Page 27 of Call It Love (Sterling Mill #5)

Anna

Chase’s fingers played with my hair after another epic round of lovemaking.

As soon as his workday ended—and he ended them earlier than usual now—he’d meet me at his house and sweep me off my feet and into his bed. I had no complaints, and it was where I spent all of my nights now.

It had been nearly two weeks of bliss. Everything on the farm was going well, and even Jordan seemed to be lighter after Reid asked a social worker to do a check-in where he was living.

“We really should do something other than lie in bed all evening,” I said, snuggling closer to Chase, the complete opposite of my words.

He gave an amused snort. “Are you saying you’re bored with me already, Blossom?”

I rolled over and propped my chin on his chest. “Not a bit. Just thought maybe we should do something.”

He wiggled his eyebrows. “I know exactly what that something should be.” His hand slid over my hip, then forward between my legs .

“We just did that,” I said, even as I opened my legs for him.

He slid into me and made love to me slowly, the opposite of our earlier round. It didn’t matter to me, fast or slow, soft or hard. It was all amazing.

“I know something else we can do,” Chase murmured lazily in my ear afterward.

I was sleepy from my orgasm. “Forget I said anything,” I mumbled. “Let’s just sleep.”

He smacked me on my butt, awakening me in more ways than one. “Mmm,” I moaned.

“You liked that?” he growled in my ear. “I’ll have to remember that for next time.”

I felt my cheeks flame.

“But for now, I have something we can do tonight.”

“What’s that?”

“Let’s go to the Town Hall meeting.”

I rolled onto my back and stared at him. “You’re joking, right?”

“I’m serious. It’ll be fun.”

“A fun meeting? In town? Yeah, I don’t believe it. Sounds boring as heck.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Have you ever been to one here?”

“No, but I’ve been to plenty in Nashville.”

“I promise, babe. These are nothing like that. Get dressed.”

He slid out of bed and headed to the bathroom to turn on the shower.

I didn’t believe that any kind of meeting could be described as fun , and I definitely didn’t look forward to being surrounded by a bunch of townspeople in a confined space. Silver Creek Farm was my safe haven. Downtown, I felt more exposed.

Chase returned to my side of the bed and reached for my hand. As if he could read my thoughts, he said, “I’ll be with you. If you’re going to be part of this community again, you have to remind them who you are, which is not an extension of your asshole ex.

He was right. Reluctantly, I sighed and swung my legs over the bed. Chase made sure to reward me greatly with yet another orgasm in the shower.

An hour later, we pulled into downtown. Most of the shops were closed, but cars lined the streets.

Chase found a place to park on the street, not far from the town circle where the beautiful old Town Hall was lit like a jewel in the center. Dozens of people were making their way inside.

Someone called Chase’s name as we neared the top of the steps. Keeping my hand firmly in his, we found Reid and Bristol standing near the entrance.

“Chase. Anna. Good to see you,” Reid greeted warmly.

Bristol stretched to kiss her brother on the cheek, then gave me a small smile after seeing our joined hands. “Hi, Anna. Nice to see you.”

“You, too,” I replied. “How are you feeling?”

“A little tired, but otherwise good.”

Reid turned to Chase, keeping his voice low. “How’s Jordan doing?”

“Fine. But I can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t right.”

Reid shook his head. “Not much I can do unless we come up with something concrete.”

I frowned. “Can’t you do an investigation? That boy is too thin. He eats like he’s starving. And he showed up with that bruise.”

“I’m sorry, Anna. Lots of teen boys eat their parents out of house and home.

That’s not a reason in and of itself. And when we questioned him, he didn’t say anything that would justify opening a case.

His relatives might not be the best, but they don’t have any criminal record. Legally, my hands are tied.”

“That’s not good enough,” I said stubbornly.

“It’s not a perfect system,” he admitted. “But you seem to be developing a bond with him. Maybe he’ll open up to you. Keep talking to him. If he says anything that suggests he’s in danger, tell me immediately. I can act on that. For now, CPS has cleared the home.”

I exhaled slowly. “I’ll keep trying. My gut says something is very wrong.”

“I believe you. But I can’t just march into his house and remove him. What I can say is that sending him to Silver Creek Farm might be the best thing that has happened to him in a long time.”

I sighed. I was frustrated, but I could tell Reid was, too. “I’ll do my best,” I promised.

Together, we turned toward the meeting room. As we walked, Bristol leaned in close and whispered, “Jordan is lucky to have you. I promise, Reid will do everything he can to protect Jordan. He’s paying close attention, too.”

