“I wouldn’t write you a blank check, Cam.” He would be careful with the town funds. He would more likely spend the money on training the citizens in fire containment and prevention. Bliss was surrounded by national forest land and the threat of wildfires was always around. Yes, he would allocate funds to the volunteer firefighters.
There was also talk of a school. Bobby and Will had been homeschooled, but if Sierra was going to school, there would be a forty-five-minute bus ride both ways. Bliss needed a small school, an innovative, multi-grade learning institution.
That was where he would use Stef and Seth. He would casually mention some of the things he would need, perhaps even indicate that he was having some sort of bake sale as a method of raising money. Stef’s eyes would roll and he would tell Rafe what a waste of time that would be, and suddenly Rafe would have a six-figure check in his hand.
And then he would mention Stef’s utter generosity to Seth. He would go on and on about how the King of Bliss was investing in its future.
Seth would be cutting an even bigger check.
Sierra would have the best of all worlds—the beauty of the mountains, the close-knit family of a small town, and a world-class education. It only took a man who knew how to work the Bliss system. It would be good for everyone. There was a baby boom happening in Bliss and someone needed to be prepared.
“I just think it would be a cool gig,” Cam said. A frown suddenly crossed his face. “Except for all the Nell and Henry interaction.”
“I’m worried about them actually,” Laura said. “Something’s off. Nell seems fine, but Henry is anxious about something. He just hasn’t been throwing himself into his protests the way he used to.”
Cam looked around, his eyes perfectly innocent as he took in the room. “He seems fine to me. They were protesting Jack Barnes just yesterday. Apparently even though he’s organic, he still kills cows and that’s bad. I don’t know. His burgers are pretty tasty.”
Something about the eyes gave him away. Cam never looked that innocent unless he was hiding something. Laura sighed and mumbled something about male hormones being involved, but then she wandered off to look through Hiram’s office.
“What’s wrong with Henry?” Rafe asked quietly.
Cam looked through the mail on Hiram’s small bar. “Like I said, absolutely nothing.”
Rafe was not buying it. “You figured out his past.”
There had been rumblings about it in town ever since the incident with Gemma and her ex. Caleb had told a few people that he didn’t believe Henry’s story about how the man had tripped. Caleb thought Henry had taken him down and in a very calculated way.
A single shoulder shrugged up and down.
“Since when do you hide information from me?”
Cam’s eyes came up and there was an unfamiliar hardness there. “Since I took an oath to protect and defend the citizens of this town.”
A little shiver went up Rafe’s spine. He’d always, always known that Henry wasn’t what he seemed. He had never doubted that Henry loved his wife, but there was an undercurrent of violence that ran just beneath Henry’s placid surface.
Rafe had profiled for a very long time. He’d been damn good at it. If he was profiling Henry Flanders, he would put him in the predator category. It was in the way he moved, the way his eyes hardened when he thought no one was looking. It was in the way he quickly surmised he was being watched. Rafe was also good at quietly studying people, but Henry always felt his eyes and turned back on his laid-back charm. “Has Henry’s past caught up with him?”
Cam’s jaw tightened, and Rafe knew that whatever secrets he had, they were bad—potentially very dangerous. “I can’t talk about it outside of the station.”
“Does Stef know?” The King of Bliss knew everything.
“Yes, but you can’t blame me for that. Hiram knew, too. Stef and Hi are really the only political figures in this town. Stef holds an office. If you take the mayor job, I’ll immediately fill you in. Other than that, you’re on a need-to-know basis and you don’t need to know.”
“If something is going to happen in Bliss, I should be informed.” Everyone should be informed. The town had been hit by everything from biker gangs to a serial killer. Rafe still didn’t believe it was really a hot spot of alien activity, but Mel still ran around town with a bullhorn informing the citizenry when probing season began.
Cam’s blue eyes came up and there was a steely anger in them. Rafe braced himself because that look told him Cam knew something he shouldn’t. “Yeah, well, I would like to be informed when you’re planning to move us all to Miami, but I didn’t get that courtesy, so I guess you’ll survive like I did.”
Fuck. “I haven’t taken the job.”
“I hear the ‘yet’ in those words, partner.”
“And I’m wondering why you’ve taken to spying on me.” He could turn this around. He hadn’t said a word because he hadn’t decided what he was going to do. Cam was pushing him, and he didn’t like it one bit.
“Well, you’ve taken to hiding whole fucking life decisions from us.”
“What’s going on?” Laura was standing in the doorway, a piece of paper in her hand.
“Did you find it?” Maybe he could avoid this conversation.
She turned her eyes up to his. “Yes. I also found a list. I think it was a list he was making for deputy mayor. Would you like to know who was at the top?”
It didn’t really matter now, but he would say anything to not have to answer her original question. “Who?”
She looked back down at the lined piece of paper she was holding. “It’s a list along with pros and cons. Nell is at the bottom. Her pro is hard working and makes excellent bread. Her con is will make everyone in town blow their own heads off. He has Cade Sinclair in here. He’s smart and hard working. Cons—why can’t that boy wear a shirt? But at the top of the list is Rafael Kincaid.”
Did he really want to hear this? He carefully schooled his expression. “And what are my pros?”
“One of the smartest men in the county. Good family man. Could handle the craziness and keep everyone in line. Best man for the job.”
“What are his cons?” Cam asked, a deep frown creasing his brow.
“Rafe could be the best mayor, if only he opened himself up. He likely won’t stay. He’ll take his family back to the city in the end.” Laura looked up. “Is that what you’re planning?”
It looked like they would have it out here and now. “You know staying here was always contingent on me finding a decent job, Laura. How are we going to raise our daughter if no one is making any money? Right now we’re living off the money we had saved up. We won’t have money for her college fund. We won’t be able to fix up the cabin. If we choose to adopt again, where will we put the child? You two don’t seem to think about these things, so I am forced to.”
“The money is there to build onto the cabin. You’ve just been holding off on it because you don’t want to stay here,” Laura accused.
“And screw the money part, man.” Cam jumped in. “Where do I fit in to your corporate job in Miami?”
“You already have a job?” Laura’s question came out on a breathless huff.
“I’ve been offered a job with a six-figure salary, a company car, and the best insurance we could possibly get.” Perhaps she would see it was for the best.
Laura shook her head. “So you expect us to move to Miami where you have a job and we don’t.”
That was one argument he could shoot down. “Laura, you work at a convenience store.”
“I help out the people of my town, and as soon as we find someone to take my place, I’m going to start working on some projects. You know Georgia Stark is talking about a school.”