More Than This

by Stephanie Taylor

  “But if we wanted bunny suits, could we make that happen?” Wyatt Bender raises a hand. From the smirk on his face, Holly can tell that he’s trying to stir the pot.

  “Let’s bring this back to the issue at hand.” Holly shoots Wyatt a look. “Coco has a proposition that she thinks will be beneficial to the island, and she’d like to bring it to the table.” This attempt at being diplomatic nearly kills Holly. “So I’ll give her the floor here, and if she’d like to have her guests add anything…”

  “Thank you.” Coco steps behind the podium and nearly shoulders Holly out of the way in the process. “I’ve been looking into ways to better use this island and to bring in a profit that will make Christmas Key more sustainable. At the rate we’re going, this will be an empty island with shuttered businesses in the next decade.”

  An audible gasp runs through the crowd and eyes flicker towards Millie’s stunned face. It’s only been a week and a half since Ray’s heart attack in this very dining room, and Coco’s insensitivity stuns everyone.

  “To that end, I’d like to propose a casino to be constructed on the north side of the island, along with a hotel and a larger dock to support it.” Coco nods at the Killjoys. “Brice and Netta Killjoy have come back to the island for another visit—I know many of you met them the first time they were here—and they’d like to give us some of the highlights of running a world class casino and resort.” With one delicately boned hand, Coco waves them up to the front of the room. Heads are still shaking in disbelief and displeasure as they wait for the Killjoys to speak.

  “Hi, everyone,” Netta says into the small microphone that Holly never uses. “Is this thing on?” She taps the padded head of the microphone.

  “You probably don’t need it,” Holly says, leaning in to switch it on. “But here you go.” Might as well let everyone in the back of the room hear the Killjoys as they drive the final nail into Coco’s coffin. Even without hearing what these people have to say, Holly knows her neighbors well enough to know that they aren’t going to be in favor of the casino, so she takes a seat at the end of the front row and waits her turn, running through the Powerpoint in her head that she and Bonnie have created for the occasion.

  “We’ve worked closely with our architects to draw up some specs on the kind of resort we’re envisioning,” Netta says, gripping the sides of the podium with her liver-spotted hands. Her fingers are laden with gold rings and giant diamonds, and each slightly pudgy wrist is wrapped in snaky gold chains and bangles. “To begin with, Coco agrees with us that we need to go big or go home, so we’re looking at a three-hundred room resort attached to a twenty-thousand square foot casino.” Netta Killjoy’s voice is high-pitched and scratchy, and a few of the men in the crowd reach up to adjust their hearing aids. “In our experience, casinos are year-round money makers, and you can count on a steady stream of income and a strong influx of visitors to the island that will keep you on your toes and making money at all the local establishments.”

  “I have a question,” Joe Sacamano says, putting a hand in the air. All eyes turn to look at Joe, his blue eyes flashing beneath a cap of snowy curls. “What kind of staff would we need to run an operation like the one you’re describing?”

  Brice Killjoy steps up to the podium next to his wife. He speaks loudly, ignoring the microphone altogether. “In order to fully staff a casino and resort like the one we’re describing, we’d have to look at a rotating staff in the hundreds,” he says. “It would invigorate and repopulate a dying island.”

  Another gasp tears through the crowd. Millie’s hand flies to her mouth. Coco steps up to the podium to cover Brice Killjoy’s unintentional gaffe.

  “Rather than think of it as a dying island,” Coco says, holding up a hand to shush the whispers in the crowd, “I’d like to think of it as an island with untapped possibilities.”

  “But with an investment this large, we’re going to need total buy-in,” Brice Killjoy continues, scanning the crowd with his eyes. “The money you could all make would change your lives, but in order to keep the tourists coming your way, they have to feel that you’re welcoming them and catering to them.” Brice’s balding head gleams under the overhead lights of the dining room. “But what I see when I look at this crowd is a group of unconvinced old-timers.”

