Fortunately, he was spared from trespassing and kidnapping when he ran into Betty Bannister. He knew Betty from the swing dance lessons she used to take with her husband. The Bannisters were third generation Lake Bittersweeters and very influential in town politics. If he could get Betty on Kendra’s side, she’d be a shoo-in.
Always the eccentric dresser, she wore a brocade vest over a billowing floor-length cotton muumuu. Her general vibe was “Bannisters can wear whatever we want.”
He flashed her a grin along with a little bow. “Evening, Betty. What a great SweetSummer Fest. I had so many kids come through the ladder truck I could have opened a preschool.”
“Well hello, Jason.” She looked a little flustered under the full force of his smile. “It was one of our best fests yet, if you ask me. And try saying that fast three times in a row.”
Betty had always had a quirky sense of humor. She reminded him a little of his infamous Irish grandmother, though he’d never tell her that.
He presented his elbow to her. “Are you headed my way? I’m going to check out the Blue Drake concert. Looks like just about everyone in town’s headed down there.”
“Well, with an offer like that, how could I say no?” She tucked her hand into his elbow and they strolled down the sidewalk. The volunteer cleanup crew fanned down the street, picking up trash. “Mind you, I have nothing to do with the fire chief decision. I’m not on that committee.”
He laughed at her wry warning. She had no idea that he’d forgotten all about his own job goals, and was totally focused on helping Kendra achieve hers. “Yes, I do know that. I’m not trying to win your vote. Although I’d be a damn good fire chief.”
“I’m sure you would. A very handsome one, too.”
“You’re a flirt and a menace, Betty Bannister.” A group of kids darted past them, racing toward the Blue Drake, waving balloon animals they’d picked up at the fair. He steadied her against the flow of young people.
“Thank you, “ she said. “Now why don’t you tell me what you’re up to, young Jason?”
“Up to?”
Glancing down at her, he caught her knowing gaze. He should have known he couldn’t fool Betty.
“I guess I’m busted. I do have an agenda. I wanted you to see what a great job Kendra Carter did putting the concert together. She’s going for the town manager job, you know.”
“Oh, I know.” Her tone didn’t sound promising. “She’s a real go-getter, isn’t she?”
“Yes. She’s also smart and hardworking and dedicated. She’d be great for that job.”
“I’m not so sure.” Betty picked her way past an abandoned balloon animal. Was it a goat? A hippo? Hard to tell. “How do we know she wouldn’t use the job as a stepping stone to something bigger? Kendra has always been ambitious.”
“Well…” Jason was at a loss for words. “Isn’t that how jobs work? Do you want her to commit to the position for the rest of her life?”
“No, no, of course not. But look at you. You’ve lived here all your life and never shown any inclination to go anywhere else. You’re committed to this town. Kendra, on the other hand, has been away more than she’s been here.”
“That’s a good thing. She’s learned things out there in the big wide world.”
“But we don’t want those things to come here. We like our boring little town the way it is.”
Resistant to change, he realized. She probably wasn’t the only one. His heart sank. Kendra would be up against some powerful forces, and those wouldn’t go away even if she got the job. Did she know what she was taking on?
“If Kendra commits to a contract, she’d never walk away.”
“You sound very confident in her.”
“I am. I’ve known her a long time.”
“Well, I’ll take that under advisement. Now why don’t you show me what your girl can do.”
“She’s not my girl. Kendra is her own woman.”
“Everyone’s so independent these days,” Betty grumbled. Jason wondered if he should have fed her some cotton candy to get her blood sugar up before dragging her to the pier.
He led Betty to a spot on the terrace with a view of the pier and the white canopy tent adorned with fairy lights. “Notice the tent? Kendra thinks ahead and plans for all possible problems. She knows there’s always a chance of rain around here.”
“My goodness, you really are a fan, aren’t you?”
A swing band was playing a fast-paced song, and a few couples were dancing along the length of the pier. Others milled around on the terrace and the back lawn; there were even a few people listening from their boats. The strings of fairy lights scattered sparkles across the surface of the lake. The atmosphere was pure magic.
He felt his feet move automatically to the music. That was what happened when you grew up in a dance studio. When he noticed that Betty was tapping one ballet-slippered foot, he offered her his hand. Just like the old days in his parents’ studio, he swung her in a gentle two step.
As they danced, he scanned the crowd for Kendra, but didn’t see her. Maybe she was inside somewhere, getting the next band ready for their slot.
Nope—there she was. He finally spotted her close to the stage, in the company of a tall blond stranger in a business suit, of all things. The guy looked absolutely wasted. He was swaying to the music, completely missing the beats. He kept sipping from a large clear plastic cup.
And Kendra….well, she kept filling it up from a flask stashed in her back pocket.
He squinted at them in confusion. Since when did Kendra push alcohol on people? That wasn’t her way. She was usually the one cutting customers off as soon as they showed any hint of being impaired.
Was she deliberately trying to get this guy drunk? It seemed so, but he couldn’t imagine why.
Sure enough, as he watched, Kendra added another splash of liquor to the stranger’s cup. Was it someone she was dating? Hadn’t she told him that things had ended with her ex, and that she was still recovering?
The stranger was getting sloppier. The way he danced looks more like a full-body spasm. Every step he took brought him closer to the edge of the pier. Even though it had a railing, people had been known to go over the edge and end up in the lake.
“What are you looking at?” Betty asked. He realized he’d come to a standstill. “Oh my, is that Kendra?” She dug in her quilted cross-body bag for her glasses, and peered through them at Kendra and the stranger. “What are they doing?”
The stranger’s foot hit the edge of the pier. He windmilled his arms to catch his balance, but he was too drunk to manage it. His hip hit the railing. Good, at least he wasn’t going overboard.
“Look at that, Kendra’s got it under control,” he said. “Of course she does. That’s Kendra for you.”
“Noooo…” said Betty, squinting to see better. “She’s…oh dear, I don’t think she’s helping.”
Jason saw it too. As she pretended to applaud the band, she took a step backwards, then deliberately jammed an elbow into the stranger’s ribs and boom, his butt hit the railing and he toppled over it, plunging head over heels into the cold lake water.