Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 95264 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95264 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 476(@200wpm)___ 381(@250wpm)___ 318(@300wpm)
“A silver fox with a full mustache?” I may no longer be a fan of Uncle Richard, but I can appreciate a well-aged man.
“No. Younger fellow, very handsome.”
“Garrett?” Here?
She snaps her fingers. “That was his name.”
“Where was I?” Dottie sounds offended that she missed him.
“At lunch.”
“Well, dang. I’m always up for meeting the attractive new man in town.” She winks at Cody as she collects her scissors.
“What’d he come in for?”
“A trim.”
My eyebrows climb halfway up my forehead. There is no way that guy would let a no-frills Polson Falls salon take scissors to his hair. Or so one would think. “Are you sure it was Garrett?”
“Can’t forget a name like that. Classy, ya know? Like Rhett Butler or Beau Bridges.”
“Yeah, that’s him. Classy.” Fingering women in linen closets.
“I think he also wanted to introduce himself and do a bit of damage control after all that hubbub in the paper. I heard he’s been in and out of half the businesses in Polson Falls, buying everything he can to support the locals.”
“Sounds familiar.” To say Ned was flabbergasted by the proposal Garrett made would be an understatement. Ned told him—and me—that he’d have to think about it. Business is business, and if he’s going to have to contend with a year of noisy construction beside him, at least he can benefit from it in some way.
“You sure he isn’t runnin’ for mayor?” Dottie chuckles. “Wouldn’t that be nice. Get rid of that frumpy Gump and have an attractive politician in town again.” It’s a delayed reaction, but I see the moment her words play back in her head and her eyes dart toward Penelope.
Whose father was the mayor of Polson Falls when he fell into Dottie’s amorous arms.
Penelope peers up from her phone to spear Dottie with a flat glare before smoothing over her expression with practiced skill. “He’s trying to make friends around town so when his project goes to the council for approval, the public won’t gang up against him.” She offers the bit of information as if dangling scraps in front of a dog.
I’m the dog, and I’m begging for scraps. “What do you mean? I didn’t think there was going to be any approval process.”
“There wasn’t supposed to be.” She smirks, clearly enjoying being the holder of valuable information. “A friend in the permits office told me that the engineer’s drawings needed a revision that puts the height six inches higher than the town ordinance allows. So now HG needs to file for a height variance, and that needs to be approved by the council.”
“In a council meeting.” That the public can attend. The hamster inside my head speeds up on its wheel. “Are there any loopholes? Ways they can get around it?”
“Nope. Not unless they completely change the design of the building.” Penelope shakes her head with certainty. She was the mayor’s daughter, after all. She knows these things.
A slow smile stretches across my face. “So it’s not over yet.”
Penelope laughs, a rare sound. “I wouldn’t get too excited. The council wants this development to go through. They’ll approve it.”
And when they do, there is a hundred percent chance that Shirley will rally the troops for an appeal to jam them up.
This is big—huge!—news. I need to pass along the information, stat.
A thought strikes me. “When did you hear about this?” Was it before or after Garrett spent a Saturday night ingratiating himself with me?
“A few weeks ago.”
Heat flushes through my body. “That son of a bitch. Goodwill, my ass.” I knew there had to be more to that generous appliance deal for Ned. Who knows how else he’s going to try to buy the locals.
Cody giggles.
If I weren’t already burning inside, Penelope’s glare would set me on fire.
Chapter Twenty-One
“What are you in the mood for tonight? Shepherd’s pie or chicken cacciatore?” Scarlet scans the grocery store receipt from the passenger side of my Hyundai as I take Main Street toward home.
“Neither. Both those need an hour to bake. It’s frozen thin-crust pizza night. Twelve minutes.”
“Oh right.” She frowns at the clock on my dash before stretching her arms over her head with a groan. “Or we could go to the firehouse. Shane said they’ve had a huge vat of Chief Cassidy’s franks and beans recipe simmering all day.”
“Hanging out with a bunch of grown men who stuffed themselves with beans and sausage. Sounds like fun. Besides, you just want to sneak into the gear closet with Shane to play with his frank and beans.”
“Speaking of fondling people in closets.” She gives me a knowing look.
“That’s not happening again. At least, not with Garrett.”
Scarlet shakes her head. “Justine, come on! You don’t even care if they tear down that building, do you?”
“That’s not the point. It’s the principle.”
“No, it’s your stubborn Irish blood and need to win. That building is brown and ugly and old. There’s graffiti all over the side.”