  “And if you took a good long look in the mirror, you’d see the face of an uninformed old-timer.” Jimmy Cafferkey’s sense of loyalty kicks in, and he throws Brice Killjoy a murderous look. For once, Iris refrains from swatting his arm. In fact, she nods her head in vigorous agreement, putting one protective hand on the thigh of her daughter, Emily.

  “Now, Jimmy,” Coco says, crowding the podium so that Netta Killjoy has to take a step back. “We don’t need to be defensive here. Brice is simply talking about the reticence you all obviously feel about moving forward. But at this point, we really don’t have any other plan. I'm simply trying to offer all the possibilities—”

  Without warning, Idora Blaine-Guy stands up and clasps her hands in front of her midsection. She looks around the room, silently willing anyone to interrupt what she’s about to say.

  “Now, young lady,” she says, addressing Coco. “I’m well aware of my newcomer status on this island, and I haven’t even decided yet whether I’ll stay on permanently or just see my grandsons out of their mischievous stage before I head back to my real life in Toronto.” Idora squints knowingly at her son next to her; Calista has stayed at home with the twins to occupy them during the meeting. “But what I see here is a woman who wants to capitalize on something valuable to her family.” Her eyes bore into Coco like two hot coals, and the thick enamel bangles on her wrists click together as she gestures. “And while family isn’t perfect, cashing in on them to line your own pockets is a shameful way to go about things.”

  “I don’t think you’ve been around long enough to talk to me like that,” Coco says. She blinks several times, her face going red under the scrutiny from a near-stranger. “And what my family does with our island is really none of your business.” In a sudden move that reminds Holly of someone opening the door to a birdcage and letting its inhabitant fly free, Coco lets go of her composure. “In fact, it’s none of anyone’s business. We simply play along with this formality of kowtowing to you all to keep the peace.”

  “Mom,” Holly says, standing up and striding towards the podium. Even she can’t bear to watch Coco spin out of control in front of the entire island, though a tiny part of her has known all along that this was coming. Ever since her phone call with Alan on the beach, Holly’s sensed that her mother was on the verge of some sort of intangible meltdown.

  “Hear me out, Holly,” Coco says, pounding a fist on the stand. “I’m only trying to make everyone see what kind of a grim future this island has if we don’t make a bold move, and it’s my turn to present something that you and Leo will actually consider.” She waves a hand at Buckhunter.

  “But I don’t think this is the way to do it,” Holly says quietly, taking another step closer to her mom. “Telling us that we’re dying off and that we won’t survive without a casino that no one wants isn’t going to convince us to make any ‘bold moves’—it’s just going to alienate everyone who lives here.”

  Brice and Netta wisely step away, letting Holly and Coco speak quietly. But they’ve forgotten that the microphone was switched on for Netta, so as Coco leans closer to Holly, it picks up her every word.

  “The people on this island are dying off, Holly. Ray Bradford dropped dead on your carpet here not even two weeks ago. We could probably start a pool to guess who’s going to be next.”

  Holly’s mouth falls open in horror; she can’t believe her mother would be this callous. Even for Coco, this is unbearably offensive.

  “My money is on Maria Agnelli,” Coco goes on. “But Bonnie puts away the pastries and iced coffees like there’s no tomorrow, so there might be a heart attack in her future,” she says meanly.

  “You’re completely out of line
.” Holly makes a face, holding up one hand like it will shield her from her mother’s cruel words. “Just stop talking.”

  “I’ll stop when I’m done.” Coco taps the podium with an acrylic fingernail.

  “I think you’re done.” Buckhunter is up from his seat and approaching his half-sister before she can get another word out. “We don’t need to hear any more.”

  The sound of Buckhunter’s firm voice when he normally holds his tongue startles Coco out of her tirade. She pauses and looks around. All eyes are on her—and most of them don’t look happy.

  “I’ve put a lot of work into this idea,” Coco argues, her voice faltering. “And Brice and Netta have come all the way back here to talk about the casino.”

  “Mom,” Holly puts a hand on Coco’s shoulder. “There isn’t going to be a casino,” she says quietly. “We were never going to green light this.”

