Page 40 of The Good Luck Cafe
“Mm-hmm. Me.” Moira continued to smile. Ever since she’d made the decision, she’d felt this giddiness growing inside her. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this kind of excitement.
Tess stepped up to the two. “Hey, you two. What’s going on?”
Moira handed her a clipboard as well. “I’m running for mayor, that’s what. And I need my friends to help me collect signatures to support my campaign.”
“Running for mayor?” Tess repeated, her brows drawing together in a similar way to what Lucy’s had done a moment earlier.
“Are you even qualified to run?” Lucy asked, still looking confused. “I didn’t think someone could just decide to jump into politics.”
“I’ve done my research,” Moira said. “The only qualifications one needs to run for mayor are a high school diploma, proof that they live in the town where they’re running, and a petition with signatures supporting the candidate.”
“Okay. But why?” Tess asked.
Moira shrugged. “Because this is my town and Sweetie’s Bakeshop is my home. I want a say in what happens here. And because I think I’d be good at the job.”
“Are you kidding? You’d be amazing at it!” Lucy finally said. She gestured between her and Tess. “We’ll be your campaign team. We can help. Right, Tess?”
Tess hesitated, but then a slow smile curled at the edges of her mouth. “Of course. I actually love the idea of my best friend running for mayor. All of us in the book club can help.”
Moira’s heart pounded. “Really?” Having the support of her friends meant so much to her.
“What about Gil?” Lucy asked.
“What about him?” Moira shot back.
“Come on. Don’t pretend with us.” Lucy hugged her clipboard against her chest. “We’ve always known the truth.”
“Then please enlighten me.” Moira wondered for a moment if Lucy was talking about the night Gil’s roommate had drugged her. Or the following day when she’d trashed Felix’s apartment and had gotten herself arrested. None of Moira’s friends knew about that though. Neither did Moira’s family. The whole situation was Moira’s best kept secret, and that’s how she wanted it to stay. “What truth do you think you know?” Moira asked nervously.
“That you’re wildly attracted to the man,” Lucy said with a waggle of her brows. “Just like he’s madly attracted to you.”
“Oh.” Moira exhaled softly.
Tess narrowed her eyes. “Why? What did you think we knew?”
“N-nothing.” Moira shook her head and quickly changed the subject. “Gil might not like the fact that I’m running against him, but I don’t like the fact that he wants to demolish my mom’s business.”
“Hey, ya’ll. What’s the story?” Della stepped up beside them.
“I thought you were coming with Roman.”
“I did. He’s gone in search of a funnel cake,” Della said. “I spotted you ladies, so I came over to say hello.”
“I’m glad you did.” Moira pushed a clipboard toward Della. “Can you help me get signatures?”
“What’s this?” Della looked down at the board.
“She’s running for mayor,” Lucy said with a confident grin. “And all of us in the book club are going to be her winning campaign team.” She turned to Moira. “You’ll be onstage with Gil in thirty minutes. You’re going to have everyone’s admiration and attention. That’s the perfect time to make your announcement.” Lucy waved a hand in front of her. “Moira Green believes in small businesses and big changes.”
Moira blinked, remembering how Reva had said that change keeps things interesting. “I love that as a slogan. Did you just come up with that off the top of your head?”
Lucy grinned. “See? We’ve got you covered. All you need to do is smile and inspire people. We’ve got your back.”
Moira’s excitement grew as she looked at the enthusiasm on her friends’ faces. “Thank you. I can’t believe I’m actually going to do this.”
“I can’t either,” Tess said. “It’s so unlike you, but also exactly like you. You don’t like to draw attention to yourself, but you’ve always been one to shine the light on issues that need addressing.” She reached for Moira’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “No offense to our current mayor, but you’re the perfect person for the job.”
“Hey, ladies,” a man’s voice said, approaching the group from behind.
