“Yes,” I said dryly. “Whatever would I do with all the free time? Hell, maybe I’d be married with a bunch of kids right now if you weren’t around to chase off all my—”
“Your what?” Hunter scoffed. “The guy with the feral rabbits? Or the cactus guy, or, I know, the one who was trying to poison everyone with water he pilfered out of a stream. You seriously want to settle down with any of them over me?”
“You’re exhausting,” I said, looking away from him.
Hunter tilted my chin up. My eyes met his gray ones. “Please. You love the drama, the action, the spontaneity. You’d be miserable with someone like the fish-obsessed guy.”
I shuddered involuntarily. “When you put it that way…”
Hunter looked hopeful.
I smirked. “Walter might not be so bad.”
Hunter worked his jaw. He was clearly trying to keep it together. “Take it from me, you don’t want someone like him in your life.”
I tapped my chin. “I don’t know. You two seem pretty similar.” I set my bag down to take my place on the stage. “The hysterics, the over-the-top gestures, the obsessions with money, image, and reputation.”
“Reputation is important,” Hunter hissed at me.
“You’re just mad because you hate to lose,” I whispered back at him as the moderator, Garrett’s girlfriend, Penny, smiled up at us.
“Thank you for attending this evening,” she announced to the crowd. They kept chattering. Garrett stood up to stare down the people who were still talking. Penny patted him on the head. “As the editor of theVanity Rag, we are happy to be moderating this town hall. Let’s try to keep tonight civil. This is not an open forum. You do need to have an actual question. And Ernest is up first.”
“I just have a quick one,” the farmer said, fidgeting with his overall clips. I smiled at him. He was notoriously shy, and his question must have been important for him to be up here. “I think that we need more programs to get kids interested in staying in Harrogate and be involved in farming.” He backed away from the microphone then took a few steps up, said thank you, then sat back down next to his granddaughter. Amy patted him on the shoulder, and he mopped his forehead.
“That’s a great question, Ernest! Ida, let’s start with you.” Penny gestured to the older woman.
“You have to make farming sexy,” Ida said. “That’s why I’m proposing a Make Farming Sexy festival.”
“You can’t solve this type of issue with a festival,” I interjected.
“Meg,” Hunter admonished, “festivals are a Harrogate tradition!”
I shook my head. “During the last five years of my tenure as deputy mayor, I have championed a number of initiatives for job training and will continue to do so that young people know farming is a viable option for their futures.”
“You did all of that in conjunction with the Rural Trust, which the Svenssons founded,” Hunter shot back. “If you are looking for a track record of people helping farmers in the area, the Rural Trust and the Svenssons are at the top of the list.”
“Remy and your entire family are not running for mayor,” I exclaimed.
“It’s a package deal,” Hunter retorted. “Buy one, get a hundred free!” That earned him laughs from the crowd.
Penny waved up the next townsperson.
“I’m glad you brought up festivals,” the woman said. “Because I love all the festivals in Harrogate! The only problem is we don’t have enough.”
“Thirty-seven out of fifty-two weekends every year have a festival scheduled,” I reminded everyone. “They are a big tourist draw and great for community bonding, of course, but we do have a lot.” I hoped I didn’t sound like a person who hated festivals because festivals were sacred in small towns.
“That’s the problem,” the middle-aged woman insisted. “We have too many people coming into town for the festival. We need to have a secret festival that’s only for residents.”
“You need to have a question,” I reminded the woman.
“Don’t listen to her. She’s in a bad mood,” Hunter cut in. “Your statement was fine, and I support festivals in all shapes and sizes. My mayoral administration will be all-inclusive.”
“You are welcome to join the festival-planning committee anytime as well,” I told the woman. “We love to have volunteers.”
“I don’t have time to plan anything. I just thought it would be a good idea.”
“Just buy some booze and head to the town square,” Ida suggested. “Anything can be a festival if you try hard enough.”
