‘That’s a very juvenile response, Taylor.’
I shrugged. ‘You asked for our opinion. And I thought the festival theme was always decided by the community.’
‘Normally, yes,’ she admitted. ‘But, as I’ve already explained, I didn’t think that was necessary this time.’
‘You mean you wanted to control the narrative and do it yourself.’
She sighed. ‘Wearisome, Taylor. Have you come along to this meeting just to be difficult? I know that my son broke your heart when he fell in love with someone else, but I’m not to blame, and this isn’t a place for you to get your revenge.’
I sagged back against my seat, feeling as if she’d knocked all the air out of me, broadcasting my marriage breakdown so publicly.
She gave me a hard stare, almost as if she was daring me to keep going. I knew how vicious she could be though. I looked down at my feet.
‘I think the young lady has a point,’ said Luis Morales, owner of a local art gallery. ‘The community should have been consulted.’
‘Fine,’ Celia snapped. ‘I mean, our graphic designer has already made up posters, and I’ve run some adverts in nearby towns, but I suppose the theme can still be changed, if anyone has a better idea?’
She looked around the room, and people shifted in their seats underneath her gaze.
‘I have an idea,’ an old man in the front row put his hand up. ‘I was sitting on the wharf the other day, watching the boats come in and out of the harbor, and I was thinking, how about something that showcases our seafood industry, and our rich maritime heritage. Perhaps something likeShells and Sails.’
Henry Newsom, the postman, nodded. ‘That’s not bad. Or, what about,From Trap to Table.’ He looked around the room. ‘Because of the lobster traps?’
Megan stood up from her seat. ‘I was thinking,’ she said. ‘Tides and Treasures.I find all sorts of cool things washed up on the beach that have come from God only knows where in the world. Journeying across the waves to our shores.’
‘Harbor Lights,’someone suggested.
‘Paint the Harbor,’ suggested someone else.
‘How about,Catch of the Day,’ Tom Hoyes, owner of the Lobster Shack located on the wharf, said loudly. He had a booming voice, which he’d used for years to attract tourists as they disembarked from the ferries. The room fell silent as his suggestion was given due consideration.
‘I like that,’ Ray announced. ‘It’s not stupid, like her-up-there’s idea.’
Jack laughed/coughed again.
Celia narrowed her eyes. ‘If you would like to remain at this meeting, Raymond, please refrain from calling anybody’s ideas “stupid”.’
‘It was only yours,’ he clarified. ‘But I’ll do my best.’
‘I agree with Ray,’ said Bill McIntyre, Pine Harbor’s dentist for the past forty-odd years. ‘It’s simple and relevant.’
Celia squeezed her eyes shut for a few moments, as if summoning inner strength and then smiled. ‘Can I get a show of hands please, for who would like our summer arts festival theme to beHarbor and Harvest, The Heart of the Sea.’
Doug’s hand shot up, followed by a handful of others around the room. Celia forced a smile.
‘And who would like Tom’s suggestion,Catch of the Day?’
Almost every other hand in the room went up, including both of mine.
‘I guessCatch of the Dayit is, then,’ she said, crossing something off a clipboard on the table in front of her and scribbling down the new name. ‘Personally, I think it sounds like something you see on a fish shop menu, but if it’s what the town wants, then who am I to object.’
‘And yet she still is,’ Ray said.
‘Right,’ Celia consulted the clipboard. ‘Moving swiftly on, as we have a lot to cover tonight, I’m delighted to announce we’ve received enough funding this year, thanks to a generous donation from our very own Pine Harbor bank – thank you, Tony – as well as many other, wonderful benefactors. I have a list of all individuals and businesses who have contributed, and I will make sure your kindness and generosity are acknowledged.’
Jack started clapping. I arched my eyebrows at him.
‘What?’ he said, as the rest of the room started clapping with him. ‘It felt like one of those moments where you’re supposed to applaud.’
