All the women took turns giving Moira a hug. Then Della returned to Roman, and Trisha left to locate Jake.
“I have to find River,” Tess said. “He’s not a fan of crowds. I promised not to leave him to suffer through this festival alone.”
Lucy hugged Moira last. “You can do this. I’m inspired by you.”
“Thanks.” When the ladies were gone, Moira was left standing alone. She sat on the steps of the makeshift stage and took a couple of deep breaths.
“Hey, Moira.”
She looked up to find Doug standing in front of her. “Oh, hey, Doug,” she said, feeling another wave of guilt. She knew how much he loved having his brother as the town’s mayor.
“Why are you running against Gil? He’s a good mayor.”
Moira forced a wobbly smile. “Yes, he is. But I think I could serve this town well too.”
“He would never hurt you. But you’re hurting him.”
“It’s complicated, Doug,” Moira said.
Doug shook his head, his frown thickening. “No, it’s not. It’s simple. You’re trying to steal my brother’s job.”
Moira took a steadying breath. “There’ll be an election. The people here will vote and determine if Gil gets to stay.”
Doug pointed a finger. “My brother fights for the people here. He fights for you. And it’s my job to fight for him.”
Moira offered Doug a small smile, hoping to lessen the tension. “Of course it is.”
Doug folded his arms over his chest. “I thought you were my hero, but if you’re running against Gil, you’re the enemy.” Turning, he walked away with his head held low.
Moira loved Doug. She didn’t want to disappoint him. She didn’t want to hurt Gil either. He was her hero once upon a time, and no one had ever given him an award for doing the right thing. He hadn’t even known exactly what he’d done when he’d insisted on taking her home the night she’d gone out with Felix.
Darla stepped up in front of Moira and put her hands on her hips. “Just what do you think you’re doing? Running against Gil for mayor? Where did that come from?”
Moira breathed a sigh as she faced her mom. “You know exactly where it came from. I told you, I’m not going to let you lose your business.”
“Moira, what’s happening is not Gil’s fault.”
“It kind of is. And running for mayor is something I want to do. I think I could do good for this town,” Moira said honestly.
Darla hesitated. “You know I’ll support you no matter what you do. This is a commitment though, Moira. If this is just about the bakery, what happens when it’s demolished and there’s nothing else to fight for?”
Moira narrowed her eyes. “It sounds like you’ve already given up on the bakery. Why are you letting this go so easily, Mom?”
Darla took a seat on the step next to Moira. “Why does everything have to be a fight with you? It’s always been that way.”
“I fight for things I believe in. Like this. I don’t understand why you don’t.”
Darla sighed and looked out on the festival. Practically everyone in town was here. There was food, crafts, music, and laughter—everything a person could want for their Saturday afternoon. “All I’m saying is, make sure you’re running for the right reasons. The bakery is my responsibility, not yours. Taking on the role of mayor will be a difficult job, Moira.”
Moira stood and looked down at her mom. “You still talk to me like I’m fifteen years old. In case you haven’t realized, I’m an adult now. I know what I’m doing. And you say you’ll support me no matter what, but I don’t feel like that’s true. You fought me when I decided to become a dispatcher. You question me constantly about why I’m still single. You don’t support me fighting for your business, and I don’t feel supported right now when I’ve possibly made one of the biggest decisions of my adult life.”
“Moira…”
Moira shook her head, ending the conversation for now. “I’m going to walk around. I need to get signatures from people who are happy about my decision to run for mayor. I’ll see you at the bakery on Monday morning,” she said, turning her back to Darla. “I’ll be meeting with my new campaign team, who support me one hundred percent.”
* * *
A couple of hours later, after walking around the festival and garnering dozens of congratulations and words of encouragement, Moira slipped away from the crowd and walked toward her car.
“Moira! Wait up!”
Moira turned to see Reva bustling toward her, a laptop messenger bag bumping against her hip. “Hey, Reva. Do you need something?”
“Yes. Oh, I am so excited about your announcement, dear. I mean, I love Mayor Gil, of course, but I love you too. I think most of the town feels that way. I would love to interview you for my blog so that the people in Somerset can get a feel for what you’re passionate about. It’ll be great promotion for you. What do you think?”
Moira couldn’t believe she was actually going to agree to this because she’d always avoided being spotlighted on Reva’s blog at all costs. “Yes, thank you, Reva. I’d love that.”
“Perfect!” The blogger looked giddy about the idea. Then she waved. “I’ll call you next week!”
Chapter Fourteen
The festival was mostly a success, at least for the town. For Gil, it was a bit of a dumpster fire. Not only did he have one competitor gunning for his job, but now he had two. And the second one, Moira, wasn’t someone he ever wanted to fight with.
“Wanna go for a boat ride?” He petted Goldie’s head.
She gave a bark as if she knew exactly what he was asking and her answer was an enthusiastic yes.
Gil stood from his Adirondack chair on the back deck and headed down the steps. He could always count on his dog and his boats.
“Hey.”
Gil stopped walking but didn’t turn. “Here to trade campaign strategies?”
“No.” Behind him, Moira was as quiet as the night. He could almost hear her breathing.
Finally, Gil turned and faced her. She looked mesmerizing under the quarter moon and starry night sky.
“I just wanted to make sure you knew what happened today, onstage, wasn’t personal.”
Gil laughed dryly. “No? Trying to take my job isn’t personal?” He nodded and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Good to know.”
Goldie ran over to greet Moira. She reached out to run her fingers along Goldie’s back as she talked. “Is making plans to demolish my mom’s bakery personal?”
Gil stared at her. “Point taken.”
“Anyway, I was glad we were able to have a sort of truce the other night. I’m still upset with you, but I’m funneling that energy into my campaign. And I don’t want this to affect our friendship.”
Gil took a breath and nodded. “Your announcement surprised me, but I can handle a little friendly competition.”
“Me too,” Moira said. “And, in case you were wondering, I’m not going to shoot below the belt in this campaign.”