Until She Met Daniel

He rubbed his jaw, not surprised. The six-month anniversary of his and Celia’s divorce had passed, and some people saw that as the minimum benchmark for getting remarried. Since Bowlin was a politician, conscious of his image, he’d follow any conventions he thought might influence voters.

“Don’t worry about it, Joyce.”

“It’s going to be a small affair, but they’ve asked Samantha to be the flower girl.”

Daniel didn’t ask if it would be a white wedding, though he was quite certain there’d be photographers—Celia loved pictures of herself, and the mayor would want potential publicity shots. Then he suddenly realized one of the reasons Joyce was concerned.

“Flower girl? Does that mean you’ll need to stay until after the wedding?”

“Celia is having a dress made and wants studio photographs done, that sort of thing, so I think staying is best. But it wouldn’t be much longer than we originally planned.”

“I see.” Yet Daniel’s gut tightened. While it was highly unlikely his ex-wife would try to reopen the custody issue, he couldn’t suppress moments of suspicion about her motives.

In the background, he heard his daughter’s voice pleading, “Can I talk to Daddy, please?”

“Sure, honey,” Joyce said.

“Hi, Daddy,” his daughter’s timid voice greeted him. “I miss you.”

“I miss you, too, pumpkin. But it won’t be long before you and Grandma are here. Did you have a nice day?”

“Uh-huh. I made you a present.”

“I can’t wait to see it.”

“Mommy says it’s not very good.”

Daniel was tempted to tell her Mommy wasn’t worth listening to, but he was determined not to head down that road. Kids shouldn’t be the battleground for their parents; his mother and father had waged World War III throughout his childhood. They were the reason he’d considered never getting married in the first place. It hadn’t seemed worth the risk of going through that kind of pain. Now...? Well, he wouldn’t give up Samantha for anything, but there was little doubt that his own marriage had turned out badly.

“I’m sure your present is wonderful, darling,” he said gently. “And I’m glad you had a visit with your mommy.”

Samantha’s voice had a forlorn sound to it. “She came to look for a purse she forgot.”

Hell. What could he say? There weren’t any words to fix his child’s pain. He just hoped time and distance would help. “It’s still nice you got to see her.”

“I guess so.”

“You know what? I’d better go,” he said. “I’ve got to explore our new house some more and guess which bedroom you’ll want.”

“It can be a game,” Samantha answered, sounding brighter.

“You bet, and whoever wins, we’ll get a pizza to celebrate, with no little fishies on it.”

A giggle floated over the wires as he invoked an image from E.T., one of Samantha’s favorite movies.

“Can you tell your grandma ‘goodbye’ for me?” he asked.

“Sure. ’Bye, Daddy.”

“Good night.”

He hit the off button and glanced around the cavernous living room. The Victorian was going to dwarf the odd little family that they’d decided to form, and he hoped Samantha wouldn’t find it alarming after their cozy town house. Well, he didn’t have to stay for more than a year. He’d signed a twelve-month contract and promised to consider staying beyond that, but he’d been up-front about saying it was unlikely. He’d been the deputy city manager for a town of several hundred thousand and in line to get the top job the next year when the current manager retired, so Willow’s Eve was hardly a step forward. Or, maybe it was in some ways. Here he wouldn’t be anyone’s deputy, and that would look good on his résumé.

Daniel put everything away except for the box he would take to City Hall in the morning. He was just finishing when the doorbell rang.

Mandy Colson stood at the door with an elderly woman and a middle-aged man. The man was holding a large box.

“Hi, Daniel,” Mandy said. She gestured to the two people with her. “This is Jane Cutman and Clark Green. They’re part of the welcome committee.”

“Oh, thank you. Won’t you come in?” Daniel asked awkwardly, wishing they had waited before doing any welcomes. At the moment he was still groggy and his stomach was grumbling.

“Nope,” Mandy answered. “We just brought the groceries we planned to put in the fridge for you.”

With a cordial nod, Clark Green handed the box to Daniel.

“That’s very thoughtful,” Daniel said, unsure of the proper protocol in such a situation. He’d worked in places where they had a cake or given a plant to welcome a new employee, but that had been at the office, never something like this.

