Page 38 of The Billionaire Is Back

Claire looks so disappointed, it kind of hurts my heart.

“Yes, Stacy, I read them. I haven’t had time to respond yet.”

The mayor places two fingertips on the side of her neck to check her pulse while asking me, “And do you know yet if you’ll be here at the end of the summer?”

I can feel Claire watching me, quietly asking the same question.

“Well,” I say to Stacy, “as I said in my initial response, I do not know yet. It depends on how things go with my dad’s recovery.”

Stacy’s constantly active hands wave away any concern. “Of course, of course. Totally understand. Obviously I wish your dad a speedy and thorough recovery, but I also, of course, hope you stay a while. You’re a very important person in this town!”

Claire scoffs at that and then covers it by faking a coughing fit.

Stacy raises her open hand up in the air as she beams at me.

I’m not sure if I’m supposed to high-five her or not.

She smiles even broader and nods vehemently, while giving me the thumbs-up with her other hand.

So, I slap her five.

“Boom! I love that BigDEnergy!”

I stare at her blankly. Claire starts choking again.

“DforDynamo!” Stacy explains and then raises both fists in the air, like Rocky at the top of the stepsof the Philadelphia Museum. “The prodigal son returns!”

“For a visit, yes.”

“Grady Barber. I am excited. I am grateful. On behalf of the entire town of Beacon Harbor, I would just like to say that we would be overjoyed if your worldly wisdom and successful energy would grace our festival! It’s inspiring! Am I right?!” she asks around, as if she were surrounded by a group of sycophants. She isn’t.

Claire just frowns at me.

If it were any other politician who was buttering me up like a lobster, I would have rolled my eyes and walked away by now. But Stacy Hutchinson is so damn earnest in her enthusiasm. I can’t help but smile. “Right, well, we’ll just have to see how it goes.”

“Well, you know who’ll be here at the end of the summer, just like she’s been here at the end of every summer and attended every Shellibration since she was a baby?” Claire asks. “Me. I will. And I would really love to bake a very large cake for you, Mayor. So, if there’s anything in particular you’re looking for…”

“I don’t know yet, Claire, but you’re definitely still in the running.” Mayor Stacy picks up her pace and runs in place instead of jogging.

Claire pretends to find that hilarious. “Running! Great. That is…great.”

“Stacy, tell you what,” I say. “If Sweet Treats on Main is selected as the official baker for the end-of-summer Shellibration, I will be here to give the speech. Even if I have to come back to do it.”

Mayor Stacy claps her hands three times and jumpsup and down, more like a high school cheerleader than a fiftysomething public servant. “You will? Yay!”

“You will?” Claire asks, with more skepticism than excitement.

“I will,” I assure them. “Call my office in New York and tell Alice to put it in my calendar.”

“I will do that as soon as I return to my office, in approximately fourteen minutes,” Mayor Stacy declares, shaking my hand again. “This will be perfect!” she calls out as she jogs away. “Perfect! I mean, you did make the very generous donation that paid for our lobster racetrack and state-of-the-art lobster retirement habitat, after all!”

“Right,” I say, as if I knew that. “Exactly.”

I catch sight of my brother, who’s shaking his head. I read his lips.Of course you did,he’s saying.

I shrug. “It was an anonymous donation,” I tell him.

He does not look pleased. I get it. This was supposed to be his thing. He can’t escape the long shadow of the billionaire older brother. Well. I’ll just have to remind him that I can’t play any instruments. That should level the playing field.

---