When Riley entered the crowded car dealership that Friday morning, he didn’t have much of a plan but hoped and prayed something would work out. Since he hadn’t had Vera’s rent money she’d kicked him out as promised, so with no place to live going back to Kansas was his only option. The showroom floor was packed with people checking out the shiny new cars and SUVs. Balloons were everywhere and huge, large-lettered signs announced a sale in progress which he supposed accounted for all the lookie lous. Wearing his signature black suit with its fake red carnation pinned to the lapel, he just knew he looked the part of a man prosperous enough to draw attention, and sure enough a tall blond salesman wearing khakis and a blue, short-sleeved polo walked right over. “May I help you, sir?”
Liking the “sir” part, Riley puffed up and said, “Yes. I’m visiting from my hometown in Nebraska. I’m the mayor, and we’re in the market for a fleet of SUVs. I’ve test driven your competition but thought I’d swing by and see what you have before making my final decision.”
“Excellent. I’m sure we have something that will meet your needs. I’m Adam Reed. Come this way, please.” He led Riley through the crowd and over to a nice-looking red SUV that Riley thought would fit his needs perfectly. “What’s your name, sir?” the tall blond salesman asked.
Riley panicked. “Uh. July. Trent July.”
“Nice to meet you, Mr. July. Where ‘bouts in Nebraska are you from?”
“Hays. It’s right outside of Omaha.”
“Ah.” Reed opened the door and stepped aside so Riley could slide in under the steering wheel.
Riley’s short stature positioned him eye level with the bottom of the windshield and he was stung by red-hot embarrassment. If the salesman had any cracks or short jokes he kept them to himself and simply demonstrated the workings of the seat, and soon Riley was elevated enough to see over the hood. “I like this,” he offered, taking in the fine leather interior and all the bells and whistles on the dash.
“How many vehicles is your town thinking of buying?” Reed asked.
“Maybe three, possibly four.”
“Would you care for a test drive?”
“Sure would.”
“There are a couple gassed up on the lot. Let me grab a plate and the keys.”
Outside, while the salesman attached the plate Riley got in and adjusted the seat. There were a large number of people outside, too. He spotted a man and woman checking out a stylish black minivan parked just a few feet away. After peering in the windows the couple began looking around as if needing assistance from the sales staff. Reed was watching the two people as well, and Riley sensed he was torn between staying where he was and heading over to see if they were serious buyers. Riley seized his opportunity. “How about I just take a quick ride around the block so you don’t lose those customers?”
The couple seemed to have given up and were walking back to their car. Reed’s eyes widened in panic. “Yes, but do me a favor. I need a copy of your license. Can you go back in and have one of the girls at the cashier station copy it for me and leave it with her?”
“Sure can.”
“Good. I’ll see you when you get back.”
True to his word, Riley went inside, but that was all he did. Keeping an eye on Reed through the glass, he walked around for a quick few minutes then went back out to the SUV. He waved at Reed and gave a thumbs-up. Reed returned the sign and as Riley left the lot and merged into the LA traffic, it was the last that salesman Adam Reed saw of Mayor Trent July.
Feeling like a million bucks, Riley steered the sweet red SUV through the open gates of the farm owned by the man boarding Cletus. His hog was in the large pen with a few others. Cletus got along with them pretty well for the most part, especially the white sow, Cleo, who’d done a few commercials and was slowly climbing the ladder to success. The farm’s owner, a likable elderly man named Ben Scarsdale, was also an animal trainer. Scarsdale said he’d rarely seen a hog as smart as Cletus and enjoyed working with him. Riley owed him a ton of money but the man seemed to take Riley’s promises to pay in stride and never seemed upset when payment didn’t materialize.
Riley parked and got out. Cletus lumbered over to the fence. “How you doing, big boy? Came to break you out. You ready to go home?”
Cletus raised his head and let loose a few loud snorts which Riley took to be, yes.
“Hey, Riley. Didn’t see you drive up.”
Riley jumped, startled. “Uh, hey, Ben,” he replied, hoping he didn’t sound or look guilty. He also wondered how much the man had overheard. “Thought I’d take Cletus out for a picnic. He and I haven’t had any family time in a few weeks and I miss him.”
“That’s nice. Where you going?”
“Not really sure, but there’s going to be ice cream. Clete loves vanilla.”
“Is that a new car?”
“Yeah,” he said, clearing his voice due to the guilt clogging his throat. “Cousin died last week and left me a little bit of money. If Cletus doesn’t break me eating ice cream, I’ll pay you just as soon as I get back.”
“That’s good news, because your bill’s pretty high. Don’t keep him out too long. He and Cleo have a thing going and she gets upset when he’s not around.”
Riley saw the sow eyeing Cletus and Cletus eyeing the sow. He hoped this wouldn’t be a repeat of Cletus and Chocolate, the sow his hog married a few years back. When Eustacia walked out on Riley and took her sow with her, Cletus was depressed for months. “Then let me get going. Don’t want Cleo to get upset.”
