The Christmas Campaign

“But I haven’t found out what the G stands for in your name.”

“And you never will.” She should have known that was bound to come up. She gave him her most serious stare. If only her mother hadn’t named her Giselle. Even as a child she’d known the name didn’t fit her. It’d taken her father’s intervention to get everyone to call her Nicole. “The meeting tonight...”

“Oh, okay,” he grumbled. “Tonight I’m submitting a proposal to open a senior center in Cedar Grove, and I’d like you to support it.”

“That’s no problem. I’ll be glad to support that.”

He unwrapped the napkin from around the cutlery. “I also need twenty-five thousand dollars from the council.”

“That puts a different spin on it.” There was very little money in Cedar Grove’s coffers to spend on nonessential projects. She should know. She’d been going over the budget since last week. “Why do you need twenty-five thousand from the city?”

He leaned forward, his casual air gone. “Primarily, so the city will get behind the center. No money invested equals little interest.”

She saw his point. “How about you? Are you investing in it?”

“Yes, time and money.”

“Do you have a budget?”

He nodded and reached in his briefcase. “You’ll get another copy tonight, but I brought this in case you wanted to look over the proposal before the meeting.”

Jake was prepared, and she didn’t know why that surprised her. She flipped through the pages, and then set them aside. “Why do you want to do this?”

His blue eyes darkened as he caught her gaze and held it. “Because there’s no longer one here. The previous center closed because it wasn’t well run and the director lined his pockets instead of providing services.” He leaned back.

“I remember that,” she said. “I believe he’s now spending his time in a state-run prison facility.”

“Yep. And even with a new director, the center couldn’t regain its momentum, and government funding was cut, effectively closing it.”

“How will your center be different from that one?” Nicole asked. “How will you get senior adults to come?”

“There won’t be anyone stealing money, for one thing. And they will be running it, or at least an advisory board made up of senior citizens will be. I’ve talked to a lot of the senior adults in town, and they’ve told me they’d support a center if it provided what they needed.

“Several of them pointed out that they’d like to have a place to exercise without being intimidated or hurried by younger people. I want it to be a place where seniors can be comfortable.”

He sat up straighter. “Last of all, but probably the most important, it’s something my grandfather wanted. It’s a way I can honor his memory.”

Their waitress appeared and set their plates in front of them. Jake’s personality instantly moved into charm mode. “Thanks, sweetheart,” he said, dazzling her with a smile.

Nicole focused on her food. If passion were enough, Jake would make a success of this senior center. Her problem with the project was sustainability—his. If she agreed to help him to the tune of twenty-five thousand dollars of the city’s money, she’d first have to believe he’d stick to the project. Even though she really had no reason to believe he wouldn’t.

He can’t stick to one woman.

That was not a measuring stick, and she couldn’t let how he lived his personal life override his reputation for being a good businessman.

They ate in silence for a few minutes, and then he put his fork down. “Well, what do you think?”

She sipped her tea, trying to find a diplomatic way of saying what was on her mind. “I think it’s a good idea...”

“But?”

“Are you sure you’re the person to do this?” She’d feel much better about it if his cousin Peter were the one asking. “A month ago I saw in the Gazette that you were in Paris and before that, in the wine country in Italy. Do you really have time for this?”

Two red dots appeared on his cheeks. “Are you questioning my ability?”

“Not exactly. More like your focus or ability to commit. It’s a practical concern. And, if it’s something your grandfather wanted, why isn’t your cousin helping you with it?”

The red dots grew to splotches. He crossed his arms. “We don’t work too well together, and I assure you, if I get the go-ahead, I’ll make time for it.”

She’d hit on a touchy subject by the tone of his voice. “Tell you what, I’ll look at your proposal and see how the numbers add up when I get back to the office. I’ll let you know if I can support the center.”

He flashed her another of his high-wattage smiles. “You will. It’s a worthwhile project.”

She didn’t doubt that.

CHAPTER FIVE

NICOLE TOOK HER seat in the conference room. They were going over the agenda before tonight’s open city council meeting. Often, problems could be worked out before the actual meeting convened in the adjacent room. It was also a time for minor requests to be moved to the front of the line.

Jake sat along the wall next to Rebecca Caine, a reporter from the Cedar Grove Gazette. Nicole had looked over his proposal this afternoon and had been impressed with how professional it was. Jake winked when their eyes met, and she looked away. The problem was, he was never serious for long.

All the city council members were present except Peter, which was strange, as he was usually the first one at the meetings. But then the whole day had been strange, starting with Jake coming into the office and asking her to lunch.

Peter entered the room and slipped into the chair next to her. She sneaked a look at him and noticed how a lock of his blond hair fell over his forehead.

“Thanks for saving me a seat,” he whispered.

She turned to protest she hadn’t, but before she spoke, he asked if she wanted to grab a cup of coffee after the meeting.