“We’ll go now,” Jane told him. “Mandy, dear, I’ll see you tomorrow at the center.”

“Sure thing.”

The other two left, but Mandy lingered. “I wanted to tell you that if you need anything, I’m next door.” She pointed at a sparse row of bushes on the left. “And Jane is on the other side of me in the yellow house, so now you’ve met two of your neighbors.”

Mandy lived next door? Daniel’s stomach did a peculiar, rolling swoop that had nothing to do with hunger.

“Uh, thanks.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She turned and ran down the steps, and even in the long evening light, he couldn’t avoid noticing the sexy grace of her movements.

Daniel quickly clamped a lid on his response—there was no way he’d get involved with an employee. And right now his divorce was too fresh and painful to jump right back into the hazards of another relationship, especially with a woman whose nature seemed utterly foreign to his own more sedate personality.

In the kitchen he unpacked the box. Milk, eggs, cheese, bread, a small jar of instant coffee, lunch meat, yogurt and a basket of fruit. Nice. Just the sort of things to tide someone over until the person had a chance to go shopping. Yet a frown creased his forehead as he put the perishable items in the immaculate refrigerator. What hidden agenda had made them go overboard this way? Or at least it seemed overboard to him.

One of the things Daniel had learned over the years, there were always hidden agendas, but hopefully he wouldn’t encounter any in Willow’s Eve that caused serious problems. He’d have to proceed cautiously, just in case.

With that conclusion, he ate a sandwich and a banana, then went back to bed so he’d be well rested for his first day at City Hall. It was difficult to imagine staying in such a small town for longer than the twelve months he’d promised them, but while he was here, he would give them the best he had. There wasn’t any other way for him.

Early in the morning, Daniel drove by the Handy Spandy market and bought a cup of coffee before heading to City Hall. His office door was open and he examined the room with appreciation—the clutter had been cleared away, the bookshelves dusted and various miscellany removed. It now looked reasonably ready for work, and the large, airy size was appealing—his office in Southern California had been little more than a closet.

“Daniel?” Mandy stuck her head through a side door he hadn’t yet explored. “Hi. I thought I heard someone come in while I was double-checking the parlor for crumbs. If any food bits get left behind we can have an army of tiny critters, and that sort of involved citizen we don’t need at City Hall.”

He gestured around the office. “Somebody worked hard in here. It looks good.”

“Glad you think so.”

Daniel walked to the side door where she’d come in and saw the executive assistant’s space. While his own office had a separate door into the hallway, this would serve as a reception area for most visitors.

“Yeah, it’s a disaster,” Mandy said, agreeing with his silent assessment. “I thought about working on it, but I was, uh, busy last night.”

She didn’t have to look so embarrassed about having a date, or whatever else she’d been doing. Of course, she might think it wasn’t appropriate to mention her social life to a senior city official.

“Not at all,” he reassured her. “It’s just that this space gives people an immediate impression about City Hall and the city manager. Is the assistant on vacation, or does it normally look this way?”

“There isn’t one. That is, an assistant.”

“I don’t have an administrative assistant?”

“’Fraid not. The last one left when the old city manager retired. There’s a rumor they were secretly married, and she did leave town around the same time he moved away. That’s what people tell me, anyway. Some of the folks in Willow’s Eve love to speculate about everybody’s private lives. Anyway, then the council debated whether they needed a manager at all, but the mayor kept saying they did, and to please get a professional from outside the area. When they finally agreed, next came a discussion on the salary. They settled on making the city manager’s income generous enough to get someone with experience, but unfortunately, that didn’t leave enough in the budget for an assistant to sit in an office and direct traffic.”

“There’s more to administrative staff than directing traffic,” Daniel managed to say after sifting through the extraneous details Mandy seemed to throw out at will.

“True, but I can pitch in with paperwork if I have any spare time, and the clerks upstairs are expected to help, too. Ask for Barbara, Janey, Ben or Ariel. By the way, just so you understand, you’re not my supervisor, even if I end up helping with typing and so forth. That’s purely voluntary.”

