Page 112 of Banter & Blushes

Bagels, his obnoxiously loyal terrier, gave a confirming woof in the background. Caroline tightened her grip on the phone.

“Bluebell Bay may not have flamingos, but it still needs a mayor,” she said, with more forcefulness than intended.

“It needs you.”

“Dad,” she let out a loud breath. “I said I’d cover things while you were away, but it meant you’d be coming back. I am not prepared to take on your responsibility permanently. Or even temporarily.”

“You were born for it, Caroline. I know you can do it. I have faith in you.”

Her mind spun, racing through all the to-do lists which extended far beyond her clipboard. “I have a job … and a life.”

“You mean your cat?” Her father’s laughter rang hallow in her ears. “You needmore than a house panther and waffles at The Holler & Fork. Make some friends. Find romance. Get out of the house.”

“I do escape the house. I have friends.”

“What about romance?”

“What about Bagels?” she deflected smoothly, her heart pounding like a teenager caught sulking. “I thought he hated to travel.”

“Bagels loves the beach,” he said, as if it settled everything.

Caroline rubbed her temple. “What if I said no?”

“You wouldn’t,” came his instant reply. “That’s the one.” Her father’s voice was muffled as he talked to someone in the background. Finally, he came back. “Look, honey, this is your chance. Remember what I always say. ‘Hollises don’t quit, they…’”

“Overtake? Outperform? Get out while they can?” She closed her eyes. Caving was inevitable. She knew herself too well, but she wasn’t quite ready to admit it yet. “Dad, you should’ve talked to me about this. Did you even plan on telling me, or was I just going to get a proclamation from Boomer?”

“I wanted to warn you first.”

“I suppose now you’re offering advice?”

“Nope. I’m sure Gigi is already selling bingo cards.” His laughter was warm and familiar and maddening. “I’ve got to run, Caro. Bagels is demanding a walk, and you know how he gets. We’ll talk soon. Love you.”

The phone clicked, leaving silence and salty air settling around her. Her shoulders slumped, and she turned her gaze back to the ocean, the horizon now empty of plans and full of unexpected reality.

“Well, this changes things,” she said to the empty room. The silence was interrupted by the loud cry of Pea, the house panther as Caroline’s father called the slinky black cat.

Caroline turned to see Pea walk into the room and flop on her side, once again voicing her displeasure over something.

“You hungry, little girl?” Caroline cooed.

Pea rolled onto her back, stretching luxuriously on the sunlit patch of the wooden floor. Her paw reached out, toes splayed wide, teasingly inviting Caroline to indulge in a playful tickle. Caroline leaned down, fingers poised to accept the invitation, but just as her fingertips brushed the soft fur, Pea swatted them away with a swift, cheeky tap. With a flick of her tail, the cat performed a nimble twist, rolled back onto her feet, and pranced towards the kitchen. Her high-pitched meows bounced off the cozy cottage walls, echoing like a tiny alarm demanding attention.

Once Pea was fed and silent (for a moment), Caroline grabbed her things and sank down to work, scrawling ideas furiously into her notebook, words blurring and blending and eventually transforming into meticulous outlines: Sponsorships. Vendors. The inevitable Gigi & Mabel chaos.

She dropped her pen and closed her eyes, resting her head against the backof the chair, letting the quiet of the house wrap around her like a soft, comforting cocoon.

Outside the open window, the ocean’s rhythmic whispers seemed to call to her.

Foolish, foolish,foolish.

Mayor.

The word pulsed in her mind. An uninvited crusade launched before she even knew she was a candidate. Her father was probably already lounging in his beach chair by now, convinced she would make the right decision. Caroline sighed.He had more faith in her than she did.

With a resigned sigh, she pushed herself up and turned on her laptop. Her fingers flew across the keys, sending quick-fire messages to project teams in Tokyo, London, D.C., and New York. Everyone seemed to manage fine without her. Perhaps she could handle this like just another project.

How hard could it be? She’d been doing her father’s job for a few months already, and she’d just press upon Gigi, Mabel and Boomer, this was only until they could get a proper election together and find someone to take over the job.

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