A Good Kind of Insane

Sam paced across Zoe’s office. Katie’s scent lingered, though he couldn’t pinpoint what it was, or when he had discovered that she smelled like it. It just was. But it brought comfort knowing that even though she wasn’t there, a part of her had stayed behind.

Except it should have been more than just her scent in that room. Katie and Zoe were already forty-five minutes late. With an impatient glance at his watch, Sam compared the time with the clock on the wall. They were the same. He pulled out his phone, just to make sure. As he stared at the large digital numbers that informed him that, yes, they really were that late, his phone vibrated in his hand.

“Zoe, where are you guys? I thought you were meeting me almost an hour ago.” Sam tried to keep his frustration at bay, but it seeped through his words anyway.

“I know. I’m sorry,” Zoe said, her voice hushed. “I hope you’ve been able to get some work done on your other projects.”

Sam silently cursed. Of course, that would have been the sensible thing to do. But Sam hadn’t been sensible since Katie had been towed into town, and into his life. He hadn’t given his mountain of paperwork a second thought. Heck, he hadn’t even given it a first thought. “I was just about to start on it, but I’ll hold off if you’re almost here.”

A door closed and footsteps echoed over the line.

“Where are you?” Sam asked.

“I’m in the garage. I wanted to be able to talk without Katie overhearing.”

A sick feeling in Sam’s stomach forced him to sit down. “What’s going on? Don’t tell me she’s quit too.”

“No, nothing like that,” Zoe quickly reassured him. “But for whatever reason, Katie says she’d rather work from my place.”

Sam pounded a fist on Zoe’s desk and cursed under his breath. It was his fault. He should have just left her alone the night before. Something he said had made Katie uncomfortable and now she couldn’t even work with him anymore.

“What’s wrong, boss?” Zoe asked, her voice laced with concern.

“I had set aside this weekend to make sure we have the holiday festival under control, and now our event coordinator won’t even come into the office.”

“Just because Katie won’t come to you doesn’t mean you can’t come to her. We can all work from here. I’ll even order pizza.”

Sam paused. “Why didn’t you say that from the beginning?”

Zoe laughed. “I just wanted to give you a heads up. I wasn’t trying to freak you out.”

“I’ll be there in ten.”

Sam stood on Zoe’s porch so long, he wouldn’t have been surprised if the neighbors called and reported that a stalker was harassing the mayor’s assistant. He knew he was being ridiculous, but he couldn’t help but feel like he was intruding on Katie’s space. This was where she lived for the time being, and she had made it clear that she was uncomfortable working at the office. The only thing there that could be responsible for those feelings was Sam. Did he really think he had a right to infringe on her wishes like this?

“What are you staring at?”

Sam jumped, startled by the voice behind him.

“Sorry, big brother,” Ruby said. Her tinkling laugh eased his anxiety about what lay beyond Zoe’s door. “Are you going in?” She nodded toward the door.

“Yes, I was just—” Sam had no idea how to end that sentence in a rational way. He was just admiring the woodwork? Wanted to make sure it was sturdy? Sam settled for a shrug. “Just tired, I guess.”

Ruby winked as she pushed past him. “Yes, I’m sure you are.”

Sam gaped, rooted to the porch. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. I just heard you were at the office late—with Katie.” Ruby gave a quick knock on the door then let herself in without waiting for an answer.

“It wasn’t like that,” Sam called after her retreating back. “What are you even doing here?”

“I heard you needed some help,” Ruby called back over her shoulder.

Had Katie been talking about him? What had she said that would illicit a wink from his sister? Sam’s head reeled.

“Are you coming in or what?” Zoe yelled from somewhere inside the house.

“Yeah, yeah,” Sam grumbled, finally willing his feet to move forward. He found the three girls huddled around the kitchen table. From the way they were all talking over each other with intermittent giggling, it was hard to tell if they were working or gossiping. Sam made a mental note to hire a male assistant next time.

Katie was partially hidden by the other two, but when she sat up, she met Sam’s gaze. She didn’t give off a guarded vibe like she normally did. Instead, Katie’s eyes were so full of life, it had transformed her into a completely different person. And the best thing about it? When Katie looked at Sam, her smile didn’t fade. He could have even sworn that her smile grew wider when she saw him.

Sam returned her smile. “I take it that things are going well?”

Zoe nodded. “We made the right choice hiring Katie. Her ideas are phenomenal. I mean, seriously, we are going to have the best festival ever.”

“But it doesn’t even have a holiday theme,” Ruby complained. “It’s on Christmas Eve—it should at least be somewhat festive.”

“All of these ideas can be adapted,” Katie said. “The balloon artist can make things like reindeer, stars, dreidels, or anything else that someone might like.”

“Okay,” Ruby said. “But what about the clown doing magic tricks by the canopy?”

“The canopy will be covered in Christmas lights, and the clown will be dressed like Santa.”

Ruby threw up her arms. “All right, you win. Your ideas are awesome. It will definitely be better than last year when we just had a giant tent with white lights and the town orchestra. It felt like we were at a wedding.”

Katie and Zoe glanced at each other, and then both burst out laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Ruby demanded.

Sam chuckled. “If it hadn’t been for Katie, that is exactly what this year’s festival would have looked like. I have the design sitting on Zoe’s desk to prove it.”

Katie glanced at the pug-shaped clock on the wall. “We better get going. I promised Bev we would meet her at ten-thirty.”

