Page 75 of The Oscar Escape
“Just because you play multiple instruments doesn’t mean you can boost ticket sales,” Del snapped.
That wasn’t all she could do. But she couldn’t tell them she was a major recording artist who’d been instrumental in planning and promoting a world tour. And then she remembered another event she’d spearheaded. “I’ve promoted a large-scale event that raised funds for my university’s music department,Mr. Alden,” she answered, making damned sure this man knew that, while she could be polite, she wasn’t the type to back down.
“What did you do? Sell cookies? Or did you steal somebody else’s bonbons and hock those?” the red flannel-clad man seated near Margo shot back.
“Good one, Gary,” Margo remarked with a harrumph.
That had to be Mr. Lubec.
Every cell in Aria’s body wanted to revert to her schoolgirl antics and tell the blowhard couple to eat worms. But she didn’t. She studied them, then turned her attention to Del.
There it was, hidden behind their cantankerous demeanors.
She saw through it.
She could read their minds because they were kindred spirits. She’d employed the same hard-headed tactics when she was scared or threatened. She still recalled when her grandparents told her that her mom and dad had died in a plane crash. She hadn’t cried. She hadn’t slinked off to whimper. She’d screamed at the sky, smashed her guitar, and threw a carton of eggs at her doll house. She used anger and defiance to shield herself from facing her fears.
That’s how she knew that these people were scared.
Losing their ability to host this fall festival hung heavy on everyone in the room. Would she use that to her advantage? A knot twisted in her gut. She had to. Still, while she might be doing this to help herself, she did have the skills to help them.
She held Margo’s gaze. “I single-handedly planned and promoted a successful musical showcase.”
The woman waved her off. “This is no college fundraiser. We depend on this festival. This is our home. Do you think we’re about to trust some mainlander from landlocked Colorado? What does this island even mean to you?”
Aria touched the ring on her left finger. This place meant quite a bit to her. But she couldn’t say that. Margo wouldn’t buy it. She had to stop the woman in her tracks. It was time to get serious and drop some dollar figures. She walked around the table, nodded her head like she was mulling over Margo’s comment, then stopped in front of the stage and eyed the committee members. “I understand your hesitation. Yes, I’m from a landlocked state. And yes, my behavior when I arrived on Havenmatch Island was unacceptable. But my event—that college fundraiser—brought in over a million dollars and sold far more than fourteen tickets.”
Margo’s cheeks still burned crimson, but she didn’t say a word. Neither did the gentleman beside her.
Two down.
Aria glanced at the scowling Del.
One to go.
She caught movement and watched Georgia settle into a chair between Etta and the judge. The woman looked up, caught her eye, then raised an eyebrow.
Are you brave enough to show us who you are?
The words echoed in her mind.
What was Georgia doing now? Encouraging her or challenging her?
Aria steadied herself. She’d take it as both.
She plucked a flyer from the table. “I’m going to be real with you. Your event is days away—on my birthday, to be exact—and the extent of your PR campaign is leaving flyers on some tucked-away table inside a couple of libraries on the mainland, right?”
“Yes,” Etta answered.
Going for the drama, Aria tore the sheet in half and set the pieces on the table. “We have to change tack.”
We?Was that a slip of the tongue?
No one said a word. She might as well go with it.
“With the right strategy, we can have this island teeming with people.”
Etta leaned forward. Her long silver braid snaked over her shoulder. “How?”
