The Summer Sisters (Juniper Springs Book 2)

by Sara Richardson

  Peg stood in the doorway, waving frantically. Sassy checked the clock on the dashboard. She was fifteen minutes early.

  By the time she’d climbed out of the car, the woman had made it to the middle of the parking lot.

  “Graham is here!” After once being distant and combative, the woman now cozied right up to her as though they’d been best friends for years. “He came to observe the meeting. What should we do?”

  Sassy marched to the building in her steadiest gait. “Let him watch the meeting.” He’d find out she was mayor soon anyway. “We have nothing to hide. I’m sure he’s well aware the town wants that land.”

  “Well, yes. Mayor Lund sent the museum a letter a couple weeks back.” Peg hurried to keep up with her. “She was trying to settle this amicably, but Mr. Wright wouldn’t hear of it.”

  “He hasn’t talked to me yet.” She’d never actually had a real conversation with the man, but she’d talked to plenty of people who had. “I’m not worried.” First things first, she needed the vote.

  She rushed up the steps with Peg at her heels and held the door open for the woman. “Everyone else will be here?”

  “They’re already here,” she said. “And they’re ready to confirm you as the best choice for our new mayor. The council is absolutely thrilled you’re up for it.”

  Sassy hoped she was up for it. A familiar pressure had started to build in her temples, a sure sign that the headache was coming for her. “All right, then. Let’s get this going.”

  Windows lit up the hallway with patches of bright sunshine, making the plush red carpet look softer. They passed the framed pictures depicting the town’s history and went straight into the meeting room, where the council members were already seated at the head table—Raymond Sneed, the town’s lone real estate mogul; Tyra Blair, the owner of the Juniper Springs Hair Salon and Spa; Christine Hodgins, the town dentist; and Arnie Felker, the retired elementary school principal. These were all people she knew—Tyra had been doing her hair for years. She and Arnie and Christine had played bridge together. And Raymond’s mother had been a good friend before she’d passed away last year. They all liked her, and yet the sight of them sitting there set her nerves to buzzing again.

  “Welcome, Sassy! It seems you got back at the right time.” Tyra gave her a wink.

  “I don’t suppose you’d be up for a bridge game tomorrow night, would you?” Arnie asked hopefully.

  “I’m in!” Christine squinted at her phone screen. “I could do seven o’clock.”

  “Oh. Sure. Yes. Bridge would be lovely.” Sassy started to relax until she caught a glimpse of Graham Wright, who sat in the first row of chairs that faced the table. Council meetings were open to the public, but he was the lone observer.

  Everything about the man seemed to be in direct opposition of her. He wore a light gray button-up shirt with dark gray pants. Even his short, well-kept hair seemed to match those same grayish tones.

  Sassy hoped her hot-pink suit didn’t blind him.

  “Let’s call this meeting to order.” Peg settled into her chair at the center of the long table. “Sassy, you can have a seat right over there.” She pointed to the row across from where the museum president sat.

  This should be interesting. Sassy took her place, greeting the expressionless man with a wide smile. “Mr. Wright,” she said politely as she made herself comfortable a few feet away.

  “Ms. McGrath.” His voice seemed as monotone as his outfit.

  Peg cleared her throat a couple of times. “I officially call this emergency meeting of the town council to order.” She slipped on a pair of bifocals. “Christine will be recording our notes so we can make them public.”

  “You bet I will.” The woman held up a pen and notepad. No technology for her.

  “Fabulous. We’ll make this brief.” Peg shifted her attention back to the paper in front of her. “According to the town bylaws, if the current mayor vacates the position and there is no time to run an election, the town council has the authority to approve an interim candidate.” She stopped reading and slipped off the bifocals, focusing her serious gaze on Sassy. “Ms. McGrath has graciously agreed to step into this role in our time of need. All in favor of approving Sassy McGrath as our interim mayor, please say aye.”

  A chorus of enthusiastic ayes went around the table, finishing with Peg.

  Christine furiously scribbled on her notepad, likely capturing the unanimous vote.

  “Wonderful.” Peg seemed to hesitate and then frowned at Mr. Wright. “We now have to ask if there are any objections from the…um…spectators. Or, rather, spectator.”

