Always You: A Lilac Bay Novel (Friends with Benefits) (9 page)

“Very nice,” I said, laughing now. “Don’t you think?”

“Riley James—” she started, then gasped when I stood, walking away from the desk in the middle of her sentence. “Where do you think you’re going?”

I didn’t bother to answer. From here I could see that Andrew was on the phone now, his brow furrowed as he looked at his computer. He looked up and saw me approaching and I could see his face register that something was going on, something big.

“Can I call you back?” he said to whoever was on the other line, hanging up the phone and standing as I reached him. “What? What is it?”

“We did it,” I told him, laughing again. I felt like screaming, like jumping up and down. In the end, I threw my arms around him, kicking up my feet a little when he caught me. I could feel every eye in the office on us, but I didn’t care.
We did it!

“What did we do?” he asked, his voice sounding both bemused and pleased, his arms automatically coming up around me to hug me back.

I pulled back so I could look at his face when I told him the news. “They’re sending a film crew, Andrew. And producers. They want to check out the town. We have an actual shot at this!”

His eyes widened, his mouth actually dropping open. “Heather Dale?” he whispered.

I nodded, barely able to stand still. “They want to come next week!”

“Oh my God!” Andrew grabbed my hands and started jumping up and down, pulling me along with him until I was laughing, feeling more than a little hysterical.

“What on Earth has gotten into the two of you?” Millie cried. “Stop this at once! This is a place of business!”

“You’re right,” Andrew said, grinning from ear to ear. “We should take this in to the mayor.”

“Absolutely not—” Millie began, but we both brushed straight past her. I knocked on Mayor Jones’ office, feeling giddy as I imagined his reaction.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Millie cried, right as the mayor called for us to come in.

Andrew squeezed my hand as we opened the door to see the Major Jones at his desk, eating a bagel and reading a magazine. Definitely hard at work. I turned to shut the door and saw Millie’s red face glaring at me, apparently ready to push us both out of the way.

“Don’t you have anything to do?” I asked sweetly. “I thought this was a place of business.”

And then I shut the door in her face, and turned to tell my boss the amazing news.

T
he commerce committee
meeting that I had been dreading all week suddenly didn’t seem so boring after all. In fact, I was downright excited about it. Because it was no longer actually a commerce meeting. Instead, the mayor had asked everyone in the office to spread the word that he wanted to see the entire town at the meeting. It was time to share our news.

I got to the gymnasium in the senior center early so I could help set up. Libby was there waiting for me. As the president of the commerce committee, she was supposed to be running the show tonight. But now all of that had changed.

“What’s this all about?” she asked me, the moment I appeared in the doorway to the gym. “Why did the meeting get changed? Why does mayor want everyone here?”

“I’m not supposed to tell you,” I said, failing to hide my wide grin as I grabbed a few folding chairs from the stack against the wall and moved to set them up. Libby blocked my path.

“You have to tell me,” she said, her voice pleading. “We’re friends, Riley. Friends don’t keep good gossip from other friends.”

I probably would have told her, even though I was expressly forbidden to do so by the mayor. But at that moment the side door to the gym opened, and Rose Powell and her friend Chrissy came in.

“Hello, ladies!” I called before looking back to Libby. “Sorry. Looks like you’ll have to wait.”

She made a face at me but joined me when I stood up to greet the newcomers. I said hello to Chrissy, and then Rose took me by the hands, peering into my face.

Andrew’s grandmother was one of the only women on the island that could match me in height. Even at seventy-something years old she stood tall and regal, her soft white hair piled in a bun at the top of her head. Growing up, I’d spent more time at Rose Powell’s house than my own, so I’d seen all the pictures of her as a young woman. She’d been a knock out then—and honestly, was still a knock out to this day. There was a shadow of sadness on her face now, one that hadn’t been there last year, that was obviously the effect of losing her husband ten months ago. Rose and Frank Powell had been more in love than anyone I had ever seen in my life. Her grief was palpable. But somehow she still managed to keep it together, helping Iris to run her cafe, taking care of her family, and being a friend to everyone on this island.

“How are you, sweetheart?” she asked. “You look tired. Are you working too hard?”

“Oh, you know how it is, Rose,” I said. “Lots of stress involved in soliciting vendors for the Fish Fry.”

She grinned, her expression a little wicked. “Yes, but you have to do it with that awful Millie Briggs standing over your shoulder. You know I don’t like to speak poorly of my peers, love, but what a terrible bitch.”

I burst into laughter, hugging her.

“What are you laughing at?” Andrew asked, appearing at our side. “Is my grandmother being dirty?”

“That’s none of your business, young man,” Rose said, releasing me to hug him. “You look too thin. Come to my house tomorrow and I’ll feed you.” He winked at me over her shoulder and I rolled my eyes. Spoiled rotten.

