Sophie Oak - Sirens in Bliss

Rafe sighed. It was so much more than that. “I miss having a job at all.”

“Well, that’s good because I’m offering you a new one, one that will definitely keep you busy.”

Rafe shook his head, gesturing for Zane to move into the hall. He closed the door to Sierra’s room after making sure the baby monitor light was working. “I’m still not quite sure how you can offer me any job at all.”

“It’s called a coup, Rafe.” Zane’s massive body took up most of the space. “This is a good old-fashioned political coup. It’s also what’s best for this town and very likely what’s best for you. You’re drifting.”

He didn’t like the sound of that. Even if it was kind of true. “I’m looking for a job.”

“And yet you’re still here in this cabin all day long. Hey, I know about what happened with the feds. Sorry about that, man.” His green eyes became grave. “If you want to work in government again, you’re going to have to lie about your living arrangement. Unless you work in Bliss. I wish it wasn’t true, but the outside world isn’t going to accept Cam. Have you talked about keeping him a secret from work?”

Cam Briggs was his best friend and the best man Rafe had ever known. “I won’t say I haven’t thought about it. What am I supposed to do? Pretend Cam is some lazy friend who lives in the guest bedroom? How would I ever explain that to Sierra?”

Cam had been the one to give up putting his name on the adoption papers. Sierra was legally Rafe and Laura’s. Cam trusted him. He couldn’t betray his best friend like that.

And he also couldn’t just stay in the cabin for the rest of his life. But shouldn’t the mayor be voted into office?

“I suspect that would cause trouble down the line if you decide to work outside of Bliss. Of course, you could make a difference right here in the town where your daughter will grow up.” Zane was doing a reasonable impersonation of Mephistopheles. That was exactly what Rafe needed, his own personal deal with the devil.

“Explain this little coup attempt to me.” In the background he could hear Marie arguing with Polly.

Before Zane could say a word, Laura was walking into the short hallway. The space was starting to get cramped.

“Rafe, what’s going on? Why is there a town hall meeting in our living room?” Laura asked, concern in her eyes.

“Because we’re trying to avoid a town hall meeting in the town hall,” Zane explained.

“Hiram died.” He wasn’t going to keep that from his wife.

“Damn it, Kincaid.” Zane slapped at the wall. “We’re going to have to work on your discretion.”

Laura’s eyes filled with tears, her whole face softening. “Oh, I suppose that wasn’t unexpected given his age. It’s just so sad. When is the funeral?”

“Whenever they decide to take him out of Zane’s freezer.”

Those tear-filled eyes went wide. “What?”

“Our friends are here because they stuffed Hiram into Zane’s freezer in an attempt to take power.” It was a very Blissian-style coup. No real violence, just a pacifist hooker and a freeze-dried mayor.

Laura turned on Zane, her body on full alert. “You need to explain what is going on right now, Zane Hollister, or I swear I am going to tell Callie and she is going to be so upset with you.”

Zane did not look impressed with Laura’s temper. “Who do you think suggested the freezer at Trio? Callie’s really smart. She was totally in on this. And don’t try to call Nate. He’s backing me on this. He knows what could happen.”

Laura shook her head and walked back into the living room, talking as she went. Rafe and Zane had no choice but to follow. “I can’t believe this. You should all be ashamed of yourselves.”

“You told her?” Long-Haired Roger asked. “Maybe we should rethink this. Rafe is not as sneaky as Zane said he was.”

Rafe was a little offended. He could be very sneaky when he wanted to be. He shut his mouth. It actually worked on his behalf if no one thought he was sneaky. “I don’t lie to my wife.”

Of course he hadn’t told her about the Miami offer either.

“Stella, how could you?” Laura looked at the café owner. “Hiram was one of your best friends.”

Stella stared her down. “And I’m trying to save his legacy.”

Marie stepped up. “Will you think about this for two seconds, Laura? What happens if Hiram dies without a deputy mayor in place?”

“We do what every other town in this country does. We have a special election.” Laura crossed her arms over her chest, a sure sign that she was irritated.

“Yep,” Zane said as he sat back down on the couch. “We have a special election. How’s Nell going to handle that?”

Laura sighed. “Well, she would probably run. She would think of it as her civic duty.” Nell was one of Laura’s closest friends, but even Rafe could see she was a little disturbed by the idea. “Obviously she wouldn’t win.”

No one in their right mind wanted Nell with real political power. She would force the citizenry to switch to eco-friendly cars. She would turn city hall into an animal refuge. Rafe tried to imagine Zane Hollister stuffing his massive body into a Prius.

“You would think that,” Stella said. “But I’m not so sure. We’ve run several scenarios and you would be surprised at what happens. I had the Farley brothers make a computer simulation of the most likely outcome. You see I happen to know that Stef is planning on bringing in his own candidate.”

“See, Stef will pick someone good. He loves this town. He’ll find the right candidate and then Nell won’t stand a chance,” Laura pointed out.

“Oh, Laura, but you’re not thinking about the fact that Bliss has two kings now and they are battling it out.” Polly shook her head with a rueful sigh. “Ever since Seth Stark came home, he’s been trying to prove he’s just as generous as Stef. Poor Gene. Stef gave him a loan to upgrade his projectors at the drive-in and then Seth turned right around and paid for new screens. And then Stef brought in new popcorn poppers and a brand new audio system and then Seth had to pay for someone to teach Gene how to use all that stuff. He was crying, I tell you. Caught between two billionaires. It’s horrible.”

