CHAPTER 22
Megan surveyed the packed assembly hall as yet another Tuesday-night town council meeting came to an end. She shifted closer to Ean and lowered her voice to a whisper. “There are even more people here tonight than usual. It’s surprising this close to Thanksgiving.”
The room teemed with town center business owners and their families, and neighbors who hadn’t attended a council meeting in at least four years.
Ean whispered back. “Makes you wonder if they’re here for the issues, or because they expect you and Ramona to give them a show.”
Megan’s stomach muscles knotted. “Thanks a lot.”
“Just wondering.”
Town council president CeCe Roben banged her gavel for attention. Her pale blue eyes watched Megan as she addressed the audience. “Are there any questions or statements from the public?”
A murmur rippled through the audience. Megan returned the other woman’s gaze without shrinking. Ean was probably right. Her neighbors were expecting a show. She wasn’t looking to accommodate them, but she couldn’t speak for Ramona.
Megan strode to the podium. Her knees were solid. Her pulse was steady. She’d found the confidence to confront Ramona about Ean. Facing her now to protect Books & Bakery and the Trinity Falls Town Center was a breeze in comparison.
She squared her shoulders and looked Ramona in the eye. “Mayor, the members of the Trinity Falls Town Center Business Owners Association are still waiting for details regarding your plans for the center and future businesses.”
Megan ignored the murmurings around the assembly room, as well as Ramona’s cold stare. Other members of the association, including Ean, were behind her, literally and figuratively. The cause uniting them was too important. She wouldn’t back down. She wouldn’t let them back down, either.
Ramona pulled her microphone closer. “The idea for the upgrade isn’t just mine. It’s also the idea of the entire council.”
Megan doubted that. She studied the uneasy council members seated around tables arranged in a U-shape. One by one, their eyes shifted away from her.
She returned her attention to Ramona. “What’s your goal in searching for a high-end real estate broker?”
Ramona folded her arms on the table. “You don’t expect us to locate individual businesses, do you? We’re putting out an announcement for an individual broker who will attract the right businesses for us.”
A chunk of ice the size of a fist settled in Megan’s gut. So her cousin really was moving forward with her plan, even though it would destroy the bookstore, which had been in their family for generations.
The audience’s murmurings were a distracting buzz in Megan’s ears. “When?”
“We don’t have an exact timetable, but we’re intending to fast-track the bids.”
“Why are you doing this?” The question shot from Megan’s lips before she’d realized she was going to ask it.
Ramona smoothed her salon-styled hair. “This was a decision the council made in consideration of the best interests of the town.”
“Exactly how will this benefit Trinity Falls?”
Ramona’s gaze wavered. “Being able to offer trendier shops will raise the town’s profile and attract more tourists.”
Megan frowned her confusion. “To shop? When people plan shopping vacations, they think of New York, Chicago, Los Angeles. Not Trinity Falls, Ohio.”
Ramona looked down her nose at Megan. “They would consider the town if we had the shops.”
“You can’t be serious.” Megan shook her head. “You don’t really have a plan for bringing upscale businesses to Trinity Falls, do you?”
“Of course I do.”
“We’re waiting to hear it.” Megan gestured to include the residents in the audience.
Ramona smoothed her hair again. “The town needs to change with the times.”
“Our businesses are thriving. Obviously, the community sees a need for us.”
Ramona jerked her head toward the council members. “The community elected us to represent their interests. We’ve decided it’s in the town’s interest to bring in new, trendy stores.”
Megan felt her blood boil. “Trinity Falls isn’t a room you can redecorate on a whim. It’s a community of people. The town center businesses are vital to this community.”
She looked over her shoulder at the center’s business owners: Grady Weatherington, Belinda Curby, Vernon Fox, Tilda Maddox and Ean. She’d known these people all of her life. She’d shared their struggles and triumphs, just as they’d shared hers and her family’s.
Her gaze met Ean’s. Was that admiration in his eyes? With that look, he’d given her a much-needed boost of energy.
