The Marnetti campaign was hers.She’d spent four months building that strategy and nurturing that client relationship.Now Steve was sliding into her chair like she’d never existed.
The Phillips account was the crown jewel of their division.
Rest up.
Like she was some fragile thing that needed to be handled carefully while the real work got done by people who could handle the pressure.
She’d spent fifteen years building her reputation.She’d sacrificed sleep, relationships, and any semblance of work-life balance.And two months away—forced months—was all it took for Steve Hodges to start dismantling everything she’d built.
She closed the laptop with a resounding snap.
She grabbed her phone and pulled up Mayor West’s number, her thumb hovering over the call button.
This was stupid.Reckless.She was supposed to be resting, not diving headfirst into a high-stakes community project.
But sitting here doing nothing while Steve took over her career felt like dying slowly.
At least the festival would give her something to show for these two months.Something concrete.A portfolio piece that proved she was still sharp and still capable.She was still Cassidy Wren, a marketing executive who could turn around failing projects in her sleep.
She wasn’t doing this for Starlight Shores.
She was doing this because Steve Hodges needed to remember exactly who he was dealing with.Anyway, she’d build something here.Maybe, when she got back, she’d even pitch small-town revitalization as a new service vertical.Besides, she’d already proven to herself that she couldn’t just sit still, and this felt like work without the baggage.
She sat back.Had she thrown enough justifications at herself yet?She almost wanted to roll her eyes at herself.
But was this the right thing to do?
She made the call before she could talk herself out of it.
The mayor answered on the second ring.“Cassidy.I was hoping to hear from you.”
“I’ll do it.”The words came out clipped and decisive, more decisive than she felt.“I’ll co-chair the festival with Bryan.”
“Excellent.I knew you’d come around.”
“I have conditions.”
“Of course you do.”The mayor sounded amused.“Go ahead.”
“I need full access to all previous festival records.Marketing materials, budgets, attendance data.Everything.”
“Done.”
“And I need authority to implement necessary changes.I’m not interested in co-chairing if it means every decision requires a committee vote.”
There was a pause.“Bryan will need to sign off on major changes.It’s his committee.”
“Then make sure Bryan understands that I’m there to help, not to take over.”She paced the length of the cottage, her professional instincts kicking into high gear.“I’ll respect his knowledge of the community, but he needs to respect my expertise.”
“I’ll talk to him this afternoon.”
“When’s the next meeting?”
“Friday afternoon.Two o’clock at the store.”
“I’ll be there.”She stopped at the window overlooking the courtyard.The lighthouse stood tall in her peripheral vision, its white walls almost glowing in the afternoon light.“And Mayor?I’m not doing this as a favor.I expect this to be a legitimate professional engagement.Portfolio-worthy.”
“You’ll have my full support.”The mayor’s voice softened slightly.“Thank you, Cassidy.This means more to the town than you realize.”
