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
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 vegomatics, 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.”
He would bet money she didn’t wear perfume, but her sweet scent seemed to fill the car. Tension crackled between them. Who would have thought after all this time, he would find Gracie appealing?
He reminded himself of his mission, his rules and how much could be lost by a single night of pleasure. Then he leaned toward her and watched as her eyes widened and her pupils dilated.
“Have a good rest of the night,” he said as he carefully undid the lock and pushed the door open. A blast of cold air swept into the car.
She blinked. “What? Oh. Sure. Thanks again.” She gave him a quick smile and hurried up the walk toward the house.
He waited until she was inside before starting the car. But it was a long time before he drove away and that night, thoughts of her kept him hard and awake well past midnight.
THE SHARP SOUND made Gracie want to yell at somebody. She hadn’t gotten to bed until almost four and it was far too early for her to be getting up. She knew she hadn’t set the alarm, so what…
Sleep receded. She gazed around blurrily until she realized it wasn’t the clock radio making the noise but the phone. She grabbed the cell.
“Yeah. Hello?”
A deep sob filled her ear.
“Hello? Who is this?”
“It’s me. Alexis.” Another sob. “Oh, Gracie, I just went over to his office and I saw him. With
“What? Who? What her?”
“P-Pam. Zeke is having an affair with Pam Whitefield.”
CHAPTER FIVE
BECCA JOHNSON’S hand shook as she signed the final loan documents. “I’m scared,” she admitted with a smile.
“This is the point of no return,” Riley told her. “You want the chance to change your mind?”
Becca looked at him in surprise. “Are you kidding? Thanks to you, I’m getting the chance to open a business in my home. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do. Since the divorce, I’ve barely been hanging on, financially.” Her smile faded. “Was I supposed to tell you that?”
He did his best to look reassuring. “My loan committee did a thorough check on your credit and income. I doubt you have any financial secrets from us.”
“Okay. I mean I’m good for the money.” She signed the last paper and passed it over to him. “I really appreciate this.”
Becca Johnson was a thirty-something divorced mother of two interested in opening a day-care facility in her home. She’d come to the bank for a loan to cover some remodeling expenses and start-up costs. The committee had been on the fence, so the final decision had been Riley’s. He’d given the woman the loan.
“I figured with so little equity in the house and all…” She stopped talking and shook her head. “I should probably keep my mouth shut. I don’t want you to change your mind at this late date.”
“Too late for that.” He tapped the signed papers on his desk. “We have a binding contract. Good luck with your new business.”
“Thank you.”