She faced the council and Ramona again. “We organize annual fund-raisers for school supplies and college scholarships. I benefited from one of those scholarships. You did as well, didn’t you, Councilwoman Roben?”
CeCe smiled. “Indeed, I did.”
Megan continued. “We’ve also led the charge when the elementary school needed money for renovations and computers, as well as when the local clinic needed medical equipment. Would chain businesses without ties to this community have that same commitment?”
A rumbling chorus of agreement rose behind Megan like an unstoppable wave.
Ramona banged the gavel as she glowered at the audience. “Quiet! Any more disruptions and the meeting will come to an end.”
Megan stared down her cousin. “Give us answers, Mayor.”
“I’ve given you answers.” Ramona’s response was brittle.
“And we’ve given you ours. We won’t sit on our hands as you bring New York lite to Trinity Falls.”
The reaction of the audience was even louder this time—cheers, applause and foot stomping.
Ramona banged her gavel again. “I warned you, didn’t I? I warned you. This meeting is now adjourned.”
Megan watched her cousin push away from the table and stalk from the assembly room via the rear exit. She returned to her seat to collect her handbag and coat. The hand that came to rest on her arm was Ean’s. She’d know his touch forever.
Ean’s palm slid from her shoulder to cup her elbow. “You were fantastic.”
Megan shook her head, nearly shaking with frustration. “No, I wasn’t.”
“The crowd disagrees with you. Did you hear them?”
“I didn’t get any answers. Instead, I brought the meeting to an end.” Megan blew out a breath.
“Ramona ended the meeting because she couldn’t handle you.” He used his hold on her arm to draw her closer to him and away from pedestrian traffic.
Darius shoved his pen and reporter’s notebook into his backpack. “Ean’s right. You had her on the ropes. This will make the front page of tomorrow’s Monitor.”
“Great.” Megan’s sarcasm was a mask for her unsettled nerves.
“I’m impressed.” Ean’s grin lent a mischievous light to his olive eyes. “You’re a natural leader.”
She blinked at him. “I don’t know about that, but you might be onto something. Maybe what we need is a better leader.”
Darius arched a brow at her. “What do—”
“Excuse me, Megan.” CeCe Roben’s voice interrupted them.
Megan gave her a questioning look. “CeCe, are you sure you’re allowed to fraternize with the enemy?”
CeCe’s chuckle sounded uncomfortable. “I don’t think of you as the enemy, Megan. I hope you don’t consider me one, either.”
Megan faced the councilwoman. She took a moment to regret the loss of Ean’s touch as his warmth dropped from her elbow. “You and the rest of the council are threatening my livelihood. How am I supposed to consider you?”
“I don’t agree with Ramona’s plan. I’m not the only council member who feels that way, either.” CeCe looked around as though searching for someone in the crowd. Was she worried Ramona had reentered the room?
CeCe’s confession didn’t make Megan feel better. “We elected you to represent our interests, CeCe, not to cave in to Ramona’s demands.”
“It’s not that easy.” CeCe’s blue eyes searched for understanding.
Megan didn’t give her any. “Why not?”
“Ramona is socially connected. If we cross her, she could use her connections to hurt our careers.”
“If you disagree with Ramona’s direction for Trinity Falls, why don’t you run against her?”
CeCe looked horrified. A blush warmed her translucent skin. “I couldn’t do that, Megan. I need my job. Serving on the council doesn’t pay enough to support me and my family. I’m truly sorry.”
Megan watched CeCe walk away. “I’m ashamed to admit that I understand CeCe’s reluctance to stand up to Ramona.”
Darius grunted. “So do I. She can be a bitch when you cross her.”
Ean helped Megan with her coat. “You found the courage to break the story about her plans for the center.”
Darius feigned a nervous shiver. “And I needed Quincy’s protection from her wrath.”
Megan settled the strap of her black purse onto her shoulder. “Ramona’s term is up next year. Maybe we can find someone to run against her.”
“Why don’t you?” Ean took her elbow to escort her from the hall.
Megan almost tripped over her feet. “Me?”
