If for Any Reason (Nantucket Love Story #1) - Courtney Walsh Page 0,8

festival. Let me get you a flyer.” The woman started off toward the bulletin board.

“No.” Emily’s forceful tone stopped the woman, whose expression turned annoyed.

“Sorry.” Emily gathered herself. “Can you tell me who’s in charge of the arts center?”

“Well, I am,” the old woman said. “I’m the director of operations.”

“And your name is . . . ?”

The woman straightened as if she weren’t used to being questioned. “Gladys Middlebury.”

“Mrs. Middlebury, my name is Emily Ackerman.” She might’ve emphasized her last name. Just a bit. After all, it was on the sign above the arts center’s door.

The woman’s eyebrows shot up. “Emily Ackerman? Isabelle’s daughter?”

Emily willed herself not to collapse in a pile of tears. Why did it suddenly feel impossible to talk about her mother? She jutted her chin out. “Yes.”

Gladys softened slightly. “I was so sorry to hear about your mother. I never got the chance to say that to you—or to your grandparents. I know their relationship with Isabelle had always been rocky, which maybe made her passing that much more devastating.”

Emily frowned. What was she talking about? Sure, her mom and her grandparents had their ups and downs, but she wouldn’t have classified their relationship as “rocky.”

“What brings you back to Nantucket?” Gladys asked before Emily could demand an explanation. “You haven’t been back since the accident, have you?”

Emily decided she did not like this woman. Too nosy. Too blunt. Too presumptuous.

“My grandfather passed away, and as we got his affairs in order, I learned he’s still giving a substantial amount of money to the arts center annually, but he earmarked the majority of it for children’s programming.”

The woman opened her mouth as if she was going to say something but quickly closed it again. What could she say, really? It was fairly clear to Emily that they’d been taking her grandfather’s money and using it as they saw fit. Was that even legal?

“There are a number of factors at play here, Miss Ackerman.” Gladys shifted where she stood. “Maybe you could come back when more of our staff is here and we could explain it to you? Or perhaps a member of the board?”

“What is there to explain?” Emily hated the fact that her grandfather’s wishes weren’t being carried out, but more than that, she hated that for probably years now, the children who spent their summers on the island had no access to theatre.

For years, kids hadn’t known the feeling of having their family cheering them on from the front row.

“I’m taking over where my grandfather left off, and I expect to see documentation of where his money has been going.” (That sounded like someone who was in control, right?)

“That’s not going to be easy, Miss Ackerman.”

Emily eyed Gladys. “No, I wouldn’t expect that it would be.” She rummaged through her purse and scribbled her number on a piece of scratch paper, then handed it to the older woman.

“I’ll see what I can do.”

“I’ll look forward to your call.” Emily walked out of the theatre and exhaled a long, hot stream. Being assertive sent adrenaline rushing through her veins. It wasn’t like her. She liked to go with the flow, not cause waves. And while she felt confident most of the time, she also avoided conflict the way she avoided long-term relationships—with great fervor.

When you find something worth fighting for, fight.

Dear Emily,

It’s so tempting to go with the flow. Even now, there are days I don’t want to stand up for anything because it can be so exhausting to put yourself out there. Plus, you open yourself up to ridicule. You ruffle feathers. You make enemies or at least step into possible confrontation.

But nothing will ever change—nothing will ever get done—unless we’re willing to fight for the things we feel are worth fighting for.

Now, I don’t advise becoming a person who fights only for the sake of fighting, but every once in a while, there will be something that ignites your passion—something the world needs but isn’t getting, something so important to you that it will be worth putting yourself on the line to try and make it happen.

Sometimes you’ll be successful. Other times, maybe not so much.

But knowing you did all you could to push for something that really matters—that’s a good feeling. You can lay your head on your pillow knowing you’ve contributed a sparkly piece of gold to the world.

And the world needs a little more sparkle.

Love,

Mom

CHAPTER 4

AFTER EMILY LEFT THE ARTS CENTER, she found a cab and forced herself to stop