That Man of Mine (25 page)

“In that case, let me direct to you to the city attorney, Mr. Watts. He's really the one to answer your questions.”

The city attorney
? That seemed like a bit of an overkill, but maybe that's how they rolled in Old Explorer's Bay. You could never be too careful with the kind of information you gave out over the phone. Especially to someone claiming to be in a position of authority. For all they knew, she was some quack calling off the street. After a few clicks, her call went over to voicemail.

“You've reached the law offices of Brian Watts. I'm currently unavailable but if you leave a name and number along with a short message, I'll return your call as soon as possible.”

Mimi left a message asking if he could call her back. She didn't want to get too specific in a voicemail, so she simply said she had a few questions about Doug that she hoped he might be able to answer.

She was getting dinner started when she heard Claire's car pull up in the driveway.

“Hey!” Claire came bouncing into the kitchen, her long brown hair swinging from side to side in a ponytail. “Can you believe graduation is next week? Can we go shopping for a new dress? I've been meaning to ask you but you've been so busy with Aunt Allie's wedding and all the mayor stuff.” She plucked a cookie from the pantry. She seemed so happy. And for the first time in forever, they were alone in the house. Just the two of them. It was the opportunity Mimi had been both wishing for and dreading at the same time.

“Where's Cameron?”

“Baseball practice. Remember?”

No. Mimi had forgotten. Just like she'd almost forgotten about Claire's graduation, as well. “Of course we can get you a new dress. And…we need to plan a little party afterward. Just family and some close friends.”

“Sure. That would be cool. Can you make your lasagna?” Without waiting for an answer, Claire started to leave the kitchen.

“Wait a minute, honey. We need to talk.”

Claire turned and looked at her. “What did Buttercup do now? Did she shred something up? I swear, I've been trying to train her to use her scratching post.”

“It's not Buttercup, although, the other day I went in your room to find her and she was trapped in one of your dresser drawers.”

“I can't believe she's still doing that! She was okay, though, right?”

There was no easy way to say this, so Mimi just went for it. “I found your acceptance letter to FSU. Why did you lie to all of us, Claire?”

There was a moment of shock, before Claire's blue eyes narrowed in anger. “You
looked
through my stuff?”

“I told you, Buttercup was trapped in the drawer. The letter was clearly visible. I admit, I didn't have to open it, but I did anyway. And I'm glad I did.”

Claire instantly went into defensive mode. “Okay, so big deal. I lied. I just didn't want to go to FSU and I knew you and Dad would give me a hard time about it. It's
my
life, I should be able to go to whatever school I want to.”

“I agree. And if you'd told us you gotten accepted into FSU but had decided to go to community college instead, your dad and I would have fully supported you. It's the lie that has us concerned.”

“
Us
, huh? So I guess Dad told you all about Adam.”

“Why are you keeping him a secret? Why did you pretend to break up with him? I just don't get it.”

Claire's face clouded over. “We did break up,” she said, her voice quivering for just a second. “But then after a few months we got back together and…I don't know. I knew you weren't crazy about him so it just seemed easier to not tell you. I didn't lie, not exactly. Not about that.”

“Oh, please. You're a smart girl, honey. Let's not quibble over semantics.”

“Okay, so what now? Are you and Daddy going to force me to go to FSU?”

“Of course not. But I'm concerned about this lie. Don't you see, honey? It makes me think there's something bigger going on here.”

She steeled herself for this next part. They'd had “the mother-daughter sex talk” a couple of years ago. Mimi had made Claire promise that before she ever thought about having sex, she'd come to her beforehand so they could discuss it. It had been the hardest conversation she'd ever had with Claire. Until now.

 “Are you and Adam having sex?”

“
What
? That's none of your business!”

“No, it certainly
is
my business. If you and that boy are having sex then I need to make sure you know exactly how to protect yourself.”

“Don't worry, I'm not planning on getting pregnant. I'm not
you
.”

