More Than This

by Stephanie Taylor

  “Is that what you think?” Holly rears back, looking at her mother with disbelief. “I’d honestly love it if you’d leave now, but I’d actually like you to stick around until Wednesday for the village council meeting I’m calling. There are some interesting things that I’m about to say yes to.”

  Coco laughs. “Is that right?” She folds her arms the same way that Bonnie had done just a few hours before. “Then I’ll definitely stick around for that.”

  30

  Plans to open the bookstore are in full swing. Vance and his mother have met with Holly twice by Tuesday afternoon, and they’ve covered most of the particulars when it comes to rent, utilities, supplies, and the basic ins and outs of running a business on Christmas Key. Holly is satisfied that they have a decent business plan in place, and while she’s certainly questioned how much of the current push to get the doors to the bookstore open is coming from Vance and how much is coming from his mother, Vance’s enthusiasm has tipped the scales in his favor in terms of Holly believing that this project is still his baby.

  “So do we have a new business on the books?” Bonnie looks up from her computer when Holly returns from her most recent meeting with Vance and Idora.

  Holly sets her purse on the hook by the door and kicks off her Birkenstocks. “I think we do.” The humidity is inching up drastically with each passing day, and Holly holds her arms out to the sides as she lets the cool air-conditioning inside the B&B dry out the perspiration that’s left damp rings on either side of her ribcage.

  “Any idea what they’re going to call it?”

  “I think they’re leaning towards—” The ringing of the phone cuts Holly off.

  Bonnie picks it up. “Christmas Key B&B. This is Bonnie.”

  Holly waves her arms around as she watches Bonnie’s face to see if she can gather who might be on the phone.

  “Yes, of course. Right! No, we have the dates all blocked out. Right—I completely understand, honey,” Bonnie says, using her sweetest, most placating tones. “I wouldn’t want a single thing to go wrong, you hear? Okay. You got it. Yes, that’s our email address. Mmmhmm. Very good. Bye now.” She hangs up and takes a deep breath.

  “The October bride?” Holly guesses. She slides into her chair across from Bonnie’s and looks at her watch. It’s nearly four o’clock, and they still need to get the agenda typed up and printed out for the village council meeting that she’s called for the next day.

  “How did you guess?” Bonnie asks sweetly. “Am I starting to make a face whenever I hear her assistant’s voice on the other end of the line?”

  “Kind of.” Holly types in her password and her computer screen comes to life. “What does she want now?”

  “She said they’re going to need to get their marriage license in Florida and that she’d prefer it if whoever we secure to do the ceremony doesn’t know the real names of the bride and groom until that weekend. I’m supposed to use placeholder names.”

  “Huh?” Holly’s mouth drops open and her brows pull together in an exaggerated frown. “I don’t get it.”

  “Sugar, I don’t either. But we’ve got too many irons in the fire as it is, so let’s put John and Jane Doe on the back burner for now and get everything ready for tomorrow.”

  Holly closes her mouth and shakes her head slowly. “I mean…it’s weird, but whatever. ‘Placeholder names,’” she says, reaching for a pencil and a notepad. “Now I’m really curious who these people are.”

  “All will be revealed in time,” Bonnie says, trying to sound profound and wise. “But until then, we need to worry about Coco and her friends. I heard her at the coffee shop this afternoon talking about the Killjoys coming back for the meeting tomorrow.”

  “You’re kidding me,” Holly groans. “We’re not taking commentary from the peanut gallery on this one.”

  “Honey.” Bonnie reaches across the desk and puts her hand on top of Holly’s. “We have to take commentary from the peanut gallery on this one. That’s essentially what a village council meeting is.”

  “Oh. Right.” Holly puts the yellow pencil between her teeth and bites down gently as she thinks. She takes the pencil out of her mouth and tosses it onto the desk. “Damn. But I don’t want to hear from my mother again, and I don’t want to listen to these Killjoys talk about how many slot machines they can have installed by the end of June. I’m not interested, and neither is Buckhunter.”

  “But you’ve got another proposition to offer, so that should appease everyone and draw the attention away from Coco.”

