Warm Nights in Magnolia Bay, Babette Jongh [book club books txt] 📗

I want something from him, he doesn’t trust me. He only came up to me that one time because my eyes were closed.”

“So what are you going to do now?”

“I have to be neutral. I have to let him come to me on his terms.”

“Yes.” Reva’s tone was soft and approving. “Very good, young grasshopper.”

Quinn tapped on the sliding glass door and Georgia leaped up, barking. Abby looked at the clock. “Damn, I’m sorry, Reva. I have to go. I was supposed to meet Quinn outside five minutes ago, and now he’s knocking on the door.”

“Okay, bye. Thank you, thank you, and good luck. Call me later?”

“Yep, yep,” she answered. “I’ll call later tonight.” And hopefully, the town hall meeting would go so well that Abby would have good news to share.

* * *

Abby ended the call, then looked up at Quinn. “Sorry I’m late. Aunt Reva called to wish us good luck.”

“No problem.” Actually, it would be a problem if they got there late and had to park a long way from the courthouse. But telling her that wouldn’t help the situation any. He jingled his keys. “You ready?”

“Yes.” She followed him to the back door. “No… Wait. Where’s my purse?” She scanned the kitchen, then widened the search to the living room, anxiety apparent in her stiff posture and frantic movements.

He knew she must be worried about getting up in front of the city council and speaking at the town hall today. “You know, you really don’t have to say anything at the meeting, if it makes you this nervous. Edna will be there, and she’ll be happy to go to bat again. Plus, after the article Sara wrote in the flyer, we have almost a thousand signatures of people who want Bayside Barn to stay open. I think we’ve done everything we can do.”

Abby ran her hands through her hair and came back into the kitchen where she picked up a stack of mail and put it down again. “I can’t find my purse.”

Quinn glanced at his watch. They should’ve left by now. “Where did you see it last?”

“If I knew that, I wouldn’t be looking for it,” she snapped. “Would I?”

He pocketed his keys and took her in his arms. Her heart thundered against his. “Calm down a second and think.”

She took a breath. “Oh.” He felt a flood of relief go through her body. She relaxed and smiled, then gave him a quick kiss. “I remember now.”

She retrieved her purse from Reva’s bedroom, and they headed out after closing the dog door to keep Georgia in the house. As Quinn drove to the courthouse, he noticed Abby’s hands twisting in her lap. He reached out and took her left hand in his. “Why so nervous?”

She clutched his hand. “I don’t know. I have a bad feeling about this.”

“It’ll be fine,” he assured her, though he was far from feeling that way himself. Yes, they had a boatload of signatures, and Edna had drummed up a bunch of concerned citizens to show up and cheer for their side. But JP hadn’t been sitting around doing nothing all this time, either. God only knew what kind of production he’d put on at the meeting.

“What if it’s not fine?” With her hand in his, Abby couldn’t wring her fingers in her lap, but she chewed on a fingernail instead. “Maybe we should’ve told Reva to come. What if we need her here? What if it all goes wrong?”

“If it goes wrong, we’ll find another way to fight.” He knew enough dirt on JP to smear his reputation, but since they’d once been business partners, any dirt he slung would blow back on him. He hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

Quinn drove around the courthouse block looking for a parking place. As he’d feared, he would have to go farther afield. People stood in clusters on the sidewalk outside the building, and it looked like a line was forming to get inside. Abby squeezed his fingers. “Oh, no.”

He squeezed back. “It’s a good thing. These people are all here to support Bayside Barn.” Some of them even had signs: Save Bayside Barn, and I’m a Bayside Barn Buddy! and Bayside Barn Buddies, Unite!

By the time he parked and they walked a couple blocks to the courthouse, the doors had opened and the most of the crowd had streamed inside. “What if we can’t get in?” Abby worried as they took their place at the end of the line.

“We’ll get in. Hand me your phone. I’ll text Mack.” He didn’t have Mack’s info in his phone, but he knew it was in hers. She was shaking visibly, her arms crossed over her purse. He gently took her phone from the side pocket. “What’s the code to unlock your screen?”

At the X-ray machines, a reply came through from Mack: Edna is saving your places in the front row When they made it past security, Quinn held Abby’s hand and began to thread their way through the crowd toward the courtroom. Inside, Tammy Goodson, the city council president, was praising the high turnout of Magnolia Bay citizens and welcoming newcomers from an out-of-town investment group who would be making a presentation.

Quinn led Abby down the packed center aisle where people were still standing and whispering as they tried to figure out where to sit. The front row had a printed sign taped to the end of the pew: Reserved for Speakers. Edna hadn’t taken any chances, though. She had her voluminous purse and a briefcase bag spread out around her to save room for them.

A flush of shame and foreboding prickled Quinn’s skin when he saw JP and several dark-suited minions on the other end of the front row. Quinn subtly pushed Abby ahead of him and made a motion for Edna to scoot down; he didn’t want to be sitting any nearer than necessary to his old nemesis.

Quinn wondered whether he should have called JP and confronted him before now. Quinn