Mimi's heart ricocheted around her chest a couple of times before it eventually settled back in place. “Wow. I bet you've been waiting a long time to say that to me.”

Claire's eyes went shiny. “I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't mean it that way.”

“Okay, fair enough. But I want you to think about what I'm going to say. If your decision to stay here and go to community college is based strictly on Adam, then you're doing yourself a huge disservice. It's true, I didn't plan on getting pregnant at seventeen, but I did have choices. And I made the best one possible for myself and for Zeke. And for you. Because I already loved you the instant I knew you were inside me. I'm always going to want the best for you, Claire. I just want you to be happy, but I don't see how keeping your life a secret from the people who love you the most makes any kind of sense.”

Claire seemed to waiver, but then her eyes got that steely look in them that Mimi knew all too well. It was the Zeke Grant look of rebellion. “Is that it? Can I go to my room now?”

“Sure. I'll call you when dinner is ready.”

She watched as her daughter grabbed her backpack and headed off to her bedroom.

Momma was certainly right about one thing. She might not have worded it this exact same way, but children were like a great big old vacuum cleaner, just sitting around waiting to suck the life right out of you.

M
imi sat impatiently through
the city council meeting. The budget, which was supposed to have been approved in April, was
still
being discussed. Bruce and Larry were opposed to almost everything Mimi and Gus were for, with Denise squarely in the middle. But something had to give. And soon. Or the town of Whispering Bay was going to enter the fiscal year in September without a budget.

Over the course of the two-hour meeting, she'd tried catching Doug's attention but each time she managed to lock gazes with him, he smiled in that bland way of his that was beginning to grate on her nerves. Hadn't he gotten any of her messages? It was Thursday, and she needed to get that check to Fatback Bubba by tonight. Their manager had called this morning to say they'd expect their money by five p.m. sharp.

It was now a little after two and the meeting seemed to be going on forever.

“I think we've done about enough for today,” she announced, standing up. “As mayor, I want to go on record that I'm very disappointed we haven't been able to agree on a working budget. May I suggest that we give this two more weeks, tops? After that, we need to consider some sort of mediation.”

Bruce and Larry exchanged a meaningful glance. “You mean
outsiders
?” Bruce asked.

“Exactly. If we can't agree then we're going to have to get help. I sincerely hope it doesn't come to that, but, we may have no choice.” She hated being the bad guy here, but someone had to take charge.

“We never needed a referee when Bruce was mayor,” Larry grumbled under his breath. It was loud enough for Mimi to hear, though. Just as he'd intended.

Denise looked at her thoughtfully. “That might not be a bad idea. I second Mimi's motion,” she said, taking Mimi by surprise. It was the first time Denise had openly supported her.

“That was a kick ass move,” Pilar whispered in her ear. As the city's attorney, Pilar attended the city council meetings strictly in an advisory role. Mimi wished she had a vote. Then maybe they could actually get things done. “You're going to Bunco tonight, right?”

“I wouldn't miss it for the world,” Mimi replied. “I seriously need to relax.” She watched as Doug gathered all his papers and tried for a quick exit. “Doug! Hold on. I need to talk to you.”

He looked a little harassed, like he was late for something, but he came back and laid his briefcase down on the table.

“See you tonight!” Pilar called to Mimi on her way out.

Mimi waited till everyone else had left before she said to Doug, “You're a hard guy to get ahold of.”

“Sorry.” He shrugged. “It's just this budget thing. And then I've been out of town and, well, you know.” He smiled and Mimi felt herself relax. For a minute there, she'd thought Doug was going to say something else. What that something else was, she wasn't sure, but it had given her a momentarily bad feeling.

“So I have less than three hours to get that check to the band for the festival. Do you think you could cut that for me now?” she asked, rushing all the words together.

