holidays. We've already got more dope in Montague County than we need and that's the kind that comes to these things. Y'all are crazy as hell if you think it'll bring money into the town. We'll lose things out of our stores and our homes with all that foreign trash coming in here. We'll lose money because the jail will be full of shoplifters and drunks, not to mention drug dealers. It'd be a perfect place for them to snatch away the kids or to sell them dope. No, I vote that this damn crazy idea be abolished." She clapped her hands together in a dramatic gesture and snapped her mouth shut.
"Well, that's negative," Julie muttered.
Clarice squinted at her. "What did you say? You got something to say about me you just march up here and deliver it. Don't be mumblin' under your breath."
Julie stepped right up into the gazebo with Clarice. The woman wasn't nearly so intimidating when she was standing beside her. She had dyed hair the color of a black stove pipe, wore a long-sleeved black polyester pantsuit in the middle of the summer, and her nails had recently been done in a bright red enamel to match toenails peeking out from her black sandals. At least all of her nails but the thumbs—they were shiny gold.
"Now what did you say?" Clarice glared at her.
Julie already had a chip on her shoulder labeled Luckadeau. She didn't give a royal damn if the one on the other shoulder bore Clarice's name. The woman had no right to look at Mamie like that or to talk down to Julie, either.
"I am the new kindergarten teacher in Saint Jo. I came to this place because it's small and a nice place to raise my daughter, Annie. But anyone can see that the town is about to dry up and blow away. Without some planning it's going to be listed on the ghost town registry for the state of Texas. It needs money put back into it. Shops need to be reopened around this square, empty buildings filled up again. It can still be a small town and have small-town charm, but it doesn't have to be a trashy small town. Let's get behind Mamie and support this idea. Folks might see what I did if they come around for a parade or a festival. They'll see potential for growth and could come back and invest in opening a store or putting in a café."
"I disagree," a masculine voice said from the back.
Julie would recognize that voice anywhere. She looked out over the tops of people's heads and saw Griffin holding Lizzy's hand. Annie was tugging against Mamie's hand trying to get to her friend. Couldn't she go anywhere that Griffin didn't show up? Next thing she knew he'd be sitting at the end of her garden when she went out to hoe the weeds. If he was, he'd better get ready for the business end of the hoe to be applied to his hard head. Her crazy heart threw in an extra beat but then her temper set it to beating right on time. How dare he show up at their meeting and disagree with Mamie?
"Then by all means step right up here and tell us why," Julie said.
He made his way to the gazebo, filling the small space left with his large frame. He looked out over the crowd for a second before he began. Although no one else knew, he was trying to control his thumping heart. One look at the woman and all he wanted to do was take her home to his bed. He hadn't been so intrigued by a woman in his whole life. Not even his ex-wife, Dian, was in every waking thought and haunted his dreams at night, too.
Finally, he spoke. "Saint Jo won't ever be a ghost town. Don't let this new citified schoolteacher tell you anything like that. She came from a bigger town and if she don't like the way we do things, she can go back to it. Our little town can only support one festival a year. We have to hire extra help to pick up trash and we have to bring in the porta-potties for that day. It'll just be an extra expense to have another festival," Griffin said.
Julie popped her hands on her hips and debated with him, "In
"Well, that's negative," Julie muttered.
Clarice squinted at her. "What did you say? You got something to say about me you just march up here and deliver it. Don't be mumblin' under your breath."
Julie stepped right up into the gazebo with Clarice. The woman wasn't nearly so intimidating when she was standing beside her. She had dyed hair the color of a black stove pipe, wore a long-sleeved black polyester pantsuit in the middle of the summer, and her nails had recently been done in a bright red enamel to match toenails peeking out from her black sandals. At least all of her nails but the thumbs—they were shiny gold.
"Now what did you say?" Clarice glared at her.
Julie already had a chip on her shoulder labeled Luckadeau. She didn't give a royal damn if the one on the other shoulder bore Clarice's name. The woman had no right to look at Mamie like that or to talk down to Julie, either.
"I am the new kindergarten teacher in Saint Jo. I came to this place because it's small and a nice place to raise my daughter, Annie. But anyone can see that the town is about to dry up and blow away. Without some planning it's going to be listed on the ghost town registry for the state of Texas. It needs money put back into it. Shops need to be reopened around this square, empty buildings filled up again. It can still be a small town and have small-town charm, but it doesn't have to be a trashy small town. Let's get behind Mamie and support this idea. Folks might see what I did if they come around for a parade or a festival. They'll see potential for growth and could come back and invest in opening a store or putting in a café."
"I disagree," a masculine voice said from the back.
Julie would recognize that voice anywhere. She looked out over the tops of people's heads and saw Griffin holding Lizzy's hand. Annie was tugging against Mamie's hand trying to get to her friend. Couldn't she go anywhere that Griffin didn't show up? Next thing she knew he'd be sitting at the end of her garden when she went out to hoe the weeds. If he was, he'd better get ready for the business end of the hoe to be applied to his hard head. Her crazy heart threw in an extra beat but then her temper set it to beating right on time. How dare he show up at their meeting and disagree with Mamie?
"Then by all means step right up here and tell us why," Julie said.
He made his way to the gazebo, filling the small space left with his large frame. He looked out over the crowd for a second before he began. Although no one else knew, he was trying to control his thumping heart. One look at the woman and all he wanted to do was take her home to his bed. He hadn't been so intrigued by a woman in his whole life. Not even his ex-wife, Dian, was in every waking thought and haunted his dreams at night, too.
Finally, he spoke. "Saint Jo won't ever be a ghost town. Don't let this new citified schoolteacher tell you anything like that. She came from a bigger town and if she don't like the way we do things, she can go back to it. Our little town can only support one festival a year. We have to hire extra help to pick up trash and we have to bring in the porta-potties for that day. It'll just be an extra expense to have another festival," Griffin said.
Julie popped her hands on her hips and debated with him, "In
Similar Books
