Page 27 of Something’s Brewing

“How so?” Chloe asked.

“He was too polished,” Madison said. “He deflected when I asked for a list of inspectors. He was trying to appear helpful without saying anything helpful.”

“Typical Morty,” Alexis said. “There is definitely something up.”

“I ran into Nick on my way out,” Madison added. “He didn’t say much—just that he was aware of what was going on. But the way he said it . . .”

“Like he’s quietly looking into things?” Paige guessed.

Madison nodded. “Exactly.”

“Well,” Alexis said, twirling her straw. “Elsie’s been saying for months we need someone to run against Morty in the fall. But so far, no takers.”

“That’s true,” Chloe added. “He’s up for reelection, and nobody’s stepping up. People are tired of him, but it’s not like we have a line of eager candidates.”

Madison took a sip of her drink, letting their words hang in the air. She tucked the idea away. A flicker of something sparked in the back of her mind.

“Oh,” Paige said suddenly. “Maggie texted—she’s coming to the soft opening. You’ll love her.”

“She’s Roman’s sister, right?” Madison asked.

“Paige’s sister-in-law too,” Chloe chimed in.

“She’s our designer, and she owns the Lucky Lure Resort.” Alexis said. “You’ll meet her next Saturday.”

Chloe took a sip of her drink and leaned forward slightly. “I heard about your little deal with Garrett.”

Madison blinked. “Excuse me?”

“Oh, don’t worry. Small town, remember?” Chloe said, grinning. “Word gets around. Town Talk’s been buzzing.”

Alexis laughed. “I saw the ‘Cider Queen vs. Brewery King’ post this morning. Someone made a meme.” Alexis held up her phone.

“Town Talk?” Madison asked.

“It’s an app for residents,” Alexis said. “News, updates, whatever’s going on. But it’s monitored. You don’t play nice, you’re banned.”

Madison huffed a quiet laugh. “Even the gossip comes with rules here.”

“Well,” Paige said, raising her glass, “you’ve got our full support. Whatever you need at Brewfest, just say the word.”

“Thank you,” Madison said sincerely. “I’ve got most of the logistics covered, but I’ll take you up on that for sure.”

She gave them a quick overview of the event—vendor setup, the tasting competition—but left out her strategy. No need to give everything away just yet.

“I plan to win,” she said with a playful but serious glint in her eyes.

“You would make a great mayor, you know,” Paige said.

“Seriously,” Alexis agreed. “You’ve got the backbone for it.”

“Hmm.” Chloe took another sip, watching her closely. “I can already see the campaign slogan . . .”

Madison rolled her eyes with a laugh, waving them off. “Let’s get through the opening and Brewfest first.”

But the flicker of interest . . . now it was glowing a little bit brighter.

The sun had dipped just low enough to cast a soft lavender glow over the rooftops of Deer Creek Falls. Streetlamps blinked on one by one as Madison walked home, music still echoing faintly behind her from the bar. Couples walked hand in hand.