Page 46 of Love Arranged

Mayor Ludlow has overseen Lake Wisteria for nearly three decades after taking over from his late father, and he recently celebrated his sixty-fifth birthday last year before announcing his upcoming retirement.

“Mayor Ludlow.” I take advantage of our proximity and memorize the company logo on the corner of the plans.

The mayor keeps a smile in place while he rolls up the paper, but I don’t return it before acknowledging his other son. “Trevor.”

I ignore Richard altogether, earning a raised brow from Mayor Ludlow and a grin from Trevor. The eldest Ludlow son is thirty-five, while Richard was born five years later. They look similar with their matching blond hair and blue eyes, although Trevor stands out with his warm smile and friendly demeanor.

Of the two Ludlow sons, Trevor is the more approachable one, so I understand why Mayor Ludlow chose him as his predecessor over Richard, who usually looks like he is suffering from a chronic case of IBS.

Or maybe he only appears that way around me.

“Nice to see you, Lily,” Trevor says.

“What are you all doing out here?” I ask.

Mayor Ludlow’s smile returns. “We’re going over some of the architect’s plans for Lavender Lane.”

My heart stutters. “A bit premature, don’t you think?”

“I want to hit the ground running after I’m sworn in.” Trevor winks.

“Assuming that even happens.” I spare Richard a glance and wish I hadn’t.

His icy-blue eyes are laser focused on me.

“We know the letter must’ve come as quite a shock,” Mayor Ludlow speaks. “But Trevor is going to make sure everyone is taken care of and given first dibs on the new retail spaces.”

“How thoughtful of him to offer us an opportunity to buy our own properties back for quadruple the price.”

“We understand rent prices have gotten a bit out of hand…” the mayor says. “But we’re partnering with the local bank to offer small business loans to those who are misplaced.”

“You mean the bank you own?”

The mayor’s smile falters. “Yes, but our rates are competitive, I assure you.”

Richard, who probably suggested Lavender Lane for this plan to spite me, says, “For the price we’re paying for the building, you should be grateful.”

“I guess I’m too blinded by my rage to appreciate your generosity.”

Richard shrugs.

Any lingering hope of convincing the mayor to change his mind goes up in flames because there is no way Richard will let that happen. He resents me far too much.

Mayor Ludlow intervenes. “What Richard means to say is that we want to take good care of your mother and everyone elseon this street. That’s why we’re giving everyone six months to get their affairs in order because we know this will be difficult on everybody?—”

I interrupt, “Which I’m sure Richardloves.”

Mayor Ludlow looks at us curiously, most likely confused since no one in town knows that Richard and I had a short fling.

Whoever said the best way to get over someone is to get under someone else clearly left out a few important details, like don’t assume it’ll make you feel any better, and more importantly, donotpick a person who can make your life miserable should you break things off with them.

“A word, Lily?” The vein in Richard’s jaw jumps.

I’m about to deny his request when he grabs my elbow and steers me away. Once we round a corner, he spins around.

“Have some class and stop making a scene in front of my family before they realize my lapse of judgment.”

My mouth falls open. I don’t want anyone to know what we did either, but damn, it still stings to be spoken to like that by someone I was once intimate with.