  Wait…they did? Peg hadn’t mentioned that earlier. Sassy turned to face the man, who had risen from his seat like he was about to make a speech.

  Here we go.

  “I am just wondering what Ms. McGrath’s qualifications are to be mayor.” His voice carried. He had a nice voice, she’d give him that. Very authoritative.

  “I’m sorry?” Peg’s glare seemed to send a warning, but it didn’t deter Mr. Wright. He faced Sassy directly, completely ignoring the head councilwoman.

  “I’m assuming you have qualifications to be in a position of leadership?”

  For the first time, Sassy noticed his eyes didn’t seem to fit his sourpuss expression. They were a deep brown. Very warm.

  “Running a town takes certain skills,” he went on when she said nothing. “Like running a museum. You have to manage a budget. Abide by certain processes and procedures. Do you have any experience in these areas?”

  The pressure in her temples turned into a throb, but her anger chased the headache away. Sassy stood too, though she had to be a good foot shorter than him. “I’ll have you know, I ran an inn for over thirty-five years.” She stepped nearly toe-to-toe with the man. “I managed a budget. I followed processes and procedures. And you know what else I did? I welcomed people to our town.” She’d made it her life’s work to be a good hostess. To give people a refuge. That mattered more to her than any budget ever would.

  She waited until he looked at her instead of through her. “What about you, Mr. Wright? How welcome do people feel at your museum?”

  Surprise tinged his eyes, but for the most part his expression didn’t change. “I know what you’re doing,” the man said instead of answering her question. “And I will tell you right now…Ned wanted the land to go to the museum. He was very specific in his will. Going against his wishes will cost this town a great deal of time and money. And you will still lose.”

  Oh, heavens. He was right. Sassy hadn’t thought about how much money it would cost the town to get caught up in some legal battle for a plot of land.

  “That is a risk we’re willing to take,” Peg answered for Sassy. “Ned had always talked about leaving that plot of land to the town trust.”

  “He had a change of heart. He was passionate about geology, and we are considering using the land to expand the museum if we can secure the proper funding.” Graham still seemed to be addressing Sassy as though he wanted to convince her. “I will do everything in my power to protect that land.” The words walked a fine line between a promise and a threat.

  “And I will do everything in my power to help this town,” Sassy told him.

  That was what she’d always done, and she wasn’t going to stop now.

  Chapter Six

  Dahlia

  Hot plate! Comin’ through!” Ollie carefully carried the casserole dish from the oven to the opposite countertop where Dahlia had set a trivet, his hands clad in oven mitts two sizes too big. “Come on, people, let’s serve it up. We don’t want this food dying on the pass.”

  Dahlia laughed. She wasn’t going to mention names, but someone had been watching too much Food Network lately. Both of her children had always loved to be in the kitchen with her, measuring and stirring, and, yes, licking the spoon after she made cookies, but lately Ollie had turned into quite the little kitchen boss.

  “Looks good, chef.” She lean
ed in to peer over his shoulder. In terms of making a family dinner, they hadn’t found much to work with in the refrigerator. Rose didn’t exactly cook often, but Dahlia had managed to scrape together a decent salad, and after rifling through the freezer, she’d found enough chicken to make a casserole with cheese and broccoli.

  “Good?” Her son shook his head. “It looks amazing! Because I made it!”

  “I helped too.” Maya sat at the kitchen table leafing through an outdated American Girl catalog she’d found in the living room.

  “It was a team effort,” Dahlia said before the exchange snowballed into a fight. “And Sassy is going to love dinner.” Where was her aunt, anyway? She’d been gone for nearly two hours, after telling them she’d be right back.

  “I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m starving.” Ollie removed the oven mitts.

  “Then how about you set the table?” She handed him a stack of plates. “And Maya, you can fill glasses with lemonade.”

  “Okay.” Her daughter folded over another page in the doll catalog—likely to the tune of five hundred dollars.

  While the children worked to get the table set, Dahlia washed the few dishes in the sink so Rose or Sassy wouldn’t have to do them later. Her sister had been up on that roof with Colt all afternoon. She had to be exhausted.

