“Of course, I’m not bothering her,” I say. “I’m her nurse. I just need to get her home.”
Blue’s eyes widen. “You are not—”
I chuckle and slap the guy on the shoulder. Damn, he’s solid muscle and a half foot taller than me. If he decides to fight, I’ll probably lose. Won’t be the first time. “She’s embarrassed.” I move in close to her and bend my knees until I’m on herlevel. “You know there’s nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s a medical condition that could happen to anyone. And being embarrassed was what allowed it to go on so long and affect your brain.”
Blue stares like she doesn’t know whether to punch me or ask what the hell I’m talking about.
I put an arm around her shoulders and look up at the big guy. “Syphilis. But don’t worry. She’s got it under control. I just like to monitor her—”
Luckily, the guy walks away before I have to say anymore, because I know nothing about syphilis other than I don’t want to get it.
“I don’t have syphilis,” Blue shouts after the guy, just as the music goes quiet before the next song starts. Everyone in the place turns to stare at her.
I pull my arm from her shoulder and wipe my hands together. “And my work here is done.”
Blue shoves me. “What the hell, Evergreen? I took your damn cat. I haven’t even retaliated for you refusing to help me out with Peach’s impending wedding disaster. Why’d you have to ruin my night?”
“That guy looks huge.” I spread my hands apart and wince. “I was saving your vagina.”
Her face goes red, and she lets out a tiny scream of pure frustration. “What. The. Actual. Hell. Is your problem?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t know.” My own anger builds. It was fun to get some vengeance, but I’m not going to stand here and let her pretend she’s innocent.
“Humor me.” She narrows her eyes, her glare sharp enough to slice flesh, her hands fisted. “Tell me what I’ve done to cause a tiny little man tantrum this time.”
“Hey,” a man in slacks and a tie steps between us. “Everything okay here?”
“Everything’s fine,” Blue and I snap in unison.
The man looks at me, then back to Blue, seems to decide there are safer places to be than between us, and walks away.
I grab Blue’s arm and drag her into a dimly lit hallway that leads to the bathrooms. It’s quieter here and cooler, but Blue’s rage is so hot it could melt my internal organs if I get too close. I drop her arm and take a step back. “It’s not a man tantrum. Yvonne Cutright called me this evening.”
Her face pales. “From the town council? That Yvonne Cutright? Why would she call you?”
“She wanted to let me know I’m not getting approved to use the ridge for guiding trips. I know it might just be a tiny little line item to you, but it’s my career, Demon. I needed that approval.”
“We all need things, Mr. Evergreen. Unfortunately, that’s not how politics works.” She’s glaring at me like I’m the one who screwed her over.
“It sure isn’t. Especially not when the person in charge is determined to ruin me.”
Her eyes widen and her mouth drops open. She recovers quickly and plasters on the expression I’m so used to seeing from her, that severe, expressionless mask. “I might be more inclined to help you if you weren’t a giant asshole every time I see you. From day one, you’ve expected the worst of me. You can’t be upset when I deliver.”
That one hits me right in the solar plexus. She’s not wrong. From the first time I saw her, I’ve known exactly who she is. She’s a city girl with eyes only for dollars and cents and turning our little town into a corporate moneymaker. I’m in this town because I wanted to get away from that kind of thinking. “Don’t pretend this was ever going to turn out any differently, Demon. You’re here to change this town to whatever vision you have, and you don’t care who gets hurt in the process.”
She winces, looking like she’s in genuine pain, but I remember the woman I met the first day she was in office. The woman I’d seen parading around town for weeks in her fancy dresses, talking about making Yuletide a destination. No one wants this place to be a destination. One of the greatest things about Yuletide is that the tourists leave at the end of the day.
And that first time I met her… She was sitting behind her desk, back straight, wearing her pricey clothes. Gorgeous, but ice cold. It took me a week just to get a meeting with her, and she barely looked at me as I walked in.
I know her kind. I was raised by them. I could see the disdain in her eyes as soon as I started speaking. She didn’t even let me get more than two words out before she started harassing me about my use of town vehicles, like I’d been sneaking around siphoning gas in the middle of the night.
I’ve been borrowing those vehicles for years. Sometimes because one of my own vehicles breaks down, but more often because it’s helpful to have an official-looking vehicle when I’m taking a group into an area I have access to that some townsfolk are less than happy to see me tramping around in.
No one in the mayor’s office or outside it has ever had a problem with my use of those vehicles until Blue moved into the job and decided everything had to change.
“Guess you know everything there is to know about me, Garrick Evergreen.” Her chin is high, but her eyes are glassy and, for the first time, I wonder if I’ve gone too far.
She moves to walk past me, but I grab her hand, her palm smooth against mine. She stops so close to me I can see a kaleidoscope of blue in her irises. “Did you advise them against approving my permit?”
