“We promise promisepromise,” McKenna, Gus, and Evie all said together.
McKenna had a feeling she wouldn’t know who the celebrity was, but she couldn’t help the excitement bubbling inside of her at seeing Georgie’s giddiness.
“Tell us already,” said Gus.
“I will,” Georgie said, fanning herself with a paper. “Soon as Barb gets here. Can’t let the cat out of the bag without all of us present.” Georgie glanced at her watch. “What is keeping that woman? She’s never this late for a meeting.”
Ah, so itwasa meeting. McKenna quickly jotted down the attendance, then set her pencil down and clasped her hands back in her lap.
Barb burst through the front door a second later. “Oh, weeping and gnashing, you guys. Weeping and gnashing.”
“Squirrels get to the tomatoes again?” Gus said.
Barb panted as if she’d run all the way from her house to The Happy Hiccup. “Worse,” she said, collapsing into a chair. “It’s the barn.”
Now Georgie started to pant, looking nearly as green as her pale shirt. “What’s wrong with the barn?”
“I looked out the kitchen window early this morning and the whole thing was in blazes.Blazes.” Barb clutched her chest. “It’s gone. All of it.”
“What?” said Gus.
“No,” said McKenna.
“Everyone okay?” asked Evie.
“The concert!” shouted Georgie.
“I know, I know. I’m sick about it too. Thankfully nobody was injured. We’ve got insurance. But my poor husband. Dear sweet Frank. All his workshop equipment was stored out there. So many of those tools he’d inherited from his grandfather and dad. He’s just beside himself.”
“The concert,” Georgie whimpered.
“I know, I know.” Barb patted Georgie’s hand. “But you still haven’t heard anything official back, right? We have time to reschedule or figure out a different location.”
Georgie whimpered again. “I heard back from him today. He’s already planning to come. I promised him three thousand dollars.”
“Three thousand dollars?” Gus and Evie both gasped.
“Why on earth would you promise him three thousand dollars?” said Barb. “We don’t have that sort of money in our funds.”
“You know how much cheese that would’ve bought if we did?” said Gus.
Georgie whimpered. “I figured we’d make back the amount and more from the concert, and we’d be able to pay him after he’d finished performing.”
“Well, tell him we can’t. Tell him we’ve canceled,” said Gus.
“Even if we cancel, we’ll still owe him half,” said Georgie. “I wrote an official contract and everything.”
“Surely he would understand,” McKenna said, twiddling the pencil between her fingers. “I mean, if he’s a real celebrity then I doubt he’s going to lose any sleep over fifteen hundred dollars.”
“Must be nice,” mumbled Gus.
“I don’t even know who he is,” continued McKenna, “but I’m betting he—”
“Harry Connick Junior,” Georgie muttered.
“—would surely...” McKenna’s words faded as Georgie’s words sunk in. “I’m sorry, but did you just say Harry Connick Junior?”
Georgie nodded. Barb blew her nose. Evie whispered, “I don’t know who he is,” while Gus shrugged back at her and chomped on his pretzels.
