“He’s not going to be attending anything.” I look at him. “We can do this in the conference room,” I say and watch him nod and walk out. I grab the files I need and look over at my father. “All my life, I looked up to you,” I say, and I swear he rolls his eyes. I grab the door handle in my hand. “Now, I pray I don’t end up like you.”

I close the door and walk down the hallway when I’m stopped by someone who is planning the party. “I’m sorry to interrupt you, Mayor, but Bonnie isn’t here.”

“Yeah, I fired her,” I say, and she looks at me in shock. “What can I help you with?”

“Don’t worry about it,” she says. “I’ll handle everything. It’s tonight at six thirty.”

I nod and walk to the conference room, seeing that Thomas is sitting down and setting up his own papers. “Do you want anything to drink?” I ask. “I’m in the middle of hiring another assistant.”

“Did Bonnie quit?” he asks, and I shake my head.

“Let’s just say we didn’t see eye-to-eye,” I say, and he looks down.

“If you want, my daughter is looking for a job. I have her helping out at my office, but it’s a pity job, to be honest. She’s thirty and happily married with two kids who are now both in school.”

“That would be great,” I say. “Can she start today?” I’m kidding with him when he pulls out his phone and types something.

“She’ll be right over,” he tells me. At least I can cross that off my list. “Now let’s talk about why you asked for this meeting.”

I sit down and open my folder. “I was going over the budget for the past ten years,” I say, taking out the papers, “and I know we balanced every single year.” I turn the papers toward him. “But there is something in the budget I’m not understanding. There is a miscellaneous charge every single year, and the amount gets bigger and bigger.” I see him swallow and then look down. “I’m wondering if you can explain that to me.”

“Well,” he says, tapping his hand on the desk. “It could mean a bunch of stuff, meals that were paid for or hotel rooms. Sometimes there have been some fundraising stuff that has to be expenses.”

I lean back in the chair. “Hotel rooms?”

“When you have to travel,” he says, “you expense it.”

“Travel?” I shake my head. “Am I missing something here?”

“Beau,” he says my name in almost a warning. “Why don’t you just leave it alone and run the mayor’s office like you want to run it? The budget has been posted and passed in the last meeting.”