“Have you thought about getting to know your tenants? It’s a small town. Things work differently here. I know it feels odd, but if you give it some time, I think you’ll like it.” She knew Leonard was frustrating, but Justin obviously wasn’t used to dealing with people, which would make it hard for him to be a good landlord.

“My dad did.” Justin seemed to deflate. “I want to . . . I don’t know . . . make him proud. We weren’t close. I feel that now.”

“Take care of his tenants.” Her heart softened a bit because it was obvious he wanted to try. “I think you’ll find it’s a good way to feel the connection. Working here in city hall helps me feel close to my father. And like I said, give me a call if you have trouble with him again.”

She stood because it looked like she’d listened to her last citizen for the day, and she had a long afternoon of going over budget reports ahead of her, and then she had dinner with her two besties where she would hear about their babies. She didn’t even have a dog.

She’d thought she would have a baby by now. And a husband and a house that wasn’t falling apart around her.

She hadn’t even dated in the last year. She was so far from where she thought she’d be now.

Rene had stopped, smiling at the man he was talking to. His lips had kicked up in that smile that got her heart racing.

She was not going there again. Nope. He’d turned her down, and he’d honestly been right to do it. They’d been far too young, and now she knew he wasn’t the right guy for her. He lived in a different world. He dated models and beauty queens, and she dated intellectuals. Well, she did when she dated.

“So you’re the mayor?”

She’d practically forgotten Justin was still standing there. “Yes. That’s what they tell me.”

“You’re pretty young for a mayor.”

She got that a lot. “Well, like I’ve mentioned, this is a small town and Mayor Malloy had been in office for almost thirty years. When he passed, they weren’t sure who to replace him with. I have a master’s degree in political science and I worked in DC for a few years, so I got recruited.”

“Well, I’m glad you did. I’ll be honest, I was feeling pretty down. You’re good at your job, Madam Mayor.” He gave her a smile.

“Thank you. If you’ll excuse me, Mr. Hardy, I have another meeting to get to.” Lunch in her office suddenly didn’t seem like a bad idea.

“Hey, I was wondering if you would like to grab some coffee sometime, and maybe we can talk some more.”