He cleared his throat and stared at the three board members. “For those of you who don’t know who I am, I’m Gray Briggs. I used to live here, and I returned a couple months ago to help Shelby Thatcher with her bookshop after her grandmother passed.
“That endeavor was going pretty well until recently. When a certain family in town wanted me gone so badly they convinced many of you to boycott the bookshop. Since then the store has taken a devastating financial hit.
“I’m sure I don’t have to tell you what a wonderful human being Shelby is. I’m sure I don’t have to remind you that she’s always there to lend a hand. She’s there when you need free books for charities and fundraisers, never mind the bottom line. She does it because she believes in this community. And yet in her time of greatest need, this town has abandoned her.”
He gritted his teeth, shifting his gaze from the panel to the audience. “Y’all should be ashamed of yourselves. I came in today to tell you I’m leaving town—right now. SUV’s all packed and ready to go. You got your way. Now I hope you’ll do the right thing and end this boycott aimed at one of your own. Shelby deserves your support now more than ever.”
He gripped the edges of the podium until the blood drained from his knuckles. “And while I’m here, I have something else to say. Years ago my dad did a terrible thing. He was put in prison for it and rightly so. But I was just a boy when that happened. All of a sudden I was living with my grandmother and spurned by half the town. There was a lot of gossip going around that wasn’t even true. And I’m sure I’m wasting my breath here, but I have to say it anyway—I did not cheat to win that scholarship. Someone planted that test in my locker, and because of all the rumors about me, I was presumed guilty. I didn’t deserve that. I didn’t deserve any of that, and y’all ought to have a little care about how you treat people around here. That’s all I’ve got to say.”
He turned from the stand—and nearly ran right into Stanley.
Shelby’s dad put a hand on Gray’s shoulder as he stepped up to the mike. “Well,I’vegot more to say. I’ve lived every year of my life in this town, and I’ve never been so ashamed of this community. Not only have you turned on my daughter, but you apparently advocate violence. Some of you might’ve seen the notice in today’s paper about the drive-by shooting at Gray’s house last night.” He gave a wry laugh. “But most of you probably didn’t—because it was buried on page 16 and took about three lines of copy. But I’m sure you heard about it.
“Well, here’s what you might not have heard. At the time of the shooting, my grandbaby was in Gray’s front room sleeping. And this man”—he squeezed Gray’s shoulder—“this man, who’s been the target of some pretty nasty darts recently, threw himself over that child, took a flesh wound for him. This town has been beating him up for one thing or another most of his life, and—”
“For good reason!” someone called.
“Nothing but trouble!”
“We don’t need the likes of—”
“Order!” a woman on the panel called. “We’ll have order, please. If you have something to say, get in line. Go ahead, Stanley.”
Shuffling sounded behind him as people got in line. “Hey,” Gray whispered to Stanley, “this isn’t necessary.”
“Yes, it is.” Stanley held Gray in place as he turned back to the mike. “This has gone far enough. You can’t judge a man for something his father did—can we just start right there? What is wrong with y’all? Someone wants him gone badly enough to fire a gun and endanger lives. Does anyone care about that?”
Someone edged up to the mike. Daryl. Gray had never seen the guy’s face flushed with emotion. Stanley stepped aside and let him speak.
“I care about that. Gray’s my friend. He plays basketball with me andhe’s always nice to me. Miss Shelby lets me work at her bookstore and gives me ice cream money. Why are you being mean to them? That’s not nice.”
Eyes full of tears, Daryl threw himself at Gray.
He embraced the man in a big hug, his own eyes stinging. “Thank you, Daryl. You’re a good man.”
Daryl patted him on the back. A moment later he drew back, wiping his eyes. Then returned to his seat.
Gray wished he could follow, but Stanley had a tight grip on his arm.
“Gray’s leaving town because this community rejected him on account of what his father did. Because of a bunch of gossip.”
“He’s lying about that scholarship.”
“He cheated Brendan Remington! That’s not gossip!”
“Eloise, Howard,” a panelist said. “Please wait your turn.”
“Since you brought it up, let’s talk about that so-called cheating scandal,” Stanley said. “Anyone could’ve put that test in Gray’s locker. The faculty chose to believe he was guilty based on his reputation—a reputation he didn’t even earn. I got to know this young man back then and he gained my trust. He’s managed to earn it again. As far as I’m concerned, that says it all.”
Caleb stepped up behind them and Stanley gave him access to the microphone. “I admit I was skeptical about Gray. I’m ashamed to admit I believed the rumors—the very same rumors that drove him from Grandville the first time around. But I can see now they’re undeserved. A man who’s willing to sacrifice his own safety for someone else—that’s the kind of man we want around here, isn’t it?”
Someone else pushed through. Gray’s gaze connected with Shelby’s.
His heart skipped a beat at the sight of her.
She offered a steady smile as she stepped up to the mike, then her expression turned all business. “You all know me. I was born and raisedhere. Do you think I’d give my heart to someone who isn’t worthy of it—twice over?”
Shelby met Gray’s gaze, holding him mesmerized. A glassy sheen covered her eyes. “He is such a good man. When my gram left him half ownership of the bookshop, he signed it back over to me. And then he dropped his whole life to come here and help me run the store. To come here and face all the bad memories he left behind here. And for all his generosity, what did he get in return? Vandalism. Police harassment. Gunshots fired at his home! He doesn’t deserve any of that, and he shouldn’t have to leave town just to stay safe.”
