Page 22 of The Dreidl Disaster

Which was smart; she wouldn’t have either.

“Smart man,” Peter said with a laugh. “Man’s probably busy enjoying the break before we dive into the delicious dinner I’ve made.”

“Tomorrow night is the meeting,” Jennifer continued, gesturing toward her husband, who nodded before leaving, presumably to get the main course. “I need the two of you to reassure me that we’re not going to end up in a public fight over something that is supposed to bring both pride and joy to the community and the town.”

And this is what Jennifer was worried about.

She didn’t want a bloodbath in town hall. She didn’t want the connection she’d offered with the Empires, her son’s team, to be shattered and broken before the people who’d been chosen to mend the fences had even had a chance to start.

“It’s in nobody’s best interest to come searching for a fight,” Livvy said, after taking a moment to formulate a statement. “Especially if the idea is to be working together and creating something big.”

“But it’s got to be important to defend the team you represent?”

This last came from Peter as he put the cutting board filled with perfectly cut slices of London broil down on the center of the table. Liv could barely concentrate but she knew the question he’d asked was directed at Artur. Of course, she had no idea what he was going to say; at least he was too focused on dinner to respond immediately.

That, or more likely Peter’s words were swirling around Artur’s head as he took in the amazing smell of the dinner to come. Because as she spent time with the man, she was starting to realize that he was censoring himself.

She wondered what he’d say if he didn’t think about it first.

“I wouldn’t be here,” he finally said, “if the team’s representative hadn’t screwed up enough where they needed someone to fix the mess. I’m here to fix the mess, not defend the team or its employees.”

Which by this point didn’t surprise her. He’d talked about marinara and lattes before; he was just confirming he was ready to take whatever the town threw at him.

“I’m glad you’re here to fix what was broken,” she began before turning to the Cohens, trying not to catch a glimpse of whatever expression had perched on Artur’s face. “We’ve had some interesting conversations over the past few days, and I want to make sure you know he has my support.”

Jennifer nodded, and the relief was clear in her shoulders and the look on her face. “I’m glad you think so, Mayor…Liv. Things have been difficult over this, and I want to make sure they’re going to be smoother moving forward.”

“I think this situation is not as dire as you think it is.”

“Which is a good thing too.” Jennifer looked back and forth as she served herself some slices of meat. “It’s a dicey business when the community finds itself at odds with the rest of the town.”

Liv understood the concerns. The Jewish community in a small town was a community of its own, and its relations with the larger community could go from good to bad in seconds. Especially over an event that wasn’t the easiest to organize, or even persuade the town to have.

“Thankfully,” Liv replied. “For everybody’s sake, as large as things have gotten, it’s mostly an intra-community dispute. Most of the problems stem from the content, not the subject of the event.”

Now she caught a glimpse of Artur’s expression, in the slight lift of his eyebrows. “No opportunistic locusts with beards coming to plant decorated trees where they don’t belong?”

Liv bit her lip to keep from laughing.

But now she understood.

Thiswas why Artur censored himself; if he didn’t think, didn’t rephrase what he was going to say before he let it out,thiswas what would come out. Glib and descriptive sentences that mixed metaphors better than the original and bypassed rules that suddenly didn’t apply.

His uncensored dialogue lit up a conversation brighter than a shammash and struck right at the center of a point.

If someone was willing to unravel the web his words wove.

But she knew.

She understood.

And she was about to respond when the man himself shook his head, a slight blush on his cheeks.

“Sorry,” he said. “I’m glad this dispute over content hasn’t been hijacked by those with concerns over subject matter.”

“No,” Liv said, rushing in to keep the conversation on an even keel. “People have been pretty good. But my guess is that it’s not all altruistic. The residents see Hollowville and Rivertown with successful Hanukkah events, and as much as Briarwood residents would like to think they’re not influenced by any of the other towns in the Hudson Valley, they’re influenced by the popularity of their events. They want a piece of the gelt themselves.”

“Good.” Peter nodded, satisfied, which made Liv sigh in relief. But she couldn’t help but notice the smile that appeared on Artur’s face for a brief second before it was erased, as if it had never been there.

---