  “I’m not so sure that it will appease everyone,” Holly says, taking the pencil out of her mouth and dropping it on the desk. She leans back in her chair and laces her hands behind her head. “We still have some holdouts who aren’t fans of the larger scale ideas I have for progress, and I think all of this coming on the heels of Ray’s memorial service might be a lot for them to handle. Too much change at once is kind of panic-inducing, you know?”

  “Yes, sugar,” Bonnie says, smiling at her sadly. “I do know a little something about how terrifying change can be.”

  “Okay,” Holly sighs. “Let’s get to work on this agenda for tomorrow. Oh, and we need to introduce the bookstore and let Vance say a few words if he wants to—we can’t forget that.”

  “Do you have all the information for your pitch? I printed off the details for you so that we can make a Powerpoint if you want to.”

  “That’s not a bad idea. It wouldn’t hurt to compare and contrast my idea against Coco’s in a subtle way. Maybe show everyone what the impact of this development would be as compared to her casino.”

  “Oooh, nice, sugar! I like that idea. Let’s get this put together, and then how about we hit the HoHo for a margarita?”

  Holly picks up the discarded pencil and a notepad in one rapid movement and holds them in front of her like an ace reporter about to get the scoop. “How fast can we get this done?” She starts to scribble on the notepad.

  Bonnie laughs. “Lightning fast. A frozen margarita awaits us, milady. Let’s get crackin’!”

  “You’ve got a lot going on these days,” Joe Sacamano says, setting the margaritas in front of Bonnie and Holly on the bar at the HoHo Hideaway. “And it looks like Coco has her sights set on the mass destruction of paradise.”

  “As always.” Holly lifts her glass and rolls her eyes simultaneously. “When has Coco ever set foot on this island and not turned everything upside down?”

  “Good point,” Bonnie agrees, clinking her glass against Holly’s. “But I think we’ve got a solid plan in place to block her this time.”

  Joe sets a bottle down on the bar and leans his weight against one strong, tanned arm. “Do I get a preview of this plan?” He winks at Holly. “You know, since I’m bringing the margaritas to the relationship and babysitting your secret admirer?”

  Holly’s smile fades. “What secret adm—…” Before she even finishes the question, her eyes scan the bar and land on the tall, narrow figure sitting on the top step that leads out to the beach. It’s Logan. “Are you kidding me?”

  Bonnie reaches out a hand and rests it on Holly’s arm as she stands up from her stool. “Sugar,” she warns gently. “Be kind.”

  But Holly has no intention of being unkind. She leaves her margarita on the bar and strides over the unfinished floorboards of the beach bar.

  “Logan,” she says, picking a spot next to him on the step. They’re sitting side-by-side, facing the ocean. “What’s up?”

  Logan’s surprise is almost tangible as he sits up straighter and clears his throat. “Holly. Hi. Nothing—I’m just here to make some money.”

  “Does Joe know that? I’m not sure he’s prepared to put you on the payroll just yet. Or even let you inside the bar.”

  “Oh, I’m not working at the HoHo. And that’s why I’m sitting out here: Joe won’t let me in.” Logan shakes his head and leans forward, pointing at the sandy parking lot next to the bar. “I’ve got a new service. It’s c
alled Guber.”

  “Guber?” Holly’s amusement is written all over her face. “Sounds interesting.”

  “Yeah, it’s like Uber, but I drive a golf cart instead of a car, obviously.”

  “Ohhhh, Guber—like a golf cart uber. Clever.” In spite of herself, Holly’s mild annoyance at seeing Logan lingering on the steps of the bar starts to melt.

  “And also my mom has always called me Goober, so it kind of worked.” Logan shrugs. “Do you want one of my business cards?”

  “Sure.” Holly reaches for the small rectangular card that Logan pulls from the back pocket of his shorts. He passes it to her and watches her face intently as she reads it. “Glaucoma and cataracts make night driving hard? Too many gin & tonics at the HoHo? Need a lift anywhere on Christmas Key? Call Guber—I’ll come to you!”

