Page 38 of All Because of You

“Really?” Without warning, Madison’s eyes burned. The grand reopening had been more of a success than she’d dared hope for on such short notice. At first she’d felt awkward chatting about hammers and screws and all things DIY—she was no expert, despite reading more than ten books on the subject. But hour by hour, things had shifted, and she’d allowed herself to channel Aunt Chrissy, remembering how she’d been with customers. Madison had mimicked her memories of her aunt, and from then on, the day had gone smoothly.

“Really.” Evan looked like he wanted to say more, but at that moment, his father called the meeting to order, and Evan straightened, his face wiped of any humor.

Madison squeezed his hand and moved her attention to the mayor, who sat in the middle at a semi-round table on a dais. The four city council members flanked him on either side. Bud caught her eye and winked.

“Welcome to our meeting, folks,” Mayor Walsh said into the microphone affixed to the table in front of him. “Thank you for joining us. We have a full agenda, so we’re going to dive right in.”

For fifteen or so minutes they recapped agenda items from the last meeting and what they’d done to advance or kill those initiatives. Then, the mayor invited Ashley Baker up to the podium to discuss the latest developments with the library board.

Madison had meant to call Ashley to arrange a time to help her with the library project. She’d just gotten so backlogged with reopening Aunt Chrissy’s store that she hadn’t had time. But now, there were no excuses. She’d call her friend tomorrow—or better yet, grab her after the meeting tonight and find a time to lend a hand. A town needed a library, and if Madison could do anything to help, she would.

Ashley walked up to the podium, which faced the council members, and thanked the mayor. “As you know, we’ve been meeting to discuss a new location for the library, given that the state of the current property is in such disrepair. I won’t bore you with the details, but let’s just say that mold and books don’t mix well.”

A collective murmur spread through the crowd. Madison’s heart ached at the thought of so many ruined books. And her ruined sanctuary.

“The trouble is, there are no viable properties on Main Street that aren’t currently spoken for.”

That wasn’t true. Two storefronts stood open right next to Hole-in-the-Wall Hardware. But maybe their leases were being negotiated by some new businesses. Madison turned to Evan to ask him what he knew, but he’d scooted forward to the edge of his seat, his forehead furrowed.

“So for now, we are still searching for the right place. We will also be using the insurance funds left to us to order new materials, but if you have any donations, please drop them off at Charmed, I’m Sure Books. Samantha Griffin has graciously agreed to collect for us. And while you’re there, you can purchase some new reading material.”

Ashley’s hands rustled the paper she held as she discussed a few more updates, like the fact she’d commissioned the council for a salary to hire a head librarian. “Dottie Wildman has decided to retire, and as most of you know, she was a volunteer. But we’d like to take our reopened library to a whole new level, and we feel that requires paying a full-time employee or two.”

Madison felt Evan’s eyes on her and turned her head. “What?” she whispered.

“That sounds right up your alley.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, I have a job.” She shot him a wry smile.

He didn’t smile back. In fact, he frowned.

OK, then.

“Before I hand it back to Mayor Walsh, does anyone have any questions?”

“I do.” A woman Madison didn’t recognize stood. Someone rushed to hand her a microphone. “Why can’t the library go in the spot between the hardware store and the golf course? Two open storefronts are available.”

Before Ashley could answer, the mayor waved his hand in the air. “We have a potential new store going in there—one that will bring lots of jobs to Walker Beach—but that is still under discussion, so I can’t say any more.”

At that, Evan gripped Madison’s hand painfully hard. What was going on with him?

“Thank you for the updates, Ms. Baker.” The mayor cleared his throat. “And now we will move on to the reason most of you are probably here. I’d like to welcome to the stage our assistant community development officer, Evan Walsh, who is going to present our idea for preventing the economic disaster that may overcome Walker Beach if we aren’t proactive.”

Poor Evan. He’d lost plenty of sleep working out the details, and his dad hadn’t supported the idea at all. Now, it was being presented as his idea too. At times like this, she wished he’d stand up to the mayor.

“Go.” Madison nudged Evan toward the stage. “Save our town.”

With a ghost of a smile, he stood and approached the podium.

And it took Madison a full minute before she realized she’d called it “our” town without flinching. Without hesitation. For the first time in forever, the idea of calling Walker Beach home felt right.

He should have been ecstatic. The presentation had gone off without a hitch, and the townspeople had been fully supportive and enthusiastic about the idea for a festival despite the amount of work it would take to pull off. And the icing on the cake—the council had unanimously approved it.

But all he felt was a cool ball of rage growing in his gut.

Evan tried to be polite as town residents stopped him on his way out of the auditorium, patting him on the back and exclaiming that his “great idea” was going to save Walker Beach—not only by revitalizing the economy but by bringing people together.

And that’s what he wanted.

---