Which turned out to be kind of sexy.
Like everything else about the man.
“So, enough about my headaches,” he said. “Tell me about yourself. You’re in school to become a CPA?” He caught her gaze. Again he really looked at her. Like a shrink or a father confessor or a man who knew her more intimately than any man ever had.
He made her feel soft and he made her feel wanted. She longed to reach out to touch his tan cheek, brush the fan of crinkles at the corners of his eyes.
“That’s the plan,” she said instead, drinking some beer to distract herself.
“Have you always loved numbers?” He leaned forward, his expression earnest, as though he really wanted to know.
“I guess.” It had taken an embarrassingly long time for her to see how her gift with figures could become a profession.
“And…?”
“Nothing. I just…I guess I love the orderliness of numbers, knowing that the formulas always work and if you don’t make mistakes, it all comes out right.”
“Makes sense.” He tilted his head at her, as if figuring her out. “So, after you get your degree, what’s the plan then?”
“Then I get a job with a big firm, get some solid experience, network like crazy until I make enough contacts and save enough to open my own business.”
“You’d rather work for yourself?”
“Oh, yeah. I want my own clients, you know? People who depend on me. I want to help them maximize their income, minimize their taxes, get them where they want to be financially, all that. I want them to count on me, you know?”
She was surprised how easy it was to blurt the ideas she’d always kept in her head, thinking them over and over when school got hard or she got worried and lost sleep.
“So it’s not just the numbers,” he said slowly. “It’s also helping people.”
“Yeah. I guess that’s it. When I helped Jasmine figure out a budget and it worked for her, I really liked that. Now she’s saving money for college for her daughter. So, yeah, I suppose it’s that the numbers mean something to people, you know?”
“I do.”
She was suddenly embarrassed by how she sounded—eager as a kid, which was kind of how she felt in her classes. Very different from her usual guarded self. She hardly knew Mike and yet she was telling him all this. “Anyway, the point is I want a private practice.”
“I bet you’ll do great.” He said it so simply, so sincerely that warmth flooded her.
He has no idea who you are, she reminded herself. She was about to blurt the doubts bubbling under her words when Suze saved her by bringing the food.
Which turned out to be great. The chiles rellenos melted in her mouth, the nopalitos-and-goat-cheese salad was tangy and fresh.
“So, what all is Lydia responsible for?” she asked, hoping to find out enough to reassure herself for tomorrow.
“Too much.” Mike sighed. “Budgets, purchasing, fees and licenses, billings. You’ll see tomorrow. I don’t know half of the stuff she does.” He shook his head and took a bite, oblivious to the fact that his words had stopped her heart.
What if she wasn’t up to it? What if she was all just big talk? What if she let Mike and the town down?
“Hey, Mayor. How’s it hanging?”
Mike looked up from a bite of salad to greet the man who’d stopped at their table. “Hey, Ned,” he said. “How’s the welcome sign coming along?”
“We’ll have it done for the festival. No worries.”
“Good.” Mike introduced her to Ned Langton, who’d bought Mike’s family’s landscaping business a few years back.
“So, I tried to join your Chamber last night,” Ned drawled, an amused grin on his face, “but couldn’t get your brother to give me the time of day.”
“Oh, yeah?” Mike stopped chewing.
“Couldn’t take his hands off his girl long enough to round up the form for me.”
“I see.” Mike set down his fork, his mouth grim, despite his easy words. “Stop by tomorrow and Evelyn can fix you up.”
“What I want to know is where he found her.” Ned leaned lower and winked, “And are there any more where she came from?”
“With a wife like Jill, why would you think twice, Ned?” There was an edge to Mike’s words.
“I’m not thinking about me. She got a friend for you? That’s what I mean.”
Mike shot an apologetic glance at Autumn. “I don’t know, Ned, but how about you write me a check for Chamber dues and we’ll mail you the temporary card. Save you time. How’s that?”
Ned didn’t like that suggestion, it seemed. He patted his shirt pocket and frowned sheepishly. “Left my checkbook at the house. I’ll stop by another day. Enjoy your dinner.”
“You called his bluff,” Autumn said when Ned had gone.
“Yeah.” He gave a rueful smile. “It’s pulling teeth to get these guys to join up. The Chamber funds economic projects and we really need everyone to ante up, but they don’t all see it.”
“That’s not what’s bothering you though, is it?”
“No. It’s my brother.” He shook his head. “Seems like the affair’s all over town. Since he met your friend, his brains have drained out his ears.”
“How so?” She hoped he wasn’t about to insult Jasmine.
“The minute Mark heard Jasmine was doing the pageant, he auditioned for it. What was he thinking? He’s got a business to run, he’s head of the Chamber and chair of my economic development committee. He doesn’t have time to be in a play, for God’s sake.” He shook his head.
“Maybe it’s true love.”
He shot her a look. “Your friend is a beautiful woman.”
“You mean she’s a stripper.” Anger flared, fast and hot as a suddenly lit match.
He quirked a brow. “I don’t care what she does for a living. The problem is how fast this is going.”
She just looked at him.
“Come on. You were rolling your eyes right along with me. They’re acting like a couple of teenagers. The man came back from a weekend in Phoenix and declared his dreams had come true. Lord.”
“Yeah,” she said, softening. “I know what you mean. Jasmine falls in love with love and gets hurt every time.”
“The thing is…” He hesitated. “Mark was like this once before.” He frowned and picked at his Tecate label. “He met this woman at a real estate seminar and right off he’s loaning her money and they’re talking about buying a house. Then he finds out she’s got a husband in Nevada and a check fraud conviction. Took him years to get over her.”
“That’s too bad.”
“Yep. And he’s wild like that about your friend.”
“Look, Jasmine is a good person. She—”
“I’m sure she is. It’s just too fast and crazy. It’s—”
“Reckless. I know. They barely know each other. They’re telling themselves fairy tales.”
“Exactly,” he said. “So we’re both worried about them.”
“Yeah,” she said,