“They’re good. Were they here when we were growing up?”
“Yep. Few years older than us, though, and they didn’t start playing like this until a couple of years ago. Let’s just say they haven’t quit their day jobs.”
“I know the feeling,” Mina said. “I have about two weeks until I have to start looking for work myself.”
Colton stopped eating and stared at her. She was serious. “You’re giving up that easily?”
She swallowed whatever she was chomping. “What?”
“On the campaign. You won’t be looking for a job in a couple of weeks. You’ll be ramping up to take over as mayor.”
“I’m getting less optimistic the more stuff like that goes on.” She gestured vaguely behind her.
Colton turned to see Mayor Cobb wandering the aisles, shaking hands, even kneeling to pet a dog. The whole thing sent the clear message he was a mayor in touch with the people. Which made it all too easy for voters to forget that the second he was confirmed as the winner, he’d go right back to ignoring emails and making deals that benefited his friends, not the townspeople.
“He’s scrambling.” Colton returned his attention to his food. “He knows he’s lost his edge with the whole Mina-is-a-wild-and-crazy-single-woman schtick he had going on before you got married. You do have a plan, though, that will blow all this out of the water?”
Mina froze with a forkful of potato salad halfway to her mouth. “What do you mean?”
“The final two weeks,” he said. “It’s important to do what Mayor Cobb is doing. Work it.”
She shrugged. “I’m attending every event going on around town. I’m not sure what else I can do aside from going door to door.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” he said.
Mina laughed. “Do you know how many houses and apartments and condos there are in this town now? There aren’t enough hours in the day.”
“Bring them to you.” The idea was still forming in his mind as he said the words. “Host a town hall. We’ll get the word out everywhere the newer, more progressive residents hang out. Be the anti-Mayor Cobb.”
Mina turned and looked at the mayor again. He’d finally finished schmoozing and now was in line. Of course, even then, he was using the opportunity to talk to a younger couple standing there.
That only confirmed what Colton was saying. If she didn’t hustle, she’d lose the voters who were most likely to choose her rather than go with the status quo.
“You’re right,” Mina said. “We need to come up with a plan. But first, I don’t need to be sitting here. I have work to do.”
The rest of her meal apparently forgotten, Mina stood and went straight to one of the few trash cans they’d set out. They were all full and probably would be spilling over soon. He should go empty them. That would keep him busy while she was busy doing her thing, apparently without his help.
He reminded himself the best thing that could happen was for her to win the election. At least then, maybe he had a shot at making her eventually fall for him. Although he doubted that was even possible, it was definitely more possible than if she lost the election and left town soon after.
Still, he couldn’t help but feel a little hurt she was choosing her career over him. Career above all else.
A downtown shop owner stopped him to say as he walked toward the closest garbage can, empty plate in hand. “Congratulations!”
Colton smiled and expected to keep walking, but the shop owner wasn’t finished. She had questions about Mina’s plans to keep the downtown area going as more shopping strips were popping up on the outskirts of town.
Next thing Colton knew, he was surrounded by people with questions. He looked over and saw Mina engaged in conversation with a woman holding a baby. Another person stood close by, seemingly waiting his turn to speak to her. This was a good sign, he supposed, and he was all too happy to help out.
“I think you’re just what this city needs,” one of the few over-sixty people who walked up to him said. “A young couple who can look out for the interests of this town as new people move in. Just don’t forget about those of us you’ve known since you were crawling around on your momma’s floor.”
Colton smiled. Both he and Mina had that going for them. Many of these older people knew them from when they were children. He wasn’t sure when Mayor Cobb had moved to town, but if he was born here, the people who would have known him as a baby had probably retired or died.
Maybe that was it. They didn’t have to limit themselves to the younger demographic. They could reach out to older people. He edged his way over to Mina, taking an angry resident with him. The resident was unhappy the garbage trucks left cans all over the streets now that they used cranes rather than live people to collect the trash. He’d tried to get Mayor Cobb’s office’s attention, but they just kept putting him off.
“I think Mina here can help you with that.” Colton gestured toward his pretend wife. She seemed to be stuck in conversation with a woman who was talking about her knitting circle.
“Have you met my husband?” Mina reached out to touch Colton’s arm.
He realized then how infrequently she initiated any type of affection, even when they were faking it. He knew it had to do with the fact that to her, this was a business agreement, while to him, it was something that could possibly become much more, if only…
Somehow, he ended up getting the lowdown on the knitting bee, while Mina was stuck listening to garbage guy’s rant. He wasn’t sure what came over him, but at some point, Colton reached out and put his hand on Mina’s back. It was a very newlywed-like thing to do, and she stepped a little closer to him. Did that mean she was into the affection? Or that she had to play-act to keep up the ruse?
He didn’t even know how to spot the difference at this point. What he did know was that she was at her best when she was interacting with the people she hoped to soon serve. She was a good listener, and she seemed to enjoy it. It was a stark reminder that even if she did earn the position of mayor for two full terms, after those eight years were up, she’d be off to pursue her next career goal. She was going places…and neither this town nor Colton could help her get there.
