Her New Boss

Sam watched Katie as she talked on a park bench with one of the vagrants. His phone rang and he slipped it out of his pocket, his gaze never leaving the strange pair.

“Hi, Zoe.”

“We have a problem,” Zoe said. “The event coordinator just canceled.”

Sam didn’t respond right away. The homeless woman had spotted him. Katie glanced his way and surprise flashed across her features. Then Zoe’s words registered.

“Wait, what?”

She released a heavy sigh. “Apparently, she and her fiancé couldn’t wait to plan their own little event, and they eloped this morning. She just sent me a text from California. Can you believe that? A text.”

Sam frowned, his chest tightening. The holiday festival was the biggest event of the year—the one he would be most harshly judged by if things didn’t work out the way the town expected them to. “How are we going to put this thing together by next week if we don’t have an event coordinator?” He paused. “Did she send over the details she promised you?”

The long silence on the other end was all the answer he needed. He cursed and raked his fingers through his hair. “We have to pull this together. The city council doesn’t need any more ammunition against me.”

“Just leave it to me, boss. I’ll figure something out,” Zoe said.

“How? The festival is only a week away and I’ve been out of the office all week and have a lot of catch-up to do. You can’t do all of it yourself.”

“You’re right.”

Her honesty was one of the reasons Sam had hired her, but right now he would have preferred for her to lie and tell him she had everything under control. “The holiday festival has been a tradition for fifty years, and it’s not going to end its streak with me,” Sam said. “You need to hire someone, today if possible. Don’t go crazy with the budget, but I need you by my side, not hanging up balloo—”

“Mr. Mayor, you are brilliant,” Zoe interrupted. “I can hire anyone I want, right?”

“I don’t know how hiring someone was a brilliant idea,” Sam said, a little uneasy at Zoe’s excitement. She was the best assistant he could ask for, but she also had her own quirks and could be unpredictable at times.

“I want to hire Katie,” Zoe said. Sam could practically hear her smiling.

Sam’s heart beat an unsteady rhythm, like it was warning him. “You want Katie to be the event coordinator?” He glanced in Katie’s direction. She was speaking with the vagrant, the wind catching her hair—teasing it. His pulse quickened. “Nope, sorry Zoe. You have to choose someone else. Anyone else.”

“But why? She’d be perfect,” Zoe protested.

Sam’s brows furrowed in frustration. He needed to stay focused on his job, and Katie would only make that more difficult. “How do you know if she’d be perfect? You haven’t even met her. Katie could be the worst event coordinator in the history of—everything. Find someone else.”

“By any means possible?” Zoe asked, knowing full well that Sam was about to say it himself. He needed to start using it less often. Zoe was getting a little too comfortable with the kind of power that gave her.

“Yes, of course. Meet me at the coffee shop in an hour and make sure Phillip has the back room ready for us.” Sam watched Katie’s features transform into confusion as her homeless friend hurried across the park and back to her tent. “Sorry Zoe, I gotta go.” He hung up and slipped the phone back into his pocket, just as Katie walked up.

“Hi,” she said. “Is it two already? I went out for a walk before realizing I don’t have a phone to help keep track of the time.”

Sam glanced at his watch. It was only eleven. “Um…no. I was doing something in the area and saw you from the street. I thought I’d stop by and see how things are going.”

He had actually taken a break from the custard stand to come and let the vagrants know they needed to relocate for the holiday festival. He could have had Zoe or someone else do it, but it seemed the type of news that he needed to deliver himself. They would need to move their tents across town to another park and wouldn’t be allowed to return until after Christmas. It seemed cruel. Sam understood why the city council had insisted on it—they didn’t want a homeless city in the middle of their festivities. People wouldn’t feel safe. But still—he wished there was another way.

“Oh,” Katie said, fidgeting with her jacket. “Well, I’ve already met some nice people, so that’s good.”

Sam nodded. “Yes, I saw.” He wasn’t sure what to say beyond that. After all, Katie’s first friendship in town was with a homeless person. He wanted to ask what they had been talking about. If the woman had recognized him and told Katie who he really was—then what?

If Katie told anyone about the mayor lying about his identity, his quest to gain the town’s trust would fail and his career would sink. Sam could only imagine the publicity that would get. He already had a crisis on his hands, and he didn’t need another one. Even if the homeless woman hadn’t told Katie who he was, he couldn’t afford to spend his time figuring out her problems when he had a town to run.

Katie glanced around. “Well, I guess I’ll continue my walk and see you back at the hotel at two.”

