Page 40 of The Dreidl Disaster

“I also think you should probably talk to the head of the JHPA, involve him.,” Jennifer Cohen interjected.

The laughter continued, and he could see the blush in Liv’s cheeks.

Hmmmm…

“He’s absolutely willing to take part, so once there’s a role for him to play, I’ll involve him” she said.

“Good enough.”

And as the meeting came to a close, he found himself feeling slightly better and yet slightly worse. Even more uncertain about his standing with Liv.

*

After they finishedthe meeting, they headed back to her office. He was gathering his things rather quickly and she suddenly looked up at him.

“What?”

“I wondered, well you look like you’re in a rush. Do you have somewhere to be?”

“Eventually, just like you,” he replied, that smile again. “Why?”

She sighed. “I don’t know what to make of that meeting.”

He shrugged and the rise and fall of his shoulders made her smile. “I think that we’re in a good place. It’s a friendly crowd, stepping in to separate us from the rest of the chamber. Don’t think it’s anything to worry about.”

She nodded, though she wasn’t sure what to believe. “You know the person who organized the festival in Hollowville?”

“Yes. Friend of a friend. And you know the head of the JHPA.”

“He’s marrying my cousin,” she said. “Which, yes. I realize. The Rivertown friends?”

“Yes. My best friend’s wife, also a friend from high school, lived in Hollowville for a few years, and one of her close friends works with Carol.”

“The web we weave,” she said with a laugh. “So many connections.”

“Strings and threads,” he said. “Do you want to start massaging those connections before next week’s meeting? Maybe next weekend? I might be able to convince my best friend to barbecue. In his backyard.”

“Backyard in Rivertown?”

“Yep. Kosher barbecue.” He paused, and she wasn’t sure. “Although if you want to stay in Briarwood, I have another friend who might be interested in throwing a select party.”

“So, my choices are a select party in Briarwood or a pop-up kosher barbecue for a select number of people. In Rivertown.”

“Yes,” he said, grinning. “Anyway, you want to come? Be one of those select people? Massage connections?”

Since the disastrous mayoral re-election where Jerry McManus made her secrets public, she’d made so many choices: to hide away, to spend time with a tiny group of her relatives if she wasn’t campaigning or working. Nothing else.

She’d hidden her heart away.

She’d hidden her life away.

It had given her political success, and she enjoyed her career.

And it had turned the chamber of commerce into watchdogs.

The very last thing she needed was someone else trying to upset her carefully organized life.

Except she needed to admit she already had. And the fact that she was even thinking about saying yes, well… But she needed to clarify. “Are you asking me out, Mr. Rabinovitch?”

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