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“With the kids.”
“And the chief knows you’re here, huh? And who you’re with?” Rusty persisted.
“I’m really not sure what the chief does and doesn’t know, but I’m sure you’ll fill him in,” Mimi said.
“Oh, yeah, I’ll fill him in.”
If anyone other than Rusty had just said that… But he wasn’t being snarky. He was just being Rusty.
Mimi laid down her napkin and not-so-discreetly glanced around the crowded restaurant. The entire place was still looking at them. After thirty-five years you’d think she’d be used to it. And she sort of was, but this was getting downright ridiculous. Not to mention it could potentially interfere in her ability to do her duty as mayor. It was time to take matters into her own hands.
She stood. “May I have your attention, everyone?” she said loudly.
“Oh, you have our attention, all right,” a female voice shouted. It was Sarah Nelson, from the library.
“Awesome. So most everyone here knows me since I’ve lived all my life in Whispering Bay, but in case you’ve been living under a rock, I’m Mimi Grant, your new mayor.” A few people began to applaud. “Thanks, I appreciate that, but let me make this quick and to the point. Yes, Zeke and I are separated—” The crowd began talking all at once. Mimi held a hand up to silence them. “It’s no one’s fault. Just one of those things. Maybe we’ll get back together. Or maybe not. It’s too soon to tell right now. The point I’m trying to make is that neither Zeke nor I are seeing anyone else, but I’m sure if and when that happens, you all will be the first to know. Now, tonight, I’m having a business dinner with the new city manager to discuss the future of this town. It is not a date. Let me repeat. It. Is. Not. A. Date. So, I’d appreciate it if we all went back to clogging our arteries and eating our French fries and burgers.” She smiled apologetically. “No offense meant to the establishment at Burger World.”
Maura, the assistant manager on duty tonight who had stopped working to listen to Mimi’s speech along with the rest of the place, smiled back. “None taken!” She gave Mimi a thumbs up.
“Good. So…carry on, people,” Mimi said.
Everyone turned their attentions back to their respective tables and resumed eating.
Rusty scratched the top of his head. “So…does this mean I should tell the chief or not?”
“I have total confidence that you’ll use your best judgment on that, Rusty,” Mimi said.
“Oh, yeah, okay, sure.” He walked away, looking confused.
“So, I take it we aren’t on a date, huh?” Doug said. His eyes had an amused look in them that flustered her. She couldn’t tell if he was flirting or merely teasing. She wasn’t used to men who said one thing but maybe meant something else entirely. She was used to Zeke Grant, who said exactly what was on his mind or nothing at all.
Mimi shrugged. “Sometimes you just have to spell things out for people.” She pushed her plate to the side. “Now that we have that settled, maybe we can get down to
business?”
He turned serious. “You have my undivided attention.”
“Okay, so, I’ve had time to look through all those numbers on the Spring Into Summer festival and you’re right, of course, they’re dismal as dirt. I need to find a way to turn that festival around and I really think Bruce was onto something last year in trying to get Billy Brenton.” She went on to tell him how he was on tour in the area the exact dates of the festival and how she’d tried to get in touch with someone from his Nashville-based management company.
“They gave you the run around, huh?”
“About a marathon’s worth,” she admitted.
“If you could manage to get Billy Brenton for the festival, it would be huge.” He leaned forward in his seat. “Do you know what happened last year? Why was he a no show?”
She hadn’t exactly promised Bruce that she wouldn’t leak his mistake to anyone, but nevertheless, Mimi felt an obligation to keep his blunder under wraps. “I think there was some major miscommunication along the way. I’ve come to the conclusion that while I’d love to get Billy Brenton, I’ve given it all I got and I’m still batting zero. Plus, I have to be practical. Even if by some slim chance I could get ahold of him, and if by some even slimmer chance, he’d be willing to play here, there’s just no money in the festival budget for a big name star like him. Starting Monday morning I’m going to actively pursue every band within a fifty mile radius. We might not be able to get Billy Brenton, but I’m positive I can do better than Harry Tuba.”
Doug hedged a moment. “Look, I like you, Mimi. And I know how tough it can be when you’re the new kid on the block, but I hate to see you give up before you’ve even started.”
“I can’t put all my eggs in one basket. Billy Brenton is a pipe dream. Besides, you should always have a backup plan.”
“Smart lady,” he said. “But I have the feeling that if anyone can get Billy Brenton to Whispering Bay, it’ll be you.”
There he went again. Giving her way too much credit before she’d even accomplished anything. “That’s an awful lot of confidence in someone you hardly know. Like I said, even if by some miracle I could get him to come do a concert, there’s no money in the festival budget to pay him.”
Doug shifted around in his chair. “I’ll tell you what. If you can convince Billy Brenton to come play in Whispering Bay, I’ll try to figure out a way to squeeze the money out of the city budget for him.”
Mimi snapped to full attention. “We can do that?”
