Midlife Baby (Small Town Lovers)

Carlotta looked at me brows knitted with concern and a curious expression on her face. “Are you all right Margot?”

I nodded quickly and slammed my eyes shut against the instant nausea that consumed me. “I’m fine, just a little run down. This summer is going to be great for all of us, Carlotta. It’s everything I envisioned when I purchased this land.” I leaned against my high-backed office chair and sighed. “I might have been pushing a little too hard to make it happen.” The one upside to absolute exhaustion was that I slept like a baby every night. And I didn’t have the mental energy to think of a certain blue-eyed bartender.

Carlotta sighed and leaned forward to put a hand on top of mine. “You don’t have to do this alone Margot. We may own and run separate businesses, but we’re partners and friends. If you need help, ask.”

I nodded, grateful for her concern. “Thanks, but a little honest work never hurt anyone.”

“Maybe not, but at our age we can’t afford to be reckless with our health, physical or mental.” With those words Carlotta un-crossed her legs and elegantly got up. She watched me carefully as she smoothed the flared out skirt of her purple dress and picked up her matching handbag. “The consults are in our shared calendar. Oh, and at the end of next month we have an engagement party booked, and they want to use the big house.”

My eyes widened. “Really? Who?”

Carlotta’s satisfied smile brightened. “Trey and Valona.”

“Wow. Good for them.” They seemed like a long shot at first, given the age difference, but they were by all accounts truly in love. And with their beautiful, blended family I wished nothing but the best for them. “That means we’ll need to find a photographer for the event.”

“Already on it,” Carlotta said, half distracted by something just outside my office. “Take care of yourself Margot,” she said and pointed a finger at me.

“I will. Promise.” I had nothing scheduled for this weekend, which was a blessing because it would give me time to catch up on things like sleep and laundry.

Less than a minute passed between Carlotta’s departure and another knock on my door. I looked up full of annoyance that quickly shifted into surprise when I spotted the mayor at my door. “Is this a good time? Carlotta said you weren’t feeling well.”

“I’m a business owner, which means I’m always tired, but I always have time for the mayor. Have a seat and tell me how I can help.”

Chase took a seat and flashed a friendly smile. “I want the town to sponsor a July Fourth barbeque, like a block party, but for the whole town and extra bonus points if we can get businesses in the area to donate something. It doesn’t have to be enough burgers to feed the entire town, but here and there. You know?”

I nodded. “That’s a wonderful idea. The businesses can get free publicity, while the town comes together to celebrate. And you can do a thank you speech before the fireworks.”

Chase’s eyes widened and he shook his head. “I don’t think that’s necessary.”

“It is. Not only will the town want to hear from you, but the businesses will appreciate a special thanks from the mayor. It can be short and sweet Chase, but it does have to be done.” I jotted down a few notes with details necessary to throw a party of this size. “Where do you want this to take place?”

“All over town. If people want to keep it simple and invite friends to their backyard, that’s fine. If they want to do it in the park, or here or wherever else they think of, I just want them all to gather together to celebrate the holiday. And this will help some of the elderly and new residents to get out and meet new people.” The smile on his face was filled with pride, as it should be, this was a good idea for everyone. “Can you help make this happen Margot?”

An event of this magnitude would require a lot of work with just two weeks of planning, but I would make it happen. “Of course. Anything else I should know?”

“Yes. I’m thinking of Movie in the Park around five-thirty or six with ice cream and dessert. A small break to set up for fireworks, and then we do them right in the park. Feasible?”

“I don’t see why not, but I’ll need to speak to your fireworks guy to make sure.”

“You know him,” Chase said with a smile. “For the past few years Grady has been the fireworks expert in town.”

I shook my head in disbelief at my bad luck. “That can’t be. He own’s a bar, he’s not an engineer or a pyrotechnician or whatever is required to do the job.”