  With the look of a woman who’s been publicly and embarrassingly defeated, Coco steps back from the podium. She smooths one hand over the bodice of her yellow sundress and stands up straighter.

  “This was a good idea,” she says in a voice barely above a whisper. “This was a really good idea, and I had it all set up.” It comes as a shock to Holly to see her mother’s eyes fill with tears. “I don’t know what you’re going to do with this place, but I want you to mark my words: you will regret not getting on board with an idea that would have made us millionaires.” She looks at Buckhunter and makes a face that’s meant to hold back her angry tears. “And for the record, I really don’t think your vote should count.”

  With that, Coco steps away from the podium and walks down the center aisle of the dining room, her head held high.

  Holly looks at the Killjoys helplessly. “I’m not sure we’re going to need your input anymore.”

  Netta Killjoy moves back to her seat and picks up her straw purse, but Brice stays put, looking more than a little perturbed.

  “Now, we came a long way out here—not once, but twice—to talk seriously about working together on this project,” Brice says, putting two meaty hands on his hips as he addresses the front row. He looks back and forth between Holly and Buckhunter. “You kids are making a big mistake here. This place is a gold mine and Coco sees it. You really oughtta listen to what she has to say rather than being so damn stubborn.”

  Netta reaches out a short arm and takes her husband’s hand. “Let’s go, hon.” She gives him a gentle tug and they follow Coco’s path down the aisle and out the door, Brice shaking his head the whole way. Near silence engulfs the room in their wake.

  “This has been some month, sugar,” Bonnie says to Holly from her seat. There are a chorus of “amens” and “hallelujahs” from around the room. Some of the islanders wrap supportive arms around one another’s shoulders to soften the blow of Coco’s harsh words about their dying island and dwindling numbers.

  “It’s been some kind of month for all of us,” Holly agrees, addressing the crowd and thinking about everything that’s gone on in her absence as well as her trip to Europe with River. Her eyes unintentionally seek out Jake’s. When she finds him, he’s sitting towards the back of the room in a seat next to Katelynn Pillory with Logan perched in a chair on the other side of his mother. An inexplicable pang of discomfort rips through Holly before she can find the words to speak again.

  “And while I appreciate my mother’s continued attempts to drag us forward towards what she sees as our inevitable salvation, I do have an idea of my own that I’d like to share.”

  Heddie signals Holly from the chair next to the podium. “Did you want to address the new businesses on the island first?” she whispers.

  “Oh! Right!” In the aftermath of Coco and the Killjoys’ sudden mass exodus, Holly’s forgotten completely about this item on the agenda. “I’d like to share the exciting news that we have some new business activity on Christmas Key. Vance, would you like to give us the scoop?” She seeks out Vance Guy in the crowd and nods in his direction.

  Vance stands and his mother gets to her feet again at his side. “Hi, everyone,” Vance says, clearing his throat. “Many of you know that I’ve been flailing around a bit here since Calista and I arrived on the island with the boys, but I’m happy to announce that we’re opening a new business on Main Street next month.”

  Those in the crowd who haven’t yet heard about the bookstore start buzzing with the news.

  “The empty spot next door to Mistletoe Morning Brew is about to become the new location for the island’s first bookstore.” Vance smiles down at the faces around him. “We’re clearing off the land right behind the store and adding a covered reading area where you’ll be welcome to sit and read the paper, or bring your coffee over from next door to hang out and see what’s new on our shelves.”

  “I think a bookstore is a wonderful idea,” Ellen says, turning to Carrie-Anne for confirmation. As always, they’ve closed the coffee shop for an hour to be at the meeting, and they’re both thrilled with the idea of a business going in next to theirs.

  “What will you stock?” Fiona asks, leaning forward in her seat so that she can see Vance’s face.

  “New releases, classics, any special requests that people have, weekly papers, monthly magazines, and of course we’ll do special orders,” Vance rattles off.

  “So what’s this place called?” Maria Agnelli pipes up. She turns around in her seat in the front row to find Vance. “It’d better have a Christmas theme or Holly’ll tan your hide,” she adds.

