AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Can I have your attention, please?” Lilac scans the room, and everyone immediately quiets down. No one wants to get on the wrong side of the woman who controls the town’s purse strings.
“We will now pick next year’s mayor. The same rules apply as always. If your name is picked, you cannot turn the position down unless you were the mayor in the previous year. It is, however, allowed to procure a substitute. The substitute will not be compensated in any way.” She narrows her eyes on Saffron.
“Why are you singling me out? I maintain gifting a person a copy of the Kama Sutra is not compensation.” Except Saffron owned the bookstore before Aspen bought it from her a few months ago and giving someone a product from your store for free is pretty much the definition of bribery.
“And I paid for the dang copy in the end anyway,” Lennon, the owner of the bar Electric Vibes, yells from the back.
“What are they talking about?” Aspen asks.
I wave away her question. “It was when you were off in Dallas.”
“Would anyone like to double check all of the business owners' names are in the hat?” Lilac asks.
Laughter erupts in the room. Everyone knows better than to double check Lilac’s work. Someone does not appreciate her work being questioned.
She holds the hat out to Forest. “If you would do the honors.”
He rummages around in the hat for a while.
“Come on, Forest. Just pick one,” is shouted from the back.
“Yeah. At this rate, I’ll be in a nursing home before the next mayor is announced,” someone else adds.
“Patience is a virtue,” Lilac sings.
I giggle. “It’s hard to believe Lilac grew up in the same town as us sometimes.”
Forest picks a name and hands it to Lilac.
“Finally!” Ashlyn yells. “I thought he’d never pick a name.”
Juniper raises her beer. “Drink!” When I don’t raise my bottle, she glares at me. Fine. Whatever. I take a sip. Yuck. Non-alcoholic beer is gross.
“The new major for the upcoming year is …” Lilac glances briefly at me before announcing, “Ellery West.”
I spring to my feet. “I’m…” Shit. I can’t turn down the position unless I tell the entire town I’m pregnant.
Ashlyn jumps to her feet next to me. “I volunteer as tribute! I volunteer as tribute!” She winks at Mom. “Reading those books came in handy after all.”
“What’s this all about?” Feather asks.
“Is Ashlyn volunteering because Ellery’s pregnant?” Sage asks.
I gasp. “You know I’m pregnant?”
“Darling girl, we’re not idiots. Of course, we know,” Petal says while the rest of her gossip girl gang – Feather, Sage, Cayenne, and Clove – nod.
I throw my arms in the air. “You didn’t have to tell the entire town!”
Forest raises his hand. “I knew.”
“Me too,” Basil yells from the back.
I glare at Dad. “You told.”
“I’m going to be a grandpa.”
Yep. He told.
