by Maria Geraci
“We aren’t exactly sure about that,” Jenna said cautiously.
“But I thought that was what Doug said Old Earl wanted.” Denise looked around the room in confusion. “Or did I read it wrong?”
“It’s what he’s claiming Earl wanted,” Jenna said. “But how can we really be sure when all we have is the word of a known thief?”
Larry glared at Jenna. “Sounds like you’re calling Doug a liar.”
“Oh no, that’s not possible,” said Denise. “Doug has found Jesus and he was very sincere about it. He’s a completely changed man.”
Mimi cleared her throat. “How do you know this, Denise?”
“I was on the committee from church to bring him cookies. It’s so sad seeing him behind bars. He’s very sorry for what he did, and I don’t mind saying that if it hadn’t been for Bruce’s bad influence, well…it’s a shame when one man gets jail time and the other one gets a cruise around the world!”
“Oh brother,” Pilar muttered.
“Why don’t we take a preliminary vote and see where everyone stands?” suggested Mimi.
“Good idea,” Larry said.
The vote was split. With Mimi, Larry and Denise voting yes, and Pilar, Jenna and Gus voting no.
Jenna couldn’t help but be surprised by Mimi’s vote. “So, you’re a definite yes?”
“I’ll be honest, I’m not so sure that Doug was telling the truth or even what Earl’s intentions might have been, but the thing is, Larry is right. We can’t fight Nora and Vince on this. We simply don’t have the resources.” She gave Pilar an apologetic look. “No disrespect meant to our fabulous attorney, but she’s only one person and we can’t afford to hire any more legal help.”
Pilar nodded. “No disrespect taken.”
Larry blew out a breath in disgust. “So what happens now that we’re tied?”
“Maybe we should hire a consulting firm to come in and give us the pros and cons of this offer,” Pilar suggested.
“And let some outsider come in and tell us what we should do? Not on my watch,” Larry stated. For the first time since the meeting began, all three elected council members agreed.
“Maybe we should table this for now and get back to approving the new budget,” Jenna said.
Pilar nodded. “Good idea.”
“If you look at the numbers, you can all see, the money’s pretty tight. Despite the fact that the rec center is being built pro-bono, it still went over budget. But all we can do now is move forward and prioritize the city’s needs. I’m looking into some investments that will give us a bigger cushion to avoid a similar situation in the future, but we need to make some hard decisions today.”
Gus glanced down at his paper. “Something here’s not right. Zeke Grant wants to hire an assistant chief of police and he wants two more squad cars but that’s been slashed. We need to rearrange these numbers and give him what he wants. Can’t have criminals running around Whispering Bay. It’s our strong stance against crime that makes us the safest city in America.”
“The middle school auditorium needs a new roof,” said Denise. “We simply cannot put it off another year. This is a family community. Our priority needs to be education.”
“And the two of you dreamers need a reality check. There isn’t money for any of those things on here,” Larry pointed out. “Not unless we widen our tax base. Let’s face it, we can be heroes and take Nora’s offer to split the land. Let her sell off her share to some developer. The taxes on those new properties will take care of our problem, not to mention all the jobs it’ll create to boost the local economy, and we’ll still have plenty of shoreline left for all the dolphin lovers. Or we can raise taxes on current property owners and be goats. Your choice. But I’ll make sure when I run for reelection that everyone in town knows which way I voted.”
“Now, Larry,” Mimi said, switching from her southern deb voice to a more soothing maternal tone, “that almost sounds like a threat. We all want what’s best for the town.”
“I ain’t threatening anyone. Just calling it like it is.”
Pilar leaned over and whispered in Jenna’s ear. “I think my beverage of choice should have been rum and Coke.”
Jenna silently agreed. The meeting was quickly deteriorating into a squabble.
She sat back in her chair and tried to look at the situation with an impartial eye. The city needed an influx of cash to maintain and upgrade services. Borrowing was always an option, but she hated to be responsible for putting the city in debt. Especially when repayment might become an issue. But absolutely no way was she going to vote yes on this offer. They’d simply have to find another way to come up with more money.