  Leaning forward, she glanced out the window. Speak of the devil. Those two were walking up the hill toward the house right now. “Better set an extra plate for Colt.”

  “I like Colt.” Her son pushed the step stool to the cabinet and found another dish. “He’s nice.”

  “He is nice.” Dahlia liked him too, though she was still getting to know him. He’d been a hero for accompanying their aunt on her extended trip.

  The door opened and her sister breezed through with Colt only a few steps behind. “Mmmm, something smells delicious.” Despite being out and doing manual labor all day, her sister didn’t seem the least bit worn.

  “You look dirty, Aunt Rose.” Ollie still hadn’t mastered the art of filtering his observations. “You’d better wash up before dinner.”

  Rose laughed and fluffed his hair. “I’ve been out working, kid. I know how to fix a roof now.”

  Dahlia caught the neon smile her sister shot at Colt and had to clamp her lips so her jaw wouldn’t hit the ground. Out of the three of them, Rose had always been the most concerned about her looks—especially when in the company of the opposite sex. Her younger sister had a flair for fashion and design. That’s why it was so weird looking at her now—in those baggy jeans and a tattered sweatshirt. Rose did indeed have dirt smudges on her face and clothes…but she’d never looked happier.

  “You should’ve seen me up there, Ollie,” her sister bragged. “I hammered in nails, I sawed, I cemented.”

  “And I sat there sunbathing,” Colt quipped, making Maya giggle.

  Rose draped her arm across Colt’s shoulders. “He helped a little.”

  “A little?” Colt gently elbowed her sister. “Who had to pull you out of the roof earlier?”

  Dahlia couldn’t tear her blatant stare away from the exchange. Were those two actually flirting? When had she stepped into an alternate universe?

  “You were stuck in the roof?” Ollie forgot about his table-setting duties and stood on a chair so he was eye level with Colt. “And you saved her?”

  The man happily launched into the story of how Rose had stepped through a soft spot in the Mistletoe Cabin’s roof and had both kids in hysterics.

  “Ha-ha.” Rose came over to where Dahlia stood and stole a tomato out of the salad bowl.

  Dahlia simply stared at her sister. She hardly recognized the woman.

  “What?”

  Before Dahlia could demand to know what this tough-chick imposter had done with her sister, another commotion started at the other side of the house. The front door banged open and Sassy’s voice floated down the hallway.

  Who was she talking to?

  “Yes! We can finally eat dinner!” Ollie tore out of the kitchen and disappeared around the corner. “Hey, Ike’s here!”

  Ike? Dahlia fumbled with the dish towel she’d been holding. She didn’t have time to take off the apron she was wearing or check her hair before the man walked into the kitchen behind Ollie and Sassy.

  “I brought Ike and cake.” Her aunt set a decadent-looking chocolate cake at the center of the table. The kids crowded in, studying the frosted flowers, but Dahlia stared at Ike. He’d changed out of his work clothes and was now wearing shorts and a casual green polo shirt that enhanced the color of his eyes.

  “Hey, Dally.”

  Rose nudged her. Right. She had to speak.

  “Hi.” She quickly untied her apron and pulled it off over her head so she could escape his gaze. “I hope everyone’s hungry.” She hung the apron behind the door. “We should go ahead and eat. The food’s been ready for a while now. Don’t want it to get cold.”

  Now Rose was the one staring at her. But Dahlia ignored her sister’s questioning gaze. “That cake looks delicious. What’s the occasion?” she asked her aunt, hurrying to get salt and pepper on the table. What could she say? When she got nervous, she went into hyperdrive.

  “It’s a very special occasion. I have an announcement.” Sassy directed them all to sit, and wouldn’t you know it, by the time Dahlia had retrieved the butter from the fridge, the only seat left was next to Ike.

  “What is it, Aunt Sassy?” Maya kept staring at the cake the way Dahlia imagined she was staring at Ike. Hopefully her kids wouldn’t pick up on her attraction to him. What would they think if they found out she and Ike had been more than friends?

  “You’re looking at the new mayor of Juniper Springs.”

