Her shoulders seemed to round. “Isn’t there another way though? Without tearing down what my mom has worked so hard to create?”
Gil wished he had a different answer to give her. “I’ve looked for one. If you know another solution, please tell me. I would do anything to make this right.”
She lifted her chin subtly, looking equal parts stubborn and beautiful. “Well, when I’m mayor, I’ll find a way.”
* * *
At four thirty that afternoon, Ronnie stopped by to give another update on bail. “Looks like you’re fleeing the coop,” he said.
Both Moira and Gil looked up.
“Which one of us?” Gil asked.
Ronnie let the suspense hang in the air for several seconds before tipping his head at Gil. “You, Mayor Gil. You’re free to go.”
Some part of Gil wished it were Moira who was leaving. He couldn’t just leave her here all by herself.
“Go on,” Moira said, as if reading his mind. “I’ll be fine.” She forced a fleeting, fragile-looking smile in his direction. “Congratulations on making bail.”
“Thanks.” He hesitated for a long moment, not moving.
Sheriff Ronnie opened the jail cell door. “Better hurry before I change my mind,” he threatened with a deep laugh.
Gil looked at Moira again.
“Go,” she said a little more forcefully. “You made bail. You heard the sheriff. Escape while you can.”
Gil reluctantly stood. “Okay. Well, it was nice spending the day in here with you.”
She gave a stiff nod. “I’d say we should do this again, but I’d be lying.”
“Right. Because you barely tolerate being in the same room with me.”
“No, because this is jail. Being stuck with you wasn’t so bad,” Moira said. “Way better than being stuck with Denise.”
That wouldn’t normally feel like a compliment, but coming from her, it did. “Okay then. See you later, Moira.”
“See you,” she said in a quiet voice.
He left the jail and walked out, talking to Ronnie on the way. “How much more money does she need to raise to make bail?”
The sheriff grimaced. “About five hundred more dollars. She might be staying the night.”
Gil lowered his voice. “Keep her here another hour or so and then let her go. I’ll cover the remaining bail.”
“You will?” Ronnie asked, thick brows lifting high on his forehead.
“Just don’t tell her it was me, okay? Moira is stubborn. She won’t accept it from me.”
“Why are you springing her?” the sheriff asked.
Gil cleared his throat, looking for an answer that wouldn’t make his real reasons obvious. “It’s for charity, right?”
Sheriff Ronnie patted his back. “Exactly. I’ll drive you home, Mayor.”
* * *
Moira was lying on a cot, just about to drift off, when she was startled awake. That seemed to be a theme for the day.
“Your turn!” Sheriff Ronnie said.
“Hmm?”
“You’ve made bail. Lucky you, you don’t have to sleep here tonight.”
Moira sat up, her body stiff from the uncomfortable cot she’d spent most of the day on. “I did? Who posted?”
“Oh, you’ve had several supporters stop by and donate today. Your mom, your dad. Tess, Trisha, Lucy. All the usual suspects.”
Moira knew they’d all been by earlier in the day though, and she hadn’t been anywhere close to covering her bail after they’d donated. “Who else?”
Sheriff Ronnie avoided her gaze. “Why are you interrogating me? Do you want to stay overnight? Because I can arrange for that to happen, you know.”
“No.” Moira shook her head quickly and stood, her joints popping and protesting their lack of movement today. “I want to go home and shower.”
“Good idea. Thank you for participating. The money raised today will really help spruce this place up.”
“You’re welcome.”
“And it wasn’t so bad, was it?” Sheriff Ronnie asked.
Moira narrowed her gaze. “It wasn’t so great either. In addition to new cots, you need to invest in better coffee.”
Ronnie laughed and patted her back as she walked alongside him. “Come on. I’ll drive you home.”
As soon as Moira arrived at her house, she sat on the edge of her bed and texted Gil.
Moira: I know it was you who posted the rest of my bail.
Gil: Are you out then?
Moira: Home sweet home.
Gil: Good to hear. Maybe we can do that again sometime.
He was joking, right? She tapped her thumb along her screen as she replied.
Moira: Not a jail cell. Never again.
Gil: What about my boat then? Monday night?
Moira: For what?
Gil: Well, I was thinking we might review the upcoming community events calendar. I know I’ll be attending all the events. You should be at as many as possible too. To make this campaign fair.
Moira: Helping the enemy?
Gil: You’re not my enemy.
Moira: Is Denise going to be there as well?
Moira knew good and well Denise wouldn’t be.
Gil: Denise can figure out the social events calendar herself. What do you say?
Moira nibbled at her lower lip. She knew that Gil always had a thing for her. She also suspected his invitation was more about his crush than the mayoral campaign. Would spending a little time together under false pretenses really be such a bad thing though? When she wasn’t fuming about the prospect of losing Sweetie’s, she enjoyed Gil’s company.
Moira: Okay. I have to work dispatch Monday. Six o’clock?
Gil: Sounds good. See you then. To discuss the social events calendar.
Moira: Right. See you then.
Chapter Seventeen
On Monday morning, Moira stepped out of Sweetie’s and headed to her car. She drove home and turned on the dispatch at nine a.m. As usual, there were no calls until about midday, when someone called to report a loose dog.
“Is it behaving aggressively?” Moira asked.
“Oh, no. It’s a sweet little darling. I’m feeding her some baked chicken from last night’s dinner.”
Moira sighed. “So the stray is friendly?”
“Yes, of course it is.”
Which didn’t make for an emergency. Even so, Moira contacted animal control, which would likely see the dog and know exactly whom it belonged to. Somerset was a small town after all. The rest of the day, Moira worked on her website as Tess had suggested, creating one on a free platform.
She didn’t exactly have a professional photograph of herself, so she put up one that her mom had taken of her accepting her Hero Among Us award the weekend before last. The award was a notch in her belt along with years of public service. By the time she’d completed her home page, Moira was impressed with herself. On paper, she actually did seem like a great candidate. This was getting real. She was doing this.
The dispatch lit up with another call.
Moira connected the line. “Nine-one-one, what’s your emergency?”
“Yes, hi.” The caller’s voice was quiet, hesitating between breaths. “Um, I’d like to report a possible crime. I mean, maybe.”