Cakewalk: A Calhoon Small Town Romantic Comedy

by Ivy Summers

  Betty let out an audible “humph,” not sounding convinced.

  “I want to make it clear that while I have been found guilty of those charges, I’m in no way associated with my father and his own controversies. I’ve separated the company entirely from his corporation, and will be doing everything I can to make the Reed name one you can trust again, so long as it’s Griffin Reed. I’m invested in this town, not just monetarily, but emotionally. I’ve connected with many Calhoonians in my short time here, and the last thing I’d ever want to do is betray their trust or disappoint them.”

  “What about the franchises you’re going to be bringing into town? They’re going to bring up property taxes, and that’s going to make rent more expensive, which they can afford, but we can’t.”

  “If I bring in any franchise stores, it will be capped off at ten percent of the businesses we rent out to, and whatever franchises do come in will have to be agreed upon by a majority vote from your local representatives. The main attraction of Calhoon right now is its novelties, like your general store, the haberdashery, or the cake shop that’s been here for almost seventy years. It’s these unique stores that will make Calhoon stand out and be the place to visit.”

  Courtney stood, gave Betty a stare, and Betty hesitantly lowered back to her chair. Courtney then began, “And how do you suppose you’ll attract new businesses and stores to a town that draws in maybe a hundred visitors a week?”

  “We’ll rely in some part on reduced rates for the businesses that lease here for the first five years.”

  “And how will the small businesses on Main Street deal with these businesses having such a large financial advantage?”

  I motioned at Jade. “I’ll allow my consultant to answer this one, as she has worked extensively with me to come up with a solution for this exact concern.”

  Jade accepted the mic from me and cleared her throat as she saw that all eyes were on her. I gave her arm a subtle squeeze, and she smiled, finding her confidence. “Griffin Enterprises will be creating and funding a non-profit to assist any local business outside of the ocean front development. The funds will be used to replace outdated equipment, perform any needed maintenance on store fronts, and hire extra help for the expected increase in visitors. We believe within five year’s time, the local economy will have recovered enough to then subsist on its own, but we’ll keep the non-profit going for as long as needed.”

  She handed the mic back to me, and I added, “Main Street and my proposed oceanfront development must thrive together. One can’t succeed without the other.”

  Courtney’s eyes remained narrowed, but she shrugged and said, “That’s all the questions I have for now, but I’m sure I’ll have more at a later time. You will be attending future town halls, right?”

  “Yes. I plan to show up at every one.”

  Courtney sat, and I hoped the lack of further questions meant she was happy enough with our answers. I had expected a much harsher reaming, knowing how protective the two sisters were of each other. Considering myself lucky, I went to return the microphone to the podium.

  “One more thing,” a man’s voice echoed through the hall, and I heard Jade groan beside me.

  I turned back to the audience, seeing a young brunette man with a camera strapped around his neck. “Thomas Gordon, from the Calhoon Times.” He pulled out a folder and asked, “May I use the projector?”

  The town hall organizer hurried up the stage and grabbed the microphone. “You didn’t alert me that we’d be needing the projector.”

  “Just for a moment.”

  Everything about this guy’s attitude screamed “gotcha journalism,” and I gave Jade a concerned side-eye. She whispered as the town hall organizer fussed with the projector equipment, “That’s my ex.”

  “Dear Lord,” I mumbled.

  Thomas spoke up again, “I was simply going to publish this, but I figured it’d be fair to let you comment on it first.”

  I whispered to Jade, “Somehow, I doubt the kindness of that gesture.”

  With the old projector fired up, the town hall organizer waved Thomas up to put on full display whatever it was. And then it struck me what he might have on us.

  I approached him just before he slipped his photographs into the projector. “Now, is this necessary?”

  “Such inappropriate acts between a boss and his employee shouldn’t be swept under the rug, no.” Thomas proceeded to slide the first photograph into the projector.

  I stared hard at the photo as the audience gasped at the projection. Somehow I felt relieved. It was a distant photo zoomed in through the blinds of my apartment, showing only enough to make it obvious what Jade and I had been up to.

  It could have been the park. At least it wasn’t that sordid little adventure.

  Knowing it could have been much worse, I remained collected. “You’ve been stalking your ex-girlfriend, Thomas?”

  He glared. “I’ve been keeping watch on you, Mr. Reed. And it seems you live up to your reputation.” He turned and addressed the audience. “He’s Jade’s boss, and as you can clearly see here, he has forced her into a situation where she could have lost her job if she didn’t cooperate.”

  “Jade is an independent contractor, and at worst, we’re colleagues. Peers.” I snatched the photo off the projector, and Thomas merely shrugged.

  “I’ll be publishing copies in Sunday’s newspaper, along with all the other causes for concern regarding both you and Jade.”

  It took everything in me to not deck him. Lowly, not for the audience’s ears, I said, “Try me, Thomas. I’ll have you dealing with charges of harassment and stalking if you dare attempt to drag her name through the mud any further.”

  “You’re threatening me?”