Without thinking, Sam reached out and touched her arm. “Actually, I’m on my way to have coffee with my assistant. If you have a moment, you could join us.”

Katie looked down and Sam followed her gaze to where his fingers still rested on her sleeve. His hand shot back, as if he had been burned. What was he thinking? He couldn’t take Katie to a business meeting. They had a crisis to solve, and he was bringing a date. What was it about this girl that made it so hard for him to focus?

It had been subtle at first, but now Sam was having a hard time even looking at her. He tried not to notice how Katie’s jeans and leather jacket perfectly accented her curves or the way her wind-tousled hair framed her wide eyes.

But he couldn’t seem to look away. It was driving him nuts.

Sam was about to tell Katie that maybe two o’clock would work out better after all, but then she glanced up and smiled. It was wide and genuine and beautiful.

“I’d like that. I’ve always been interested in how things work behind the scenes.”

Sam’s stomach plummeted. “Behind the scenes?”

“Yeah, as a news anchor. It must be exciting.”

Katie’s smile lit up her eyes, and it was like Christmas had come early. And it only made Sam feel worse. The homeless woman hadn’t told Katie, after all. If she came to this meeting, she would find out that Sam hadn’t been honest with her. He hadn’t meant to lie, and he didn’t have ill-intent—but would that matter?

Maybe he could get a hold of Zoe and convince her to play along. Just for a little while.

“My job is pretty great,” Sam said. “I need to make a quick phone call before we head over, though,” he said, stepping away. When he explained to the situation to Zoe, she chewed him out for lying to a “sweet girl like that.” She then chewed him out for inviting Katie to the meeting in the first place. But to his surprise, she ultimately agreed to go along with everything. But just for a day to give Sam the chance to tell Katie the truth himself.

Phillip greeted them at the door and escorted them to the back room. Zoe was already there with her laptop and a pile of papers. Stacks of boxes stood against the walls, along with old filing cabinets. It wasn’t the most ideal setup, but it was private and Phillip kept the drinks and food coming. Zoe glanced up from her computer screen and grinned. That wasn’t the reaction Sam had expected, especially with a crisis at hand.

“This is my assistant, Zoe,” he told Katie. “Zoe, this is Katie. She’s—” How was he supposed to introduce her? She wasn’t anything to him, just a girl trying to pass through town.

Katie glanced at Sam with a raised eyebrow, but turned back to Zoe with a small smile. “Nice to meet you.”

“I heard you came into town under less-than-ideal circumstances,” Zoe said, gesturing for them to sit.

“That’s an understatement,” Katie said, accepting the offered chair. She sat with her back straight and her hands clasped in her lap, not offering any more information about her journey.

Sam felt guilty that he’d put her in such an awkward situation. Zoe was right, he shouldn’t have invited her here. He didn’t even know how it had happened. The words had just tumbled out before he could stop them. When Sam had run for office, he had told the people that they wanted a bachelor mayor because he didn’t have outside responsibilities—he could devote all his time and attention to the community.

Relationships were distracting. The beautiful girl sitting next to him was proof of that.

“Do you know anything about event planning?” Zoe asked Katie, not pushing her any further about what had brought her to Amor.

Katie wrinkled her nose, like even the idea of it was revolting. “Not a thing.” She glanced around the room. “This isn’t exactly what I pictured the life of a popular news anchor would look like.”

Zoe glanced at Sam as she fought a smile. Her eyes. Oh no, they were lit up in excitement. She had only agreed to not say anything because she had an agenda. “What did you expect?” she asked.

Katie maintained her straight posture. “I thought it would be more fast-paced,” she said. “You know, racing to accident scenes or news rooms where they’ve called emergency press meetings. Breaking news kind of stuff.” She hesitated like she wasn’t sure if she should say what was on her mind. “Sam just seems to hang out for most of the day.”

Sam would have been offended, but that was exactly what he’d done all week. He’d gone to different parts of town and hung out while other people took his picture.

Zoe didn’t even try to hide her smile this time. She burst into laughter and slapped her knee. “I like you, Katie. You’re honest and call it how you see it. We could use someone like you on our team.”

Sam sat a little straighter. She wouldn’t offer Katie the job, would she? He had told her to hire anyone except Katie.

Katie seemed a little unsure of Zoe’s intentions herself. “Thank you, that’s nice of you to say,” she said, glancing at Sam, her eyes questioning.

She really had to stop turning those intoxicating eyes on him. It took everything in him to not jump on that wagon and insist she sign the paperwork and start work the next day. To be able to be around her and her charm—

Under no circumstances could that happen. He had already let Katie in further than he should have.

