“Oh, I wouldn’t go that far.” I chuckled and placed a palm on Mayor Cole’s bicep. “I’d like to think the town saved me.” The mayor and Belinda beamed. Emmitt’s head did a little side tilt, and one corner of his mouth curved into an appreciative smile. He knew the perfect sound bite when he heard it. Bull’s-eye. It was the perfect quote, but it was also the truth. My thoughts immediately went to Dan before we continued our stroll around the grounds.
“—important to focus on the agricultural foundation of ourtown,” I was saying as the four of us strolled through the festival grounds.
“Ah, yes.” Emmitt slowed his stroll and turned to face me. “I was very curious about that. In a time when small, local farms are being taken over by large conglomerates or simply going bankrupt, your family farm has not only thrived, but the town has become something of a tourist attraction without losing its small-town charm. The effects are felt through the entire county. How would you explain this?” He raised an eyebrow and extended his recorder closer to my face.
“Well.” I pasted on my best debutante smile and chuckled to buy myself a few seconds. I looked at Belinda and Mayor Cole, whose well-practiced, frozen smiles told me that they weren’t going to jump in with a response. I sighed and my gaze swept over the crowded festival grounds. My eyes landed on a frail woman wearing a headscarf. Her cheeks were hollow, and her eyes were rimmed with dark circles, but they were sparkling. She was being gleefully dragged to a cotton candy stand by a young girl, trailed by a man pushing a stroller with a toddler inside.
“It’s the people,” I said finally, with a smile.
“Can you elaborate on that?” Emmitt asked.
“Of course. This town is full of magic. It’s become a place that people come to find refuge from the stresses of modern life. That’s not to say the town isn’t modern, but a visit here is a rejuvenating experience for so many, and as a PR rep, I can tell you that offering a great experience plus word of mouth is the best advertising.”
“It’s almost medicinal,” Emmitt remarked with a nod.
“Oh, I wouldn’t say that!” Mayor Cole barked out an overly loudlaugh. Belinda joined in. “But there is no sickness I’ve heard of that couldn’t be cured with a slice of cherry pie from Greenie’s Diner. We’ll have to make sure to get you one before the day is over.”
“Speaking of the farm,” I said as we approached Ernesto and some other workers from our farm at a large booth, “this is my family’s farm. This is Ernesto Alvarez, one of the farm managers.” Ernesto was leaning over a mini chicken coop, talking to a group of eager young children. I noticed a little girl in a wheelchair at the back of the crowd, struggling to get a better view of the demonstration. “Excuse me for a moment.” I pushed her to the front of the crowd, where Ernesto caught my eye and smiled before placing a baby chick in her lap. She squealed and scooped the chick into her hands before rubbing it against her cheek. My heart warmed.
“I see that your farm is a no-kill farm, though you raise animals. That must make it hard to be profitable.” Emmitt resumed his interview as we resumed our stroll.
“Our farm produces plenty of things that bring in revenue”—Mayor Cole’s smile faltered—“like produce, dairy, plants, and lots of other things”—I swiped a jar off the nearby table and handed it to Emmitt—“like honey. Here: my gift to you.” I grinned. “It’s the best in the county.”
He smiled and accepted the jar. He seemed to have satisfied his curiosity about the town, which was a huge relief. The last thing I needed was something else to pile onto the disaster swirling around Teddy’s impromptu visit.
“Ah, this is Roberta”—Mayor Cole beamed—“one of our successful proprietors.” Roberta was perched on a mini platform suspendedover a large tub of water. Beside the tub was a table holding a basket filled with large softballs with a sign the read:
$10FOR3 CHANCES!!
ALLPROCEEDSGOTO
SACREDMERCYCHILDREN’SHOSPITAL
“C’mon, Mayor Cole,” Roberta shouted. “Try and dunk me. No one has been able to do it yet.” She cackled.
“No, thank you.” The mayor held up his hands in concession.
“What about you, Emma?” She clapped her hands and shouted, “You know I love taking your money. It’s for a good cause.”
I smiled sweetly and approached the table, remembering how successful a proprietor Roberta was during our first meeting at the Feed ’n’ Farm. We’ve reconciled and our relationship has definitely changed for the better, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t glean a small sense of satisfaction from watching her sink into the icy cold water of the basin below. After all, it was for a good cause.
“Mayor Cole, I didn’t bring my wallet. Do you mind?” Mayor Cole handed me a ten-dollar bill and I handed it to Roberta’s assistant and grabbed my first softball.
“Make sure she’s behind the line,” Roberta yelled. “No cheating!”
With my toes squarely behind the line of white tape, I threw the first ball at the target. It sailed wide to the left and hit the vinyl sheet before rolling to the ground.
“Whew!” Roberta shook her head. “That was terrible. You’re lucky you’re cute.”
I smiled again and grabbed a second ball. This one sailed to the right, missing the target again.
“Humph.” Roberta sneered. “I guess you can’t be good at everything. At least you tried.”
I took a deep breath, stepped out of my stilettos, and crouched in the pitching stance I’d perfected during the many years I’d played softball—four of them on my high school’s varsity team.
Roberta went silent as I wound up for my pitch. With a flick of my wrist, the ball flew like a rocket directly toward the middle of the target. There was a loud crack, followed by Roberta’s wail and a loud splash. Everyone burst into applause, including a few onlookers that Roberta had been, no doubt, taunting all day. She popped out of the water and smoothed her hair out of her face before shaking her head with a smile.
I was called away to deal with an electricity issue with one of the rides as the mayor and the others continued the tour. As I watched them walk away, Belinda turned and gave me a wink and a thumbs-up. Warmth momentarily flooded my chest with relief that, despite what was coming, at least this was going well.
