She didn’t think so, but he looked cute when he went all woe is me. “Are you worried about Charles finding out? Because he’s going to question the timing. He’s going to want to know why we didn’t have a big wedding. He’s going to want to know why me. Mostly he’s going to be suspicious.”

“He’s going to be more than suspicious, and that’s why you need to think this through,” Rene replied. “I’m absolutely certain my cousin will hire a private detective to watch us. Specifically to watch you.”

“He won’t see anything interesting. I haven’t done anything interesting in years. Like I said, I haven’t had time to. My last relationship was with a man in DC. We worked on a national campaign together, and for about six months we dated.” Being on the road could be hard, and it often led to affairs between staffers. “That was the last time I had any kind of a relationship, so it’s not like I’m jumping from one man to another. It’s entirely possible we’ve been seeing each other for months but we wanted to keep it quiet because of my position in the community.”

Rene seemed to think about it. “That could work. My friends will put the word out.”

“And no one is better at spreading gossip than Hallie. The minute I tell her, she’ll sell it, if you know what I mean.” She was sure Hallie could have the story they wanted out in no time at all. “She’ll frame it as an undercover romance. If people ask, we can tell them we didn’t want to be out in the open until we were sure about our relationship. The situation at your company forced our hand, but we made the decision to take the plunge because we’re very much in love. We would have liked to have more time, but we’ve got faith.”

“You are far better at this than I am, Madam Mayor.”

She had experience on how to control an unwieldy narrative. “We should go with that story with everyone except our closest acquaintances.”

“There will still be talk,” he pointed out.

“Maybe amongst themselves, but I assure you no one in this town will talk to Charles.” Charles Darois’s past actions would be their best ally. “People around here can’t stand Charles. That wife of his is snooty and their kids are bullies. It also might be time to do some charitable work.”

Rene stared at her, emotion plain on his face. “Sylvie, do you have any idea what you’re saving for me?”