  Holly holds her breath and watches Idora’s face. She’s not the kind of woman who seems like she’d take too kindly towards anything vaguely threatening being thrown at her son, but she smiles at Mrs. Agnelli beatifically. It’s clear that she’s already picked up the lay of the land and knows what to take seriously and what to ignore, and most of what comes out of Maria Agnelli’s colorful mouth falls into the latter category.

  “It’ll be called A Sleigh Full of Books,” Idora says, looking pleased with herself. “My grandsons and I brainstormed all of the Christmas terms we could come up with, and we settled on that one.”

  Heads around the room nod in approval. The idea of a bookstore seems to be going over well, and though it’s a tiny step in comparison to what Coco’s just proposed, it excites Holly to see her neighbors appreciating these little changes as they come. It gives her hope for her own mid-sized proposition that she’s about to make.

  “Thank you,” Holly says to Idora and Vance. “I think it’s going to be a popular place on the island, and we’re all really excited for you.” There’s a smattering of applause in the crowd and the general feeling of agreement.

  “Now,” Holly says, “our next business is actually an umbrella of one proprietor who has several ventures up his sleeve.” She gestures for Logan to stand at the back of the room, and he gets up nervously, glancing at his mother for encouragement. Katelynn looks at him proudly and reaches out to give his hand a squeeze.

  “Logan Pillory, our resident teenager,” Holly smiles at him, “has some great ideas for ways he can contribute to the island and also—hopefully—make himself a few bucks in the process. Logan, do you want to give us a rundown of your ideas?”

  Logan’s face goes up in flames almost immediately and he begins to stammer. “I, uh, I—I have a few things I, um, want to offer you guys,” he says, pausing to swallow. “Like my driving services. I started a little operation called Guber, and I’m available to drive you around the island any time you need a lift. I have business cards over there by the door,” he says, pointing awkwardly at the table near the dining room’s French doors. “And I also offer specialized lawn care services, pet care, and I’m happy to be a personal shopper or errand-runner for you. I can meet the boat at the dock and bring anything to you that you’ve ordered, and I can also run over to Tinsel & Tidings and grab groceries or other items that you might need.”

  Maria Agnelli turns around in her seat again and puts one knotted hand in the air. “You’re a goo
d boy, Logan Pillory. You’d make your great-grandmother proud,” she says. Everyone in the room nods in agreement. Sadie Pillory would have indeed been proud of her industrious great-grandson, and all of the gray heads in the room bob politely in unison.

  “Thank you, ma’am,” Logan says, blushing even more furiously. “So that’s it.” He starts to sit but then stands up again. “Oh, and my rates are reasonable and we can negotiate for any special services that you might like that I don’t offer yet. Thank you.” And with that, he sits down quickly, looking relieved to be out of the spotlight.

  “Excellent,” Holly says. “That concludes our overview of new island businesses.” Bonnie raises an eyebrow in question, and with Holly’s slight nod, she gets up and turns on the laptop that they’ve set up to project the Powerpoint onto the screen at the front of the room. “Now our last item is one that I’m hoping you’ll all see the value in.” Nervous butterflies flutter around behind Holly’s navel as she tries to gauge the crowd’s potential reaction to her pitch.

  “While I was in Europe, I had the chance to give some real thought to my approach to island development,” Holly starts, veering off of her pre-charted course to give some insight into her idea. “It was brought to my attention that, while I aim to move us ahead and work towards real progress in both island business and in my personal life, I occasionally dig in my heels and refuse to see opportunity and possibility.” It’s almost unnoticeable and it’s definitely subconscious, but Holly’s eyes land on Jake’s face for the briefest of moments.

  Bonnie clicks the Powerpoint on and the first slide comes to life on the screen behind Holly.

  “To that end,” she says, blinking a few times to refocus her thoughts, “I’m entertaining an offer from a company that would like to help expand tourism to Christmas Key.” The slide behind Holly shows a large boat and the logo for a company called Island Paradise Excursions.