Teresa Southwick - A Decent Proposal

That didn’t make her happy, but unfortunately she was stuck.

Chapter Four

On his way to the county buildings on the other side of Blackwater Lake, Burke drove past McKnight Auto and glanced over. Several cars were lined up waiting for service orders to be written up, but there was no sign of Sydney. He hadn’t realized how much he’d hoped for a glimpse of her until he didn’t get one. If she hadn’t approached him with her unorthodox proposal, would he have asked her out?

On his part the attraction had been instantaneous so there was a better-than-even chance he would have. But after dinner with her father and the mayor the other night, it was crystal clear that if he’d followed his usual pattern of avoiding a woman he would have missed something...exciting? Special? Life-changing?

Maybe all of the above. But whatever happened, this thing could never be permanent. When it came to his personal life, permanent and forever weren’t part of the vocabulary.

He turned left onto Mountain Street and drove a couple of blocks. The city and county government offices were on the right. He knew where the mayor’s office was, having been there several times, and the construction-permits office was somewhere under the same roof.

He parked in the rear lot and walked through the heavy glass doors into the lobby. There was a directory on the wall and Burke saw that the building inspector’s office number was located on the second floor. There was an elevator, but he found the stairs and headed up. Too many hours behind a desk could add weight to his midsection. He worked out daily at the lodge fitness center but never missed an opportunity to move more.

When he was home, Liam frequently asked him to play ball, any kind. Baseball, football, soccer. Too often Burke had to say no because of work commitments. He wished he could delegate a lot of details and be home more, but he’d tried that a few times and there was no one he trusted enough. Things got missed, delays resulted and when that happened it cost the company millions. Burke was building an already successful business with his cousin Sloan and someday it would be Liam’s. He felt an obligation to leave it more profitable than he’d found it.

Burke located the office and went inside. There was a waiting area with a couch, chairs and a coffee table. A high desk was situated on the left and he walked over. A blonde woman somewhere in her late thirties or early forties was standing there.

“Hi. I’m Burke Holden.”

“Sally Gardiner,” she said, introducing herself. “I’ve heard about you.”

“Really?” He in no way meant to flirt, but what was a guy supposed to say to that? Just be friendly. “I hope it was positive.”

“You’re the fella who’s building that new resort up on the mountain. You’ve got a flashy red sports car. And you had dinner with Sydney McKnight and her dad and the mayor at the Fireside the other night.”

“News travels fast. And it’s all true,” he said.

“Generally stories being passed around town are factual and details aren’t made up or exaggerated.” She grinned. “Folks here in Blackwater Lake take pride in the integrity of our rumor mill.”

“Good to know,” he said.

“If anything, whoever’s doing the telling plays down personal opinion. But you’re even more handsome than I heard.”

“Thank you. I’d hate to disappoint.”

“So,” she said, “are you and Sydney an item?”

In a way, he thought, but not how she meant. “Well...”

“Sorry. I’m nosy. But the thing is, folks are going to ask me. It’ll be all over town that you were in here today.” She shrugged.

“An item?” Burke thought for a moment. “Not unless you define an item as a man and woman who are getting to know each other.”

“Hmm.” It seemed as if she was the tiniest bit disappointed in the answer. “Okay, then. What is it I can do for you today, Mr. Holden?”

“Burke, please. You’ll probably be seeing a lot of me around here.” He smiled pleasantly, but there was no response from the clerk. “I’m here to look into building permits for the resort.”

“You’ll need to speak with the building department supervisor.”

“That would be great. Is he free?”

“I’ll check for you. Have a seat.”

“Thanks.”

Burke did as asked but had hoped to be shown in without having to wait. There was a lot to do back at the office and he had a scheduled call with his cousin soon. After ten minutes he began to look at his watch. Probably he should have called ahead to make an appointment. He didn’t want to be perceived as presumptuous. That little detail would spread like a wind-driven wildfire and not make his work life in this small town easier.

Just when he was wondering whether or not to leave a message that he would call and schedule a time, Sally walked back behind the counter.

“Sorry I took so long, Burke. Had to update John on some things. He’ll see you now.”

Burke had seen John Donnelly, Building Supervisor, stenciled on the door to this office. “Thank you.”

“Follow me. Through there.” She pointed to the door separating the waiting area from the back offices.

Sally led him down the hall to the last office, which was probably the biggest. The door was open and she poked her head in. “John, this is the fella I was telling you about.”

“Thanks, Sally.” The man was in his late fifties, with gray hair and brown eyes. He was a little over six feet tall because they were eye-to-eye when he stood and held out his hand. “John Donnelly. Nice to meet you, Mr. Holden.”

“Burke.”

“Okay.” He indicated the two chairs in front of a desk where construction plans were unrolled for further scrutiny. In the corners of the room, similar rolls were standing up in stacks, probably blueprints waiting for approval. “Have a seat, Burke.”

“Thanks.”

“What can I do for you?”

“I wanted to introduce myself. As you probably know, I’m in charge of building the resort up on the mountain. It’s my job to facilitate construction, cross the t ’s and dot the i ’s. In my experience, the process of doing that is much smoother after I get to know who I’ll be working with.”

John, cool and assessing, leaned back in his desk chair. “I can see that.”

“It would also be helpful to know what paperwork the county requires. Every one is a little different.”

“Sure.” The other man nodded.

“I’ve researched codes and zoning restrictions for Blackwater Lake but wanted to find out from the guy in charge if I have the latest information.”

“I can help you with that.”

“It would speed things along to know how many copies of the building plans and site plans you require. How much detail we need to add. Make sure you don’t have to ask for more documentation.” Burke looked at the man, who was nodding his agreement.

“That would sure help us out at this end,” he admitted.

“Mayor Goodson assured me that the length of time required and the permit application process is shorter and less intense than a city like Chicago, Los Angeles or New York. Simply because here there’s not the large volume of requests.”

“True enough. But we keep busy.”

“I have no doubt. The thing is, delays can be costly and time-consuming.” Stuff that needlessly kept him away from home. And Liam. “I’d like to avoid that if possible.”

“I can sure understand that.” John leaned forward and rested his elbows on the desk. “And here’s where I’m coming from, Burke. It’s come to my attention that you’re seeing Sydney McKnight.”

“We’ve met,” Burke said cautiously. The man’s pleasant tone didn’t change, but there was something uncompromising in his dark eyes. “Sir, I don’t mean to be critical here. And I’m aware that things are different in a small town. But I’m a little confused about how that information is relevant to my getting construction and electrical permits issued in a timely fashion.”