“Thanks,” I whispered. Her encouragement was the bolster I needed.

The meeting room was nearly full, but we were able to find four seats together.

Emalee and Zach were a couple of rows in front of us.

They turned around and waved. Chase was right.

This seemed to be the place to be tonight.

I recognized several faces and smiled at everyone, trying not to feel self-conscious.

A gavel pounded from the front.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please find your seats,” a voice announced over the mic.

“Sit down, people. Lots to do. Lots to do!” squawked an odd but surprisingly authoritative voice.

I stared in amazement at the beautiful African Gray parrot perched on the podium near the microphone. “Is that Sterling?” I whispered.

Chase chuckled. “He likes to be called Mayor Sterling.”

“He actually attends these meetings?”

“He is the elected mayor.”

I stared at him. “I thought it was just a joke. I didn’t know he actually came to meetings.”

He nodded, amused at my befuddlement. “Ever since he appeared on the ballot several years ago, he’s remained our honorary mayor. I think there would be rioting in the streets if anyone tried to remove him.”

The room gradually settled as people took their seats. Behind a curved table at the front of the oval-shaped room sat the five members of the town council, including the actual human mayor, Richard Bowen, in the middle.

Rich knocked a gavel three times from his seat.

Squawk! “This meeting will come to order.”

I leaned close to Chase again. “How does he know to say that?”

He shrugged. “One hell of a smart bird, isn’t he?”

“Thank you, Mayor Sterling,” Rich said.

“You’re welcome. Someone has to run this town!” Sterling flew to a perch near the table behind him, but not before he could be heard saying, “loser. ”

Everyone in the audience burst into laughter as poor Mayor Bowen flushed.

“Happens every time,” Bristol whispered with a grin. “Never gets old.”

Now I understood why people actually enjoyed attending these meetings. It wasn’t just small-town gossip or boring agendas. It was a show.

Mayor Bowen had the secretary read the minutes of the last meeting and then opened the floor up for new business. After some discussion over repaving a road and adding a stop sign somewhere else, he concluded the business portion of the meeting.

“Finally!” Sterling cried.

Amidst more laughter, Rich turned the floor over.

“Now we’ll hear from Beverly Seymour from our planning committee.”

Further up, I saw Emalee slink slowly down in her chair. I noticed a few others did, too. More tried to hide their face behind their hands.

Bristol noticed my puzzled look. “Beverly has a reputation. She’s the queen of guilt-tripping or just outright telling people what to do. If you’re in her sights, better run or you’ll be planning an entire event.”

“Why aren’t you hiding?”

She smirked. “Oh, it might have a little something to do with some pranks I pulled as a kid. Remember that goat fiasco in high school?”

I did. Someone had released three goats into the school, but numbered them One, Two, and Four, sending the staff into a panic, searching for a non-existent goat number Three. We thought it was hysterical. Richard Bowen, the principal at the time, did not.

“That was you ? ”

“Maybe. Maybe not,” she caged. “Doesn’t matter. Everyone thinks I did it. I’m not trusted to ‘coordinate’ anything. Works for me.”

I chuckled, but then the amusement faded. If someone as rooted in this town as Bristol couldn’t change old impressions, what chance would I have?

I chewed on my thumbnail as Beverly stepped up to the podium.

“As you know,” she started, “it’s time for our annual summer fundraiser. This year, we’ll be raising money to support our local food pantry and community crisis response program.”

Murmurs swept through the room.

“What crisis program?” someone hollered.

“I’m glad you asked. It’s a brand new initiative our town council voted to create.

This program will serve as a local safety net for any of our residents facing unexpected emergencies.

This might include being displaced by a fire or someone undergoing cancer treatment.

It will include essentials like clothes, food, toiletries, gas cards, or even childcare if needed.

” She paused for a breath. “This fundraiser will be a wonderful way to get it off the ground.”

I thought of Jordan, and how this might have helped his mom. “I can’t argue with the idea,” I whispered to Chase.

“It’s a good one,” he replied.

She continued. “So, to raise funds, we’ll start with our annual pancake breakfast. And I, of course, will contribute my famous recipe.” She beamed proudly and began scanning the room. “I just need someone to coordinate the details.”

Emalee shrank further.

“Donna?” Beverly called sweetly, her eyes zeroing in on someone near the back. “How about you? ”

A woman getting up from her seat in the back froze, then bolted out the door without a word.