Page 66 of Always Meant for You
He opens a folder and smooths the first page flat. “The company we hired to promote the market took our payment and vanished. I called again today. The number’s disconnected.”
A ripple of low voices sweeps through the room.
“We were duped again?” someone asks.
A slow flush builds beneath Cal’s collar.
“What now?” another voice calls.
Cal glances at me, only for a second, but it gives me time to muster a grin.
“The council has a few ideas,” he says slowly. “We could run an ad in the Elverna Post. Put up flyers in nearby towns.”
I shake my head, not meaning to speak, but the words come anyway. “You’re going to need more than flyers and a newspaper ad.”
Sally’s voice rises from across the room. “I think Mabel Muldowney said something.”
Chairs shift. Dozens of eyes land on me.
Margaret leans forward, pen poised. “Do you have a contribution, Miss Muldowney?”
I start to respond—maybe to wave it off—but Cal cuts in first.
“No, Miss Muldowney doesn’t have anything to add.” His tone is clipped. Final.
I rise to my feet anyway. “Actually, I do.”
We’re caught in a standoff. His stare digging into mine. Mine refusing to waver.
Whatever’s in my eyes, it unsettles him enough to back down.
“Go ahead,” he says, his voice quieter now. “Say what you need to say.”
“Thank you, Mr. Horner.”
He gives a tight nod, then glances away.
“I worked in marketing and public relations,” I say, my voice clear. “That’s what I was doing in New York. If this farmers’ market has any chance, you need more than hope and good intentions. You need visibility. A plan. Flyers and newspaper blurbs buried in the classifieds won’t cut it.”
I pause, letting the silence stretch.
I turn back to Cal. “What other marketing strategies have you tried?”
He doesn’t answer right away.
And neither does the room.
No snide remarks.
No eye rolls.
Even the gossip brigade is quiet.
Cal shifts his stance. “We’ve run into a few complications. One company took our payment and vanished. The other promised newspaper ads in nearby cities. Nothing ever ran.”
I nod, absorbing the information. “What else?”
Cal shakes his head. “That’s it.”
