Page 35 of The Good Luck Cafe
On Thursday morning, Gil hesitated before stepping into Sweetie’s Bakeshop. Some part of him felt like he had no right to be here after basically telling Moira last night that he wasn’t going to fight to save her mom’s business. What could he do though? Nothing. So why did he feel so guilty?
“Mayor Gil!” Darla greeted him as he stepped inside and headed toward the counter. “I’m so glad you came by this morning.”
“Oh?”
“Breakfast is on me.” Darla turned to start preparing his coffee. He always got his brew the same way, with a squirt of chocolate syrup. “Do you want a bagel with cream cheese too?”
“That’d be great, Darla. But I can pay.”
“Well, of course you can. You’re the mayor.” She glanced back at him with a conspiratorial smile. Then her mouth slid down at the corners. “It’s the least I can do for you after what Reva wrote.”
Gil felt the corners of his own mouth falling. “What do you mean?”
Darla shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. Everyone around here knows you have the town’s best interest at heart. Even me.” She reached for a lid for his drink, popped it on, and slid it across the counter to him. Then she grabbed a piece of parchment paper and some tongs to lift his bagel out of the case.
“What did Reva write?” Gil asked.
“Well, you can go to her blog to read it, but I wouldn’t recommend it.” She grimaced slightly.
“It’s about me?” he asked.
“And the town council.” Darla lowered her voice. “I tried to get Moira not to go last night, Gil. I really did.” Darla placed his bagel on the counter and looked at him. “But she’s so headstrong. She always has been.”
Gil wasn’t sure what to say right now. He needed to sit down with his breakfast and see what Reva had written. Sometimes the blogger was here with her laptop open this time of day, but not this morning. He was grateful for that. “Thank you for breakfast, Darla.”
“You’re welcome, Mayor.” She offered an apologetic smile.
Turning, Gil looked for an empty table that offered the most privacy. He decided on one along the wall and sat down. Then he took out his cell phone while he sipped his coffee and pulled up a browser to search for Reva’s blog. No sooner had the blog loaded on the screen than a customer walked into the shop. Gil looked up at the sound of the jingle, and his blood slowed. He came into the bakery on the regular, and Denise Berger was never here. What was she doing here this morning?
Gil ducked his head, hoping Denise wouldn’t spot him. He didn’t want to associate with the enemy if he could help it. He strained his ears to hear what Darla and Denise were saying. Their tones were cheerful, but he couldn’t make out the words. Not that it was any of his business. His beef with Denise was from high school. Those days were long past, and there was no reason they couldn’t be civil to one another now, even if she was planning to run against him as mayor.
He picked up his bagel and took a bite. Then he focused on Reva’s blog for the day. There were four bullet points on his screen, each with a tidbit of gossip that would spread like wildfire through the town in the next few hours.
Gil took another bite of bagel and read.
There’s a sale at Choco-Lovers! In honor of it being Saint Patty’s month, Jana has shamrock-colored fudge half price. Come and get it!
Have you heard? Denise Berger is running against our very own Mayor Gil this year. Hearsay is an announcement is coming soon!
Here’s another interesting tidbit for you: Last night at the town hall meeting, Moira Green told everyone that the town council is gunning to demolish Sweetie’s Bakeshop and make a new parking lot. We need more parking space, but we also need coffee. Am I right?
Farewell to our friend Louise Herman. She’s been staying in one of the Somerset Rental Cottages for two decades now. I never thought she’d leave, but grandkids are a big motivator, especially when they’re in Florida. Ha!
Don’t forget: This weekend is the Spring into Somerset Festival. Hearsay is Mayor Gil is presenting an award to one of our own. You know I can’t keep a secret. If I knew who it was, I’d tell you. I sure hope it’s not someone from the Green family though—they might just toss that award right back at him. And in my humble opinion, he might deserve it.
Gil frowned at his screen. The whole town was reading this blog. The last thing he needed, going into another mayoral campaign, was his potential voters thinking he was out to shut down the small businesses here.
“Mayor Gil,” a woman’s voice said, approaching him from behind. “Is that you?”
Dread coated Gil’s stomach. He turned to face his old classmate. “Hey, Denise.”
“How are you this morning?” She offered a sympathetic look. “Have you read Reva’s blog yet?”
Gil sighed. “Unfortunately.”
She clucked her tongue and shook her head. “Don’t let her comments get to you. Everyone knows to take it all with a grain of salt.”
“Yeah. Thanks, Denise.”
