Everybody Knows (Sunnyside #1) by Jacie Floyd

had been in short supply among the men in her life.
    She leaned her head against his shoulder for a
scant second. Even though she wanted to sink into his solid strength, she
pulled away, afraid to let herself accept or expect too much.
    No reason to point the finger at Zach for what had
happened here. Not really. But he was a member of the town council, and she
couldn’t help thinking they’d shirked their duty. But blame wouldn’t do any
good. Sometimes the best course was to pick up the pieces and move on. Part of
her job would be turning the situation around.
    Tasks for the next day ticked through her brain.
“The first order of business will be a cleaning crew and then an estimate to
see what renovations are needed and how long they’ll take.”
    Zach agreed. “The town council planned to meet
with you at noon tomorrow, but I’ll get a team of volunteers over here first
thing in the morning so you’ll have enough information by the time you meet
them to make a report.”
    Obviously, she should accept his offer. Volunteers
were much more likely to line up for him than for her. “Now, I’m looking
forward to the council meeting, more than ever.” Although she had a few choice
things to say to them, she pressed her lips together, trying to hang onto her
temper. “Have as many people here as early as you can, and we’ll get started clearing
out the worst of this mess. What about a building inspector or contractor to
work up a quote? Can you change the location of the meeting to the library so
the council can see this firsthand?”
    “We can’t change the location of the meeting
without public notice, but it’s being held just across the street in the old
courthouse. Anyone who needs to can come over afterward to see what you’re up
against. But they’ll probably drop by in the morning, as they get word about
this.” He stared around in disgust. “Do you want to see the rest of the
building now or wait until tomorrow?”
    “It won’t be any better tomorrow, and it might be
worse. Better see it now.” She peered up at the ceiling, still trying to grasp
the magnitude of the problem. “Is there rain in the forecast?”
    “Not likely. The farmers say we’re at the
beginning of the worst drought we’ve seen in a decade.” He returned to the
light panel and flicked on additional lights that made it easier to navigate.
    “Shouldn’t we call the police, the insurance company,
or something? Town officials?”
    “I am a town official, and I’ll see that everyone
who needs to be notified hears about it by morning, including the insurance
agent.”
    Harper remembered a comment Zach had made to
Brianna earlier. “Besides, Jimbo brought Jillian and the new baby home this
morning, and you don’t want to call him out for a bunch of paperwork.”
    “Right. Good memory. I’ll call him if you want,
but ...”
    “No, you’re right. The morning will be fine.”
Despite the disturbing situation, she almost smiled. “I’ve never lived anyplace
where you only report crimes when it’s convenient for law enforcement.”
    “It’s not like that. I’m just trying to give the
guy a break.”
    “Very thoughtful.”
    Zach rolled his eyes and pulled out his phone.
“I’ll take pictures and send them to him, just in case all the evidence
disappears.”
    “Good idea. Me, too.”
    With phones in hand, they picked their way through
the building. In the basement supply closet, they located a broken window that
had been an open invitation to every sort of two- or four-legged rodent
interested in accepting. The second floor appeared the least disturbed. The
third level had enormous Rorschach stains on the ceiling and the floor,
foretelling the greater disaster of leaks in the roof.
    Harper needed to notify her boss and not wait on
an official report. She made notes about the most pressing issues.
    “Andrew should know about this before anyone
else.” She momentarily stopped typing. “Just to be clear, you’re not