Chapter6
The knock came at nine in the morning, just as Cassidy was finishing her second cup of coffee and staring at her color-coded sabbatical schedule like it might suddenly make sense.
She opened the door to find Mayor West on her porch, looking far too energetic for a Monday morning.
“Cassidy.Good, you’re awake.”The mayor stepped inside without waiting for an invitation.“I won’t take much of your time.”
Her instincts kicked in immediately.She recognized a sales pitch when she saw one coming.“Coffee?”
“No, thank you.I’ll get right to it.”The mayor settled into one of the wicker chairs near the window, her posture straight and purposeful.“I want you to co-chair the festival committee.With Bryan.”
The coffee cup paused halfway to her lips.“You want me to what?”
“Co-chair with Bryan Lucas.”Mayor West folded her hands in her lap like she’d just proposed something perfectly reasonable.“You’d share the responsibilities.Planning, execution, all of it.”
“I gave you some basic marketing advice.That doesn’t qualify me to run your festival.”
“You had some very good ideas.I’m afraid you’re our only hope.”The mayor leaned forward.“And Winnie mentioned you’d rented Heron Cottage for two months.”
The words sat between them.
“Bryan’s already the chair.He doesn’t need someone swooping in to take over.”
“He needs help.The man works eighteen-hour days between the restaurant and the fishing boat.The festival has suffered because he simply doesn’t have the bandwidth.You’d be doing him a favor.”
“I’m not sure Bryan would see it that way.”
“He’s practical.Once he understands the value you bring, he’ll come around.”
She almost laughed.The man had walked out of the meeting rather than listen to her suggestions, but she kept that observation to herself.
“I’m on sabbatical,” she said instead.“Mandatory rest.Doctor’s orders.”
“This wouldn’t be stressful.It’s a small-town festival, not a corporate merger.”The mayor stood, smoothing her skirt.“Think about it.Bryan’s a good man, and he’s dedicated to this town.He just needs support.And frankly, you looked animated and alive when you gave us your ideas.”
The words landed like a gentle slap.She opened her mouth to argue, but Linda was already moving toward the door.
“I’ll tell Bryan you’re considering it.We’re meeting again on Friday to finalize the budget.That gives you time to decide.”She paused at the threshold.“I think you’re exactly what this festival needs, Cassidy.What this town needs.”
Then she was gone, leaving Cassidy standing in her too-quiet cottage with her color-coded schedule mocking her from the coffee table.
She headed for the courtyard.She needed to move, think, and do something other than stare at the walls of Heron Cottage and feel her career slipping further away with each passing hour.
The courtyard was peaceful in the late morning light.Native plantings framed the pathways, and the bench dedicated to the Lockhart family sat in dappled shade beneath a sprawling live oak.She had walked past it a dozen times but had never really looked at it.
Winnie knelt near one of the flower beds, her hands working the soil.She wore gardening gloves and a wide-brimmed hat that had seen better decades.
“Morning, Cassidy.”Winnie sat back on her heels, wiping her forehead with the back of one glove.“How are you settling in?”
“Fine.Good.”Cassidy shoved her hands into her pockets.“Mayor West just stopped by.”
“Did she now?”Winnie’s expression didn’t change, but something in her tone suggested she wasn’t surprised.
“She wants me to co-chair the festival committee… with Bryan Lucas.”
“That sounds like Linda.”Winnie pulled a weed free and added it to the small pile beside her.“What did you tell her?”
“That I’d think about it.But I’m pretty sure Bryan would rather eat glass than work with me.”
