Page 72 of The Good Luck Cafe
Gil turned to leave.
“Hey, Gil?”
“Yeah?” Gil turned back.
“I just want you to know that you’ve got my vote. You’re the best mayor this town has seen. I believe in you.”
Gil swallowed thickly. “Thanks. That means a lot, coming from you.”
“I also want you to know that I told Moira the same thing.”
Gil narrowed his eyes. “You only get one vote, Sheriff.”
Ronnie leaned back in his chair. “That’s too bad because both of you would make an excellent choice, in my opinion.”
“There’s three of us running,” Gil pointed out.
Ronnie shook his head. “Denise is a hard no for me.”
“Well, I appreciate your support,” Gil said. “Even if you’re cheating on me with Moira.”
***
Deep breaths.
The deeper Moira tried to breathe in, the less calm she felt. Who said this was a good technique for remaining calm?
Tess stepped up beside Moira and wrapped an arm around her. “You look amazing. That cream suit really looks good on you. Deep breaths,” she coached.
Moira side-eyed her. “It’s not working.”
“You’ll be fantastic. Just answer the questions honestly, and it’ll be over in ten minutes or less. These things are hard to mess up.”
Moira nodded. “You interviewed with this woman when you took over the bookshop from your aunt, right?”
“I did. She’s a bit ambitious with her questions. Just try to remain calm, hold your smile, and don’t answer anything too quickly. You’re allowed to think about your responses. And if you don’t want to answer a question, just sayno comment.”
Moira watched her friend. “Wow. You make a great campaign manager, you know that?”
“Don’t flatter me too much or your other campaign managers will be jealous.”
Moira laughed. “Thanks for being here. I feel a little better.”
Tess leaned in and whispered only for Moira’s ears. “But I bet you wish Gil was here.”
Moira took a shuddery breath. “The reporter would really have a field day with that, wouldn’t she? Two mayoral candidates dating.”
Tess shrugged. “You don’t choose who you fall for.”
Moira glanced over. “We’ve had two dates.”
“You never fooled me. You fell for Gil way before the first date.”
Moira was about to argue that point when the reporter stepped up. “Hi, Moira. I’m Jessica Marcus.” She offered her hand to shake. “I’m so excited you agreed to talk to me on camera this evening.”
Moira’s heart somersaulted in her chest. Was it too late to turn around and run in the opposite direction? “Me too,” she said.
“Okay. Well, let’s get set up and introduce you a little better to potential voters, shall we?”