16
The high school gymnasium was packed. Not only were the bleachers on either side stuffed with townspeople, but the rows of chairs someone had set up on the floor were all taken.
Mina took a deep breath and walked into the gym. She should have felt bolstered by the applause that seemed to echo off the walls, but she wasn’t. No matter how much she accomplished in life, walking into the Canyon Falls gym made her feel like an insecure teenager, desperate for her classmates’ approval.
The first thing she saw when she stepped behind the podium was Colton, seated in the front row, applauding more enthusiastically than anyone else. The sight of him caused that now-familiar fluttering in her stomach, and she realized he made her nervous.
They were living under the same roof, although sleeping in separate rooms, but her heart still skipped a beat every time she saw him. Would that ever change?
“Thank you so much for coming out to this town hall tonight.” She looked around at all the people gathered in front of her. “I know it was late notice, but after speaking to a few of you at the concert, I realized there are still a lot of people waiting for their voices to be heard. And I want to hear those voices. So this town hall, like any town hall, is about you informing me. Ask questions, issue concerns… I’m here to listen.”
Colton had come up with the idea of having a town hall, but she was no stranger to them. She’d even helped plan one while she was an intern. The problem with most town halls was that politicians collected the information, then promptly forgot about it once they were in office. Same with Mayor Cobb and all the concern he was showing right now.
“There are microphones stationed around the gym,” she said. “Simply step up and ask your question. If there are people ahead of you, form a single-file line.”
Whil
e she waited for people to head to their microphones, she launched into a speech about her own history in town. About how she grew up here, attended assemblies in this very gym. She even pointed out a few people who knew her from childhood. As she did so, though, she noticed Colton wasn’t the only Briscoe here for her today. He just was the only one in front. Several rows back, squeezed in between some younger people Mina didn’t recognize, were Harley and Clay, as well as Reilly.
Seeing them made her feel a little emotional. They’d become her family. She hadn’t meant for it to happen, but it had. Without her own family here, it had been inevitable.
She swallowed against the lump that had formed in her throat. Her next bit was going to be about her recent marriage, but she suddenly couldn’t say the words. She couldn’t continue to lie to Colton’s family, who believed the two of them were really a romantic couple, knowing that if she didn’t win this election, there would be no reason for the two of them to stay together.
“Let’s go ahead and throw it over to the audience for questions.” Mina gestured to the microphone closest to her. “Please, sir.”
She realized once he started talking, it was the yell-y man from the concert. But this time he wasn’t complaining about garbage pickup.
“I’ve called the mayor’s office seventy times this year already. Each time my concerns are written down, and each time, nothing happens. I’m tired of being ignored.”
That comment—which was hardly a question—seemed to resonate with the crowd. People were nodding and making sounds of agreement all around her. Mina saw that as a good, good sign.
“That won’t happen with my office,” she said. “I plan to regularly hold town halls just like this one. I’ll also have a feedback section of my site where you can submit your own concerns. I will personally go through those submissions every Monday and respond.”
“I’m tired of my tax dollars paying for all this growth,” the man continued. “The traffic lights need to be fixed—if you get stuck at one, you get stuck at every single one along the way. And there aren’t enough emergency services to handle all the new people coming in. Plus, the schools…”
Well. She was getting all of Mayor Cobb’s complaints, aired right here in front of everyone. The problem was, if she let this guy rant, nobody else would get a second to talk. She had to move things along while still making him feel heard.
“I’ll tell you what. Make a list and hand it to me after the meeting. Or, better yet, email it to me.” She gave her email address. “I will add each of your concerns to my list of things to address at our very first city council meeting. You’ll get an answer, one way or another.”
Mina had been in politics long enough to know she couldn’t promise she could fix anything. She’d bring every single one of his items up at a meeting, and they’d be shot down in a matter of seconds. He’d be no happier, and she’d feel as though she’d fallen through on her promises.
“There’s this thing about being in a political office,” Mina told the crowd as the yell-y man walked away from the mic. “You can only do so much. I can fight and fight and fight for what’s right, but the other officials you have representing you have to be on board. That includes the aldermen, who have no term limits and tend to be more than happy to do whatever they want without getting input from us, the people who live, work, and raise our families in this city. We have to keep raising our voices until they listen.”
Cheers from all around. Mina felt bolstered by the support. She turned to the first person standing at the next microphone over.
“How does your new husband feel about you being mayor?” a thirty-something woman asked.
Mina really didn’t see what Colton’s opinion about her career had to do with anything. Of all the things the woman could ask about, it just seemed a total waste of an opportunity.
Mina tackled the question despite her reservations about it. “Colton grew up here as I did. He’s just as invested as I am in making sure Canyon Falls maintains its charm as it grows. Even the newcomers in town want to see that. Yes, the lady in the red shirt.”
