Playing for Hearts by Debra Kayn Page B

groaned. God, he was the best kisser.
    How was she supposed to walk into the room and pretend to know what she was doing when Grayson wiped every single intelligent thought from her head? She patted her cheeks, brushed her hair behind her shoulders and stepped forward, doing her best not to look at him. She’d conquer the meeting because more than ever, she needed to prove herself.
    Shauna walked down the hall with a purpose in her step, flung open the door, and smiled. “Thank you all for coming. I know this meeting was on short notice, but what I have to say will hopefully make up for the inconvenience.”
    She glanced from one city council member to the next, around the board table, staring back at her and expecting a miracle. Not wasting a second, she stood at the head of the table and passed a bundle of folders to Mr. Stephenson on her right.
    â€œAs you know, hard economic times have hit every person in Cottage Grove. From the outlet stores and independent bookstores, to Les’s Tire Shop and Peggy Lee’s Preschool. The young are growing up and instead of settling down in Cottage Grove, they’re reaching out to the neighboring communities for employment. We need to create jobs and opportunities at home, before we can solve the money problems.” She paused and swallowed. “To do that, we need our local companies to grow and demand in supplies to steadily climb, and we need to find a way to bring money to Cottage Grove.”
    â€œThat’s all common knowledge, Shauna, but times have changed. We can no more keep the young adults from moving away than we can make Cottage Grove more appealing without the funds to support a huge project.” Dan Winters tossed his pen on the table and crossed his arms.
    Mrs. Bakkersten clasped her hands on the table. “Dear, you’ve been away for a while, and we’ve tried everything we could think of to turn things around. Nothing has worked, and we’ve only dug ourselves into a deeper debt.”
    Shauna smiled, when what she really wanted to do was slink out of the room and forget about her whole plan. She motioned toward the folders, and then sat down.
    â€œThe documents I’ve handed you contain my proposal. I think all of your suggestions have been honorable and have pushed things into the right direction to bring life back into Cottage Grove, but we need something … big. Something that’ll not only keep the younger generation around by creating more jobs, but that will supplement our revenue by boosting tourism.” She removed a sheet of paper and held it up. “Please take a look at page three.”
    â€œWhat’s this?” Dan frowned.
    â€œThis is a list of celebrities, well known around the world, who have volunteered to come to Cottage Grove. They’ve also agreed to host charity events for the locals and bring in added entertainment.” She pulled out another list. “Page four consists of the activities that will be offered.”
    â€œHold on now, missy.” Mrs. Bakkersten shook her head. “Do you realize what will happen bringing in so many celebrities? Where will they stay? We don’t even have enough law enforcement officers to handle extra traffic, not to mention public safety. I don’t know how you can promise to have these people come when there’s no money to offer them for their work.”
    â€œI understand your concerns.” Shauna nodded. “Each celebrity will arrive with a full team of personnel, plus I’ve received a bid from a security firm to direct traffic and oversee the school and the field north of town, where the majority of events will be held. The only ones who will require a different location are Grayson Schyler, who has already agreed to account for the tennis center, and Bruce Coldwell, who will require the use of the lake for four hours. I’ve already talked to the county, and they’ve agreed to accommodate up to five