Ean crossed to her, wrapping her in his embrace. “I wish I’d been there with you, Mom.”
She hugged him tighter. “You were, baby. You were with me when I needed you most, and I’m glad you’re here with me now.”
And he’d continue to be there with her, giving her the love and support she’d given him all of his life. Now that they’d cleared the air, they could start this new phase of their relationship—whatever it might be.
CHAPTER 14
Quincy tensed when Ramona took the stool beside him at Books & Bakery’s food counter early Tuesday morning. Thinking about his last exchange with Ean almost cost him his appetite. How long had Ramona known he’d been in love with her? Why hadn’t she ever said anything? Why, after fourteen years, couldn’t he fall in love with someone—anyone—else?
“Good morning, Quincy.” Her greeting was like salt in a wound.
“Ramona.” He kept his attention on his breakfast of scrambled eggs, turkey bacon and wheat toast. If it killed him, he’d act as though nothing had changed.
Ramona leaned into the counter to see Darius seated on Quincy’s other side. “How are things at the paper, Darius? Still making up what you don’t know?”
Darius chuckled. “Why don’t you tell me what I got wrong, Mayor?”
“You didn’t get anything wrong, Darius.” Quincy’s protective reflexes, honed since their days on their elementary school playground, kicked in. “But it sounds like you hit a nerve.”
Ramona turned on him. “Do you even know what you’re talking about?”
Quincy steeled himself to meet her ebony eyes. “Do you?”
Ramona narrowed her gaze. “This doesn’t concern you.”
That’s where she was wrong. If it involved one of his friends, it definitely concerned him. “Why are you here, Ramona, at eight in the morning? You’re not usually an early riser. Is your conscience giving you a hard time?”
Looking into Ramona’s seductive eyes while speculating on her sleeping habits was a mistake. His body temperature spiked. In his peripheral vision, he caught the stares of the other breakfast patrons. Quincy feigned disdain as he returned his attention to the safety of his bacon and eggs. He took a deep breath to calm his pulse and drew in the warm, mouthwatering fragrance of baking bread wafting from the bakery’s kitchen. And Ramona’s perfume beside him.
“You have a point, Quincy.” Darius’s tone was taunting. “What part of my ace reporting caused you to lose sleep, Mayor?”
“This blowhard doesn’t know what he’s talking about.” Ramona jerked her head toward Quincy. Her voice tightened, an indication that her renowned temper was about to snap.
“Blowhard.” Quincy shook off the inappropriate images her insult brought to mind. “If Darius’s reporting had been inaccurate, you’d have confronted him in his office at a much more convenient time for you, like noon.”
Ramona pointed a finger at Darius while the dark inferno of her gaze scorched Quincy. “His irresponsible reporting implied that I was raising fees and taxes on the stores in the shopping center to run them out of business. That sort of reckless writing will hurt my reelection campaign.”
Darius turned away from his plate of steak and eggs. “That reckless reporting came from your quote. You said you were hoping to attract higher-end businesses to the vacant stores in the center.”
Ramona inclined her head. “Yes, that’s what I said. But you took that statement out of context. The way you positioned it in your article made it seem as though I chased those stores out. I didn’t run them out. They left.”
“You’re splitting hairs, Ramona.” Darius shrugged. “Those businesses left because the town’s increased fees and taxes amounted to extortion. You should have thought about how that would play during the election before you asked for the increases.”
Quincy sipped his coffee. “But since she’s running unchallenged, she doesn’t have to worry about how her decisions will affect her reelection.”
“I’m not doing this to hurt the town. I’m trying to help the town.” Ramona spoke as though she believed what she said. “It’s not my fault the original center owners defaulted on the loan the town granted them. Those increased business taxes will generate more revenue for Trinity Falls.”
“Revenue for what?” Megan joined the discussion. She greeted Quincy and Darius as she strode past them to stand behind the counter. “What will the town do with the money?”
“We haven’t identified the use yet.” Ramona flipped her heavy raven locks behind her shoulder.
Quincy recognized the gesture as one she often used when she was uncertain. He softened his response. “That’s backward, isn’t it? You raise taxes to generate revenue for something. You don’t tax your constituents just because.”
Ramona stood, sharing her glare equally with the other three people at the counter before resting it on Darius. “If I can’t get you to curb your reckless reporting, I’m sure your publisher will.”
Quincy watched the irritated swing of her firm hips as she stormed out of the bookstore. Was she on her way to talk to The Trinity Falls Monitor’s publisher? “Do you think Susan Liu will listen to her?”
Darius grunted. “Liu doesn’t listen to anyone.”