  Sassy’s announcement temporarily dislodged the worry from her heart. “Mayor?”

  “Wow.” Rose shared a wide-eyed look with Dahlia.

  Colt laughed. “We got home all of eight hours ago, and you’re already the mayor?”

  “That means you’re in charge of the whole town!” Ollie’s eyes were nearly as big as the rims of his glasses. “We can make up whatever new holidays we want! We should have a Star Wars Day!”

  “There’s an idea.” Sassy filled her glass with lemonade and passed the pitcher to Colt. “I’ll take it to the council.”

  Was her aunt being serious? Sassy obviously had a love for this town, so her being mayor made sense, but she hadn’t wanted to be tied down anymore. “I don’t understand. How did all of this come about?” To Dahlia, the whole thing sounded like one big complication.

  “It’s a long story.” And Sassy didn’t seem in a hurry to tell it.

  “I’m sure it has something to do with Peg.” Ike leaned closer to Dahlia. “She’s head of the town council and is always furthering her own agenda.” The man’s smile nearly melted her kneecaps. He did have such wonderfully skilled and seductive lips.

  “It’s true.” Sassy dropped some salad on her plate and passed the bowl to Dahlia. “Peg did ask me to step in to fill Mayor Lund’s shoes, but it’s for a good cause.”

  “Star Wars Day would be a good cause,” Ollie insisted, helping himself to a whole pile of casserole. Dahlia gave him a look to remind him to save some for everyone else.

  “I could get on board with a Star Wars Day.” Ike high-fived the boy. “In fact, I was Darth Vader for Halloween last year.”

  “He was,” Sassy confirmed. “He wore the costume to the office and everything. I happened to get my flu shot that day, and Ike about scared the bejesus out of me.”

  “Cool.” Ollie peered up at the man with awe. “What’re you gonna be for Halloween this year?”

  Ike raised his eyebrows mysteriously. “I guess you’ll have to wait and see.”

  Dahlia’s heart clenched as she watched him interact with her son. With her ex working in London this year, the children were both missing their dad. FaceTime just wasn’t the same as being together. She snuck a peek at Maya, who stared at Ike too, but with a totally di
fferent expression. Her daughter’s lips were pursed tightly together in disapproval.

  “What’s that smell?” Across the table, Rose crinkled her nose. “Is something burning?”

  “The rolls!” Dahlia hopped up from her seat. “I completely forgot about them!” The timer had gone off just before Ike walked in, but taking them out the of the oven had slipped her mind. She opened the oven door, and sure enough, those babies were charred.

  “Oh no.” Ollie rushed to her side and peeked in over her shoulder. “They’re ruined. We worked hard on those.”

  If by working hard, he meant pulling them out of the freezer and putting them on a cookie sheet, then yes, he was right.

  “Sorry, everyone.” She slipped on the oven mitts Ollie had left on the counter and pulled out the cookie sheet. At least they weren’t smoking too badly.

  “It’s no problem.” Ike stood to open the kitchen window over the sink. “Bread is just empty carbs anyway.”

  “Well, I like bread.” The sass in Maya’s tone caused Dahlia to whirl. The rolls slid off the tray and bounced across the floor.

  “Oh no.” She stashed the cookie sheet on the counter and snatched the basket she was going to put them in before kneeling to collect the buns. It wouldn’t be a family dinner without a game of chase the rolls.

  “Here, let me help.” Sassy joined her on the floor, quickly picking up the warm bread and tossing it into the basket while Ike picked up the rolls that had somehow made it to the other side of the room and tossed them in the trash.

  “Thanks.” If Dahlia’s cheeks got any hotter, they’d probably spontaneously combust. She scrambled to her feet.

  Sassy moved like she was going to stand, too, but stopped suddenly. Still crouched, her aunt squeezed her eyes shut and gasped.

  “What is it?” Dahlia let the rolls fall back to the floor, her heart racing.

  “Sassy?” Ike was already at her aunt’s side, offering his arm to support her.

  “I’m fine, I’m fine.” The words might’ve been more convincing if they weren’t breathless. “I stood too fast, that’s all it is.”