  “So? What do you think?” Logan rubs his hands down the front of his cargo shorts like he’s drying off sweaty palms. “It’s okay, isn’t it?”

  Holly reads the card again, one side of her mouth turned up at the corner. She’s impressed. And entertained. “Yeah, I think so. You only have to be fourteen to drive a golf cart in Florida, so as long as your mom is okay with it, and if you’ve run it by Jake, then I think it’s great.”

  Logan’s face breaks into a relieved smile. “I’ve got other ideas. I’m trying to be creative.”

  “I admire that.”

  “I heard that women were into that sort of thing,” Logan says knowledgeably. “They like industrious men.”

  Holly can’t help herself; she laughs out loud. “Yeah, I guess we do like industrious men. Nice work, dude.” She stands up and, without hesitation, reaches down and ruffles Logan’s hair. He watches her as she walks back to the bar.

  “He’s not bothering me,” Joe says to Holly. “I was just teasing you, kid.”

  Holly slides back onto her stool and picks up her drink. “He’s got a pretty good head for business.”

  “He gave Iris and Jimmy a lift the other night after they’d both had too many. I know they appreciated it.” Joe turns on the faucet behind the bar and fills a small pitcher with water. “And if he makes a few bucks while he’s at it, then I think that’s great. I was up to much worse when I was his age.”

  “I’m shocked,” Bonnie says sarcastically, lowering her chin as she gazes at Joe.

  “Hard to believe that a mild-mannered guy like me was ever a wild teen, huh?”

  “About as hard to believe as the fact that a sassy redhead of a certain age was ever a chaste Southern belle,” Bonnie says, smiling at him over the rim of her margarita.

  “So then we have no chance in hell of ever convincing anyone that we were young once, huh?” Joe pulls out a pitcher of blended frozen margaritas and tops off Bonnie’s glass.

  “Probably not. And if you keep filling me up, I’m going to have to take up Holly’s little friend on the offer of a ride home.” Bonnie taps the side of her glass with one long fingernail.

  “We’re in cahoots,” Joe says confidentially. “I get kickbacks every time I over-serve someone and they pay him for a lift.”

  “Logan’s learning all the tricks of the trade right here on Christmas Key,” Holly says, glancing at the boy again. He’s still sitting on the top step, looking out at the ocean with his bony elbows propped on his equally bony knees. “Who needs the bright lights and the big city when he can learn about business and backdoor dealings from all of us?”

  “Nothing wrong with the boy figuring out early that greasing a few palms will get him everywhere. It’s part of the cost of doing business.” Joe holds up a clean glass in the waning evening light and inspects it for spots. He pulls out a rag and polishes the glass.

  “And whose palm are you greasing, Sacamano?” Holly asks, nudging Bonnie with her elbow. “Because I haven’t seen any kickbacks from you yet!”

  “Here’s your kickback for this month, Mayor: I’ll keep your young gentleman friend busy in the evenings so that he doesn’t wind up on your doorstep asking to earn a few bucks by washing your cart or walking your dog. How’s that?”

  Holly takes another sidelong glance at Logan and turns back to her margarita. “It’s a deal.”

  31

  The village council meeting convenes at noon the next day. Fiona walks in wearing her white lab coat and a stethoscope around her neck, her thick, wavy strawberry blonde hair held in place with a few pins on top of her head. She waves at Holly and slides into a chair next to Buckhunter.

  Frankly, it’s too soon for Millie to be out and about, but Iris Cafferkey and Maggie Sutter have been unable to convince her of that, so she walks in between her two friends, each holding her by the arm as if she’s an invalid and not a recent widow. It’s obvious as she walks down the center aisle that being in the same setting where she last saw her husband alive is going to take a toll on her, but Millie is tough and she’s tired of being cooped up in her house, so she forges ahead, taking a seat in the front row next to Maria Agnelli.

  As Holly shuffles through the stack of papers on the podium, Cap and Heddie walk in together. Heddie leaves him in a seat near in the middle of the room and walks up to where Holly is standing.

  “Ready for this?” Heddie asks, setting her purse on the floor next to the chair she always sits in to take the meeting minutes.

