Up to Snow Good - Kelly Collins Page 0,18
most respected men in Moss Creek would help attract the right kind of attention.” Lauren tried selling him on the idea.
Mayor Shipley sighed. “Therein, however, lies the rub.”
Worry replaced Lauren’s warm rush of hope.
“It’s the wrong kind of attention I’m worried about,” the mayor said.
Deputy Mayor Roberts asked, “Sir?”
“Think about it,” he explained. “We have a Christmas event, and some other group is liable to get testy. If we cater to one, we have to cater to all.”
“The people of Moss Creek won’t get upset,” Lauren said. “You know these people, they’re good-natured and not contentious like that. It’s a Holiday Village, and people can celebrate whatever holiday they choose.” She considered that for a moment and thought it wise to celebrate all people.
“You’re right, they’re good folks, friends, and neighbors, but it’s not good politics to alienate people. Besides, how do you call it a winter festival without snow? What you’re talking about is a Christmas Village, which alienates those who don’t celebrate the holiday. If you call it Santa’s Village, then you have the religious group after you.”
Lauren and the deputy mayor shared a glance, both returning their attention to Mayor Shipley.
“I can’t stop you from doing what you want with your private property. I’m assuming your permits are all in order?”
Lauren nodded, reasonably certain the answer was yes.
“We can call it a Holiday Village to include all celebrants.”
He shook his head. “Well, I’ll wish you luck with it, Miss Matthews, but I think the mayor’s office will have to take a pass.”
Her hope dimmed until the last flicker remained. This wasn’t about politics, this was about saving her legacy, and she was no closer to a solution than she was that first day she walked into Sam’s office and he told her to sell.
She forced a smile. “Thank you for hearing me out.”
“Certainly.” She turned, and Mayor Shipley added, “I’m sure your affairs at the lodge are in order. However, we must see the permits and inspections for the project.”
She could only hope she didn’t create a bigger mess that would take down the lodge altogether.
Nerves forced the lump in her throat to nearly choke her. She hadn’t expected the mayor to be so prickly. Her father was a responsible man, so she wasn’t as worried about the state of Sunshine Lodge’s permits and inspections, but the fact that the mayor seemed so interested in them set off warning signals in the back of her conscience, making the hairs on her arms stand up.
People tended not to trust politicians, and in a town as small as Moss Creek, the influence of private citizens over the political parties, particularly the wealthiest private citizens, couldn’t be underestimated.
Can it be that Eaton Hunter is already working against me? Did he make a call to the mayor to shut me down? It didn’t ring true, but the warnings about Max, about the loan, suddenly collected in the back of her brain.
Her stomach turned, and nervous nausea roiled in her gut.
It was too easy for her to fall into a trap. Being eager to rekindle her friendship with Max made her vulnerable.
They knew that—they both knew that. But I have to believe they couldn’t be so heartless and manipulative, could they?
Her mouth went dry, acid rising in her throat. She’d taken steps, and there was no turning back. Everything was on the line, and it seemed suddenly certain that she had blown it. After only a week as the principal caretaker of the lodge, she had lost it all.
Chapter Fifteen
Max
Max sensed his father’s displeasure and knew it had been stoked by a private consultation with his grandmother’s nurse. She was eager to work every angle, and Max had to assume that she was playing them all.
Either way, his relationship with his father was only becoming more strained. The matter of the lodge felt increasingly beside the point. Max and his father didn’t see the world or deal with it in the same way, and that would be a problem for the future of Hunter Properties, and the millions of dollars in its portfolio.
It was different when he was away, but now that he’d been called home to run the local part of the business, he seemed to be caught in his father’s crosshairs.
“I’m pulling the plug on this Christmas Village crap at the lodge,” he said.
Max was ready to argue with the decision.
His father went on, “It will complicate things.”
“Complicate things? You know what’s making things complicated, and it’s not some winter