“So, what’s this about?” she asked. “Chrissy and I were planning to go out to the movies tonight before Posey came bursting into my cafe to say we all needed to come to this meeting.”

“Weren’t you supposed to be at the meeting anyhow?” Andrew asked. “I thought you were the treasurer of the commerce committee.”

“Vice president, darling,” she told him, waving a hand. “But these meetings are so boring. I always skip them.”

“You’re an upstanding member of the town, Mimi Rose, has anyone ever told you that?”

She patted the side of his face. “At my age you don’t have time for sitting around in gymnasiums, listening to Crystal and Fran fight over who should get the historical society plaque for first fudge shop on the island,” she muttered.

“Well, I think things will be a bit more exciting than that tonight,” I told her, grinning over at Andrew.

“You both know what’s going on,” Libby said, her voice accusing. “Tell us!”

“We have to get this room set up,” Andrew said. “Everyone else will be here soon.”

We got to work setting up the folding chairs, Rose and Libby helping. Town members began trickling in about ten minutes before the meeting was set to start, many of them helping with the set-up, more of them badgering Andrew and I about the agenda. Once we’d finished, Andrew and I went and stood near the mayor’s podium, watching our friends and neighbors fill the space.

“Holy crap,” he muttered. “This is a lot of people. It’s Friday night. Doesn’t anyone have plans?”

“It’s not every night the mayor calls for an emergency meeting,” I told him. “Besides, this is Lilac Bay. What kind of plans could they have?”

“You have a point there.” The crowd filling the space did seem to be rather excited, chattering and laughing as they greeted each other.

“God,” Andrew suddenly said, shaking his head. “This is the most exciting thing to ever happen on this island.” He grinned at me. “They’re going to
freak out
, Riley.”

By the time the mayor arrived, the small gym was packed. People were standing along the sides of the room, crowded four and five rows deep in the back. I wouldn’t be surprised if ninety percent of the island was here. I felt a rush of affection for these people, my neighbors all crowded in here on a Friday night with only a few hours' notice. Their town had asked them to turn out and they had, no questions asked.
We deserve a shot at this
, I thought fiercely.
These people deserve it.

I caught sight of Rebecca and Jake, sitting with the three boys crowded on their laps, and waved, feeling giddy.

“Welcome, welcome,” Mayor Jones said, stepping up to the podium. The mayor rarely ever used a microphone, and tonight was no exception. He had a loud, booming voice that could easily carry to the back of any room on the island. It suited him. William Jones was a tall, broad, beast of a man, still very handsome at sixty-something. He was also a man who knew how to dress well. He had his suits tailor-made on the mainland and accessorized them with colorful shirt and tie combinations. He had a head full of thick brown hair and a mustache Tom Selleck would have been proud of, both of which he kept carefully styled. In addition to his mayoral duties, which I wouldn’t call highly taxing, William Jones led kayak tours to the uninhabited coves and rocky outcrops at the far end of the island, played for the Elks rec team, and taught ballroom dance classes at Tina’s studio. Maybe not the most expected combination of hobbies for a mayor, but he somehow made in work.

He was, in fact, exceedingly popular on the island. A former All-American at the University of Michigan, he’d won a national title before coming home to the island as a conquering hero. He ran his parents marina for a few years before funneling his popularity into a political run, first on the city council before running for mayor—an office he was elected to a record eight times, which meant he’d been running this place for more than thirty years now. And that was why, of course, he was so reluctant to take any of my suggestions for revitalization. Everything had been working out just fine for him for longer than I had been alive.

None of that matters now
, I reminded myself. My tourism campaign paled in comparison to what Andrew and I had done with this contest.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Mayor Jones said, straightening his tie and nodding his head in acknowledgment of the smattering of applause that met his appearance at the podium. “I asked you all to come here tonight in order to share some exciting news.”

“They’re building a bridge to the mainland?” Jerry Brooks called from the back.

“No, there are no plans to—”

“You’re going to let us drive cars?” Iris Holder asked hopefully.

Andrew groaned beside me. “Now she’s started it,” he whispered. The long-standing no automobile law was a contentious topic on this island. The vast majority of islanders were in support of the rule, considering it the number one factor that put us on the map. But the ones who opposed it could get awfully loud. Just as I feared, the room immediately devolved into grumbling and arguments.

“We don’t want cars!” David cried, staring at his girlfriend in horror. “Are you crazy?”

“What’s crazy about wanting cars?” Sherry said, turning in her seat to glare at David. “I have arthritis, boy, you try walking up all these hills when you get to be my age.”

“You’re fifty,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Hardly a senior citizen.”

“What’s the supposed to mean?” Rose asked, leaning over Iris. “I’m a senior citizen and I get up the hills just fine, Mr. Jenkins.”