There were a lot of women Rafe knew who wouldn’t think it was horrible, but he was starting to see the issue. “You’re afraid they’ll compete to put in their own mayors.”

Marie shook her head. “I’m not afraid. I know it will happen. I offered to shoot them both, but Stella had a problem with it.”

“I’m not going to let you shoot my son.” Stella had taken to calling Stef her son ever since she’d married Sebastian Talbot. She would shrug and say she really just meant that he was her stepson, but Rafe knew the truth. Stella had raised Stef.

There were odd little families all over Bliss.

“I wasn’t going to kill him,” Marie shot back. “I was just going to make sure he was laid up. He and Seth could share a recovery room and maybe they would learn to play nice.”

“No one is shooting Stef and Seth.” It was really time someone laid down the law. If he allowed them to go on, they would argue in circles for hours. “And Seth is spending most of his time in New York right now. Stef has a baby on the way. They don’t have time to dabble in small-town politics.”

Stella coughed a little and mumbled under her breath.

“What did you say?” Polly asked, her eyes narrowing.

Stella cleared her throat. “I said Stef already has a plan.”

Marie pointed an accusatory finger Stella’s way. “I knew it. And if Stef is involved, Seth won’t be far behind.”

“What kind of plan does Stef have? Hey, you don’t think he sent Bambi to Hi, do you?” Long-Haired Roger asked.

“He certainly did not.” Stella sent the mechanic a stern look. “Stef loved Hiram, but he’s been waiting for him to step down and he definitely planned on installing someone who would be friendly to Stef’s plans. He hired a political consultant and he’s got it between two candidates, neither of whom actually lives in Bliss right now. He’s planning on moving them in.”

Rafe felt a frown cover his face. He actually didn’t like the sound of that plan. “Why on earth would Stef bring someone from the outside in?”

“Because he doesn’t think anyone in town could do the job except himself and he really doesn’t have time for that,” Stella explained.

Really? Stef didn’t think a man who had been educated at an Ivy League school could handle small town politics? “If I decide to be the mayor, I assure you I can handle the job.”

Laura looked back, obviously startled. “You?”

Did anyone think he could do it? “Probably not, but it’s been discussed, though apparently not by Stef and Seth. So Stef intends to bring in a candidate and you believe Seth would follow by bringing in his own candidate.”

Zane groaned a little. “Oh, he will absolutely follow. Do you honestly believe he won’t? They would go all out. They would try to beat each other. We would be in for weeks and weeks of those political calls. You think you like the local radio station that plays classic rock? Well, forget about it because all we’ll hear are ads for the two parties, and you know what happens at the end of all of it?”

Laura gasped a little. “Oh my god, everyone gets sick of the city folks and votes for Nell. Nell will be the mayor of Bliss.”

Zane gave her a thumbs-up. “Like we said—it’s the apocalypse.”

Laura turned to him. “Rafe, you have to save us. Please tell me you have a plan.”

Yes, he had a plan. Moving was looking better and better.

Stef and Jen

Jen stepped out onto the balcony and looked down at the gorgeously decorated party space below. The morning had flown by and now the afternoon was here and the party had begun. She’d done pretty well if she did say so herself. The backyard was elegantly decorated. The manicured lawn was filled with beautifully dressed people eating the best food and drinking the best wine she could afford. The mountains in the distance lent the scene a gauzy, soft feel, like the world was just one big well-painted landscape.

All the men were on the mountain at their party. She wondered if Stef was smiling and having a good time.

“Everything is so beautiful,” Shelley McNamara soon-to-be Meyer said as she looked around the balcony. The bride-to-be was wearing a pretty summer dress that set off her black hair. She had been out on the lawn talking to the guests who had come out to her small Bliss pre-wedding reception. She looked even prettier up close.

Jen felt a little like a watermelon around the radiant bride. Shelley McNamara had a lovely sense of style. With her raven black hair and stylish dress, she was rapidly making Jen feel like a big old cow.

“Thanks, I love throwing parties,” Jen murmured. She wished she could have a sip of wine, of tequila, of anything.

“Well, this is one I’ll remember for a long time. I just wanted to say thank you.” Shelley waved to someone on the lawn. “I’m going to go downstairs. I see my friends. Thank you again.”

She hurried along, her heels clacking along the floor. Jen couldn’t wear heels right now. She couldn’t fit into that svelte, sleek little dress Shelley was wearing.

“I know that look. I’ve had that look on my face many times.” Rachel shook her head as she looked over the crowd. “I hate her.”

Jen had to smile. Rachel was always ready to lend a hand. There was no one in the world more loyal than her friend Rachel. It had been a blessing to find her. “No, you don’t.”

“Yes, I do. I hate whoever you hate.”

Callie walked up, a margarita in her hand. “Who do we hate?”

They were her girls. Callie and Rach always had her back. Her dour mood began to lift and she couldn’t help but tease her friend. “Honey, we hate you because you’re the only one of us who can booze it up. I hired two bartenders for this pre-wedding reception and all I can ask for is a Shirley Temple.”

Callie put her drink down. “Well, I’m the only one who’s not pregnant. And I’m not going to be for a little while. I’m taking a break from gestating. There are four men living in my house. Can you imagine the mess when my babies get to be teenagers? My whole cabin is going to smell like feet. I totally need the tequila.”

Rachel was pregnant again, but she was barely showing. And she had to beat her husbands off her even when she was round as a beach ball. Just a few weeks before, Rachel and Max had gotten locked in a closet at the art gallery where they were sneaking away for some fun in the afternoon.