“Perhaps I can find us some grant money,” Jenna said. “I’m pretty good at applying for those and if I’m successful, it will take care of some of our problems.”
“How long is that gonna take?” Larry asked.
Jenna tried to ignore the hostility in his voice. “It’s not an overnight solution,” she warned, “but it’s definitely an option here.”
“I want to know why you voted no to Nora’s offer,” he demanded.
Larry’s question took Jenna by surprise. It felt like a personal attack. Next to her, Gus shifted in his seat, like he was uncomfortable. Larry’s demeanor might come across as gruff, but as a member of the council, he had every right to know the reasoning behind her vote. Jenna tried to think of the most sensitive way to answer.
“I voted no because I believe Earl wanted us to honor his will the way it stands. And because I happen to think that the majority of this town loves it here because we’re one of the only communities in the area to have very little commercial development on our beaches. It’s what separates us from the rest of the surrounding cities.”
“You keep saying we, but you’re not even from these parts. You’ve been in town a whole month now. Big whoop. What do you care what happens to the beaches around here?”
“Larry,” Mimi said, her tone now one of disgust. “That’s uncalled for.”
“Is it? Let’s face it,” he said, addressing the rest of the room. “This job is just something to put on her resume. Girlie here with the hickey on her neck will be gone in five years to greener pastures, and the rest of us will be stuck cleaning up her mess.”
The room went completely still.
Jenna could either back down, which was what bullies like Larry wanted, or she could stand up for herself. Good thing she didn’t have red hair for nothing.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but it’s a mosquito bite, thank you very much,” Jenna said crisply. “Larry, you’ve made some good points here this afternoon, but I have to wonder if your enthusiasm for this deal is based on one hundred percent concern for the city. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you had a personal stake in all this.”
“What are you accusing me of?” he blustered.
“I’m not accusing you of anything. I’m merely stating my concerns out loud.”
Pilar quickly intervened. “I say we go back to discussing the budget.”
“I agree with Pilar,” Mimi said giving everyone a stern mayoral look that no one dared argue with. Not even Larry.
After another hour of squabbling, the budget was approved because there really wasn’t a choice. There was only so much money to go around and that was that.
“So now can we go back to discussing Nora’s offer?” Larry asked.
“Things got a little too heated here today and I think it’s a good idea if we step back a bit,” Mimi said. “Let’s take the next few days to think about this suit against the city and the pros and cons of Nora Palermo’s offer. I’ll have Pilar reach out to Mr. Harrison and see if we can get a better deal. We can take an official vote at the next meeting.”
“Good idea, but I’m still not changing my mind,” Gus said.
“Then it’s been nice knowing ya,” Larry quipped. “Because if you don’t vote for this deal, come next election day, you’ll be outta here.�
�
“Forget the rum and Coke,” Pilar muttered. “This meeting called for straight whiskey.”
Chapter Sixteen
The Whispering Bay High gymnasium was packed. Jenna stood near the podium at the front of the gym, facing the standing-room-only crowd with Mimi and Pilar by her side. The rest of the city council members were seated in chairs behind the podium.
After this afternoon’s disastrous meeting, she and Larry had semi-cordially agreed to disagree, but knowing he was sitting right behind her put Jenna on edge. She’d always prided herself on being a professional, but in today’s meeting she’d sunk to Larry’s level and she didn’t feel good about that.
“Are there usually this many people at a town hall meeting?” she asked.
“The last time we had a turnout this big was back in June when our ex-mayor, Bruce Bailey, accused me and Zeke of dropping the ball on the security for the Spring into Summer festival,” Mimi answered, while still keeping her gaze on the audience. Every few seconds she’d spot a familiar face and do the wave-and-smile. The Queen could take lessons from Mimi Grant.
