“I voted no because I believe Earl wanted us to honor his will the way it stands. And because I happen to think that the majority of this town loves it here because we’re one of the only communities in the area to have very little commercial development on our beaches. It’s what separates us from the rest of the surrounding cities.”
“You keep saying we, but you’re not even from these parts. You’ve been in town a whole month now. Big whoop. What do you care what happens to the beaches around here?”
“Larry,” Mimi said, her tone now one of disgust. “That’s uncalled for.”
“Is it? Let’s face it,” he said, addressing the rest of the room. “This job is just something to put on her resume. Girlie here with the hickey on her neck will be gone in five years to greener pastures, and the rest of us will be stuck cleaning up her mess.”
The room went completely still.
Jenna could either back down, which was what bullies like Larry wanted, or she could stand up for herself. Good thing she didn’t have red hair for nothing.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but it’s a mosquito bite, thank you very much,” Jenna said crisply. “Larry, you’ve made some good points here this afternoon, but I have to wonder if your enthusiasm for this deal is based on one hundred percent concern for the city. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you had a personal stake in all this.”
“What are you accusing me of?” he blustered.
“I’m not accusing you of anything. I’m merely stating my concerns out loud.”
Pilar quickly intervened. “I say we go back to discussing the budget.”
“I agree with Pilar,” Mimi said giving everyone a stern mayoral look that no one dared argue with. Not even Larry.
After another hour of squabbling, the budget was approved because there really wasn’t a choice. There was only so much money to go around and that was that.
“So now can we go back to discussing Nora’s offer?” Larry asked.
“Things got a little too heated here today and I think it’s a good idea if we step back a bit,” Mimi said. “Let’s take the next few days to think about this suit against the city and the pros and cons of Nora Palermo’s offer. I’ll have Pilar reach out to Mr. Harrison and see if we can get a better deal. We can take an official vote at the next meeting.”
“Good idea, but I’m still not changing my mind,” Gus said.
“Then it’s been nice knowing ya,” Larry quipped. “Because if you don’t vote for this deal, come next election day, you’ll be outta here.?
?
“Forget the rum and Coke,” Pilar muttered. “This meeting called for straight whiskey.”
Chapter Sixteen
The Whispering Bay High gymnasium was packed. Jenna stood near the podium at the front of the gym, facing the standing-room-only crowd with Mimi and Pilar by her side. The rest of the city council members were seated in chairs behind the podium.
After this afternoon’s disastrous meeting, she and Larry had semi-cordially agreed to disagree, but knowing he was sitting right behind her put Jenna on edge. She’d always prided herself on being a professional, but in today’s meeting she’d sunk to Larry’s level and she didn’t feel good about that.
“Are there usually this many people at a town hall meeting?” she asked.
“The last time we had a turnout this big was back in June when our ex-mayor, Bruce Bailey, accused me and Zeke of dropping the ball on the security for the Spring into Summer festival,” Mimi answered, while still keeping her gaze on the audience. Every few seconds she’d spot a familiar face and do the wave-and-smile. The Queen could take lessons from Mimi Grant.
“Do you think they’re all here because of the new rec center?” Jenna asked.
“It must be,” Pilar said thoughtfully. “It’s the only topic that was announced. But I agree, this is an awfully big crowd. We usually only get about a hundred residents, tops. There’s at least a thousand people out there.”
Aunt Viola and Betty Jean, along with the rest of the Gray Flamingos, took up the front three rows. Sarah Jamison and Luke Powers were here, and so was Lucy McGuffin. Zeke and Rusty and a few other cops were also in attendance. Lauren Miller, who owned Baby Got Bump and her husband, Dr. Nate, both waved to her from the middle of the room. Jenna waved back. Seated next to Lauren was a man with dark hair and—
“What’s he doing here?”
“Who’s he?” Pilar asked.
Rats. Jenna hadn’t realized she’d spoken out loud. Pilar’s gaze immediately followed hers straight to Ben, who nodded politely at both women, then went back to reading his program.
“Ben Harrison at a town hall meeting isn’t a good thing,” Pilar said.