Chapter 21

Molly chirped at us when we pushed inside Andre’s apartment. He was barely able to keep me from going off like a rocket on the drive back from dinner, and as soon as we walked into his apartment, he dropped to his knees and shoved my skirt up to my waist.

“Andre,” I moaned.

He disappeared beneath the fabric, holding me to the inside of his door, and sucked my clit through the lace of my panties.

“Oh, yes,” I breathed.

His fingers slid around the edge of my panties and found my soaked center. He groaned as he pushed inside me, his other hand tugging my panties to the side so he could get his mouth on my bare skin.

He didn’t take his time. His fingers pumped into me, curling with each withdrawal, and his tongue teased my clit.

My head hit the door. My hands fisted the air around me. I tried to hold back, to avoid screaming right inside his front door, but he didn’t give up until I was panting and whimpering and coming with a rush and a shout that sent Molly running to her bed.

“I need you,” Andre gasped as he reappeared from beneath my skirt. He palmed his erection, tenting the zipper of his shorts, and dragged me toward his room.

He tasted like me, plunging his tongue into my mouth as he pressed me to his bedroom door. I cupped his erection, and he bit my tongue.

“Fuck, I can’t get enough of you.”

“Same.”

He pulled back enough to shove his clothes and mine to the floor. We stumbled to the bed, him pausing long enough to grab a condom from his nightstand before he was crawling over me.

“I need you,” I whispered as he settled between my thighs.

“I’m not going anywhere.”

I felt the truth of that statement into my soul. He wasn’t leaving MacKellar Cove, and if I wanted a future with him, it was up to me.

He slid into me slowly, the rush of the drive and the frantic orgasm at the door forgotten once we hit his mattress. He held my gaze, stretching my body to accommodate his size. “Fuck, Joelle.”

I reached for his hands, needing the anchor to keep me in the moment. I’d never felt like someone was loving me. Even with Andre. Sex was good, really good, but there was something different now. Something deeper. More intense.

He didn’t look away from me as he pressed in and eased out of my body. His hands held mine, and his body worked me slowly to the edge of my orgasm.

I hung there, waiting for him to join me, and wondered why I waited until I was destined to marry a man I didn’t love to find a man who could make me feel like I was special. A man who could show me what love was supposed to be like.

Tears filled my eyes as Andre pushed me over the edge. I came with a cry and squeezed his cock, my body tingling all over.

“Did I hurt you?” he asked.

I shook my head. “No. That was perfect.”

“You’re perfect. I’m so grateful I met you, Joelle.”

“Me, too,” I said. It didn’t matter if he didn’t love me, I knew what love was like. I knew how it felt to want the best for someone, even if it wasn’t being with me.

God, I wanted him to want to be with me.

He slammed into me, his cock hitting me at a new angle, and my spine felt the tremors of a new orgasm building.

“Fuck,” he breathed.

“Please,” I cried.

That was all it took to unleash him. His gaze went unfocused and feral. He pounded into me like he couldn’t control himself. His hands gripped mine so tight my knuckles hurt.

I fucking loved it. I loved him. This was what I wanted. What I needed. A man who could fuck me into oblivion after he loved me to the same place. A man who could show me with his body how he felt about me. Who would leave me with no doubt at all that he was just as gone as I was.

“Oh, God, Joelle. Yes!” Andre grunted as he came, a second or two after I did.

I wrapped my legs around him and encouraged him to collapse onto me. He tried to move, but I held him tight, not ready to let go of him.

We laid there for several minutes, his breathing shifting my hair. My hands slid up and down his back. He twitched inside me, then softened and slipped out.

He pushed up when that happened, grabbing the condom before it fell off and hurrying to the bathroom.

I didn’t move, enjoying the domestic sounds of sharing something like that with him.

“What time do you want to go back to the Inn?” he asked when he came out of the bathroom.

“Are you trying to get rid of me?” I asked, smirking at him.

He crawled over me and laid on top of me. “I’d rather never let you go.”

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. Those damn tears were back.

We laid there longer, until I got up to use the bathroom, then Andre pulled me into his arms again and loved me until the sun peeked through the curtains and reality invaded the bubble we created.

* * *

I hated running late. It was disrespectful and rude. And something my mother never worried about, which was why I knew it wasn’t okay. She believed she was the most important person around and others could wait for her, so she was never on time.