“I’ll get the trailer.”
Riley wasn’t sure if the new SUV would be strong enough to pull Cletus’s trailer but found he had nothing to worry about. He waved at Scarsdale and the man waved back, but Riley was so busy congratulating himself on his cleverness, he missed the angry set of Ben’s jaw and the fire flashing in his blue eyes as Riley and his hog drove out of sight.
CHAPTER
3
TC had never attended a town meeting before, so when he entered the diner Monday evening with Gary and the girls he checked out all the smiling people milling about and visiting, heard the Temptations singing “Don’t Look Back” from the red chrome jukebox, and smiled. He liked the homey feel of the gathering right off the bat.
“Let’s grab a seat,” Gary shouted over the din. “And I’ll introduce you around.”
Following his nephew to a booth, TC estimated there were about fifty people inside, some Black, some White and all carrying plates piled high with appetizer-type food like wings, pot stickers, and cut-up raw veggies. That pleased him, too.
Since there were more people than booths, Gary stopped at one already occupied by the mayor, Trent July, and his wife, Lily. “Can we join you?”
TC had met both briefly over at the Power Plant while seeing about the job.
“Sure.” Trent and Lily moved over so he and Gary could join them. Leah and Tiffany were already squeezing into another booth filled with a group of teens.
“Welcome to the town meeting,” Trent said.
“How often do you do this?” TC asked, still glancing around.
“Once a month. Gives us the opportunity to stay connected and keep up with what’s going on around town.”
“This is amazing,” the impressed TC offered. “You won’t find anything like this in Oakland.”
Lily said, “One of the advantages of small-town living.”
“I see,” he replied.
Gary asked, “I know we just had dinner but do you want something to munch on?”
“Sure. How long do the meetings usually last?”
Trent answered. “No more than an hour or so. Not much on the agenda this evening.”
“How much is the food?”
Gary smiled. “Free. Courtesy of the Boss Lady Ms. Brown.”
TC saw her over on the side of the room speaking with a tall guy about his age. She looked elegant even when wearing jeans and a soft blue sweater. The tasteful gold bangles and the hoops
in her ears seemed to emphasize the fact.
Gary said, “Let’s grab a plate. We’ll be starting soon.”
The buffet table offered lots of finger food. TC helped himself to a few wings, and some little filo squares filled with spinach. The woman standing behind the line was knock-your-socks-off gorgeous. Gary said to her, “Rock. Want you to meet my uncle, Terence Barbour.”
Extending her hand, she offered up a smile that made TC melt. “Hi, Mr. Barbour. Pleased to meet you. I’m Rocky Dancer. Welcome. You’re the one taking over from Nathan?”
TC nodded. “I am. Call me TC, please.”
“Will do. Help yourself to the fixings. My assistant Siz does most of the cooking. Best chef this side of the Mississippi.”
TC eyed the bounty. “Looking forward to trying it out. Nice meeting you, Ms. Dancer.”
“Same here. Call me Rocky.”
He nodded.
He and Gary moved down the line, and as they did he got a wave from Ms. Brown. He asked Gary about the man she was talking with.
“Malachi July. Owns the place. He’s also Trent’s dad. Their family has lived here over a hundred years. Mal’s mother, Tamar, is the town matriarch. I’ll introduce you to them later. You got enough?”
TC eyed his plate. “I think I do.”
On the way back to the booth, Gary stopped so TC could meet Clay Dobbs and his buddy Bing Shepard, whose beautifully carved ebony cane was as stately as the man holding it.
“Welcome,” both men said to him.
“Thanks.”
As they moved on, Gary said, “Clay and Genevieve Gibbs are lovebirds.”
“Ah” was TC’s reaction. He hadn’t seen her yet and wondered if he would. He’d had a nice time driving her back from the airport and had to admit to being disappointed that she and Clay were an item, even though he wasn’t looking to hook up with anyone while in town.
Gary stopped and introduced him to Reverend Paula. She invited him to the church and he told her how much he liked her navy blue cowboy boots. He then met the Paynes—Sheila and Barrett. The retired Marine was fit and still appeared capable of scaring the pants off a green recruit. His wife was a beauty and TC wondered if all the women in town were fine. Ms. Gibbs certainly had been. After leaving the Paynes, Gary said, “Their son, Preston, is Leah’s boo, as the kids say.”
TC wondered if the boy ever got out of line with a dad like Barrett. TC’s dad had worked on the docks and had arms the size of redwoods. Anytime TC got out of line he made sure his daddy never found out.
Back at their booth, they found that Trent and Lily had been replaced by a new couple TC had yet to meet. Gary did the introductions. “TC, this is Reggie and Roni Garland.”
Reggie said, “Nice meeting you. Trent and Lily are up front getting ready to call the meeting to order. They asked us to hold down the booth while you were gone.”