Mina had quickly switched to the person at the next microphone in her gradual clockwise turn. Left to right, and nobody would be left out.
“Actually, my question is about that,” Red Shirt Lady said. “I’m a newcomer and I think we need to become more suburban. I’d love to see an organic grocery store and some big major chains moving in. I’m sick of driving fifteen minutes to get to the grocery store.”
“There are three grocery stores here in town,” someone shouted from the audience.
Red Shirt Lady wrinkled her nose. “A real grocery store, I mean. One that carries all the brands of ice cream and coffee and milk and bread that you see in big stores. Snowfall Toothpaste isn’t as good as the real thing.”
That set off a concert of mumblings throughout the audience. Some people were shouting to be heard over it all, while others were speaking only to their neighbors. It was up to Mina to reel everyone back in.
“Obviously, we have some work to do here,” Mina said into the microphone. “We’re striking a very delicate balance between bringing in new businesses and keeping the charm that has always made Canyon Falls unique.”
But her words were drowned out by the yells. All Mina could do was look at the lady at the microphone, say, “Thank you” and, “We’ll talk later,” then turn to the next microphone.
Brandi Norcross was standing there, and she was very visibly pregnant. Mina’s eyebrows arched. She hadn’t seen Brandi since high school, but Brandi was younger than her, so the fact that she was pregnant was a wake-up call that they were getting older. Her mind knew it made total sense, but that didn’t stop it from shocking her.
After waiting for the crowd to quiet down, which happened thanks to all the shushes that rung out all of a sudden, Brandi gave Mina a big smile and adjusted the microphone. She’d always been a big bundle of energy, and one of the nicest people in town. Everyone originally knew her as the daughter of Canyon Falls’ only hardware store, but now she was a business owner herself. Brandi’s Diner was an adorable fifties-type restaurant located near the square.
“As a business owner, I just want to say you have my full support,” she said. “But many of us are concerned about the growth. We see fast-food franchises eyeing our town, and we just want to know the city is looking out for small, local businesses.”
Mina nodded. “We’re already brainstorming some great small business shopping incentives, including an event where residents will be encouraged to store hop on Small Business Saturday every November. We do Taste of Canyon Falls, but it can be bigger, maybe even attracting visitors from nearby cities. Then there’s the tourism angle—”
“I love the new ghost tour,” Brandi gushed.
Mina nodded. She had no idea what Brandi was talking about, but she’d been pathetically absent from her political work since seeing Colton again. She made a mental note to look up what this ghost tour thing was.
“I don’t!” someone in the crowd shouted. “Bunch of hooligans standing around on the square, staring up at buildings and listening to silly stories.”
The crowd noise returned. Mina sighed inwardly, knowing she was going to have to keep managing this. There definitely was a war going on in their own community, and a good mayor could bring everyone together. It was up to her to convince them she was the person to do that.
She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around. Colton was standing there.
“Can I say something?” he asked, reaching out for the microphone.
It went against her natural instincts, but she trusted him. She knew he wouldn’t just plow over her to give his point of view. If he planned to speak, he knew it would help her.
“Hi, everyone.” He stepped around her to face the rows of people surrounding them. “I’m Colton Briscoe. Some of you know me as the son of Andrew Briscoe, who owns Cedar Tree Ranch. I’ve lived here all my life, and nobody loves Canyon Falls more
than I do.”
He walked around while he talked, gesturing with his free hand. Was it her imagination, or did he seem nervous? It was pretty endearing, thinking public speaking might be scary to him.
“But there are also new people among us who fell in love with this town,” Colton continued. “They want to be able to go downtown and eat a burger at Brandi’s Diner or spend some time people watching from the gazebo. But they also want to be able to enjoy the amenities you find in other cities. Mina is plugged into all sides of this, and her plan is to work hard to strike a compromise. The current mayor has already shown how he feels about it.”
Mina held her breath. It was not her practice in any way to malign her opponent. She wanted to be the bigger person. If she started an attack campaign, it would make her the very type of politician she’d always found despicable.
Colton walked partway up the aisle as he spoke. “Since Mayor Cobb took over, this town has grown by thirty percent. There are four new subdivisions planned, along with at least a dozen strip malls and a few of the very types of businesses we don’t want. We already have a couple of questionable businesses on Main Street.”
Murmuring again. But as Mina looked around, she saw people nodding. Colton was striking a chord with the very people she wanted to reach.
“If you want to see strategic growth, Mina’s your candidate.” Colton started walking back toward her. “Go to the polls and vote for the candidate that will finally listen to you after she’s in office, not just during the campaign.”
Oddly, that mini-speech was just what the meeting needed to flow smoothly after that. It seemed to be a good sign. People were stepping up and voicing legitimate concerns, and a few even pointed out unpopular things Mayor Cobb had done and asked her how she’d reverse the damage. She had a good answer for every item presented.
“Thank you,” she told Colton as they headed to his car after the meeting. She’d finally extricated herself from the mob that had surrounded her as soon as the town hall was officially over.
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