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CHAPTER ONE

MAYA FARLOW TOLD herself there was a perfectly good explanation for the mayor of Fool’s Gold to have a picture of a man’s naked butt on her computer screen At least she really hoped there was She’d always liked Mayor Marsha and didn’t want to find out so more than a little icky about the woman as now her boss

Mayor Marsha sighed heavily and pointed to the screen “You’re not going to believe this,” she said, and tapped a key The picture moved as the video played and the audio started up

“The contest closes on Friday at noon Text your guess to this number”

Maya stared at the coain, she studied the phone nuesture and the picture of the naked butt behind her The naked, ender mattered as much as the nakedness

“Okay,” Maya said slowly, knowing that she would be expected to say soent But honestly, she couldn’t think of what that could be How on earth was she supposed toabout a naked butt contest make sense? Of course, that was aout Mayor Marsha watched porn

Mayor Marsha pushed a couple of buttons on her coe disappeared “You can see the proble with Eddie and Gladys’s cable access show”

“Too many naked butts?” Maya asked before she could help herself Stating the obvious was never helpful, but what on earth else was there to say?

Mayor Marsha Tilson was California’s longest serving o when Maya had been a nervous sixteen-year-old,to fit in The ant pearls Her white hair had been swept up in a tidy chignon As a teenager, Maya hadn’t knohat to ht the other woman was someone to be admired Mayor Marsha ran her toith a firm but fair hand Even ht when Maya had known she had to e in her life

So here she was, the shiny new communications director for Fool’s Gold, California And the old lady with the naked butt contest was apparently now her problem

“Eddie and Gladys have always been colorful,” Mayor Marsha said with a sigh “I admire their zest for life”

“And interest in younger men,” Maya murmured

“You have no idea Their cable access show is extreetting some emails and phone calls about some of the content”

“You need me to rein them in”