Page 93 of Hottie on Her Shelf
She almost burst out with that question, until the oh-so-obvious answer popped into her head. There’d been a cover-up, of course, to keep the Montgomery name and legacy pristine.
While she didn’t for a moment suspect Fitz of being involved, it did cement her belief that it was more than time for someone with a different last name to be the town’s figurehead. “How long did that work?”
“That only bought Jeremiah another year in office before it all fell apart.” Felicia paused at the old-fashioned Dutch door to the Gazette. “But the position of city manager could be brought back. It would take some convincing of the council. Not much, I’ll bet.”
“It would solve my worries about not having the budget experience to help Swan Cove.”
“Precisely. You don’t need to be an expert at everything. You can hire someone with better qualifications and know-how. That’s my two cents on how to help you both win and be a good mayor.” She pushed inside, a bell ringing. “Oh, good. Sylvia, I’m pleased you’re the one holding down the fort today. Will you please help Ms. Scott here go through old editions to gather information on Eli Koppelman?”
A woman with a deeply lined face that proclaimed her at least ten years past retirement squinted through purple-framed cheaters. “The old city manager? Are you stirring up trouble, Felicia? And if so, might I say it is about damned time.”
So…not a complete secret to the town. Interesting. That might make it an easier sell to the council if any of them were aware of the illegal acts that precipitated the job being cut.
“I’m not doing anything.” Felicia tugged her forward and then flourished her arm at Hallie. “Ms. Scott, as a thorough mayoral candidate, is merely educating herself on the history of Swan Cove’s management.”
“Right.” She shoved her glasses to the top of her head. Gave an open-mouthed wink. “If that’s your story, I’ll stick to it.”
Felicia put a finger to her lips. “I’d prefer you not mention this visit at all.”
At this point, Hallie was wishing they were all dressed in trench coats. This had a distinct film noir feel to it. Aside from sneaking around with Fitz, it was, well, the sneakiest thing she’d ever done.
Sylvia shrugged. “We go way back, you and me. You say it never happened, then it didn’t.” Tapping stubby fingers on the blotter, she stared at Hallie. “You’ll vouch for her?”
“I’ll do better than that.” Felicia patted Hallie’s shoulder. “I’ll vote for her.”
Welling up wouldn’t be very mayoral. It took some rapid eyelid fluttering to beat back the tears, though. Felicia believed in her. On top of that, asking for help hadn’t been the humiliating train wreck Hallie had anticipated.
She couldn’t have Fitz, but she might be able to be a success at this mayor thing, after all. It would have to be enough…