  “Report all you want about me, but yes, Thomas, I’m threatening you if you’re going to be so petty as to try to end the career of a woman who simply made the mistake of loving you. Her private life is of little relevance to the public, and I’ll have you painted as the vindictive little man you are if you so much as print her name, let alone any photos of her.”

  Thomas stared up at me, mouth in a thin determined line, but it was his gaze that faltered first. “I’m still printing a story about you taking advantage of your position.”

  “Just get the facts right, asshole.”

  I must’ve had murder in my eyes, because Thomas didn’t challenge me any further, instead storming off stage and out of the hall.

  I had been so laser focused on him that I hadn’t noticed the reality going on around me. Nobody was sitting down now, a few phones were out recording the whole scene, and Jade was chasing after Courtney who was pushing her way through the crowd.

  With a heavy sigh, I grabbed the mic from the flabbergasted town hall organizer, and I said, “Sorry you had to see that.” With that, I grabbed Patches’s cage and headed out to find Jade and her sister.

  The scene outside wasn’t much better. Courtney shoved me back when I approached her and Jade, then she gasped and apologized to Patches for rattling the little guy, then she called me a pig and left for her truck, peeling out before anyone else. Jade’s hands were in fists, and her cheeks were red, but she looked more pissed than anything.

  I put my hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry that happened.”

  “It could have been worse, I guess.”

  “That’s what I was thinking.”

  “Thomas, that prick. Well, now you’ve met my ex.”

  “I told him he could print whatever he wanted about me, but that he’s going to leave you out of it.”

  “You think he will?”

  I nodded. Everything about this guy pointed to him being a coward. And if he wasn’t, I’d make it my mission to destroy him. Involving Jade in my controversies wasn’t fair in the slightest, and I could be a real bastard if he pushed me to be.

  Jade looked away and sighed, no energy left in her. “Even if he leaves it at that, the entire town’s going to know by dinnertime.” S
he buried her face in her hands. “This is so embarrassing, ugh.”

  “Think your sister will come around?”

  “My sister thinks I’m an idiot. At least she does right now. My parents think I’m still their pure innocent little girl, so I’m going to have to deal with that too when it gets to them. I think I’m just going to go into hiding for a while. Maybe this’ll breeze over in half a decade.”

  “You can throw me under the bus, if it’ll help.”

  “Huh?” Jade scoffed. “I’m your PR agent! Throwing you under the bus is the exact opposite thing I’m supposed to be doing.”

  I looked away, breathing in the cool evening air. “I’m not sure I’m recovering from this one. These sorts of scandals—they just reinforce all the worst things people could assume about me. Now it’ll all be seen as fact, without a benefit of a doubt. I’m a scumbag just like my father.”

  “You’re not. Hell, you stopped being my boss that night.”

  “Nobody else is going to believe it. You understand optics as much as I do. There’s no clearing both our names, and mine’s permanently screwed, so why not clear yours?”

  “With a lie?” Jade stared up at me, her hazel eyes bright as the setting sun reflected onto them. “If I act like you took advantage of me, it wouldn’t make sense for me to then stay in a relationship with you. We’d have to separate.”

  I nodded, keeping my expression as neutral as I could.

  All Jade could do was gasp, offended.

  I said, “The roadblocks certainly aren’t coming down now, so this project may be completely dead in the water. I’d have to hand it off to someone else, or just cut my losses entirely. Which means there’s no longer anything for you to do. There’s no spin to this story. No apologizing and being granted a second chance. So our business relationship at the very least is over.”

  Jade opened her mouth, her eyes tearing up, but she couldn’t find any words for a moment. “Then… Then you’d have no reason to stay here.”

  All the frustration and annoyance of trying to prove myself to this town came flooding in at once, and all I could do was shrug. “Yeah. I guess so. Everybody here, and hell, fate itself, seems to be sending me a message that I’m not wanted here. I don’t belong.”

  “Not everybody.”

  I looked down at our feet. “Close enough.”

  Jade wiped her eyes then glanced back at the town hall, seeing those in attendance start to make their way outside. “I’ll text you later. I need to just think on this.”

  “What’s there to think about?” I asked, pretty well convinced myself that it was all over.

  “Sometimes it’s better to sit these kinds of things out for a few days. It might not end up as bad as we think. And let’s just see what Thomas prints.”

  I took a step back. “Either way, we probably don’t want anyone seeing us together for now. Text you later.”

  She nodded, swallowing hard. As I lifted up the cage again and headed down the street, I wondered if we’d just broken up. We didn’t say it, but if a miracle didn’t happen, then how could we keep seeing each other? I’d have to move back to the city, and Jade seemed pretty committed to staying here.

  Regardless, I made my walk of shame down Main Street and up the metal stairs of my apartment. With any luck, Courtney wouldn’t be evicting me.

  Chapter 17

  Jade

  Things didn’t go well. The article dropped in the Sunday newspaper, and though Thomas never mentioned my name or printed the photos, he alluded to enough details for people to draw their own conclusions about who the woman was that Griffin supposedly took advantage of.

  But the article only validated the rumors that spread by the end of that night. Not a soul in town didn’t know about it, and somehow even Mrs. Davidson caught word, because she blew my phone up with texts before the night was over.

