Could he have had another secret affair? Discomfort tempted her to brush the idea away. It was bad enough he’d charmed her and lied to her. To think she was just one of many was somehow worse.

Mandy turned onto Main Street, drove a few blocks, and made a left. Since the diner had closed and the municipal building burned down, the coffee shop/bookstore had taken over as the gossip hub of Huntsville. The chamber of commerce met there every week for coffee. Usually she let her mom handle town politics, but Mandy had taken over that aspect of their business as well. She’d blown off the last few meetings, but today she was going to change her ways. As the former mayor and owner of the town diner, Nathan had dealt with the town business committee on a constant basis. What did his associates know about him?

It was just ten o’clock when she rushed into Ray’s Books ’N Brew and took the stairs to the second floor. The smell of Ray’s signature freshly ground dark roast hit her hard. She splurged on a latte and a cinnamon bun. As much as she enjoyed cooking, sometimes food she didn’t have to prepare tasted all the sweeter.

“Mandy! Over here.” The shop owner, Ray, waved from a small table. He gestured to the empty chair across from him. Empty because no one wanted to sit with the annoying little man, including Mandy. But dorky Ray knew everything that went on in town. With a sigh, Mandy wove her way through more than twenty people gathered in a space meant for twelve. Folks leaned on walls and perched on the wooden railing around the eatery.

She hung her purse on the back of the chair and sat. “Hi, Ray.”

Ray flushed from the base of his crewneck sweater to the top of his completely bald head. “Hi, Mandy.”

Ugh.

Dr. Chandler crossed the landing. He ordered a black coffee, turned around, and leaned against the counter. Lines around his eyes suggested he seriously needed the brew. Real estate agent Carolyn Fitzgerald looked like she’d rather be anywhere but the meeting. As usual, the older woman was decked out in a flashy suit, full makeup, and modern haircut. Her war paint, Mandy thought. Carolyn was no wimp. Despite her problems, she suited up and took on each day as it came.

Ray unwrapped a lollipop and pulled his reading glasses off the neck of his sweater before bringing the meeting to order with a rap of his knuckles on the table. “The first item on the agenda today is that we still don’t have a single candidate for someone to replace Nathan as mayor.” Ray lifted the glasses from his face and scanned the now-silent room.

Someone coughed. Shoes scraped on the wood floor. There was a pointed lack of eye contact. Mandy sipped her latte.