The request caught her off guard. The day had just gotten even stranger. “Coffee?”

The blue pin-striped shirt he wore deepened the blue in his eyes and melted the no forming in her brain. He’s like Jake and only wants your help. Maybe not... The rap of Betty’s gavel kept her from answering.

“We’ll talk later,” he said as Betty handed out the agenda.

Nicole faced the head of the table as Mayor Gordon called the meeting to order. She frowned when he then turned it over to the city clerk. Hugh usually conducted the meeting, but tonight, he looked tired, and more than a little pale.

Nicole scanned the list of people who were on the agenda. She expected Jake’s name, and skimmed further down. Peter was on the agenda, too?

She glanced toward Jake, and amusement glinted in his eyes. Evidently he’d been watching her. She ducked her head and finished reading the list. Maybe Peter was here to support his cousin.

But that couldn’t be it. He wouldn’t be on the agenda unless he was asking for something. What was wrong with her? She looked up as Betty asked Peter to explain his reason for requesting to address the council.

“I’d like a permit for a dance on New Year’s Eve. It’s for a building my grandfather owned, and then I want to present a proposal for a youth recreational center in the same building.”

He passed around a sheet of paper. “This is a brief overview of what I want to do and the funds I’m requesting from the city. All I want tonight is the permit for the dance and a motion to consider the proposal.”

Nicole scanned the paper. A youth center at 1453 Washington Street. Wasn’t that where Jake planned to house his senior center? She lost whatever else was said as she read the outline Peter had provided. Nicole had long believed the town needed a place for older teens to gather. In fact, it was part of her long-range plans for the city—if she ever became mayor.

Betty called on Jake to explain his reason for being there, and Nicole turned her attention to him.

“I’m here to submit a proposal to the council, asking for approval and financial support for a senior center,” Jake said. He handed each member an envelope. “I realize you’ll need time to look this over, but I’ll be glad to answer any questions.”

Nicole had already read the proposal, but she wanted to see his five-year business plan and budgets. She found the address of the building: 1453 Washington Street. She hadn’t been wrong on that.

A slow burn started in the pit of her stomach. If Jake had drawn her into some sort of contest between him and Peter, she’d throttle him. She looked up as Boyd Anderson cleared his throat.

“Jake, how do you propose to get the rest of the money to run your center?”

Jake turned to address the oldest member of the council. “Boyd, I intend to form a nonprofit and have already applied for tax-exempt status. That way I can apply to foundations for money. I also applied for my first federal grant, getting it in just under the deadline. I’ll know in April if I’ll receive it. In the meantime, I have backers who will help fund it until the grant money starts coming in.” Beside her, Peter stiffened. She’d bet he hadn’t applied for tax-exempt status.

“This is a grassroots-type thing,” Jake continued. “Until I receive funding, we’ll start small and see where it goes. The first step will be renovating the building on Washington Street. I applied for a permit this morning.”

Peter raised his hand, and the city clerk nodded. “If you would all look at item four, you’ll see I applied for a renovation permit on the same building late yesterday afternoon, which supersedes Jake’s.”

Mayor Gordon nodded.

Cal Sheridan folded his arms across his chest. “Looks to me like you two need to get your ducks in a row.”

Nicole winced. When Cal used that confrontational voice, it meant they were in for a long meeting.

“That’s why I’m here tonight,” Jake said.

Peter leaned forward. “Same here. Item five is for the permit and the proposal for a youth center, and item six is my request for a permit to host a dance on New Year’s Eve.”

Mayor Gordon usually voted for whatever Peter proposed, but she knew he was a good friend of Jake’s, as well. She turned to see the mayor’s reaction.

He shook two tablets from a bottle and popped them in his mouth, and then shed his jacket. “Is anyone else in here hot?”

The room was warm, and the head of the transportation department got up and adjusted the thermostat. In minutes cool air circulated around them.

“At least it’s not just me.” Hugh loosened his tie and glanced around the table. “We’re not going to settle this in the work session. We may as well table it until the council meeting.” He nodded to Betty. “Put them together as the last point of business, and let’s move on to other matters.”

The remaining items listed on the agenda were quickly dealt with. “Okay, let’s adjourn until five o’clock in the boardroom.”

Nicole checked the time. Only ten minutes before the meeting was scheduled to start. Enough time to get some answers. She hunted Jake down. “Are you and Peter working together, or competing for the same building?”

He grimaced. “Competing, unfortunately.”

“Why didn’t you tell me before you recruited me for help?”

“He’d mentioned a youth center, but when I asked you to help me, I didn’t know he’d present something tonight.”

“You still should have mentioned it.”

“I’m sorry. You’re right. I’ll try to remember that for the future. Will dinner after the meeting make up for it? Maybe Venelli’s...they have great pizza.”