“Do you think they’re all here because of the new rec center?” Jenna asked.
“It must be,” Pilar said thoughtfully. “It’s the only topic that was announced. But I agree, this is an awfully big crowd. We usually only get about a hundred residents, tops. There’s at least a thousand people out there.”
Aunt Viola and Betty Jean, along with the rest of the Gray Flamingos, took up the front three rows. Sarah Jamison and Luke Powers were here, and so was Lucy McGuffin. Zeke and Rusty and a few other cops were also in attendance. Lauren Miller, who owned Baby Got Bump and her husband, Dr. Nate, both waved to her from the middle of the room. Jenna waved back. Seated next to Lauren was a man with dark hair and—
“What’s he doing here?”
“Who’s he?” Pilar asked.
Rats. Jenna hadn’t realized she’d spoken out loud. Pilar’s gaze immediately followed hers straight to Ben, who nodded politely at both women, then went back to reading his program.
“Ben Harrison at a town hall meeting isn’t a good thing,” Pilar said.
“It isn’t?” Mimi said, searching Ben out in the crowd.
“No, it isn’t. He’s here for one thing only. To cause trouble.”
“It looks like he’s minding his own business to me,” Mimi said.
“Sure,” Pilar said. “He’s innocent as a lamb. Not.”
Mimi arranged some note cards then leaned down into the mic. “Testing one, two, three…”
“We can’t hear you!” someone in the audience shouted.
A maintenance person came over to check out the problem. He picked up the mic and turned it in his hands. “Looks okay to me. Let me make sure there isn’t a blown fuse.”
They were waiting for the audio to be fixed when Jenna noticed Mimi staring at her neck. Her hand automatically flew up to her throat. Blast. She’d forgotten to touch up her foundation before the meeting.
“Your mosquito bite needs some freshening up,” said Mimi.
“Yeah, it definitely needs something,” Pilar said. “I think it’s grown from this afternoon.”
“I know what you’re both thinking, but Larry is wrong. This is not a hickey!” she hissed.
“Hey! The mic’s working so can we start the meeting?” someone shouted.
Aunt Viola looked at her from the front row in horror.
Pilar made a face.
“Sorry,” Mimi whispered.
I will not look at Ben. I will not look at Ben.
Jenna slunk to her seat next to Gus, and Mimi called the meeting to order. “As many of you are aware the city has spent the past few years working on bringing you a new, state-of-the-art recreational center. I’m thrilled to announce that we’re on schedule for a grand opening this November 1.”
This was met with a strong round of applause and some cat calling.
Mimi then talked about a few other projects the city had in the works. The same man who Jenna had met at the preschool the other day asked about the stop sign he wanted put up, and Mimi said they’d consider doing a study on the feasibility of the project, which seemed to satisfy him for now.
From her foldout chair behind the podium, Jenna’s view of the audience was partially obscured except for the section of the audience where Ben sat. Of course she’d have a clear line of vision directly to him.
While she tried her hardest to pay attention to what Mimi was saying, she couldn’t help but keep sneaking peeks at him. His gaze, however, remained focused straight ahead as if he was totally engrossed in the meeting.
“And that concludes my presentation for tonight,” Mimi said into the mic. If anyone has any questions—”
“Yeah, I have a question.” Jenna recognized him as the manager from the local dry cleaning store. “What’s this we hear about Earl Handy’s will being no good?”
“Is it true Nora is getting old Earl’s land back and that she’s gonna sell it to Ted Ferguson so he can build condos?” asked someone else.
Pilar marched herself up to the podium. “I’d like to address this,” she said, taking the mic from Mimi, who looked more than happy to give it to her.
“As most of you are aware, Earl Handy bequeathed the city a large amount of beachfront property, a very generous gift that the city is extremely grateful for. It’s a matter of public record that his daughter, Nora Palermo, is contesting the will. However, there has been absolutely no resolution in this matter.”
“Is that fancy lawyer talk to mean that this could take years?” someone called out.
