14. Chapter 14

Chapter fourteen

"No grandiose promises."

I t had been two weeks since Sydney quit and Gage hadn't seen her since. She'd come in one day when he was out to collect her things. And she'd gotten together with Clementine a couple of times to talk about the campaign. But that was it. He missed her. And he wished things had gone differently.

On the day of the Ladies' Auxiliary luncheon, he decided to take a chance. Sydney had promised to help him with the social stuff. So far, he'd bungled his way through a council meeting and a high school awards ceremony. He was the first one to admit it; he wasn't good at communication and small talk.

Gage drove to Sydney's house and sat in his truck for several minutes before getting out and going to the door. He took a breath, then knocked. Sydney opened the door and seemed completely surprised to see him.

"Oh. Gage. What are you doing here?"

"You might not remember this, but when my mom said I should attend the Ladies' Auxiliary luncheon, you told me you had my back. Which I took as meaning, you'd come with me."

"I remember. But—"

"I only agreed to go because I thought you'd be there."

She sighed. "When is it?"

"Today."

"Today?"

"Yes. In thirty minutes."

Sydney cocked her head. "You're kidding."

"No. I didn't want to give you a chance to come up with an excuse not to go."

"So you gave me thirty minutes to get ready?"

"Yeah. Does that mean you're coming?"

She looked at him for a moment. "I need to change."

She closed the door and Gage backed up a few steps, wondering if he'd made the right choice in showing up at her door. "This should be interesting."

Ten minutes later, Sydney came through the door dressed appropriately for lunch with some of the prominent women of Calaway Crossing. She looked at Gage.

"What do you have on under your coat?"

He unbuttoned his wool coat and held it open to show her his slacks and blue cotton shirt. Sydney nodded, then walked past him to his truck. When he got in, she was already in the passenger seat.

He looked at her for a moment. "Thank you."

"You really didn't leave me much of a choice."

"You could've told me to get the hell off your porch."

"I thought about it."

Gage started the motor. He'd really missed Sydney.

The luncheon was being held at the Ambrose Tavern as most events involving food were. The tables were set up in the bar area since it didn't open until two. White tablecloths and floral centerpieces covered the small wooden bar tables. The meal was a buffet with a few salad choices, lunchmeats and cheese, bread, fruit, and a selection of desserts. Coffee, hot tea, and iced tea were also available.

When Gage and Sydney arrived, Edie Bessler was there, along with several other women. She came up to Gage with a smile.

"Welcome."

"Thank you." Gage looked around the room. "Quite a transformation."

"Dear Becca is a wonder."

"Yes, she is."

"You and Sydney will sit at my table. And after we eat, we'll have time for a short Q and A with you."

"Right. Sounds good."

"The ladies love that you're here."

"Well, I'm not sure I'm an improvement over your husband."

Edie smiled. "Dear, we all know my husband, bless his heart, is a little too enthusiastic sometimes."

Gage laughed. "If not an improvement, then a definite change in presentation."

"I'm looking forward to it."

Gage and Sydney sat, while Edie wandered off to greet the ladies coming in. Gage leaned closed to Sydney. "I thought I was the only one who thought Bessler was a blowhard."

She put a finger to her lips. "Shush. Stand up and greet the women as they come in."

Gage stood, ran a hand through his hair, then turned to face the oncoming deluge of smiling women. He shook hands, got hugged, and received two kisses on the cheek. Those were from relatives of his, though. He smiled and threw out compliments until everyone was seated. Then he took his chair between Sydney and Edie. He glanced at Sydney and she gave him a thumbs up.

When it was time to go to the buffet table, Edie insisted Gage and Sydney go first. Gage went to the table and picked up a plate.

"So, how much do I eat? Is there a balance between gluttony and insulting your host?"

"I'd say somewhere in the middle."

"Moderation, then?"

"Yes."

He glanced at her. "How am I doing so far?"

"We've only been here thirty minutes."

"Still."

"You're doing fine. Just keep the conversation going during lunch. Although, I'm pretty sure Edie will take care of that. During the Q and A, don't commit yourself to anything you can't follow through on."

"No grandiose promises."

"Exactly. And don't offer anything. Just respond to the questions. If you don't know the answer, or if it's something you can't deliver on, then just be honest." She looked at him. "You're good at that."

He was pretty sure that wasn't a compliment. "Right."

"You seem fairly relaxed."

"I am." He took a breath. "Sort of."