  “To go head-to-head with my mother in front of the whole island?” Holly whispers, raising an eyebrow at Heddie as she turns one of the pages she’s been looking at. “I can’t wait.”

  Almost as if on cue, Coco walks into the dining room wearing a knee-length yellow chiffon dress with spaghetti straps. She’s pulled her dark, glossy hair back on one side and pinned it with a small comb, and her tanned legs are enhanced by a combination of Pilates and wedge sandals. She waves at the triplets and then turns back to the door. Holly’s eyes follow her mother’s gaze.

  Two people stand silhouetted in the doorway, the midday sun filling in the space behind them. They’re about twenty years older than Coco and the second they step into the room, Holly smells money.

  “The Killjoys,” Heddie says simply, turning her head so that she’s looking up at Holly from her seat by the podium. “They are the money behind Coco’s casino.”

  Holly nods. She chews her lower lip and pretends not to watch as her mother squires the couple to a spot at the front of the dining room. Within seconds, Coco approaches the podium.

  “When are we up?”

  “Mommmmm,” Holly says sweetly. “How are you? And who are your guests?”

  “Cut the crap, Holly,” Coco says, flicking a loose strand of hair out of her eyes. “I called Bonnie yesterday and told her exactly what I wanted to have happen at this meeting.”

  “I don’t remember any mention of you bringing guests,” Holly says, picking up the agenda and scanning it unnecessarily. “Nope. It’s not on the agenda.”

  “The Killjoys were a last minute addition.” Coco leans on the podium and lowers her voice so that the couple in question can’t hear the conversation. Netta Killjoy is only feet from Coco, and she’s watching intently as Holly’s face remains impassive. “They were able to come in from Key West this morning, so I’d like to give them a chance to speak during my time slot.”

  “About what?” Holly picks up a pen and taps it against the wooden podium. “About how to throw an obscene amount of money at an island and turn it into a Vegas outpost?”

  Coco shifts her weight on her feet impatiently. “No,” she says with a clenched jaw. “I’d like them to talk about their vision for what the casino will actually look like. They’ve been through this before with a place they opened up in Biloxi, so I think of them not just as investors, but also as potential resources for how to do this the right way.” As she talks, the volume of Coco’s voice climbs. “I think if you’d just listen for once, Holly, you’ll see that this is actually a very good plan.”

  Heads in the front rows have started to turn, and several people are following the conversation between Holly and
Coco intently.

  Cap Duncan stands at his seat and holds up a hand. “I know this meeting hasn’t officially begun yet, Mayor,” he says to Holly. “But I’d like to weigh in on this if I may.”

  Holly looks around the room and realizes that they’ve got almost everyone in attendance at this point. “I think we can call this meeting to order now if we’re all ready,” she says, lifting her gavel and tapping the block lightly. “Welcome to the village council meeting for May thirtieth. I know this isn’t one of our regularly scheduled meetings, so I do appreciate you all being here and putting up with another round of discussions about the potential changes that have been proposed.”

  Heddie starts scribbling furiously on her notepad.

  “Can we just launch in here?” Cap asks, still standing. “Or is there something that comes before this issue?”

  “I think this is our first and main order of business today,” Holly says, glancing at her agenda like she isn’t aware of what’s on the menu for the meeting. “We were also going to discuss new business opportunities on Christmas Key, but we can start with this discussion. Cap, what would you like to say?”

  Cap takes a deep breath and tugs lightly at the gold hoop earring in his ear. “I’d like to know why in the hell these people keep showing up here wanting to buy up our island and turn it into some sort of gambler’s paradise.” He jabs a finger in the direction of the Killjoys.

  “I’d really like to know the same thing,” Jimmy Cafferkey says, standing up next to Iris and folding his meaty arms across his chest. “No one here has shown any interest in sharing Christmas Key with a bunch of people who want to throw their money into slot machines and order endless rounds of drinks from cocktail waitresses in bunny suits.”

  Coco spins around in front of the podium to face the crowd. “No one said anything about bunny suits, Jimmy,” she spits. “This isn’t going to be that kind of establishment.”