“Then please enlighten me.” Moira wondered for a moment if Lucy was talking about the night Gil’s roommate had drugged her. Or the following day when she’d trashed Felix’s apartment and had gotten herself arrested. None of Moira’s friends knew about that though. Neither did Moira’s family. The whole situation was Moira’s best kept secret, and that’s how she wanted it to stay. “What truth do you think you know?” Moira asked nervously.
“That you’re wildly attracted to the man,” Lucy said with a waggle of her brows. “Just like he’s madly attracted to you.”
“Oh.” Moira exhaled softly.
Tess narrowed her eyes. “Why? What did you think we knew?”
“N-nothing.” Moira shook her head and quickly changed the subject. “Gil might not like the fact that I’m running against him, but I don’t like the fact that he wants to demolish my mom’s business.”
“Hey, ya’ll. What’s the story?” Della stepped up beside them.
“I thought you were coming with Roman.”
“I did. He’s gone in search of a funnel cake,” Della said. “I spotted you ladies, so I came over to say hello.”
“I’m glad you did.” Moira pushed a clipboard toward Della. “Can you help me get signatures?”
“What’s this?” Della looked down at the board.
“She’s running for mayor,” Lucy said with a confident grin. “And all of us in the book club are going to be her winning campaign team.” She turned to Moira. “You’ll be onstage with Gil in thirty minutes. You’re going to have everyone’s admiration and attention. That’s the perfect time to make your announcement.” Lucy waved a hand in front of her. “Moira Green believes in small businesses and big changes.”
Moira blinked, remembering how Reva had said that change keeps things interesting. “I love that as a slogan. Did you just come up with that off the top of your head?”
Lucy grinned. “See? We’ve got you covered. All you need to do is smile and inspire people. We’ve got your back.”
Moira’s excitement grew as she looked at the enthusiasm on her friends’ faces. “Thank you. I can’t believe I’m actually going to do this.”
“I can’t either,” Tess said. “It’s so unlike you, but also exactly like you. You don’t like to draw attention to yourself, but you’ve always been one to shine the light on issues that need addressing.” She reached for Moira’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “No offense to our current mayor, but you’re the perfect person for the job.”
“Hey, ladies,” a man’s voice said, approaching the group from behind.
Moira turned and found Gil smiling back at her. “Hey, Gil,” she said as guilt flooded through her. This decision she’d made would put her at odds with Gil.
“Ready for your moment in the spotlight?” he asked, completely oblivious to what was about to happen when he invited her onto that stage in a minute.
Moira swallowed and looked at her friends. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
Gil gestured at the clipboards in her arms. “What’s all this?”
Moira hugged the petition to her body. “N-nothing. It’s not important.”
Gil narrowed his eyes just slightly, but he didn’t ask any more questions. “Well, I’m looking forward to giving you an award in a little bit. You deserve it.”
Moira looked at Gil, feeling a surge of confidence—along with a thick layer of guilt and maybe a few flutters because her friends were right, she was attracted to Gil these days even if she’d never admit it. “I’ll see you onstage.”
Chapter Thirteen
There was a nice breeze blowing off the lake in Somerset today. The weather was perfect for a town festival. Everyone seemed to be in a good mood, and unlike yesterday, no one had asked Gil about tearing down Sweetie’s for a parking lot yet. That was a good sign, especially considering Gil was officially announcing his decision to run for a second term as mayor today.
Gil stood off to the side of the stage, where a band was playing live bluegrass music for the occasion. This was as good a place as any to make his announcement. Almost everyone in Somerset Lake was out today. Gil sat and watched folks walking around, hitting up the vendors, and enjoying the music.
“Gil!” Doug’s voice was easy to recognize in the crowd.
Gil turned toward his brother, who was walking with their mom and dad. They were all wearing VOTE GIL RYAN FOR MAYOR T-shirts, which was both embarrassing and appreciated. “Hey, guys. Fancy meeting you here.”
“Well, we wouldn’t miss the big announcement,” his mom said. She wore a long dress and had her dark hair secured with barrettes on the sides today. She’d always taken Gil’s events seriously and had dressed for the occasion.
Gil gave her a hug as she stepped closer.
“Also, Doug wouldn’t let us stay home,” his father said, hugging Gil as well. Gil’s father appeared to be dressed for a game of golf, which was probably where he’d be today if not for this event. The courtroom and the golf course were his go-tos.
Gil’s mom elbowed his dad. “Not that we would have missed being here, because our son has a big announcement to make.”
Gil loved how proud his mom acted on his behalf. She supported Doug in his endeavors just as much, except for Doug’s latest endeavor to move out.
“What’s this about you shutting Sweetie’s Bakeshop down to create a parking lot?” his father asked.
Gil sighed. “Not you, too, Dad. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made for the greater good. This is something the town needs. The only place for the lot is where Sweetie’s currently is.”
His father’s frown told Gil everything he needed to know. If Gil weren’t his father’s son, even his father might not vote for him.
His mother placed a hand on his shoulder. “You always do the right thing. I’m sure that whatever decision you make will be a good one.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Gil gave his dad a pointed look.
“Just don’t mention the parking lot up there.” Doug pointed to the stage. “It’s not good for your image.”
Gil sighed. “Some folks are upset, yeah, but others realize that a parking lot is needed. There are a lot of people who will vote for me based on my commitment to fix this problem.”
Doug frowned. “Gilly...”
“Fine.” Gil held up his hands. “I’ll do my best to avoid the topic.”
“Well, we’re going to have a seat out front,” his mother said. “Break a leg.”
Gil slid his gaze over to her. “This isn’t theater, Mom.”
“Anytime you’re onstage, it’s theater,” she said wisely.
She wasn’t wrong. There was always some element of acting that went on with public speaking. Gil glanced around and spotted Moira heading in his direction. For instance, he had to act like he wasn’t still smitten by this woman when he absolutely was. Was it him, or did she get more beautiful every time he saw her? Today she was wearing a beautiful baby blue sundress that fell just above her ankles. She had on a long necklace and bangle bracelets that gave her a feminine vibe that she didn’t always play up. He guessed she was dressed more formally to receive the award the town was giving her.