I had never been the most important person around, so I was always early. But when I was going to a meeting with the mayor of my hopefully new hometown, I was running late. Dammit.

I raced into the building one minute before my meeting was supposed to start and hurried down the hall toward Mayor Knight’s office. A woman close to my age sat at an impressive desk outside the door I was fairly sure I was supposed to go through.

“Hi, I’m Joelle Biers. I have an appointment with Mayor Knight,” I told her.

“Nice to meet you, Joelle. I’m Jane. Natalie sings your praises. Omar is really excited to speak to you. You can go right in.”

“Oh, thank you.” I smiled at her and pointed to the heavy wooden door that separated me from the mayor.

Jane nodded.

I shoved and found the door opened more easily than I expected, and suddenly I was standing in front of a tall Black man with a friendly smile and an open hand.

“Joelle, I assume. You were at a festival a few weeks ago, but I don’t remember catching your name. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Omar.”

“Thank you for meeting with me, Mr. Mayor.”

“Please, call me Omar.”

“But… Um, okay.” My mother would have had a fit over a person in a position of power not demanding he was addressed by their label. It was one more thing I loved about MacKellar Cove.

“Please, have a seat. I’ll let you know the things I’ve been considering, and I’d love to hear any ideas you have. Do you have a resume?”

“I do not,” I confessed as I took a seat at a small table in the corner, feeling my chances slipping through my fingers. “I don’t actually have a degree in anything that would lead into this field. My degree is in broadcast journalism.”

“That’s definitely a stretch. But we don’t play by the same rules around here. I will have to get approval to add a position, but we have the money for it. We had it posted through the winter, but we didn’t get any real interest. There were a few people who reached out, but they weren’t willing to move up here. My understanding is you might be?”

“Yes, I am. I have a few things to work out, but that’s my plan. If I can find a job and a place to live.”

“I’m sure we can work those out.”

“I hope so.”

He slid a sheet of paper in front of me. “These are the things we’re hoping to implement. A few of them are easy, and we can manage with our current staff. The compost drop-off program is something we’ve been able to do, but we’d like to expand that to a collection program. We have a robust recycling program, and we have worked with volunteers to make sure all our town events are as close to zero waste as possible. All our vendors are working with us to maximize that since we have a lot of events. The food trucks have all gone to paper products for their containers so they can be recycled. We have expanded the signage in public areas to educate residents and visitors. But there’s so much more we can do.”

“Every little bit helps,” I told him.

He grinned. “It does. Thank you. What experience do you have with implementing these programs?”

“Unfortunately, none. My work has always been in researching news stories. I’ve seen a lot of great things put into place, though, and I’ve been doing some research on what some of the other towns in the area are doing.”

“Really? Anything you think we can do?”

“Absolutely. Like anything else, some ideas are easy, and some will take more work, but every step forward helps. And once a lot of these programs are put in place, it’s easier to maintain them than it will be to implement them.”

“What did you have in mind?”

We spent the next hour going over all the ideas I had, the things neighboring towns were doing, and a few things I’d seen done in DC. It was a very different environment to get things done. Less red tape, but also less money and support.

Jane knocked on the door to Omar’s office and stuck her head in to tell him his next appointment was soon, and we realized how long we’d spent talking.

“Thank you, Jane.” Omar stood and straightened his suit. “I think you would be a perfect addition to our town, Joelle. You clearly have a passion for this, and lots of ideas.”

“Thank you, Mr. Mayor.”

“Omar,” he chastised.

“Omar. Thank you. I really appreciate you meeting with me today.”

“Can you give me a few days to figure a few things out? To come up with a full package and get the approval from the council?”

“Of course.”

“They will need to see a resume. Is that something you’d be able to provide?”

“It won’t have any relevant experience.”

“It doesn’t matter. I can argue that away. With your excitement over this, and the lack of interest we’ve had so far, I see no issue with hiring you. But they will want to see that you’re capable of holding a job. That you’re not going to start something, then run off and leave us hanging.”

“I wouldn’t do that.”

“I believe you. I can see how excited you are about this. I wish I had your passion for it, but I can’t take on every single thing. I love this town, and I know all your ideas will make it a better place for future generations.”

