“What circumstances are those?”
Roman grimaced. There wasn’t a lot that ticked him off. He could slow burn a temper through an entire fire season. But he’d worked with men like Gil Hamilton before. Slick, entitled types who had developed a talent for slinging tall tales with as little effort as Roman slung a hose. People like that really got under his skin. Roman would be as blunt as he liked. “Frankie Bettencourt. Why’d you pass her up for the job?”
“Who says I did?”
Roman angled his gaze to Gil’s. “Just about everyone I’ve met so far. Look, I get the whole politics game. I don’t like it, but I get it. Though there’s something I like even less. Stepping in front of someone who was clearly as, if not more, qualified. It’s not only rude, it’s wrong.”
“No one’s arguing she wasn’t qualified.” Gil leaned back in his chair and pinned him with an assessing look. “She just wasn’t a good fit.”
“If that’s code for she’s a woman, then we’re going to have a problem.” Roman didn’t know a lot about Frankie Bettencourt, but he’d bet every last nickel he had she wouldn’t appreciate what Gil seemed to be implying. Roman wouldn’t, either. “You two have a history?”
“Not in the way you’re thinking.” Irritation sliced across Gil’s features. “And no, it had nothing to do with her being a woman and everything to do with her being Frankie. What does all this matter to you, anyway? You have what you wanted. You get to put a nice check mark next to small-town fire chief. Just the type of thing the feds look for on a résumé.” He nodded at Roman’s blink of surprise. “You didn’t really think I wouldn’t do my homework, did you? I’m meticulous in my research and in my choices. I know this is just a stop for you, not a destination.”
“So when I’m gone, Frankie’s next in line?”
Gil looked at him for a good long moment. “What happens when you leave is up for debate. For now, I’d suggest you settle in and make the job work for you.”
Translation, shut up and go along. Irritation slipped through Roman. He didn’t like being used, especially against someone who, as far as he could tell, didn’t deserve it. That said, Gil did have a point. Why did he care so much? Frankie wasn’t any worse off than she was before Roman got here. In truth, she might be in an even better position, given how everyone in Butterfly Harbor was coming to her defense.
Except he did care. He knew what it was like to have a dream deferred because of someone else, and the idea he’d been an unintentional coconspirator in that happening to Frankie did not sit well with him. At all.
“Would’ve been nice to have had some warning about the storm I was walking into,” Roman told the mayor. “It certainly hasn’t made my first few days in town easy.”
“Gotta love small towns.”
Yes, Roman thought. Small towns. “Just goes to show you really can’t keep anything secret for long, huh?” Roman let out a low whistle. “Take the BHFD budget, for instance. I bet Bud Granger just took you at your word about the lack of funds for the department and didn’t scrutinize those budget reports too closely. If he had, he might have noticed the steadily decreasing funds you’ve allocated for not only the fire but the sheriff’s department, as well. Money that was actually approved by the town council, if my reading of the board minutes is correct. Money that should have been used to improve public safety on both fronts.”
Gil’s eyes narrowed. “I thought you said you don’t like the politics game.”
“I don’t. Doesn’t mean I don’t know how to play. It’s been remarkable, learning about this whole small-town way of life,” Roman went on. “I have made so many new friends in just a couple of days. For instance, I had breakfast the other morning with Mrs. Hastings. Now there’s a woman with her ear to the ground. Wasn’t she your high school principal? Actually, if I didn’t know better, I’d think people didn’t like you very much.”
A flicker of disappointment caught Roman’s eye before Gil glanced away. “Goes with the job. Anything else?”
“Yes. I thought you should know I’ll be requesting Jasper O’Neill come work at the department. Just a lateral transfer from the sheriff’s department as he earns his probationary status with us.”
Gil’s jaw tensed. “I don’t see an issue with that.”
“Great. Really, it’s funny. Frankie and I were discussing our staffing situation, and given that I’ve become quite familiar with the budgeting numbers, it’s a good time to increase our employment allocation.”