“The no car rule is one of our greatest assets,” Posey was saying, shaking her head at her cousin. “I’ve been telling you this your entire life, Iris. People come here to get away from the busyness and the stress of their lives and—”

“We’re not getting cars,” Mayor Jones shouted over the din. “The automobile ban is not on the agenda tonight.”

Most of the room fell immediately quiet, many looking relieved, while a select few continued to grumble.

“What we have tonight is even more exciting.” He leaned over the podium towards his constituents, a grin on his face. “Ladies and gentlemen, Lilac Bay has been chosen as a finalist to represent small-town America on a new reality television show.”

He paused for reaction, and when he got none, frowned.

“Don’t you understand? Our town could very well be on TV.”

“For what now?” Jerry asked, his brows creased.

“What’s a reality show?” Fran asked.

“Oh, you know, Fran,” Rose said. “Like that
Dancing With The Stars
that we like.” She looked up at the mayor hopefully. “Are you going to be on
Dancing With The Stars
?”

“Oh, mayor, that’s wonderful!” Crystal said, clapping her hands. “Good for you!”

“No!” Mayor Jones bellowed, his face turning red with frustration. “The whole town!”

“How can we all be on that dancing show?” Sherry asked. “I don’t know nothing about dancing.”

The mayor looked over at me, shaking his head. “Riley, why don’t you explain it.”

I stepped up to the podium, holding up my hands to try and quiet the chattering about who on the island would be the best dancer.

“This has nothing to do with dancing!” I called out. “Everyone just listen.”

Eventually they did quiet down. Across the room, I caught site of Rebecca’s eyes. She and Jake alone looked excited, already having some clue what this was about. “Who here has watched Heather Dale on television?”

“Ooh, I love her!” Posey said, raising her hand.

“She’s a smart cookie, that one,” Crystal agreed.

“We watch her every morning,” Zane said. “Don’t we, Eddie?”

There was lots of nodding and hands up in the room so I continued.

“For those of you who don’t know her, Heather Dale is a major television personality. She currently hosts a daytime talk show. Sometimes she hosts specials in the evening—and that’s what this will be. Heather Dale is hosting a new show, in primetime—a reality competition about small towns in America. They’re going to highlight several towns over the course of the summer and the viewers will be able to vote on their favorites. Once they’ve picked a winner, that town will receive a bunch of prizes—”

“Like what?” Edward asked.

“Well, money, for one thing. For the schools and the library and the senior center, and whatever else we’d want to use it for.”

“We could build a new fishing dock!” Jerry said.

“We could do a lot of things.” I looked around the room meaningfully. “They’re going to be awarding five hundred thousand dollars in prizes and grants.”

You could have heard a pin drop.

“Half a million dollars?” Posey squeaked. “Seriously?”

“Well, we should enter!” Sherry said. “What are we waiting for?”

Andrew made a scathing noise behind me.

“We
did
enter, Sherry. Haven’t you people been listening? We’re finalists.”

The shocked silence gave way to an eruption of noise. Everyone was turning to their family and neighbors to squeal in excitement and talk about what we should do with the money.

Mayor Jones stepped to my side, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Ladies and gentlemen, being chosen as finalists is a great honor for our town. And we have none other than our own Riley James to thank for that. Riley entered our town in this contest because she believes in us. And thanks to her, we might just get a chance to show the world how special Lilac Bay really is.”

“That’s wonderful, Riley!” Rose called, clapping. Soon everyone else was clapping too, my sister standing, while my nephews jumped up and down on her vacated chair.

“Andrew and I applied,” I said, a blush coming to my cheeks. “This wouldn’t have happened without Andrew.”

“That’s not true at all,” he argued. “This was all Riley’s idea. I just helped a little.”

I turned to glare at him, but he merely grinned at me, clapping along with everyone else.

“When do we find out if we made the show?” asked Donovan Tucker, the principal at the Island School. I could just see the gears in his head spinning, thinking of all the ways the school could spend some serious cash.

“The producers will be sending a camera crew this week sometime,” Mayor Jones explained, only to be interrupted by a fresh onslaught of squeals and exclamations.

“A camera crew? Coming here?”

“Sherry, you’ll have to set my hair this week. Look at my roots all growing out! I can’t be on TV like this!”

“Do you think they’ll want to interview all of us?”

“People, please!” Mayor Jones called. “We’re getting way ahead of ourselves. We have real planning to do here!”

The din subsided a bit.

“The camera crew will be coming just to get a few shots of the island,” I explained. “And the producers will want to look around and meet a few of you, visit a few of our businesses, that kind of thing. Just to see if we’d be a good fit.”

“What we need to do tonight,” Mayor Jones went on, “is, first of all, to decide if this is something we want to participate in. Personally, I think it will be wonderful exposure for our little island. But we won’t move ahead unless the people of Lilac Bay are in agreement.”