“Oh yeah?” Sophie owned a boutique on Main Street. She’d flirted with Jack before, and he had reciprocated, but it’d never gone any further than that.
Granger grinned. “The women were encouraging her to spend some time at Evergreen Park to get your attention.”
“How would you even know this?” Jack asked on a laugh.
“My mom is in the group,” Granger said. “What happens in the group stays in the group, except my mom has never been one to keep a tight lip.”
Jack chuckled as the waitress returned and slid a drink in front of each of them. “Your pizza will be out in a moment,” she said before walking to the next table.
Granger reached for his bottle. “So? If Sophie were to show up on one of your trails, what would you do?”
Jack chuckled to himself. “I have no idea.”
Sam made a noise, and both men seemed to remember that he was even there. “Whoa. Uncle Jack, you wouldn’t cheat on Emma, would you?”
Granger looked at Jack with a curious expression. “Cheat on Emma?”
Jack grimaced and looked over at Sam. “No, of course I wouldn’t. I was just joking with Granger. I would never cheat on Emma.”
Granger nearly choked on his sip of beer.
Yeah, Jack could tell he was going to have a lot of explaining to do this summer.
* * *
The next day, Emma sat outside her café at one of her new tables. The weather was gorgeous, the café was slow, and she had two employees working the counter. She, on the other hand, needed to get started on her to-do list for the 5K race.
She made a numbered list and started writing all the things she needed to handle ASAP. She needed to make up flyers to hang around town and in the café and possibly start a simple website where people could go to register. There would have to be T-shirts for people to wear to give the event a unified look as well. Maybe she could get Paris Montgomery to design the graphic and have the Print Shop complete the T-shirt order.
Emma clicked her pen and stared off into space trying to think of any other important issues. She wanted to keep the event simple this first year, and she’d have to anyway because she wasn’t a planner and time was limited.
“Mind if I join you?” someone asked, snapping Emma out of her thought bubble. Mayor Everson rolled his wheelchair in front of her, wearing a collared polo shirt and some nice pants. He’d been a prominent member of the community even before becoming the mayor of Sweetwater Springs. The Everson family was wealthy and contributed that wealth to a lot of community events. Brian was the only one to really get his “hands dirty” by actually working. He and his wife, Jessica, organized a lot of the charities in addition to donating their money.
“Mayor Everson,” Emma said in way of greeting.
He cleared his throat as he rolled his wheelchair under her table.
“Sorry. Brian. It’s hard not to give you the respect you deserve. Even if we went to school together and I know all your secrets.”
He chuckled softly. “Haven’t you learned? A politician has no secrets. Soon as you decide to run, all those bones are dug up.”
“Not that you ever had any,” Emma pointed out. “I just know about all the girls you’ve kissed and hearts you’ve broken before Jessica came along.”
He grimaced. “And some broke mine.”
Brian Everson had been a high school track star. Emma remembered that the girls had loved him and the guys had wanted to be him. The accident that had left him paralyzed in his senior year had brought his Olympic dreams crashing down around him. Even so, he’d risen above his circumstances and was now the town’s head and heart.
“Are you here for a coffee?” Emma asked, setting her pen down. “I can go inside and whip something up for you.”
“No. Looks like you’re not working right now anyway.”
“A café owner is always working,” she corrected.
“I just saw you sitting out here, and I thought I’d say hello.” He looked out on Main Street. “I like these new tables you’ve added. It’s a nice spot to sit and watch the goings-on.” He looked at her again. “Of course, I’m guessing you want only paying customers to sit here and do that.”
She lifted a shoulder. “That would be best. I added the chairs because of a bad review on the A-List website,” she