Page 90 of Manors & Mischief

Their father smiles down at them. It’s not hard to tell they’re the apple of his eye. “We hope this helps. We’re glad you thought of the children.”

“Thank you.”

One-by-one, I go through the people walking there for me and thank them. Hope starts to bud in my chest again like a blossoming flower. I hate this rollercoaster though. I hate the highs and the lows. I find myself saying to the last person, “I just want to be able to do what I think is best for the manor without all the bureaucracy. I love the place. I would never denigrate it.”

A loud, female clearing of their throat ensues, and we all peer up to find Mrs. Lachey walking with Nichols down the sidewalk. My stomach churns. His lips are a thin line, and he takes slow, measured steps like he really doesn’t want to be doing this, but since Devon’s mom looks truly pleased, I’m pretty sure this will go in my favor.

Instead of taking over the conversation, Mrs. Lachey jabs him with her elbow, and he sighs. After a few moments, he speaks up, “I have heard your concerns. Due to this, I will be holding⁠—.”

“The mayor will be holding,” Mrs. Lachey clarifies.

His face sours. “The mayor will be holding an emergency board meeting in which all of your thoughts and concerns can be heard regarding my decision to shut down the Children’s Haunted House in Sleepy Hollow Manor. But you will also have to hear my reasoning. This will be a polite and respectful conversation.”

The crowd cheers again, and leaving Nichols behind, Mayor Lachey joins us as we hug and high-five. The kids whoop it up, giving little dances, and I am in absolute awe. Where else could we have made such a difference in such a short amount of time? “Thank you all,” I say. “I’m genuinely honored to have such amazing people by my side.”

Mr. Cordoroy steps up. “We’re going to need all of you to show up at the meeting tonight. What time Mayor Lachey?”

“Six p.m.”

“Six p.m. sharp,” he enforces. “We can’t let one person dictate what happens in Harvest Falls, and that means, we have to show up en masse to ensure our voices are heard.”

I check my watch. It’s four o’clock now. Butterflies enter my stomach, buzzing their wings everywhere. Bea pulls me in for a side hug. “If he overturns this, you could open up tonight.”

“Would that even be enough notice?”

Bea laughs. “Are you kidding me? Everyone is going to be hearing about this.” She inclines her head toward the square. A group of people have gathered at the edges, watching to see what’s going on. “I give it fifteen minutes,” she says.

Across the street, standing under the same maple I was standing only a few minutes ago, are Trav and Devon. Devon stands there on crutches, his leg in a brace.

I wonder if he should be up on his feet so quickly, but when our gazes meet, I turn away. The slightest bit of hope has curled into my chest, but I can’t focus on that right now. I have to focus on what’s going to happen tonight.

33

DEVON

Mom, Trav, and I are the first people in the meeting room. We figured it would be the safest for me so I’m not trying to maneuver around the crowd on crutches with a leg that’ll hurt if bounced around. Every five seconds, I check the door to see if Ember has come through, and I just hope I can find the right words when I need them.

When I think about what transpired today, I’m completely disgusted with myself. I fell into old patterns quickly, even when so much has changed. It was the hockey drama happening all over again, and I couldn’t get myself to see in the moment that Ember is so much more important than hockey, and I don’t need a fully functioning leg to be with her.

Trav squeezes my shoulder. “It’s going to be fine.”

My mother makes a high-pitched noise that sounds less sure. I peer over at her, and she looks away and shrugs. It’s like a bait though. She wants me to ask. “What is it, Mom?”

She answers so quickly that it’s just confirmation of what she was doing all along. “I think some begging might be in order.”

“Well, I have to see this,” Trav smirks.

“I can beg.”

“Grovel,” Mom adds.

“If that’s what it takes.”

Trav laughs like he’s loving this. Honestly, it doesn’t bother me one bit. Ember deserves it.

People start filing in, and pretty soon, the gallery area is almost filled. It makes my stomach squeeze realizing how much of an impact Ember has had on everyone in Harvest Falls in the short amount of time she’s been here. Just like I know everyone would show up for me if I was in this position.

Ember and Bea walk in next. Ember stops halfway through the door and stares wide-eyed at everyone sitting there for her. After a little plodding from Bea to move forward, she gets words of encouragement. Grant Cordoroy approaches her, and I wonder how she even knows him. My mother took over the mayoral position when he decided to retire. Before then, she’d already started to work within different areas of the town, so she was a shoo-in candidate, and she’s been mayor ever since.