“Check?” His expression changed to one of incredulity. “Mimi, I'm sorry, but I thought you'd realize…that is, without the city approving a budget for the coming fiscal year, it's impossible for me to give you that check. Right now, every penny in the city treasury is being scrutinized.”

Mimi's face went hot. That had never occurred to her. “But, you said it wouldn't be a problem. And you know the festival committee is going to pay the city back. We'll have the money by Monday.”

“What if for some reason the festival can't clear that amount and you can't come up with the money? I've done my research. Last year the festival didn't break even. There was no extra money for anything. If this year follows the same pattern—”

“But that was because we didn't have a big ticket item like Fatback Bubba. Our Facebook page is practically exploding because of him!”

He smiled again, but this time she could see the smile for what it really was. A sneery looking grin.

 Doreen was right. Doug was a snake. She thought about all the times they'd talked about the festival and how he'd seemed so eager to help her. She also remembered how Doreen had warned her about not being tricked.

Doug had known all along that he wasn't going to cut a city check on behalf of the festival, and she'd walked right into his trap. Something told her he hadn't thought this up by himself, though.

“Tell me, Doug. Did you and Bruce cook up this little scheme to try to discredit me?”

“Someone sounds paranoid,” he said still keeping up the pleasant tone in his voice.

“Maybe you're the one who should be paranoid. I have a call through to Brian Watts in Old Explorer's Bay. I can't wait for him to call me back.”

That
wiped the grin off his face faster than Mimi could blink.

“There's nothing he can say to you. And if he does, I'll sue his ass for slander.”

“Wow. I don't think I need Brian to call me back. That little statement of yours tells me almost everything I need to know.”

“Whatever.” He picked up his briefcase. “Are we done here?”

“Oh, believe me, we're finished.”

*~*~*

M
imi did her best
to keep to the speed limit, but it was after four-thirty and the directions she'd been given to Fatback Bubba's studio were confusing. Her stomach felt twisted up in knots. If she had the money in her checking account then it would be a simple matter of writing them a personal check and paying herself back after the festival. But she and Zeke didn't normally keep that kind of money in their everyday account. Not to mention she'd just written a check to the florist for the wedding next week.

She turned on the radio to try to calm her nerves. Luke Bryan's
That's My Kind of Night
was playing. It momentarily distracted her as she sang along, then it came to the part about the catfish dinner and she almost retched right in her mouth. Normally, she liked catfish, but it sounded so…
fishy
right now, and there was that stomach of hers acting like it belonged to someone else.

If only she'd managed to confront Doug sooner, then she would have had more notice and she could have transferred money from their savings money market. But that took a minimum of two days. Plus, it would be risky, because that money wasn't hers alone. It also belonged to Zeke and it was supposed to be for emergencies only. This was an emergency, all right, but not the kind she and Zeke had scrimped and saved for.

She pulled into the parking lot with ten minutes to spare. After a quick peek in the minivan's rearview mirror to make sure she didn't look like a wild woman, she hustled into the studio. A man in his early thirties greeted her at the door. He was bald with a neck tattoo and wore a cowboy hat.

“You must be Mimi Grant,” he said in a not-too-friendly way. “I'm Keith Calloway, the manager for the band. You got the check?”

“Actually, I don't, but I can explain,” she rushed to say.

Instead of looking displeased, however, he smiled like he was relieved. “Sorry, but no check, no performance.”

“I understand, but we have some…complicated circumstances. I can pay you the rest on Monday, plus a bonus for the inconvenience. Say, another five hundred dollars to make it eight thousand even?” She was one hundred percent positive they'd make the money. The entire town was talking about the festival with a degree of enthusiasm that Mimi hadn't heard in years. And if by some miniscule chance, they didn't make the money…well, she could always throw herself off the Bay Bridge.

“A contract is a contract. Like I said, no check. No band.”

“But there's hundreds of people who'll be expecting Fatback Bubba to play! We've put up banners and done Facebook promotions. Look, we're a non-profit organization, can't you cut us some slack?”

