Ida stuck her tongue out at her older sister, who sighed and shook her head.
“Well, Hunter,” Edna said to me. “Do you want to make a different decision?”
I was still reeling from Meg’s announcement. She didn’t want to be my deputy mayor? “Uh,” I said, looking out over the crowd, “I suppose then Garrett will be the deputy mayor.”
“Over my dead body,” Garrett shot back.
“I’ll do it!” Isaac piped up, jumping out of his seat.
“You’re not old enough,” I told him.
“Yes he is,” Meg corrected. “In Harrogate, the law states that a person can be the deputy mayor as long as they are over sixteen years of age and are a permanent resident.”
Fuck.
“So your sixteen-year-old brother is going to be your deputy mayor?” Edna asked disapprovingly.
“Not officially…”
“You better make it official,” Garrett retorted, “because I’m not doing it.”
“Nothing like a man,” Meg said into the microphone, raising an eyebrow. A number of the women in the audience laughed.
We were playing this game? Fine. I didn’t go down without a fight.
“Next question,” Edna said. “Meg can start. The question of development is a hot topic in our town. How do you as mayor plan on balancing the need for growth to accommodate the influx of new people with preserving the quality of life in Harrogate?”
Meg took a sip of water.
I used the opportunity to cut in. “Obviously, we want our town to be welcoming for everyone. One of the initiatives I’ve thought about for increasing the amount of housing stock is to change the zoning laws to allow people to build carriage houses on their property.”
“That is a very good idea, Hunter,” Edna said in surprise.
“Of course it is!” Meg shrieked. “Because it’s my idea! I told you that idea, and you just stole it!”
“Now, Meg,” I drawled.
“Deputy Mayor,” she cut in.
“Deputy Mayor,” I said, drawing out the words. “We’re all on Team Harrogate.”
“You’re not,” Meg spat. “You’re a liar and a thief. I never should have trusted you.”
“You can’t prove anything,” I declared.
“You have a pattern of bad behavior,” Meg continued. “Just like how you’re stealing land from the property next to yours. I saw you out there moving your fence line to take the old farmstead that’s adjacent to your property.”
“That’s preposterous!” I thundered. “Why would I steal that land when I’m about to purchase it?” I desperately hoped my brothers would get the hint and do some digital trickery to make it look like the sale was in progress. Garrett glared at me but whispered something to Blade, who pulled out his laptop.
Point for me.
“In fact,” I continued, making it up on the fly, “I’m planning on building affordable condos out there that allow people to own small hobby farms. You can experience the rural way of life while having your job in town.”
Several people nodded along to what I was saying.Tonight I’ll have my little brothers move the fence line back.
Meg knew what was going on, and she fumed next to me.
“But if we want to talk about people breaking the law,” I said, narrowing my eyes at her, because I couldn’t stop. I could never just stop trying to get the last word, win the chess game, dominate the competition, even if it cost me everything.