There was a defiant tilt to her chin and a part of his brain wondered why, but at the moment he was still processing the fact he wouldn’t have any support staff. It was yet another reminder he hadn’t asked enough questions during his Skype interview with the Willow’s Eve city officials. Of course, he’d just finished comforting Samantha because her mother had forgotten to pick her up as promised...for the third time in a row. So he’d focused on making an impression good enough to secure the job and take his daughter away from the Los Angeles Basin. And the truth was, even if they had told him he wouldn’t have an administrative assistant, he still would have taken the job.

“Thank you, Ms. Colson,” he said. “I appreciate the information.”

He had a feeling she barely kept from rolling her eyes.

“It’s Mandy. Nobody calls me Ms. Colson, not even dentists.”

Daniel wasn’t stuck on titles and formality, but he thought Willow’s Eve could use a tight hand on the wheel for a while. On the other hand, most Californians tended to be casual, small town or not.

“All right...Mandy.”

“I’ll let you get settled. I expect the mayor and others will also be around to get acquainted.” She held out her hand. “Here are your office keys.”

With relief, Daniel took them and watched her leave, reminding himself that the people of Willow’s Eve had never before had a trained professional managing the town. It was unusual for a community of this size to even have a paid full-time city manager. From what Mandy had said the previous day, it was partially due to a bequest. He needed to see a copy of the town’s budget, city council meeting minutes, copies of incorporation papers and...damn, those were things he’d have his assistant research...if he had an assistant.

In the meantime, he sat at his new desk and finally took a gulp of the coffee he’d bought. It nearly sprayed from his mouth. What did they use in the stuff, floor sweepings?

A knock sounded on the door and Mandy stuck her head back inside. “Oh, I forgot to tell you we got together last week and scouted up some stuff we thought might help you get oriented. It’s in the folder on your desk.”

“Thanks. I’ll also need a copy of the town budget, the recent city council minutes and several other items, particularly any written procedures and regulations. Don’t worry, I’ll make a list. If you can’t do it, I’ll talk to the other employees you mentioned.”

This time she definitely rolled her eyes. “We have some sense, you know. Why don’t you check the folder instead of assuming something isn’t there?”

She closed the door with a firm snap.

* * *

MANDY MARCHED DOWN the hall, thoroughly annoyed.

Daniel had a particular interest in procedures and regulations? Hell, she could have predicted that from the starched way he carried himself. As for his assumption they were just a bunch of rubes who couldn’t understand what he needed...

All at once Mandy laughed at herself.

Jeez, she was acting like a grouch. It was probably from sleep deprivation; she’d helped the scholarship board assemble the cookbook and after they’d finished, had stayed until 3 a.m. to clean and unclutter the city manager’s office. It wasn’t her responsibility, even as a member of the welcome committee, but the mayor had asked if she’d mind “doing a little something” and she hadn’t been able to say no.

Mayor Howard White was a nice guy, but something had been bothering him lately, though she wasn’t sure what. The biggest clue was his anxiety to have the new city manager in place and off to a “good start.” Howard was honest and meant well, but was rarely decisive.

Mandy worked for an hour on the previous month’s financial report and when it was finished, pushed it away with relief. Every job had its less joyful aspects, and this was hers. Still, a financial report was nothing compared with doing inventory control for Saggitt Tech.

“Hey, Mandy,” said Susan Russell as she walked into the office.

“Susan.” Mandy got up and gave her friend a hug; she’d been so unsettled by Daniel Whittier, she’d forgotten the Russells were due home. “How was the vacation? You were still in the air about your plans the last time we talked. Where did you end up going?”

“Mother did her best to talk Chris into accepting a trip to Hawaii, but at the last minute, my mule-headed husband decided he couldn’t accept such an expensive anniversary gift, even if it was from Mom, rather than Dad. I could have predicted it.”

“As I recall, you did predict it,” Mandy reminded her.

Susan laughed. “So I did. We ended up going to Badlands National Park and Mount Rushmore, then Yellowstone.”

Mandy cocked her head. “Wasn’t that where you wanted to go in the first place?”