“No can do. Now, if we're through here, I need to lock up the studio. I got a lot of work to do and I have to drive to Tallahassee tonight, then drive back here to start packing up.”

“Packing up?” Mimi had been so frazzled she hadn't noticed all the moving boxes. “Where are you going?”

“Fatback Bubba has just been signed on to open for Billy Brenton,” he said proudly. “Their first show is tonight and we only have a day to pack things up before we head to Pensacola on tour.”

No wonder this Keith wasn't so keen on the
Spring Into Summer
festival. His band was about to hit the road with country music's biggest star! Mimi tried to keep her voice from shaking. “Isn't there some way we can resolve this? Maybe if…they played for just thirty minutes? I can even help with the packing.”

He chuckled. “Sorry, lady, but a deal's a deal.”

She felt like all the air had been sucked from her lungs. How was she going to fix this? The town was expecting a well-known country western band at the festival. She had less than forty-eight hours to come up with a substitute.
But how
?

“Can I have our deposit back, please?” she asked, trying not to sound too desperate.

“Sorry, but that deposit gets forfeited if you renege on the deal.” He winked at her. “Read your contract.” Then he took out his cell phone and made a call, effectively dismissing her.

Mimi made it back to her minivan on shaky legs. She was going to throw up. Right here in the parking lot. It would serve Keith right if she did. She took a few deep breaths of air to steady her stomach and somehow managed to get inside the car and turn her key. Her radio blasted with Billy Brenton's
Snow Angel Smiles
.

It was like the fates were mocking her!

She viciously twisted the dial to snap off the music.

How was she going to fix this? How
could
she fix this? What band would be available on such short notice to play for next to nothing? Correction: Make that
nothing
. Not only was the festival broke, she'd lost the deposit money.
Two thousand and five hundred dollars
. Money they probably wouldn't make up for now because no one was going to pay to see a band that didn't show up.

Oh God
.

The town would probably call for her resignation. How could she have been so careless? So gullible? Bruce and Doug were probably at happy hour right at this very moment, celebrating her upcoming disgrace.

*~*~*

“M
aybe you can still
get Harry Tuba and his polka band,” Shea suggested that night at Bunco. “I'm pretty sure they're always available.”

The rest of the Babes moaned in response.

“We're supposed to make Mimi feel
better
,” Kitty said. “Not worse.”

They'd gathered for their weekly Bunco game but no one wanted to play. Not after Mimi told them what happened this afternoon.

“So this Keith guy actually
winked
at you?” Pilar said. “What a jerk! He was probably ecstatic you couldn't come up with the money. It gave him the perfect excuse to break the contract. They get to keep their deposit and they don't have to waste their precious packing time to come here and play. Not when they're going on the road with Billy Brenton.”

“I'll never buy another Billy Brenton CD again,” Frida grumbled.

“It's not Billy Brenton's fault,” Mimi said. “It's not even Fatback Bubba's. It's mine. I should never have trusted Doug and I should never have run for mayor. I'm way out of my league here.”

“You mean the league of despicable gentleman?” Kitty asked. “Except Doug and Bruce are no gentleman. More like rats.”

“You should have come to us for money,” Shea said. “Between all of us we could have lent you the money for the check.”

“Thanks,” Mimi said. “But there wasn't any time. And I really thought they'd be reasonable about this.”

“So what are you going to do now?” Kitty asked.

Mimi wished she had an answer for that. But all she could do was shrug. “Can you all please promise me you won't tell anyone? If word gets out about this, there'll be a riot. Somehow…I'll find a way fix this.”

How that would happen, she didn't know.

She'd wanted to save the
Spring Into Summer
festival. To restore it to its former glory. Or even elevate it into something bigger and better that would benefit not just the town, but all its residents and the local businesses, too. Instead, she'd be known as the mayor who killed the festival faster than the iceberg that had sunk the Titanic. Certainly not the legacy she wanted to leave behind.