Sophie waved at a couple of sheets of butcher’s paper pinned up behind the bar. “That is Jason’s idea. As well as the cocktail.” She made a face. “If you two read out the votes, he’ll tally them on the sheets. I talked him out of putting up betting odds.”
“I’d say Will and Garrett were at short odds,” Tarryn said.
Sophie scrunched her nose. It was endearing. As if she wasn’t cute enough already. “You might be surprised. If you believe the betting, it’s closer than you might think.” She pressed some folded notes into Tarryn’s hand. “Thank you for settling my tab last night. If it was more than this, please let me know.”
“There’s no need.” Tarryn scanned her face. Was she okay, or just a good pretender?
Sophie gave a small smile, then turned away to watch Jason as he climbed onto a chair in front of the bar.
“Good people of Quandong,” he said. “Welcome to the counting of the vote. Please come and get your free cocktail if you haven’t already.” He rattled a cocktail shaker full of what sounded like ball bearings. “Let the vote count begin!”
Tarryn sat on the vacant stool next to Phyll. “Let’s start with the box from Kirra’s Kafé.”
Phyll nodded, unlocked the box, and drew out the first slip. “Will and Garrett.” She pushed the slip across for Tarryn to read.
A wolf whistle as Jason wrote their names at the top of the butcher’s paper and added one tick.
Tarryn plunged her hand into the box. Paper rustled around her fingers. How many votes were in here? It seemed like a lot. She drew one and unfolded it. “Casey and Kai.” The high school couple. They bobbed their heads in unison, acknowledging the cheers.
Phyll nodded as she read the vote, then drew another slip. “Will and Garrett again.”
The next two votes went to Euli and Bernice, the sistergirls.
The knot in Tarryn’s guts loosened. As she’d thought, people were choosing locals they knew would enjoy doing it rather than an out-of-towner and the local who hated weddings. She managed a smile as she drew another slip.Hell’s bells and buckets of blood.There was no way she couldn’t read it, not with everyone staring at her. “Tarryn and Sophie.”
More cheers, and Jason wrote their names on the paper with a flourish.
When she dared look at Sophie, her face was frozen in a polite smile, even as Kirra squeezed her arm and whispered something in her ear.
By the time the votes from the first box were counted, Tarryn and Sophie were leading Will and Garrett by one vote. She daren’t look at Sophie, but she was sure her face would be as frozen in horror as her own. She forced a smile and applauded along with everyone else as Phyll read out the interim totals.
“Here’s to the next box changing things,” she muttered under her breath.
The press of bodies surrounding her and Phyll grew closer as people tried to see each vote. By the time the second box was completed, Tarryn and Sophie were five votes ahead.
Tarryn’s armpits oozed sweat, and a buzz of nerves juddered in her throat. This was not supposed to happen. She shot a glance at Sophie and found her leaning against the bar away from the knot of people surrounding her and Phyll, sipping a glass of wine.
The third box took the longest to count. Not because there were more votes but because the whooping and cheers after each vote was read out went on longer each time. Garrett and Will had their arms around each other and were cheering the loudest. The sistergirls had already conceded the race and were asking if they could allocate their preferences.
Phyll shot them a steely glance. “This isn’t the general election; it doesn’t work like that.”
The vote was neck and neck between Tarryn and Sophie and Will and Garrett when Phyll tipped the box up, emptying the final three votes onto the counter.
A buzz of panic pushed into Tarryn’s throat. “I concede to Will and Garrett. I withdraw.”
“You can’t!” It seemed everyone in the room shouted the words.
Will winked. “We’ll see this through.”
The next vote was for Sophie and Tarryn.
Jason put the tick on the board amid whoops and cheers louder than the AFL grand final in extra time.
The second vote went to Will and Garrett.
Relief thundered through Tarryn’s blood.Just one more.One more and this crazy idea could be put to bed. She met Sophie’s eyes over the heads of the people sitting next to her. Sophie had a deer in headlights look, and her fingers clenched the stem of her wineglass.
“Last vote,” shouted Phyll. “Winner takes all!”
