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“I’m all set.” She’d had little choice. No one else had volunteered to go up against Mayor Dragon—err, Darcy. So, yes, she’d decided to lead the committee. It would guarantee her a seat on the town council. If she could deal with stuffy collectors, she could handle one mayor with an inflated sense of self.
She had every act, every booth, every janitorial expense noted. She’d stuck to budget and she was so ready for the three day annual festival.
“Can you come outside with me, please?”
Bella swallowed a sigh. “Of course.” She turned to Nic. “I’ll be back soon.”
Nic flashed her killer smile toward the mayor. Bright red lips showed off perfect white teeth. She put her hands on her hips and cocked her hip. The cherry print of her dress was somehow a little scary, a little too lush, and a lot intriguing. Just like Nic liked everyone to see her.
Sharon looked down her nose at Nichole. “Nice to see you again, dear. Tell your mother I said hello.”
Nic slid her ever-present piece of gum along the front of her lips before snapping a bubble between her teeth. “Sure thing.”
Isabella had to choke back a laugh. She peeled off her sweater and handed it to Nic. “Behave,” she said under her breath.
“Nope.”
Bella shook her head, but she dutifully followed Sharon out the front door. The temperatures were already soaring into the upper eighties and it wasn’t even ten in the morning.
They passed Skye’s hat store, The Mad Hatter. Skye waved to her through the window and started to come out, but spotted Sharon and made a face.
Isabella mouthed, “Coward.”
Skye shrugged and nodded.
When Sharon turned to make sure she was keeping up, Isabella smiled brightly. “I hope we can keep the sun, but maybe stay out of the nineties for next weekend.”
Sharon sniffed. “You’re still too new to know just how hot it can get here. Three years ago it didn’t get below ninety for over six weeks. It would storm and go right back to humid. You’d do well to get used to it.”
Bella ignored the woman’s condescending tone, and smiled and waved at people on the street outside the pharmacy. She said a quick hello to two women that had been in her store yesterday. They were chitchatting outside the salon. Finally, she managed to match her stride with the mayor. “Good thing I love dresses.”
Sharon glanced at her dress. “I hope you’re wearing a different…dress tonight.”
“What’s wrong with it?” She looked down at her poppy colored wrap-around dress. It was definitely on the modest side covering her from chest to knee, leaving only her shoulders and arms bare.
“It’s…red.”
Isabella schooled her features. Just because Sharon hadn’t bought a color in fifty years didn’t mean Isabella needed to change her wardrobe. “Red is a power color. It shows confidence.”
“Red is showy. Is that what you need to do to cover up for a flaw in your presentation tonight? Distract the board with your body?”
Bella dodged a few pedestrians until they came to the half wall in front of the park. She touched the mayor’s arm and they both stopped. “Look, Mayor Darcy. I understand that you’re used to people being afraid of you. I’m not one of those people. Like my dress, or don’t like my dress, I don’t really care. What I do care about is making sure the Summer Festival is amazing this year. So if this little field trip is about anything other than that, I will have to respectfully leave you to your own devices. I have a business to run.”
The Mayor’s shrewd brown eyes narrowed. “You have grit. I like that.” She started walking again. “Make sure it’s not too much grit, Ms. Grace. Manners are a must when dealing with the people of this town.”
Bella shut her mouth. She knew when to fight her battles and when to concede. When they passed the park that had been transformed into the bones of the festival and took a right onto Bartlett Lane, she frowned. “So, where are we going?”
“We have a new addition to the festival, thanks to Cameron. I wanted to make sure you saw it before your presentation tonight. It may change some of your plans.”
“A new what?” Bella lengthened her stride. “Cam did what?”
“The old Bartlett barn has been emptied. His good for nothing children finally hauled out all of the old equipment to sell. Vultures.”
This was not happening. She had everything scheduled down to the last detail. The amount of juggling she’d have to do made her eye twitch all over again. Cam knew this. Why in the sweet hell would he muck up her lineup?
She let the mayor babble about the good for nothing Bartlett children as she mentally shuffled her presentation. When there was finally a lull in Sharon’s rant, Bella jumped into the conversation. “I assume that I’m not getting more of a budget to cover the extra space?”
“Well, no. But this is a wonderful bonus for the festival. Cameron and his crew are all helping to get it up to code.”