Ean steadied her. “Like I said, you’re a natural leader.”
She’d never considered herself a leader. She’d found the courage to push back against Ramona’s bullying. But leading a town? Was that something she could do? Was it something she wanted to do?
Tension was an uninvited guest seated at the tables with the Trinity Falls Town Center Business Owners Association members the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. Megan had expected their unease after last night’s council meeting.
She opened her mouth to start the discussion, but Tilda forestalled her with her question for Ean.
“How much are you paying in rent for your office space?” The elderly owner of Gifts and Greetings pinned Ean with a shrewd look from her sharp gray eyes.
Megan stiffened at the older woman’s tone. This was Ean’s first meeting. But his wasn’t one of the new businesses Ramona wanted to bring in. Did the other members realize that?
“Tilda, that is so rude.” Belinda drank some coffee. The voluptuous owner of the Skin Deep Beauty Salon had almost choked on a bite of biscotti at Tilda’s question. She’d selected the pastry from the snacks Megan and Doreen had provided from the association’s petty cash fund.
“Why?” Tilda’s frown deepened the fine lines on her thin pale face. “He has the newest lease among us. If we don’t ask, how will we know whether they’re raising the rents on the stores?”
“She’s right.” Grady Weatherington, owner of Fine Accessories, cast a dubious eye toward the biscotti. He picked up a chocolate chip cookie instead and pointed it toward Ean. “What are you paying?”
Ean named a figure that made Grady cough. Megan caught her breath.
Vernon Fox’s bushy brows shot to his thinning red hairline. “I guess that answers the question of whether they’re going to raise our rents. They are.” The owner of Are You Nuts?, the nuts and candy store, lowered his coffee mug.
Ean exchanged a concerned look with Doreen. “I hadn’t realized the rent was higher than what everyone else was paying.”
Doreen waved a dismissive hand. “How could you know that?”
Vernon turned to Megan. “I can’t afford to pay a higher rent.”
“None of us can.” Belinda pushed her perfectly styled raven hair from her forehead with her well-manicured mahogany fingers. “Can’t you talk to Ramona?”
Megan shook her head. One more worry to add to the list. “You were there last night, Belinda. You heard how Ramona reacted to my attempts to reason with her.”
Belinda waved her biscotti. “I don’t mean as business owner to mayor. I mean as cousin to cousin. Use the bookstore’s roots to appeal to her. They were her grandparents, too.”
Megan squelched her frustration. “I’ve tried that. Ramona’s not going to give me special treatment just because we’re cousins.”
Tilda grunted. “There is no reasoning with Ramona. She’s a soulless bitch.”
“No, she’s not.” Megan pinned Tilda with a look. Regardless of how angry she made Megan, Ramona was still family. “Ramona’s goals are different from ours. Since we’re unable to change her mind, I think it’s time we try to get another mayor elected.”
Doreen tapped the table with her fingertips. “That’s a great idea. Make her a one-term mayor.”
“Who are you going to get to run against her?” Grady cast his gaze around the table as though prodding the other members’ memories. “That’s how she got elected the first time, remember? And that’s how the mayor before her got elected. Twice. No one ran against them.”
Ean glanced at Megan before turning to the others. “I think Megan would make a great mayor.”
Megan’s stomach dropped. “No, I wouldn’t.”
Tilda gestured toward her. “See? You won’t even run against her.”
“She’s my cousin.” Why had Ean brought this up?
“Why are you giving her special treatment?” Tilda mocked Megan’s earlier words.
Megan looked at each member in turn. “I’m not a leader—”
Ean interrupted her. “Yes, you are. You’ve taken the lead on this issue with the center.”
Megan spoke in a firm tone. “This is the first time I’ve ever been active on a government issue. I can lead an organization. I can run a business. But leading a town, balancing the needs of hundreds of people within a budget, is a completely different set of skills. We have to find someone else.”
“I don’t know who.” Doreen sounded disappointed.
Megan blinked. Doreen had been active in community organizations all of Megan’s life. Had their future mayor been sitting among them this entire time?