Mimi took the mic back from Pilar. “If you’d like to say something,” she said authoritatively, “please rise and identify yourself.”
“Fine.” The man stood up as instructed. “My name is Frank Billings, and I’m about to invest in some property over in Destin to build an ice cream shop, but if there’s a shot I can build my place right here in Whispering Bay, then I’d like to know that.”
“Ice cream on the beach!” one woman squealed. “When can you open?”
“Mr. Billings,” Mimi said, “I can guarantee you that whatever happens, it’s not going to happen fast, so I recommend you continue with your current plans.”
“Are you telling him to take his business out of Whispering Bay?” A middle-aged man with glasses addressed the room. “You all know me. I’m Josh Curtis and I’m a member of the chamber of commerce, and I can tell you right now that attitude isn’t going to fly, Madame Mayor.”
Betty Jean Collins spoke up next. “And I’m a member of the Gray Flamingos.” She stuck her tongue out at Josh. “I moved here to retire to a quieter lifestyle, not be run over by a bunch of drunken college kids on spring break.”
Betty Jean’s lizard imitation didn’t faze Josh. “Then maybe you should have moved to one of those retirement communities in the middle of the state. Where there’s a beach, there’s always going to be people. And those people are going to need beds to sleep in and food to eat and T-shirts to buy.”
And on it went, with half the room in favor of turning the beachfront property into commercial real estate and the other half screaming about how it would increase traffic and ruin the environment.
Poor Mimi. She spent the rest of the meeting backpedaling, trying to convince the crowd that she wasn’t deliberately trying to sabotage the local business owners or kill the turtles. Jenna sat there, a little stunned. She didn’t have anything to contribute to the meeting because no one seemed to care that the new budget had been approved.
How on earth did all these people find out about Nora’s offer to split the land?
Her gaze flew to Ben, and this time his attention wasn’t on the podium. Instead, he was staring straight at her.
* * *
Pilar turned off the mic. “That was interesting.”
The meeting, which should have lasted only about an hour, ran till nearly ten p.m. Most of the crowd had dissipated, but there were stil
l about a couple dozen people lingering in the gym.
“How did that happen?” Mimi asked. “The whole city knew about Nora’s offer.”
“Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that one out,” Pilar snapped.
“You think Ben leaked it?” Jenna asked.
“Who else? Or Vince Palermo. Obviously it was leaked by someone who’ll benefit from it.”
“All I know is that after today I need a long hot bath.” Mimi rocked her neck from side to side to ease the tension.
“And I need a good stiff drink.” Pilar turned to Jenna. “Want to join me at my place? Nick makes a mean martini.”
“Tempting, but no thanks.”
“Suit yourself. See you on Monday!” She left, arm in arm with Mimi, leaving Jenna alone by the podium. The maintenance man informed her that he was locking up in fifteen minutes.
Ben, Jenna noticed was still in the gym, talking to Lauren Miller. Lauren was a cute bubbly blonde and the owner of Baby Got Bump, the designer maternity shop next door to The Bistro. Jenna had met Lauren a few times and liked her. She was smart, and according to Mimi her business was growing like gangbusters.
Jenna walked across the gym floor and waited patiently while Ben finished up his conversation. If he noticed her standing there, he didn’t indicate it. She couldn’t help but hear a little of what they were talking about.
“I had no idea that was you,” Lauren said sounding impressed. “I’m definitely interested, but I’ll have to talk to my partner. How about I let you know something by next week?”
“Sounds good. You’ve got my number.”
The two of them shook hands. Lauren smiled when she spotted Jenna. “Interesting meeting. I’d love to stay and chat, but Nate’s waiting for me in the car. Bye!” she cried on her way out the door.
Ben turned to look at her. The corner of his mouth twitched up like he was trying hard not to laugh. “Hello, Jenna.”
Whatever she’d been about to say flew straight out the window. “What are you, a teenage boy?”