  She thought it was all exciting and congratulated me on finding myself such a handsome man. I didn’t bother to correct her that Griffin and I probably weren’t going to be a thing anymore.

  Courtney just ignored my texts for a few days. To her, Griffin was the no-good fat cat she thought his father was, and he had corrupted me with his charming ways. As if I wasn’t capable of having good judgment if the guy was princely enough.

  At some points, I did doubt myself. Had Griffin been an interloper all along—someone who wasn’t here for the long haul? Someone who’d leave if faced with enough resistance?

  I knew that wasn’t true. I knew he put in more than enough effort for how much trouble everyone was giving him. But the fact was, now was the best time to pull out of the development. He hadn’t broken ground yet, hadn’t started any construction, barely got any utilities running. The only real investment, besides the purchase of the property, was the road into it that was partway started.

  Madison texted me a week after the meeting, asking how I was doing. I wasn’t sure if she was asking as a friend or as a gossip, so I wrote a simple reply.

  Me: Still breathing.

  My phone rang a few moments later, and I shut off the TV and put aside the potato chips I was mindlessly eating to answer. “You’re calling me?” I asked.

  Madison had a sewing machine running in the background. “Yeah, faster than typing, and more, you know, candid. Anyway, I gotta finish this dress, so I need my hands free.”

  “Why must you know how I’m doing right this second?”

  “I don’t know. I got a vibe. Homegirl seems sad.”

  “I’m your homegirl again?”

  “As long as you give me the deets.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Well, I’m on my second rewatch of The Office this week and I’m eating a family size bag of potato chips for dinner.”

  “Ooh, yikes. You two break up?”

  I paused for a moment to keep King Kong out of my chip bowl. “Not officially, but yeah, it’s sorta just mutually understood. Where can our relationship go if he’s not staying? I’m not doing contract work for him anymore, because I guess the development’s off.”

  “What?” Madison snapped. “Well, that’s some bullshit.”

  “Really? You think so?”

  “We need that development! Not everybody’s against it, you know. Some of us can admit this town needs a shake-up. Hell, that’s what I’ve been trying to do, but I’m just a little boutique. We need somebody with firepower, someone like Griffin, to really get things moving.”

  I sighed. “Well. We’ll just have to hope somebody else comes along.”

  “I could strangle Thomas, I swear. That little twerp. So then, did Griffin leave town?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t really talked to him since we agreed to see how things went. And things aren’t going well. Courtney thinks I got ‘fooled’ by him, and my parents are pretty embarrassed as well. The newspaper’s having a field day, social media is eating up the scandal. I can’t see a way to spin it.”

  “Maybe there’s no spin.”

  “Huh?”

  “Just sayin’. Maybe you two just say ‘screw it’ and bulldoze your way through it all like nothing happened. No apologies, just be proud and unrelenting!”

  “That’d work if I had your disposition. But I don’t. And Griffin’s been burned so hard before by so many people, even by his own father, that I don’t think he wants to make a stand here.”

  “Talk to him and see. He got us talking again, so I owe it to him to convince you to make this work.”

  I rubbed my temples, having forgotten how persistent Madison could be. “Okay, okay.”

  “Tonight.”

  “Fine! I’ll let you know how it goes.”

  “Good luck.” Madison hung up.

  I stared at my phone, hardly having it in me to pull up Griffin’s number. Was he even still in town? I was his acting landlord, so I needed to at least know that. I pressed his name in my contacts and waited, my pulse racing.

  Griffin answered, his voice groggy. “Hello?”

  It was six at
night. “Hey, Griffin? You okay?”

  He let out an extended groan, then said very unconvincingly, “I’m just dandy. You?”

  “I don’t know. So we waited to see how this played out. What’s happening next?”

  “What’s happening next is I’m handing the property over to be managed by someone else. They’ll clean it up, then turn it into a full nature reservation. No commercial development, and the town can keep declining if that’s what they want.”

  “Then… that means you’re leaving?”

  “Guess so. The transition to new management will probably take until the end of next month, so I’m just hiding out in this apartment until then. Then I’m going back to the city.” He paused, before adding tentatively, “You’d have work there if you wanted to follow me.”

  I felt my throat tighten. “I can’t leave this town.”

  “You’re a more loyal person than I am. I just don’t have it in me to help people in spite of themselves.”

  “I understand that. God, I wish this could have turned out differently.”

  With a finality to his voice, he said softly, “Me too.”

  Everything in me wanted to beg him to stay, made me want to repeat Madison’s words about bulldozing our way through all the roadblocks. But another part of me thought: You’re doing it again. I had begged Thomas, held on to him too tightly despite how he treated me, and all that did was make him retaliate and fill him with spite. I didn’t want my relationship with Griffin to end on the same sour note.

  “I’ll miss you,” I whispered, and I heard him breathe in shakily.

  “I’ll miss you too, Jade.”

  Chapter 18

  Jade

  I had been dreading the last day of this month, but it was finally here. I supposed the timing couldn’t be better; just as the Davidsons were returning from their second home up north, Griffin would be moving out of the apartment above the cake shop. I planned to move in right after him, as painful as it would be.