When We Met (Fool's Gold #13)(49)

She was on the pill, so pregnancy wasn’t an issue. But they hadn’t used a condom until they got to her place. She’d thought they would have to have an awkward conversation, but he’d handled the situation.

She tucked the note and the blood test into a side pocket of her tote, then unloaded the paperwork she’d never gotten to. She had plenty to keep her busy, she reminded herself. There was no time to swoon over a man. Still, Angel seemed very swoon-worthy. And someone she could almost trust. Almost being the key word.

Sometime around ten, Larissa walked into her office with two mugs of coffee.

“How’s it going?” her friend asked.

Taryn winced. “I have an appointment with Mayor Marsha this afternoon. I get to explain to an old lady why she needs to change the town’s slogan. I’m not looking forward to it.”

Larissa set one of the coffee mugs on Taryn’s desk, then settled in the visitor’s chair. “How was your weekend?”

“Good, yours?”

“I went to a conference in Sacramento.”

“Greenpeace?”

“No, but it was on animal rescue and preservation.” Larissa leaned forward. “What do you know about marmosets?”

Taryn shook her head. “No.”

“But they’re adorable.”

“No. Don’t even think about it. No monkeys. Not here and not at your apartment. No.”

“But...”

“No. I mean it, Larissa. Don’t go there. We’ll all regret it.”

* * *

“YOU SHOULD BE happy I’m coming with you,” Jack said as they drove through town.

“That remains to be seen,” Taryn grumbled, not sure how she ended up having to be the one to talk to Mayor Marsha about the town slogan. Although it wasn’t as if she could have let Kenny and Jack go by themselves. Heaven only knew what they would have said.

He parked his Mercedes in front of City Hall and walked around to help her out of the car. As he put his hand on the small of her back and guided her up the steps, she had to admit that for all her complaints about the boys, they were basically good men with nice manners. Even better, they respected women, paid their bills on time and in Jack’s case, put up with Larissa’s craziness.

“By the way,” she said. “If Larissa says anything about a marmoset, tell her no.”

Jack frowned. “What are they? Monkeys?”

“Yes, and they bite. I checked them out on the internet. They’re wild animals and we don’t want them anywhere but in their natural habitat. Which is not your house, by the way.”

“Okay.”

Taryn glanced at him. “Really?”

Jack shrugged. “Sure. I can stand up to her.”

Taryn laughed. “Yeah, we’ve all seen that happen.”

“You’re saying I can’t?”

“I’m saying you won’t. There’s a difference.”

They walked into the old building. Taryn paused to take in the architecture. There were murals and a wide staircase. All very pretty when she wasn’t there to deliver bad news and no doubt get sucked into doing something she didn’t want to do.

“I blame you for this,” she told Jack.

“We’re giving back to the community. That’s a good thing.”

“I’ll remind you of that later, when I’m beating you with a stick.”

He winked at her and pointed to the stairs. “Mayor’s office is that way.”

“How do you know?”

“I’m a man of mystery.”

“You probably looked it up before we left.”

“That, too.”

They went up to the second floor. As they approached the mayor’s office, a woman came out of another office and walked toward them. Taryn recognized the beautiful, pregnant redhead. Felicia Boylan was in charge of festivals in town. Taryn had met her when she’d first come to check out the town. Felicia was extremely intelligent and more than a little blunt. Taryn admired her for both qualities.

“Good afternoon,” Felicia said as she approached. “Mayor Marsha asked me to sit in on the meeting. If the town slogan is changing, we’ll have to address that in our advertising for the festivals. Depending on what the change is, we can use it to our advantage. Although I must point out that there are costs involved. Printed material, banners, updating online.”

Jack looked startled by the information that accompanied the greeting. Taryn only smiled.

“Nice to see you,” she said. “I agree, there will be costs. The question comes down to value.”

“I like the slogan,” Felicia murmured, leading the way into the waiting area by the mayor’s office. “I have my own Fool’s Gold happy ending.”

Jack made a choking sound. Taryn looked at the other woman’s baby bump and knew exactly what he was thinking. She elbowed him to keep him quiet.

As they approached the double doors leading to the mayor’s private office, she saw an older woman sitting at a desk.

“Hi, Marjorie,” Felicia said, smiling at her. “Should we go in?”

Marjorie nodded and motioned to the half-open door.

Mayor Marsha was waiting for them. She shook their hands, then led them over to a small conference table by the window. The mayor was dressed in a suit, with her hair up in a bun and pearls around her neck.