“Yes. But Mom and Dad were pushing for Hawaii, and Chris had this idea about backpacking. South Dakota and Yellowstone were the best compromise. We both had a blast. He hung out with the park rangers and talked shop, while I got to do as much photography as I pleased. Then in the evenings he’d feel guilty about ‘neglecting’ me, so we’d have these wildly romantic dinners, followed by hours of...well, you know.”

Mandy knew what Susan meant, or she did in theory. Her ex-husband hadn’t been the type for “you know,” at least not the hot-and-wild version of it. And even if he’d wanted to get hot and wild, Vince would have stomped on the urge, believing it wasn’t appropriate for an associate professor of ancient history to behave that way. Ha. Mandy had seen the erotica on the walls of the buildings at Herculaneum and Pompeii, and it was obvious that sex was just as much fun back then as in the twenty-first century.

“That’s terrific,” she said.

“Yeah.” Yet Susan sighed, her body sagging slightly. “And now it’s back to real life.”

Her expression suggested something was wrong, or at best, not quite right.

“Is something up?” Mandy asked.

“No...it’s just...stuff. Reality bites.”

Mandy wasn’t sure if Susan wanted her to push for details or back off. “You need to talk?”

“Not now.” Susan glanced in the hallway. “So Daniel Whittier got here.”

“Yeah, yesterday. We thought he was getting into town today from the message the mayor’s admin sent out, so we hadn’t finished all the details, like shopping for fresh foods and stuff. And of course, his office was still a disaster.”

“Ouch. Not the best way to show off Willow’s Eve to him.”

“No, but we got things scrambled together,” Mandy said. “The house was clean and now the office is, too.”

“That’s good. I’m meeting my father for coffee, but I’ll pop in and say hello later.”

Mandy nodded sympathetically, seeing the tension on her friend’s face. She’d met Big Joe Jensen on several occasions and wouldn’t enjoy having coffee with him—at the beginning of the day, or any other time. “Glad you had a good trip. I can’t wait to see the pictures.”

After Susan left, Mandy yawned and poured herself a cup from the coffeemaker she kept on the credenza along the wall. There was always a pot of both decaf and regular in the parlor, but the seniors preferred an old traditional brand instead of bolder blends.

Mmm. Sipping the fragrant brew, she stared at the newsletter on her computer screen. Thank heavens she’d managed to get the electric typewriter replaced. Talk about antiquated.

After she’d started work, the seniors had debated whether new equipment was needed in the director’s office. Some of them didn’t trust computers, but others did and argued in favor of getting one.

Finally, Mandy had talked to some old friends at a computer company; they had not only donated a laptop to her office, but they’d also provided a desktop model for the seniors to use. The first thing she’d done was establish email accounts for anyone who didn’t have one, making sure the addresses went to their kids and grandkids. After pictures began arriving and they’d tried Skype a few times, the naysayers were sold—not only sold, but they’d also voted to start a fund to buy several more. So far they’d added two, now sitting in the parlor.

Mandy had gone home that night and danced in triumph all over Jane Cutman’s lawn. Jane had just laughed; she’d become accustomed to her neighbor’s exuberant ways.

CHAPTER THREE

SUSAN WALKED OUT of City Hall, wishing she’d told her father she couldn’t make it for coffee. But like it or lump it, he was her father...and her boss, because after getting her accounting degree, she’d let herself get talked into becoming the paper mill’s chief financial officer.

“Hi, Susan.” Dora Taylor was coming up the walkway. She was a fellow city council member. “Did you have a nice trip?”

“Yes, it was great.”

Susan thought about what she’d told Mandy regarding the vacation. With Evan starting university, the trip was supposed to help her and Chris relate more as a couple, rather than simply as coparents. And on the surface, the trip had done that. After all, couples didn’t need to do everything together and the evenings had been wildly enjoyable. Still...she had a vague sense of disappointment about her vacation, as if something should have happened that hadn’t.

Shaking away her thoughts, she tried to focus on Dora.

“Have you met Mr. Whittier yet?” Dora asked.

“I’ll introduce myself later this morning.”

“I’m going in now to meet him. I...uh, I’ll see you Thursday at the meeting.”

“Right.”

