Page 71 of The Good Luck Cafe
“Public speaking, standing up for what you believe in, dating. The Moira I know and love hides away in her living room most of the time. And hides from the swoony town mayor.” Tess beamed back at Moira. “And now you’re dating him and also trying to steal his job.”
Moira face-palmed. “We have an agreement. Whatever happens, happens. It’s not personal.”
“Hmm,” Tess hummed, chewing and swallowing her bite of bagel. “Seems very personal to me.”
They enjoyed their breakfast together, and then Moira got up to leave. As she was making the trek to her car parked farther down the street, her cell phone rang. She dug it out of her purse and checked the caller ID, not recognizing the number. “Hello?”
“Hi, is this Moira Green, candidate for Somerset Lake town mayor?”
“Yes, it is.” Moira reached her car and slid behind the steering wheel. Her dispatch shift started in twelve minutes. She needed to go home and get settled. “Who is this?” she asked, putting the call on speakerphone so that she could have both hands for driving.
“This is Jessica Marcus with WTI-News. I’m calling to see if you’re available for a live interview for the news this evening.”
Moira cranked her car and pulled onto the road. “News?”
“That’s right. I don’t know a mayoral candidate who would turn down free publicity. We’re the most watched TV news station in the area.”
Moira swallowed past the sudden flutters in her chest. Tess said she was proud of her, but public speaking still made Moira nervous. If she was going to do this though, she needed to get used to it. She’d been second-guessing herself with Gil last night, but she really did want to continue on this path. It scared her, yeah, but it also invigorated her. “Sure, I would love to interview with you. I have to work until five.”
“We can set it up at six. Does that work for you?”
Moira’s palms were suddenly slick against the steering wheel. “Y-yes. That works well.”
“How about I interview you in front of Sweetie’s? I know that’s part of your running platform. We can meet, say, around five forty-five?”
Darla probably wouldn’t be thrilled about this meeting place. She didn’t want to draw attention to the town’s plans. Moira did though. “That would be great. I’ll see you tonight.” Moira disconnected the call and grinned to herself as she drove home. Tess was right. She was doing things that the old Moira would never do. Moira liked this new version of herself as well.
Chapter Twenty-One
“I can’t believe the most pressing thing on my list right now is looking for a few kids tossing rocks at folks’ doors,” Ronnie said with a drawn-out sigh.
Gil sat across from the sheriff at his desk. “Well, that beats the alternative, I guess. At least you’re not looking for a serial killer or something.”
“In Somerset Lake?” Ronnie looked amused. “You’ve been watching too many cop shows.”
“More like reading too many true-crime books while I try to fall asleep at night...So you don’t have any leads on the rock-throwing case yet?” Gil asked.
“All I know is that the perps are just a couple of kids being bored. This is the one time I advocate letting bored kids play video games versus driving around and looking for trouble. I have a few deputies patrolling the neighborhoods at night. That’s all I can do. That and hope someone witnesses the rock throwing in action and calls in a description or a license plate number. Or catches one of the perps on one of those Ring cameras. Those things have solved quite a few crimes since they’ve come out.” Ronnie ran his fingers over his overgrown beard.
“Small towns have perks and drawbacks. When kids throw rocks at doors for fun, that’s a drawback.”
Ronnie gave a low chuckle. “We have to make our own fun around here, that’s always been the case. I remember the old days of catching fish in the lake with our bare hands as sport.”
“And skinny-dipping too,” Gil said. “Not that I ever joined in that recreation.”
“I’m pleading the Fifth.” The sheriff leaned forward. “I’m not sure I ever properly thanked you for agreeing to the lock-in here at the jail. We raised a lot of money to cover some much-needed sprucing up in the cells. Spring cleaning isn’t just for our homes.”
“You’re welcome. I’m always glad to help.”
“And you got a day with Moira out of the deal. I hear you two have gotten close these days.”
Gil didn’t agree or disagree. He wasn’t ready to spread his and Moira’s relationship around town just yet. It was new, and he didn’t want to invite anyone else’s opinions or negativity in.
“Well, if you two get married, maybe you’ll have your wedding at the jail. For sentimentality’s sake.”
Gil scoffed. “A jailhouse wedding? No wonder you’re still single, Sheriff.” He stood and reached out to shake Ronnie’s hand.
Ronnie shook it as he laughed. “I’m still single because it suits me. Thanks for dropping by, buddy.”
