“The truth is, I need your help. I know you all love Haven Point as much as I do. None of us is happy about what’s happened here the last five years. This has been a dark time for us.”
Because of what she intended to ask, she was careful not to remind them the town had suffered mostly because Ben had ignored his responsibilities and let the downtown fall into disrepair.
“This is our chance to turn things around,” she went on. “Aidan and Ben are considering something that might improve things around here. That’s all I can say about it right now. Trust me, this would be very good for us.”
“What do you need us to do?” Ever wise, her friend Julia Winston, one of the librarians at the Haven Point library, struck to the heart of the matter.
She sighed, looking around the assembly of her dearest friends. “This is difficult for me to ask. I know how you all feel about Ben. I share your feelings, believe me.”
“You mean, you think he’s hotter than a billy goat with a blowtorch?” Hazel asked.
Eppie laughed and so did just about everybody else in the room, even Devin. McKenzie felt her face heat, finding it extremely difficult to be appropriately mayoral and dignified around this crowd.
“Okay, first of all, how hot can a billy goat with a blowtorch really get? And why does he have a blowtorch in the first place? But that’s not the point, is it? No. The point is, it’s extremely important that while Ben is here, we work very hard to show Haven Point in the best possible light.”
“How do you propose we do that?” Devin asked.
“That’s where I need your help. I need some ideas about how we can prove to him that this town is warm and neighborly, that he won’t find a better place anywhere in the mountain west.”
“I think we need to kill the man with kindness, even when we want to strangle him,” Lindy-Grace suggested.
“Excellent. Excellent. If you see him on the street, stop and say hello. Show him genuine interest. Be neighborly and welcoming.”
“That would have been easier if he hadn’t made such a mess of things,” Marie protested.
“If it were easy, I wouldn’t have to call an emergency meeting and beg you all to help me,” McKenzie said.
“You don’t have to beg,” Eppie said. “Hazel and I will be nice to him—so nice, he’ll think he’s died and gone to heaven and has two wrinkly old angels at his beck and call.”
Oh, gosh. That was an image she didn’t need. “Don’t overdo, ladies. Just be kind. That’s all I ask.”
“You want us to suck up to Ben Kilpatrick, after everything he’s done?” Linda Fremont demanded.
“Not suck up to him, exactly. Just put aside your anger for now in the interest of helping the town. An investment, if you will, in something that could pay off for all of us. And please ask your brothers and husbands and fathers to do the same.”
She wasn’t sure it would work—or if it was even right. He shouldn’t get a pass for all the things he had done to harm this town, simply because he was here on behalf of Aidan.
“He did come at a great time for seeing Haven Point at its best,” Julia said.
“Right. One of the busiest but most fun weeks of the year, with Lake Days next week along with our July Fourth celebrations and all the events surrounding the wooden boat show.”
“Don’t forget the service auction just a few days after that,” Lindy-Grace said.
She nodded, heartened by the response. At least they weren’t throwing tomatoes at her just yet. “Exactly. The timing couldn’t be more perfect, really, unless Ben were to show up during the Lights on the Lake Festival. Since he’s not here at Christmastime, we’ll have to take what we can get. This is a perfect chance to showcase the best Haven Point has to offer. I will make sure he is invited to everything, from the mayor’s kickoff luncheon this week to the barbecue at the beach park to the fireworks.”
Linda sniffed. “I don’t think we should have to kiss that man’s ass, no matter how hot Eppie and Hazel might think it is.”
It was indeed a fine backside, but McKenzie wasn’t about to admit that.
“I completely understand your feelings, Linda, and I’m not saying they’re off base. You have to do what you think is right. I will add that, like it or not, Ben could hold the future of our little town in his hands. I just want him to see that any decision he makes will have real impact on a town and a group of people who have already been through a great deal.”
Most of the women in the group seemed to be on her side, though she sensed a few siding with Linda Fremont.
“Be nice to him. That’s possibly a tall order, but manageable by most,” Devin said. “What else?”
“That’s where I need your input. A good old-fashioned Helping Hands brainstorming session. Go.”
* * *
AS SHE HOPED, she was able to keep the meeting to less than an hour, and most of that was spent keeping the Brewer sisters from drooling over a picture of Ben with Aidan Caine that Kat Bailey had found on Google on her smartphone.
Finally, game plan in hand, everybody went their separate ways except Lindy-Grace and Devin, who stayed to help pick up paper plates and cups from the few snacks McKenzie had been able to score at the last minute.
“That went pretty well, don’t you think?” McKenzie asked both of them, her two closest confidantes.
“I don’t know.” Devin shook her head. “Linda is a pretty tough sell, as always.”
“I know. She can give stubborn lessons to a three-year-old. I just hope she doesn’t sabotage anything. Slash his tires or key his car or something.”
“Sam will keep her in check. Don’t worry.”
McKenzie sometimes thought she did nothing but worry. With her luck, she had probably picked up an ulcer in the few hours since Ben had told her the reason behind his return.
Whatever Aidan and Ben might eventually decide about the new facility was completely beyond her control but that didn’t stop her from fretting about all the possible ways she could help sway him toward Haven Point.
“I know. She’s not vicious anyway, just sometimes a little...opinionated,” she answered, which was a little like saying the surrounding mountains received a little snow during their legendary winters.
“She might be angry at Ben but she’s not stupid,” Devin said with that calm rationale McKenzie envied so much. “She won’t do anything to screw up this chance if it means a single dollar more profit for the boutique she loves.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
“She’s definitely right,” LG chimed in. “Anyway, enough boring talk about the fate of Haven Point. Let’s talk about me.”
“A far more interesting topic,” McKenzie agreed.
Lindy-Grace grinned. “I know. You’re still taking my kids Sunday night, right? I know it’s a huge favor and terrible timing, right after Lake Haven Days, but I can’t tell you how desperately Mac and I need some alone time, if you know what I mean.”
“No. I have no idea what you mean,” she said with studied innocence.
Her sister snorted. “That’s because you need to get out more. When was the last time you went to dinner with anybody besides the city council?”
“You’re one to talk. Have you even had a date since medical school?”
“Yes. I’ll have you know, just last week Archie and Ed bought me breakfast at Serrano’s. Apparently