Falling For Gracie

“Never touch ’em,” she said. “I used to sample all the time. There was an ugly ten pounds. But once I perfected my secret recipe, I didn’t bother anymore. Sometimes the fillings give me a little trouble, but I do my best to be strong. What about you?”

He returned his attention to her and was pleased to see she’d finished her slice of bread. “I don’t bake.”

“Aren’t you the comedian? I meant what about your life? How did you get from your oil rig to here? And why are you running for mayor?”

“Jill didn’t tell you?”

“You mean my closest and oldest friend for years? Spill a client secret? You have to be kidding.”

He reached for his wine. “Did you ask?”

She smiled. “I know you dated a lot in high school. I was there. Gee, Riley, didn’t you learn anything about women back then? Of course I asked.”

Her complete honesty and good humor intrigued him. All those years ago, he’d never given much thought to Gracie, except to wish her far, far away from him. It wouldn’t have occurred to him he could like her.

“I’m running for mayor to meet the terms of my uncle’s will.”

She tossed her long blond hair over her shoulder and reached for her wine. “That doesn’t make any sense. His dying request was for you to be mayor?”

“Something like that. He’s left everything to me, the bank, the house, his estate, on the condition I prove that I’ve become respectable by running for mayor and winning.”

“And I thought my family was twisted. But it’s a lot of money, right? I mean that’s why you’re doing it.”

“Excluding the bank, the estate is worth about ninety-seven million dollars.”

She’d nearly finished swallowing her wine when he spoke. Even so, she gasped, then started to choke and cough.

“You okay?” he asked, half rising from his seat.

She waved him back. “I’m fine,” she said in a low croak. She coughed again, then reached for her water and took a sip.

“Did you say ninety-seven million dollars?”

He chuckled. “Yes. U.S. dollars. I use them, too.”

“That’s an incredible amount of money. I love my uncle more than I could say but all he left me was a small three-bedroom house in Torrance.”

“With no strings.”

“True, but for that amount of money, I’d jump rope with the strings if necessary. So, wow. You’ll be the richest mayor in Los Lobos history. I guess you’ll only want to serve the one term. Then what?”

“I haven’t decided.”

In truth, he wasn’t planning to stay past the election. The will had stated he had to win, but had said nothing about serving out his term.

The waiter came with their salads. When he’d left, Gracie said, “You’re running the bank, too, right? Is that weird?”

“It’s my first desk job. While I was gone, I did a lot of studying in my spare time. I earned a bachelor’s in finance, which helps. Still, I’m constantly on the verge of screwing up. My secretary, Diane, is a big help.”

Gracie’s expression turned knowing. “Diane, huh?”

“She’s a treasure. In her sixties, still wears tweed suits. Bosses me around like crazy.”

“I would never have thought you were the kind of man who enjoyed being dominated by women.”

“Diane is very special.”

The light turned Gracie’s hair to the color of gold. He liked how easily she laughed and how she seemed to take very little seriously. Her body moved in such a way that he could easily imagine her naked and wet. Just thinking about it...

But he couldn’t think about it or do anything about it, he reminded himself. Under other circumstances, with him clearly explaining the rules, maybe. But not here. Not in Los Lobos where everyone knew everyone else’s business and he had an election to win. She might be sexy and pretty and completely charming but there were ninety-seven million dollars on the line. For that price, he could keep his horny thoughts to himself.

“What are you thinking?” she asked. “You’ve gone all serious.”

“That we could never do this in Los Lobos.”

She glanced around the restaurant. “Agreed. People would talk about nothing else for weeks. My life, our lives, would be a living hell.”

“I’m getting the better deal, though.”

“What do you mean?”

He smiled. “I’m the one dining with a legend. The infamous Gracie Landon who knows how to love with her whole heart.”

Her gaze narrowed as her hand shot forward. She grabbed a roll and threw it at him. Riley laughed as it bounced off his chest and tumbled to the floor.

“If they could see you now,” he teased.

She picked up her fork and stabbed a piece of lettuce. “You’d better watch yourself. You have a very nice car and I still know where that skunk lives.”

* * *

AS THEY PULLED into Gracie’s driveway, she leaned toward the window and stared out at the dark night.

“I’m glad it’s still raining,” she said. “It’s a perfect night to bake.”

Riley stopped the car and turned off the engine. “You’ll do that now?”

“Yeah. I like the quiet. I can concentrate. Plus there are some really cool infomercials on TV. You’d be amazed at the stuff you can buy. Not that I ever phone in, but I like to see them.”

“Uh-huh. Sure. I’ll bet you have a whole secret stash of Veg-O-Matics in that house.”

She chuckled. The soft sound brushed against his skin in a way that reminded him he was a man who hadn’t been with a woman in too damn long.

“No Veg-O-Matics, but if you’re very, very good, I might bake you something. To thank you for helping me with all this.”

“Zeke is my campaign manager. Now that you know how much I have on the line you can see why I want to make sure whatever he’s up to isn’t going to screw with my plans.”

“Good point. I’ll call Alexis in the morning and tell her we don’t know anymore than we did before. I’ll also try to get her to talk to him. It’s the most sensible plan.”