“Unfortunately, the competition is quite fierce,” Zoe said. She heaved a dramatic sigh, like she hated being the bearer of bad news.

The uneasiness in Sam’s gut transformed to full-on dread. “What did you do?”

Zoe turned her gray eyes on him. Her hair seemed spikier than usual, like it was ready to impale him. “Do you realize how hard it is to find someone who is willing to plan and execute an event for an entire town? Now try telling them to do it within a week. I’ve never had so many people hang up on me.”

As if on cue, Phillip knocked and entered with a tray full of sandwiches, fries, and onion rings. “I’ll be back with the drinks and the TV you requested.” He disappeared and not a minute later pushed a cart into the room. A small TV sat on top and Phillip maneuvered it against the wall and plugged it in. A tray of drinks also sat on the cart and he handed them out. “Anything else you need?”

“No,” Zoe interjected before Sam had the chance to respond. “This is perfect, thank you.”

Phillip nodded and left as quickly as he had entered.

“What is this all about?” Sam asked, apprehension turning his gut inside out.

In answer to his question, Zoe grabbed the TV remote and clicked it on to the lunchtime news. A line of women snaked around a downtown building, all clutching pieces of paper. But that wasn’t just any building, Sam realized. That was Town Hall. A woman holding a microphone stood center stage, speaking to her TV audience. Zoe turned the volume up.

“It has just been leaked that Mayor Freedman is looking to hire a young woman for a position in his office. But that is only what he wants the applicants to think. In reality, our mayor is interviewing for the most coveted position of all—his wife.”

Sam yanked the remote out of Zoe’s grasp and punched the power button. “What were you thinking?” He couldn’t keep the anger from his voice and out of the corner of his eye he saw Katie shrink back. He forced a deep breath in through his nose and lowered his voice until it was almost a whisper. It didn’t hold any less emotion, however. “I know you sometimes have unorthodox ways of doing things, but I trusted you. Why would you pull a stunt like this?”

Zoe jumped to her feet. “Anyone worth their paycheck refused to jump on board this sinking ship and you won’t let me hire the one person who isn’t trying to finagle their way into becoming the mayor’s bride. I don’t have time to deal with that.”

Sam slammed his hands down on the table and glared at Zoe. She had done some crazy things before, but this was beyond insanity. “So, you’re just going to force my hand until I bend? You do realize that I’m the boss, right?”

Zoe waved her hand, like that fact was inconsequential. “That’s what people want you to think.”

From the corner of the room, where apparently Katie had migrated in the midst of the chaos, came a small voice. “Um…should I be here for this?” Her eyes were wide and unsure.

Zoe watched Sam. Her eyes seemed to dance, challenging him, waiting to see what he would do.

He turned to face Katie. This was a side of him she hadn’t seen, and all her body language shouted distrust. Sam had had enough coaches during his campaign that he could pinpoint all the signs. Katie’s arms, as well as her legs, were crossed, effectively shutting him out. She was avoiding eye contact, staring at the floor.

Sam sat on the floor in front of Katie, effectively raising her higher than himself. She glanced down at him, some of the tension easing from her tight form. “How would you like a job?” he asked.

She blinked a few times. “A job?”

“Nothing long term. It would only last a week, but it would be something to help you out until you figure out where you want to go from here.”

Katie glanced from Sam to Zoe, and then back again. “Are you serious?”

Sam nodded. “Only if you want it. No pressure.”

“The town will crumble into ruins if you don’t, though,” Zoe piped in.

Sam shot her a glare. “No, it won’t. We’ll be fine.” He turned back to Katie. “We had our event coordinator cancel on an event we’re supposed to host next week. A holiday thing we do every year on Christmas Eve.”

Katie studied her hands, though she uncrossed her legs, which Sam took as a good sign. “All right. I’ll do it,” she said. “As long as the price is right. Because it is on such short notice, I think I should be paid twice what you were going to pay your last guy. Though, I’ll be honest, I still don’t really understand what job I’d be doing.”

Sam smiled. Katie came across as tentative, but she had street smarts. He liked that. “Deal. I’ll have Zoe take you to the office to fill out some paperwork.”

Zoe wore a smug grin that Sam tried to ignore. She’d pulled one over on him again and got away with it. There would be no stopping her now. “Welcome to the team,” she told Katie.

Katie stood and followed Zoe to the door. “So, do I work for the news station now?”

Zoe threw a glance back at Sam. This was the moment he had been dreading.

“No, my dear,” Zoe said. “You work for the mayor. And that man,” she pointed to Sam, “is now your boss.”