TC swore Roni looked just like singer Roni Moore but he knew he had to be wrong. What would the Grammy-winning songstress be doing in Henry Adams? “Nice meeting you, too. Ms. Garland, you probably get this a lot, but you look just like the singer Roni Moore.”
She smiled serenely. “I do get it a lot and I’m always flattered.”
Beside him, his nephew was grinning and her husband wore a secretive smile. TC studied her features closely again and finally said to himself, Naw.
Trent rose to his feet. “Okay, let’s get this show started.” All eyes including TC’s turned to the front of the room. At that moment, Genevieve Gibbs hurried into the diner accompanied by a young man and woman, each carrying a toddler in car seats. TC viewed her arrival approvingly.
Feeling harried, Gen hastily apologized to the folks at the head table for being late and she, Kelly, Bobby Douglas, and their twin little ones, Kiara and Bobby Jr., squeezed into the booth with Mal and Bernadine. Marie hadn’t attended a town meeting in months so Gen rode over with Kelly and Bobby.
As Trent began to speak Gen hazarded a glance around the room and saw Clay. He met her eyes briefly before turning away. His refusal to accept her for who she wanted to be still pained her, but no way was she going to veer from her path. His loss. Just like Riley. She discreetly swept the rest of the room and found her gaze caught by the new driver, TC Barbour. He nodded politely and she offered a small nod in reply. Wondering why in response her heart was beating like a sixteen-year-old’s, she focused her attention on Trent.
Trent opened the meeting by introducing Mr. Barbour to the gathering. “He’s Gary Clark’s uncle. Wants to be called TC, and will be filling in for Nathan as town driver until Bernadine can find a permanent replacement. Can you stand up, Mr. Barbour?”
A round of applause greeted him and he raised a hand in acknowledgment. He had on jeans and a charcoal-gray turtleneck and Gen found him as attractive in casual clothing as he’d been in the crisp black suit he’d worn at the airport.
Bernadine leaned over. “Not bad on the eyes.”
“Hey!” Mal groused with a laugh. “I’m sitting here, too, you know.”
“I’m just saying.”
Gen silently agreed but in spite of his good looks and her reactions, she had no room in her new life for a man. If Riley hadn’t taught her that, Clay certainly had. Going forward, it was going to be all Genevieve all the time.
So for the rest of the meeting, she sat and listened as Trent gave the latest on the new swimming pool he and his team would be breaking ground for in a few weeks and the plan to turn the old dilapidated Henry Adams Hotel into a loft space. He also brought them up to speed on the small strip mall that would be built and opened by the fall. Kelly’s new beauty shop would be one of the businesses going in, along with a pharmacy and real clinic space for Doc Reg so he could move out of the school. Speaking of the school, teacher Jack James stood and announced the opening of the new term for GED classes for those who didn’t want to take the classes online. Over the winter Gen had gotten her literacy certification to teach reading to adults who couldn’t read or wanted to improve and Jack announced that as well. “See Ms. Gen about setting up a schedule,” he said before retaking his seat.
She saw TC give her a quick glance before returning his attention to the front of the room. She wondered if he knew of someone who needed her help or was checking her out just because.
New resident and town fire chief Luis Acosta took the floor next to give an update on how his department was progressing. “So far we have twelve volunteers. Some have experience but most don’t. Training and classes are ongoing. Lily has two state-of-the-art engines on order and as soon as the construction on the new firehouse is complete and passes inspection they’ll be delivered and we’ll be up and running.”
Tremendous applause greeted the news. No one wanted a repeat of last year’s deadly fire set by the now imprisoned Odessa Stillwell.
After the meeting, the mingling and visiting resumed. Kelly and Bobby were heading home to put the twins to bed. Gen thanked them for letting her ride with them. “I’ll find a way back so go on and don’t worry about me.”
“Are you sure?” Kelly asked. The young family had moved to town that past winter and Gen had come to love them very much. She was also godmother to the twins.
“I’ll be fine.” She kissed the babies. “Be good for your mama and daddy, you two.”
Both toddlers gave her sleepy smiles.
“We’ll see you tomorrow, Ms. Gen,” Bobby said in parting.
Gen nodded and watched them make their way to the door. Having them in her life made up for not having been blessed with children of her own. She also watched Clay leave with Bing. Something telling must have shown on her face because Mal walked to her side and asked, “You and my buddy fighting?”
“Honestly, Mal. I don’t know what we’re doing. No, I take that back. I do know. We’ve called things off.”
“Really? What happened?”
“I happened, I suppose. Clay doesn’t like the new and improved Genevieve. Said he prefers the old me.”
“That’s asinine.”
“I know, but it is what it is. He said I’m acting like I’m twenty-five.” Once again she refused to let the sadness take hold. “I’m not going back to who I used to be, Mal.”
“And no one with any sense wants you to. Nothing wrong with what you’re doing. Sometimes you have to shed the old to be the new. Take it from someone who’s been there done that.”
She gave the former alcoholic and Casanova a kiss on the cheek. “Thanks.”