KENNICK: A Bad Boy Romance Novel by Meg Jackson Page B

riled up. It was just the shock of it. But, you
know, I’ve done some thinking. Can’t really blame the sons for the sins of the
father, can you?”

 
    “Tell that to old Hendrix,” Ed glowered. “He was just
in here raising hell about sin.”

 
    “Oh, that old blowhard,” Mayor Gunderson grumbled.

 
    “He’s expecting a call,” Kim piped up. “Don’t imagine
it will be a nice one.”

 
    Mayor Gunderson sighed and Kim felt sorry for what
he’d have to deal with when he got the Pastor on the line. Their friendship was
old but strong, and if Mayor Gunderson really had changed his tune on the matter, it might cause a rift between
them.

 
    “You know, it hurt us all quite a bit back in the
day,” Mayor Gunderson said, shaking his head. “Some of us more than others. I
thought I had it bad, but Hendrix…well, he just about lost his mind. I was
happy when he took to God instead of drinking. That man and the bottle don’t go
well together.”

 
    Ed and Kim shared a momentary glance; the same could
almost be said for Mayor Gunderson himself. Though he didn’t have the same
temper as Pastor Hendrix, he certainly had a deep propensity for booze, and it
sometimes got in the way of his best interests. The other night had been a good
example of that.

 
    “Well, like I said, I just wanted to check in,” Ed
said. “Glad to hear you’re gonna let sleeping dogs lie. Not gonna lie though, I do love the drama and intrigue of it
all.”

 
    “And that’s why Kimmy here wanted you to get going, I
bet,” Mayor Gunderson said with a chuckle. “Go on back to eavesdropping on your
customers, will ya?”

 
    “Beats arguing with Demi Kilter over stocking more
vegan cheese products,” Ed said, returning the Mayor’s pat on the back as he
swiveled to leave the office. Mayor Gunderson rapped on the counter.

 
    “Anything besides Pastor Hendrix to take care of this
afternoon?”

 
    “Not really,” Kim said. “But you really ought to look
over some of those applications the Volanis’ brought in. I left copies on your
desk.”

 
    “Will do, Kimmy,” he said before disappearing behind
his door. Kim wondered at his change of heart, but truly wasn’t that surprised.
Mayor Gunderson didn’t typically let much get to him. He was a roll with the
punches kind of guy. That’s what made him such a dream to work for. And, in a
way, he was a lot like the town that elected him term after term. There were
the few bad seeds, like Pastor Hendrix and Bob Talkee, but as a whole they were
good people who were willing to work with what they had to work with.

 
    She glanced at the clock. It was just past one. In
four hours, she’d be closing up for the day. And then she’d be meeting Kennick
Volanis for dinner. She’d already picked out what she was going to wear: a
little black dress, something casual and light for the summer but which
flattered her soft, curvy body. She hummed a bit as she shuffled mindlessly
through the papers in front of her. A date with Kennick Volanis. Kimberly James
was going on a date with a wild-haired, green-eyed, strong-bodied gypsy. It
didn’t seem quite possible, or real.

 
    Give
yourself a little credit, she thought, and it surprised her. She wasn’t used to
giving herself any credit. But the way that man looked at her…well, it seemed
like he was giving her an awful lot
of credit. And she liked the way that felt. Liked it very, very much.

Chapter Fifteen

 
    Kim could smell the food even as she stood on the
little cement steps. It smelled heavenly. But she could also hear something
rather strange. An intense buzzing noise that reminded her of something that
made her blush. Something she’d been given once as a joke gift, had used once
or twice out of curiosity, and then stashed away in her lingerie drawer. Yes,
it sounded exactly like that little
vibrator.

 
    But for her to be able to hear it from outside must
mean it wasn’t a very little vibrator at