“I think so, too. Thank you, Omar. It means a lot to have your support.”

“Thank you for coming in. Jane can get you contact information, and you can send over your resume whenever you have it. I should have an answer by the end of the week, if that’s okay.”

“That would be great,” I said, hoping it would be. My mother threatened to drag me back to DC if I didn’t return. I was running out of days. Quickly.

Omar shook my hand, then left me to get the rest of the information I needed from Jane.

“Contact information, right?” Jane asked.

I nodded. “Please. He needs a resume.”

“Perfect. I’m guessing that means the meeting went well. Congratulations.”

“Thank you. I’m really excited about this.”

“Where are you from?”

“DC. But I’m ready for a change.”

“Whoa. This is a big change,” Jane said.

I chuckled. “Yeah, but I need it. I’ve been unhappy for a long time, and I need some joy in my life. This place has given me that feeling every single day.”

“And I’m sure Andre Davidson is helping with that.”

My cheeks warmed at her comment.

“Small town, Joelle. Everyone knows everything.”

“We’ve never even met before today.”

She shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. Andre is well-liked, and when one of our own falls in love, we all tend to notice.”

“Oh, it’s not like that.”

She raised her eyebrow. “It’s not? Because I heard you two have been spending a lot of time together and you met his parents.”

“How did you know that?” I gasped.

“I told you. Small town. And everything comes through town hall. But don’t worry, it’s all good stuff. If people didn’t like you, there would have been someone down here telling Omar not to hire you. No one has said anything like that. People think you’re really sweet, even if no one knows much about you.”

I didn’t want to answer the obvious question she wasn’t asking. “I’m sure people will get to know me.”

Jane smirked. “Good answer.”

“Thank you for the contact information,” I told her.

“You’re welcome. I’ll see you soon, I’m sure.”

“I hope so.”

Jane’s phone rang, giving me an opportunity to leave before I confessed even more to the woman I’d only met an hour ago.

I went to my car and turned my phone on. I expected a dozen or more messages from my mother, but instead, it was silent.

I waited a few more minutes, then counted my blessings and signed into my private email address. One of my college classes focused on career preparedness. We were required to write a resume, even if we had a job offer already. It was the last time I’d thought about a career. A future that didn’t include living under my mother’s control.

Sitting in the parking lot for town hall didn’t seem like the place to write my resume, so I drove into town and parked near Catherine Park. I claimed one of the Adirondack chairs facing the water and started to modify the resume I created more than six years ago. I added relevant work I’d done for the TV station and included the things from my job that would help me take on a new challenge.

When I felt like I was done, I sent it to Jane to pass on to Omar. I hoped it was good enough, but I was comforted by his encouragement. It was a job I wanted, something I was passionate about.

Hopefully the town council would see that.

I grabbed a quick lunch at Cracked, then decided to go back to MacKellar Cove Inn for the rest of the day. Andre was working and didn’t commit to anything for dinner, but I was not going to be one of those people who waited around for a date to maybe show up.

Okay, maybe I was, but I was going to pretend I wasn’t.

I parked in what had become my spot at the Inn and plugged in my car. I thought back to the day I arrived and how strange it felt to have a complete stranger want to help me. Now, I couldn’t imagine going back to DC, where everyone was a stranger and no one cared to help others.

My phone vibrated in my bag, and I stopped to dig it out, smiling when I saw a text from Andre.

You are my favorite person. I found a used lawnmower for cheap today. Got it checked out and it’s now mine. All because you helped me see another option. Can I cook you dinner tonight? You can tell me all about your meeting with Omar. If you want.

That’s so exciting! I’m happy it worked out. Dinner would be great.

Pick you up in an hour?

I’ll be ready.

I slid my phone back into my bag and reached for the front door. Andre sounded happy. Like he was maybe okay with me sticking around.

Maybe that meant I wasn’t alone in the falling in love department.

I closed the door behind me and started toward my room. I heard Zoey speaking to someone in the library, and I tried to move past without disturbing them when a chill went down my spine.

“Joelle. Finally. We’re here to get you. Pack your things. Now.”

I turned to face my mother. Thomas was by her side. Both of them obviously disgusted by the place I’d come to love over the last few weeks.

Zoey stood next to them, wringing her hands.

My past had finally caught up to me. And it was not letting me go.