“As you know, a portion of the money you used to pay for the tickets to tonight’s event goes to the water authority of the city of Bartlett.”
Carolina nodded politely, like this was a well-known fact.
But, no, Zane did not know that’s what this was for. Maybe that’s because Liza and Scott had given the ticket to him. All that he’d heard was that it was a formal city event.
His tie felt like it was squeezing his throat in cinching increments, tighter and tighter.
The man standing before them went on. “I’ve been asked to gather any more monies you may want to contribute to the cause. Clean, safe drinking water is a right, not a privilege. Your donations can help all of us have access to good water.” He finished his speech with a smile and proffered the laptop. “We take cards, PayPal, and Venmo. Cash donations can be taken at the city offices on Monday.”
“Sure,” Carolina said as she leaned over, typing on the keyboard. In less than a minute, she finished. “All done.”
“Thank you, ma’am. And you, sir?”
Carolina looked at him expectantly, and the man leaned toward him even more. Suddenly, Zane was the guy onChristmas with the Kranks, when the scout troop tries to bully him into buying a Christmas tree that he wasn’t even going to use.
“Uh, I wasn’t aware that this would be happening.” He padded his suit coat pockets, knowing full well that his wallet was right there where he was patting. He just couldn’t seem to whip it out. It was stuck there, against his chest, like it had become one with his skin.
Why was he even doing this? And how could he be expected to donate to Bartlett’s water cause when Silver Plum had their own? A cause he was closely tied to now.
That thought was a mistake, because then of course he thought of Mabel again, and everything went downhill from there.
Because Mabel would still make a donation. She might make comments here and there; they all liked to joke about smelly old Bartlett. But she wouldn’tnotdonate at least a little. It was the polite thing to do. Especially considering that any money that went toward Bartlett’s cause meant they could do more on their own instead of relying so much on Silver Plum.
He took the laptop and glanced at the guy. “You take Venmo, you said?”
After the man left to find more victims, Scott and Liza appeared, drinks in hand.
“You two have met!” Scott said.
“Congratulations,” Zane said, careful to not jostle Liza’s drink as she went in for an awkward hug.
Liza batted away the comment. “Well, thanks. It’s been exciting to play such a pivotal role in bringing our water systems into the twenty-first century.”
Scott pounded Zane on the back and laughed. “I’m sure Silver Plum will catch up someday.”
Zane’s mouth soured. “I wouldn’t think drilling a new well and repairing the water tower are behind the times, do you? Seems to me Silver Plum is setting the precedence in that way.”
Liza shrugged and took a sip. She swallowed and then gave Zane a lopsided smile. “But if we hadn’t propelled you to action through appropriating some of your water, none of that would have happened. The way I see it, we’re both better off because of that appropriation.”
“You may be right.” He loosened his tie a little. “But when our water supplies got low because of your appropriation, we didn’t go knocking on someone else’s door. We made things happen for ourselves.”
“And that’s admirable.” Liza’s eyes narrowed, and her chin tipped up. “But so is being able to negotiate with the surrounding areas, to broker for change, and to come together as a county.” Her smile was fixed on her face.
Carolina whistled and did a slow clap. She placed one hand on her mother’s forearm and the other on Zane’s shoulder. “I think both towns are great for handling the trying times with such grace. Mom, where did you get that beautiful drink? Zane and I need another one of those.”
Liza barely had a chance to point to the caterer carrying a tray before Carolina nodded her head and walked away.
Zane rocked back on his heels, his face growing hot. “I’ll go get a drink as well. Nice to see you.”
The Jorgensons smiled knowingly.
Zane got the feeling they’d be thrilled if he’d ask their daughter out.
This was getting out of hand.
He joined Carolina at the snack table. “You handled that well.”
“That’s because I have thirty years of experience.” Carolina rolled her eyes.
