I’m just upset. I’ll talk to you later. Hey, tell Mike hello for me, okay?”
“I will, and tell Miss Jen hello for me.”
Maggie wondered what could have him so upset. What did you do, this time, Andrew?
“Goodbye, Maggie.”
“Goodbye, Silas.” Maggie nervously watched Silas step out into the hallway and then close the door behind him.
“That didn’t take long.” Jen watched an obviously upset Silas walk in the back door.
He did not respond as he walked passed her and went straight to the refrigerator.
“What happened?” She knew that he hated meetings with the Mayor, but she had not seen him this upset since the downsizing at the Police Department all those years ago.
Silas pulled the pitcher of sweet tea out of the refrigerator and poured himself a glass. After a long swallow, he refilled the glass and then sat at the table.
“Do you want to know something? I really hate politicians.”
Jen fought the urge to laugh at the look of frustration on his face, knowing it would only upset him more. “What did Andrew do this time?”
“He wants me to talk to the local contractors and smooth over the fact that the plant owners are bringing in their people to do the renovation work.”
Silas’ shoulders slumped at the realization of how they would react to the devastating news.
“Oh, no, that’s horrible! I know how much they were counting on that work.”
Jen placed her hands on his shoulders. ??
?I don’t understand why he wants you to talk to them. Why doesn’t he hold a town meeting and make the announcement himself?”
However, no sooner had the words left her mouth than she knew the truth.
“It’s because he’s a damn coward, that’s why? He came up with some bullshit excuse of how they listen to me, but I know why. He’s just worried they’ll drag his lying, sorry ass outside and kick it all over town!”
Silas closed his eyes to a vision of Andrew having his pompous butt kicked by several of the local men. Of course, this brought a smile to his lips.
“You know something, Jen? I’d pay to see that.” He then laughed aloud at the surprised look on her face.
“Silas, you’re terrible!” Jen giggled playfully, but she understood his anger at Andrew for putting this on his shoulders.
“Yeah, but you wouldn’t want me any other way.”
Silas grabbed her hands from his shoulders and pulled her arms down around him, holding her tightly.
Jen then nuzzled her face against his neck and whispered playfully in his ear, “I seem to remember a date we had for lunch today. Are you still interested in a little appetizer?”
Silas pulled Jen down on his lap. “I sure am. I could use something sweet after that meeting.”
They shared a passionate kiss then he lifted her up into his arms and carried her to the bedroom.