She looked like she was going to say something else, then changed her mind. She looked away from him and made her way down the buffet table. Gage followed her, taking a little bit of everything except for the dessert. He'd come back for that later.

Sydney returned to the table and Gage followed her, then sat down. He leaned toward her ear. "How's this?"

"Do you really need me to approve of your food choices?"

"No. I guess not. Why are you mad at me?"

"This isn't the time or place to talk about it."

He glanced at the other ladies from their table who were all getting their food. "When, then?"

"Just not here."

He nodded. "Later, then."

"That's not what I meant."

"We'll talk later."

She grumbled under her breath, then smiled at Edie as she sat down. "This all looks wonderful."

"Dear Remington is a wizard in the kitchen." Edie looked at Gage. "What made you choose the newspaper over the restaurant or the ranch?"

"It always fascinated me. I started helping Great-uncle Lawrence when I was a kid. Cooking was Remy's thing. Cooper and Cabe loved the ranch. Our parents always encouraged us to do what made us happy."

"And now you will make them proud when you become mayor."

"I believe they're already proud of me." Sydney nudged him, and he added, "But of course, being mayor is a major step up."

Edie smiled. "My husband was proud to serve this town. He's going to hate to step down. But I'm afraid it's necessary."

"We're going to miss him."

Sydney nodded. "Gage has big shoes to fill."

He glanced at her, then looked back at Edie. "Definitely."

Edie dabbed at her eyes, then smiled at Sydney. "You two should make it official."

Gage raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"The city needs a first lady."

"Oh. No. We're not." He looked at Sydney. "She's my, um…was my assistant."

Edie laughed. "Dear, the sexual tension between you two is palpable." The other women tittered, and Sydney blushed.

Gage cleared his throat. "Really. We're not together."

Edie patted his hand. "Okay. Just keep in mind that a married politician will win over a lot more people than a single one."

"Why is that?"

"It makes you settled and more trustworthy. Besides, being single and in the public eye will make you more attractive. We can't have all the single ladies in town vying for your affection."

"Hmm. No. Wouldn't want that." His comment drew another nudge from Sydney.

Thankfully, Edie dropped the subject, and Gage spent the rest of the meal talking about the history of the valley. The women all seemed genuinely interested, and Gage was comfortable talking about something he loved.

The Q and A was uneventful, with most of the questions centering around the empty lots left by the fire, and getting more funding for the first responders. There seemed to be a consensus over not wanting anymore disasters to befall Calaway Crossing. Losing their paramedic was of concern, since Elaina had been out for the last month and would be gone for several more. Corbyn had been filling in when he could. But he couldn't always get away from the clinic.

Gage wanted to assuage their concerns. "Our new deputy was a paramedic before he joined the sheriff's department. He will help Dr. Calaway fill in for Elaina. I believe the doctor is also looking to hire a physician's assistant, who will help in emergency situations as well."

One of the women raised her hand. "When is that going to happen?"

"As soon as he finds the right person to fill the job. Convincing someone to come here isn't easy."

The questions lasted a few more minutes, then Edie came up next to Gage. "Ladies, I think we've pestered poor Mr. Calaway long enough. Let's thank him for his time."

The women all clapped as Gage returned to his seat. When he looked at Sydney, she gave him a nod of approval. Apparently, he did alright.

When the group broke up and Gage and Sydney were back in his truck, he turned to her.

"So, how did I do?"

"You did good. Which I think proves you don't need me."

He smiled. "Maybe I did good because you were there."

"Gage."

"I'm serious. I wouldn't have known how much food to eat without you."

"I'm sure you would've figured it out."

"Sydney. I hate how things ended that day you left. And I wish there was something I could do or say to convince you to come back."

"I can't. The reason I left is still valid. Nothing has changed."

"What if I'm really mean to you? Will that change how you feel? I don't care if you hate me. As long as you come back to work."

"I don't think I could ever hate you."

"What if I'm a real jerk?"

"Stop." She sighed. "I will continue to accompany you to these social events. But that's all."

He nodded. "Okay. That's something, I guess. And I don't need to be mean to you?"

"No."

"How about distracted and out of touch? Self-involved, I believe you called it."

He saw her hold back a smile. "Just be you."

"Being me didn't work out so well."

"Regardless of that. I never wanted you to be anything but who you are."

"Okay. I think I can do that. Being a self-absorbed ass has always worked for me."

"You're only an ass some of the time."

"Just enough to be slightly annoying?"

"Yes."

He smiled. "Okay. Good talk."