“And then we’re reconvening for pizza and homemade gingerbread cookies,” Zoe said.

Sam raised an eyebrow. “Homemade? What’s the occasion?”

“Why does there have to be an occasion?”

“Because you never cook. Ever.” Sam had seen her try when he had just hired her and she was still trying to impress the boss. It wasn’t pretty. Good thing she wasn’t trying to make the pizza as well.

“Seriously? You’re still bringing that up?” Zoe said. “That was two years ago and I was trying to cook fancy. If you must know, I make the best gingerbread cookies in town. I just don’t advertise it so I can eat them all myself instead of having to share.”

“We are honored that you would let us in on your secret,” Katie said.

Zoe crossed her arms and gave a satisfied nod. “Thank you, Katie. At least someone appreciates me around here.”

Sam paused. “Wait, who is Bev?”

                                                                                * * * * *

I hope Bev got the clothes I left for her. Katie walked the path at a leisurely pace with Zoe, Ruby, and Sam close behind. Bev was supposed to already be in the park, dressed and ready to go, but Katie didn’t see her.

“Looks like she’s running late,” Zoe said.

“Is that her?” Ruby asked, pointing to the opposite side of the park.

Katie saw a woman walking toward them, but it didn’t look like Bev. And yet, those did look like Katie’s clothes. “Yes,” she said, “I think it is.”

The difference between Bev the day before and the woman now standing before their small group was unbelievable. She wore a smart business suit and her hair was pulled back. Her dark eyes stood out against the purple eyeshadow and eyeliner that looked like it had been applied by a professional.

It took a moment for Katie to snap out of her daze before she could introduce Bev to everyone.

“Bev, this is Mayor Freedman, Zoe, his executive assistant, and the mayor’s sister, Ruby,” Katie said and they nodded their greetings. “This is Bev Stewart, and she is going to be managing the holiday festival. She’ll make sure everyone is at their stations, that they have what they need, and will inform us of any problems.”

Katie glanced between Bev and Sam, praying that he wouldn’t recognize her as the homeless woman from the day before. Katie doubted he would, considering she barely did.

“It’s very nice to meet you, Ms. Stewart,” Sam said, shaking her hand.

So far so good, but then Zoe pursed her lips and asked, “Do you have experience managing large events?” She studied Bev like someone studies their soup when they think they saw a fly land in it. “I thought I knew everyone in the business.”

Bev threw her shoulders back and kept her head high. “I’ve managed everything from my eight kids to a large corporation that employed over three thousand people. I haven’t done a lot with events, specifically, but you don’t have anything to worry about. I can handle it.” Her gaze was fierce and Zoe immediately backed down. Bev hadn’t been kidding—the woman knew how to handle people.

Katie smiled. They were actually going to pull this off. The town of Amor would be employing the entire homeless camp for their holiday festival and not even know it. “Bev, will you show them where we imagined each of the stations so they can get a better feel for how it will look? So far, all they’ve seen is a rough sketch on notebook paper.”

Bev nodded. “Gladly.” She led them throughout the park, from where the entertainment stage would be, to where a giant piñata would hang from an old tree. “Wouldn’t be a party without a piñata,” she said. Bev had a way of describing the future event in such vivid detail, Katie could almost smell the hot chocolate and popcorn in the air.

Too bad Katie wasn’t sticking around for the festival.

Katie had never organized an event before, and yet she found it easy to anticipate what people wanted, and how she needed to deliver it. When Bev had said she had a talent in leadership, Katie had known immediately they would make an awesome team. And if they took it a step further and started their own business—

Katie caught the reins in time to pull that thought back. She couldn’t allow herself to imagine the possibility of a normal, even a happy, life here. Other people had that kinds of life. Honest, good people. People that weren’t her.

A hand on Katie’s shoulder snapped her out of her thoughts.

“You okay?”

Katie spun around, automatically defensive, and switched into kick-them-in-the-crotch mode. Thankfully, Sam’s arm swung down, blocking the blow. He gazed at her, his eyes crinkled in concern.

“Must be a rough neighborhood you’re from.”

Katie buried her face in her hands. “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe I just did that.”

“I’m actually relieved to know you can handle yourself in a tough town like Amor. Those moves will come in handy when the coyotes and rattlesnakes come for you. Though you’ll need to come up with something better to deal with the scorpions. They’re a sneaky bunch.”

Katie knew he was joking, trying to make her feel better, but that didn’t change the fact that she had just been dangerously close to ridding the world of any future Sam Jrs.

Sam pulled Katie’s hands away and didn’t let go. “I’m sorry, you just seemed lost in thought and I wanted to make sure this isn’t all too overwhelming for you. I know this week must feel like you stepped into a dream, or a nightmare, depending on how you look at it.”

Katie couldn’t tear her gaze from their hands—together. It seemed like she should be freaking out. And yet, nothing had ever felt so…right.

Which was what made it wrong.

Katie pulled back and crossed her arms, as if she were cold. “You’re right, it has been an insane week. I never would have thought I’d be in New Mexico, let alone working for the mayor of a town I’d never heard of.” When Sam seemed a little disappointed by her answer, she quickly said, “But it’s been insane in a good way.”

“There’s a good form of insane?” Sam teased.

Katie smiled and wished she hadn’t pulled back from him. “Absolutely.” And she meant it.