Impervious (City of Eldrich Book 1) by Laura Kirwan Page B

nickname fit. Meaghan had gotten a hint of it when he’d called her in Phoenix to offer her the job in Eldrich. Middle-aged and divorced, Tony liked to flirt with women far too young for him. He wore too much cologne. He had good hair, which Meaghan could tell he was proud of, and described himself as an “innovative problem solver.”
    Meaghan thought he’d be easy enough to manage. They were about the same age, which made her at least twenty years too old for him. No worries there. Tony merely needed to be reassured from time to time that he was the boss, the alpha male. He needed the illusion of authority, not the substance, and as long as Meaghan allowed him that illusion and stroked his ego a bit, he’d stay out of her way.
    They chatted for about twenty minutes about the city and Tony’s general goals as mayor. Lots of grandiose ideas but no obvious boondoggles on the horizon. Natalie had been wrong about the lunch invitation. Tony already had lunch plans he claimed he couldn’t break, and Meaghan returned upstairs, relieved, and grateful for her sack lunch. She didn’t think she could tolerate Tony’s cologne much longer. Besides, she needed the time to prepare for her meeting with the notorious Emily Proctor.
     

Chapter 13
    M eaghan pored over the city code, reviewed Bob’s files, and quizzed Natalie and Kady about what they knew, heard, or suspected about various projects. It was all standard municipal stuff, except that since Matthew’s departure, the city seemed incapable of completing anything.
    In each project, Emily’s thwarting presence was obvious. Nothing got done because at the last minute the council got cold feet. Somewhere in the file, there’d be a nasty email from Emily, sent out to far more people than needed to be involved, blathering about “frustrating legislative intent” or “usurping legislative authority.”
    And, damn, she hated Jamie, absolutely despised him. It had gotten to the point where the council, urged on by Emily, were trying to insert themselves into how Jamie handled his court cases and threatening to fire him if he didn’t comply with their every whim.
    That stopped as of today. If Emily didn’t like it, too bad. Meaghan would try to be tactful, but considering that Emily had a history with Matthew and likely already hated Meaghan because of that history, she wasn’t going to waste time building bridges. There was no excuse for the way Emily bullied Jamie. He was a good kid and he didn’t deserve it.
    Meaghan sighed. She’d just thought of a handsome thirty-year-old man as a kid. “God, I’m getting old,” she muttered.
    By one thirty, Meaghan was ready. She didn’t have all the details, but enough to make her point. She’d try to keep things civil as long as she could, but she planned to make it crystal clear to Emily that the legislative meddling stopped today. Meaghan would not be bullied or pushed.
    Jamie rushed past Meaghan’s open office door about one forty-five carrying a huge file box. She heard him drop it on his desk and then he appeared in her doorway. He looked worried.
    “I’m sorry,” he said in a rush. “Court went long and I had to grab lunch. I need to talk to you about the meeting with Emily, and there’s a lot to go over—”
    Meaghan cut him off with a raised hand. “Breathe. Okay? Take a deep breath. Let it out.” She pointed at the chair in front of her desk. “Sit down. It’s all good. Natalie told me everything.” Jamie’s eyes widened in shock. What, did he think she couldn’t figure this stuff out? “I know Bob didn’t protect you. I will. Count on it.”
    Jamie’s face broke into that wide disarming grin. “Oh, that. Bob. Yeah. Thank you.”
    Oh, that? What else was there? “Let me do the talking,” Meaghan continued. “If I can keep things cordial, I will, but that’s not my top priority. Things are changing. As of today. And she’ll know that by the time she goes back downstairs.”
    “She won’t like