Susan sighed as Dora rushed past her into the building. After living nearly forty years in her hometown, you’d think she’d feel more comfortable with its citizens. But she often felt as if they regarded her with caution since her father was the town’s major employer. Almost everyone in Willow’s Eve had a relative or good friend at the mill—case in point, Dora’s son worked on the loading docks.

At Elena’s Coffee Shop, she found her father waiting with an impatient look on his face, even though she was a few minutes early.

“Hi, Dad.”

“Good morning, Susan. Are you starting back to work today?”

The knot in the muscles of her lower back started hurting. That particular set of knots belonged exclusively to her father. Chris owned the ones between her shoulder blades, though she never said anything to him about it. He’d probably be shocked to know how often he stressed her out.

“No, Dad, I’m not going to the office today. My vacation is through the end of the week, remember?”

He frowned. “I can’t understand why you didn’t go to Hawaii. What’s the matter with your husband? The only thing your mother wanted to do was give you a nice anniversary gift.”

“We’ve been over this. Chris felt it was too much to accept.”

“Damned inconsiderate of him to hurt his mother-in-law that way.”

“I’m sorry if she was disappointed.” Susan’s mouth tightened. She shouldn’t have to explain, excuse or apologize, but she usually did to keep the peace. If only Chris understood how hard it was to... Her mind shied away from completing the thought. She loved Chris with all her heart—despite the way he made her muscles bunch and twist.

The situation between her husband and father was wearing more on her nerves than usual. How would they enjoy being yanked between two junkyard dogs?

And it wasn’t as if she hadn’t known what it would be like. The first time she’d taken Chris to meet her family, the battle lines had been clearly drawn. Her father, who belligerently believed in damming every river and clear-cutting every forest, was the fundamental opposite to Chris, who held a doctorate in timber and wildlife management, and passionately wanted to protect natural resources.

She finished her cup with relief and refused a refill.

“Thanks for the coffee, Dad,” she said as he threw a ten-dollar bill onto the table. One thing she could say for him, he tipped generously, though it was partly because he wanted to feel important in town.

“I’m just glad you’re back safely from that trip.”

His tone made it sound as if she’d ventured barefoot into the Antarctic.

“It was a wonderful vacation,” she said pointedly. “I enjoyed it.”

“I’m glad,” he answered, his voice skeptical.

“Okay. I’ll see you next week when I’m back at work.”

The return walk to City Hall wasn’t long enough to release the muscles in her back. But she needed to meet Daniel Whittier and welcome him to Willow’s Eve. As for the rest? She was probably just suffering from empty-nest syndrome, and that’s why the whole thing between her husband and father was getting to her more than usual.

* * *

MIDWAY THROUGH THE morning as Mandy was reading through her grocery purchase order for the center, a shadow fell across her desk.

“Ms. Colson...er, Mandy?” It was Daniel Whittier, and she nodded pleasantly.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“I want to thank you for the information, and apologize for assuming it didn’t include what I needed.”

Well, that was nice of him. “I’ll let it slide this time,” she replied with a wink. “Have you met Susan Russell?”

“Yes, along with a couple of other members of the council. Mayor White isn’t in yet, though his assistant came down.”

“I think you’ll like Howard, after you get used to him.”

“Excuse me?”

“You’ll see.”

Daniel frowned and she was sorry she’d said anything, but her tongue was still flapping out of control around him. Somehow she needed to regain her equilibrium. He drew back and closed the door behind him as he left. She got up and opened it.

“Daniel?” she called and he turned back.

“Yes?”

“I prefer keeping my office door open when I’m here, okay?”

“Oh, of course.”

Then she felt guilty, as if she was being too picky with the guy. But she liked leaving the door ajar so she could see who was coming and going, and many of the seniors felt uncomfortable about stopping for a chat if they had to knock.

“Yoo-hoo, Mandy,” Mrs. Gower called from down the hallway.

She walked over to the elderly woman. Elva Gower was bent over with arthritis and her hands were gnarled, but she faithfully hobbled to the Senior Center every morning and contributed extra money toward lunch in case there was someone who didn’t have enough.

“Hi, Elva.” Mandy stooped and gave her a gentle hug.

“Who was that man? Are you finally dating someone?”

“Nothing of the kind,” Mandy corrected. “It was Daniel Whittier, the new city manager.”