Page 74 of Meet Me in Ivy Falls

She gave an emphatic nod as the last of the remaining seats were taken.

‘This isn’t normal, is it? All these people here for a small council meeting?’ Lauren said.

Manny and Tessa shook their heads at the same time and that small knot in my stomach grew into a large, uncomfortable fist. This was all about Torran.

After her panicked phone call, we agreed to meet with Manny and Lauren at Sugar Rush a few hours before the meeting and go over the council’s complaints. Allegations of work trucks parked too far from the curb, excessive trash and noise after five p.m. were laughable. Most towns would have welcomed the national attention. The potential for their little spot to get some airtime. But this was Ivy Falls. After watching the way they’d treated Torran, I’d learned this was more about pride than publicity.

Torran’s father rose from his desk and knocked a gavel down, bringing the meeting to order. Before we got to our permit issue, the council heard from the town on a variety of other matters.

Mrs Vanderpool complained about the increased cost of dog licenses and how they’d gone up only a dollar for cats while it was two dollars for dogs. She huffed that it was ‘doggie discrimination’, which got a chuckle from the crowd. She went on to complain about there not being enough ‘poo-poo’ stations around the square and that she was sure she’d stepped in excrement left behind by Doctor Lowe’s poodle, who liked the grass near the courthouse. That caused a firm and emphatic reply from the doctor, who swore he always picked up after his sweet Phoebe.

‘Is this meeting odd or is it just me?’ Lauren whispered.

‘You don’t know the half of it,’ Tessa replied. ‘Once there was an hour-long discussion over Milton Parke’s new hot dog business that he wanted to call “Weenie World”. Half of the women in town spoke up, complaining that it sounded like a place of pornography and should not be allowed a business license until the name was changed. The argument went on and on about the various euphemisms for penis until Wally Murphy, the mayor at the time, ended the conversation by saying “Weenies are welcome in Ivy Falls”. That got an interesting response.’

Lauren let out a low snort which earned us more than a few irritated glares.

Once Mrs Vanderpool finished her speech about the lax responsibilities of the town’s dog owners, Minnie Winslow, who owned the market, started in about how the flowers planted around the old limestone fountain were hideous and needed to be changed. Ginny Deveraux, who owned the candle shop, stood and claimed she liked them. They went back and forth about the difference between zinnias and mums until Mr Wright interrupted with numbers about budgeting and the cost to replace them.

When the topic turned to zoning, Torran clenched her hands together in her lap.

‘What’s the matter?’ I whispered.

‘They’re talking about the abandoned properties near the Dairy Dip. All Craftsman bungalows. By the way Amos is talking, they want to rezone for commercial. More of the town’s history gone if someone comes in and bulldozes the houses to make way for a strip mall or a parking lot.’

Her cheeks went a little pale and I wanted to reassure her that things were going to swing in our favor today, but I wasn’t so sure. By the way everyone deferred to her father, it was clear his opinion held sway with the council. If we couldn’t use our plan to convince him, Hearth and Home may never get back to filming.

‘Now we get to the matter of local permits.’ Susan Lewis, who I was told was the newest member of the council, read off the complaint against Hearth and Home. As we expected, it listed out the issues with noise, trash and parking. The final claim was a zinger: potential damage to local reputation.

Torran’s shoulders inched up to her ears and Manny shot her a look that begged for calm. At the Sugar Rush earlier we’d all agreed it was best if Manny spoke. He rose to his feet and delivered all the rebuttals to the complaint. How they’d stagger the trucks along the street, park some in the driveway to limit congestion. The way they could take most of the production inside after five p.m. to control the noise. That he’d already given the crew a strong lecture about cleaning up. How he’d be personally responsible for any debris left in the yard.

During his entire speech the council remained stone-faced, not acknowledging any of our solutions. Lauren took the floor next. She spoke of how Hearth and Home was honored to feature such a beautiful town as Ivy Falls. That the show would have a high production value. Bring a ton of exposure to the town. When she was finished, the council requested a moment to confer but Mrs Vanderpool interrupted.

‘I don’t know why we’re giving this company another chance to feature our beloved town. No matter what that fancy girl says, I’d guess that it’s going to put us in a bad light again.’

Silvio from the hardware store jumped to his feet. ‘We don’t need to give people a reason to make us the laughingstock of the internet again.’ He turned to Torran and sneered before sitting back down. The crowd began to mumble, their voices growing to a crescendo.

‘Maybe I should tell them about the viewing numbers and impressions. How it could increase tourism,’ Lauren whispered.

‘No,’ Torran said. ‘This isn’t about the production at all. It’s about me.’

Her lower lip trembled as she stood. Every part of me wanted to curl her into my arms and protect her, but the way she tipped up her chin, planted her feet, said this was something she had to do on her own.

‘Before you make a decision, may I speak?’ she said.

There were more snickers in the crowd. Low whispers grew to a fever pitch as she locked eyes with her father.

‘You have the floor,’ he said with a brittle tone as if he was in just as much pain as she was.

The crowd went quiet as Torran took a thick gulp. Tessa gave her a look so fierce it was like she was trying to will her sister all her strength. Again that protective feeling swept over me, but I sat back and let Torran take the lead. She’d more than proven not only to me but to everyone in this town that she had something important to say.

Chapter Thirty-Two

TORRAN

The Toughest Nut To Crack In Town.

Make it right, Torran.