Page 37 of Brass Anchor Inn

Once they cleared the path through the dense vegetation, Lane stopped on a paved path. “You should be able to make it from here.”

Birdie didn’t let go of his arm. “But surely you want to hear about the big contest, don’t you? The whole island is abuzz with excitement.”

He shook his head. “I have too much work to do back at the bungalow.”

“Work can wait. You don’t want to miss this.”

And then the mayor’s voice could be heard on the loudspeaker. It was hard to make out exactly what he was saying because they were on the other side of the inn. Lane knew how hard Jo had worked to make this week a success. And he was curious about the details she’d insisted on keeping secret. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to stand off in the background while the week’s events were laid out.

Birdie gave a tug on his arm. “Come on. We’re late.”

And so, he escorted Birdie the rest of the way. But instead of standing in the back like he’d hoped, Birdie dragged him up front. As they stood there, she never let go of his arm. He was stuck until this talk was over.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Herworkwasdone.

Josie had handed over the details for the contest to the judging committee last night. The three people chosen by Sandra to judge the daily competitions and oversee the counting of the votes were the Mayor Banks, Birdie Neill, and Agnes Dewey. Josie was okay with the first two, but she wasn’t so sure about Agnes being a final judge. The woman was very headstrong and easily distracted, but Josie supposed that wasn’t her problem. Birdie could keep Agnes on the task at hand.

The mayor stood on the little stage and glanced over the crowd. “It looks like we’ve got everyone here. Great. Now let’s get started because this is going to be an action-packed day for several people.”

There was one thing Josie felt bad about. The two alternates she’d drawn to fill-in for the remaining two guest rooms hadn’t been able to make it. Oh well, she’d just get the professional painters in to work on those rooms.

“Today is the first day of the Decorate-a-Room-at-the-Inn Contest,” the mayor said. “It should be noted that this was Sandra Barton’s plan. She loved this inn very much, and when it was damaged by the hurricane, she wanted the rooms brought back to life in an authentic manner that would complement the inn with all of its history. And therefore she and Josephine Turner have brought back prior guests to decorate the rooms. I think it’s a fabulous idea. What do you think?”

The crowd applauded. Josie was relieved to hear people so receptive to the contest. Just wait until they learned they would be judging the rooms. She wanted to include the island’s residents in the celebration.

Sara leaned toward Josie to be heard over the noise of the crowd. “The celebration is going really well. Sandra would be so proud of you.”

“I can’t take all of the credit. This was originally her idea. And a lot of the staff helped, including you. So thank you.”

Sara shrugged off her words. “I didn’t do much. And I was happy to do it.”

All the while, television cameras rolled. They’d originally shown up for the time capsule, but when the news station had found out what was involved this week with the contest, they decided to cover the entire week. This was the kind of publicity Josie used to only dream of. Now she would be able to reach a bunch of new guests. A giddy excitement filled her. After this segment aired, they’d be booked solid through the holidays. And maybe then Lane would reconsider selling the place.

“This free publicity is really going to help things,” Josie said.

“Where is Lane? Surely he’s not going to miss this.” Sara lifted up on her tiptoes and looked throughout the crowd. “There he is. He’s with Birdie.”

“Birdie?” Josie wondered how those two had gotten together. If she had to guess, Birdie had instigated the run-in. Birdie loved to talk, and Lane most certainly did not.

Josie couldn’t resist having a look. She lifted up on her tiptoes and gazed around. “Where are they?”

“On the other side of the stage.”

Josie immediately moved her gaze from the back of the crowd to the front. Lane wasn’t smiling. He didn’t want to be there. And then she noticed that Birdie had ahold of his arm. A smile pulled at Josie’s lips. Birdie was holding him there, most likely against his will. Not that he would admit it. Josie shook her head in disbelief. Birdie had this way of getting people to do what she wanted.

The mayor announced the contestants. All of the entrants moved to stand behind the mayor. Josie recognized all of them from past visits to the inn.

“Sorry I’m late.” Kent moved to stand beside her. “What did I miss?”

“Shh… They’re announcing the contestants.”

“I’ve got to go.” Sara slipped away.

That was strange. She thought Sara was going to stay for the whole thing. In fact, Sara had gotten someone to cover the front desk so she could be there for the start of the contest.

“Now that we have the contestants, we have some rules. The rooms can only be worked on for eight hours a day, from eight in the morning until four in the afternoon.” The mayor’s voice drew Josie from her thoughts. “So, plan your day carefully.”

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