She rolled her eyes. “Charm won’t get you out of this one. And for the record, my support for your project will depend on numbers and your long-range plans, not dinner at Venelli’s. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to get to my seat.” She started to walk away. “Oh, by the way, Peter asked me to go for coffee with him when we’re done here.”

Ouch. Had no one ever turned Jake down for Peter? One would think not from the look on his face. In a blink, he was back to his usual self with twinkling eyes and sideways grin. “It’s only fair to warn you I always get my way...eventually.”

She laughed and walked out of the boardroom, almost bumping into Peter.

“I’m sorry.”

Peter ran his fingers through his blond hair, catching the lock that had fallen over his forehead. The one she’d been tempted to brush back herself because it was so uncharacteristic of him. She’d never seen Peter anything but put together.

He glanced past her, and his shoulders stiffened. “Jake has a good proposal,” he said. Then he looked at her. “I really would like to have coffee afterward. I’d like to talk to you about the youth center.”

At least he was being honest. That wasn’t fair. Jake had been up front about why he’d wanted to have lunch with her. “I think I can spare you a few minutes.”

“Good. Have you ever written a tax-exempt application? Because I haven’t even looked at what’s involved.”

“I helped write one for the art guild. I might be able to give you a few pointers.”

“Thank goodness.” He nodded toward the mayor. “I need to see him a minute.”

Jake approached her again as she climbed the podium to take her seat. She couldn’t help but notice that the cousins had the same blue eyes. Yep, Jacob O’Neil was every bit as good-looking as Peter, but in a different way.

With his Irish features, he was really more handsome than Peter, more dangerous in a sense. Like the bad boy in movies that always got the girl. Peter had more of the California surfer look. She wasn’t sure which of the two might be more trouble to her heart.

Nicole drew in a deep breath. No way was she setting herself up for another Stuart. Neither Jake nor Peter would cause her a problem as long as she remembered why they had suddenly started paying so much attention to her.

“I really do want to apologize,” Jake said. “And if you won’t go out with me tonight, how about some other time?”

And the game was on. She crossed her arms. So this was the way a deer felt in the crosshairs of two hunters. “Call me tomorrow.”

“I don’t have your cell phone number.” He cocked his head. “How about giving it to me and then agreeing to go to dinner tomorrow night? Unless you want to ditch Peter and grab something to eat tonight.”

Her mother would be ecstatic if she knew both Jake and Peter were trying to get dates with her. Too bad she wasn’t telling her. Nicole fished a card from her purse and handed it to him.

“That takes care of question one, and for the second question, I’m not ditching Peter or anyone else. It would be the wrong thing to do. You see, I have a conscience.” Nicole almost laughed at the way his shoulders drooped.

His grin was back instantly. “I was only joking. I knew you wouldn’t do it. But I really would like to take you out tomorrow night.”

“Look, you don’t have to take me to dinner to get my vote. If it’s something I think will benefit the city, and we can afford it, I’ll vote for it. On the other hand, if I don’t like it, I’ll vote against it, dinner or no dinner.”

He pressed his hands to his chest. “You know, you’ve totally wounded me. I’m not trying to influence your vote. My proposed senior center stands on its own merit. Unlike my cousin, I simply want to get to know you better. You’ve flown under my radar way too long.”

Evidently, he’d inherited the Irish blarney from the O’Neils, as well.

* * *

PETER TOOK HIS regular place to the right of the mayor for the open city council meeting. At least the agenda was light tonight, other than his and Jake’s proposals.

He glanced across at Nicole on the end. Her cheeks were flushed, and she seemed to be looking at someone in the audience. He followed the direction of her gaze to his cousin, who was definitely flirting with her.

An overpowering impulse to protect her from Jake rose in his chest. She was out of her league with his cousin, much too innocent for the likes of him. He was a love ’em and leave ’em type of guy, and had probably dated every eligible woman in Cedar Grove except Nicole. The last Peter heard, Jake was dating someone in Memphis.

With a start, he realized the city clerk had rapped her gavel, and they all stood for the invocation and the Pledge of Allegiance. After everyone was seated, Betty explained that the first item on the agenda had been moved to the end of the meeting and called the next person to the front.

It didn’t take long to work through the points of business and the reports from the different department heads. When Betty called his name and Jake’s, Peter raised his hand.

“Can we dispense with the permit to hold the dance before we address the other items?” he asked when she acknowledged him.

Betty glanced at Jake, and he shrugged. “Go ahead.”

Peter presented his request for the permit, and Betty asked if there were any questions.

Cal Sheridan doodled on the notepad in front of him. “Why do we need a New Year’s Eve dance for teenagers?”

Peter turned to him. “Last year two teens were involved in a wreck coming home from Jackson. They’d gone there because there were no dances in Cedar Grove. The parents came to me last summer, asking if we couldn’t do something about getting more youth activities here.”

Sheridan held up the agenda. “One of the things you’re asking for is a permit to renovate the building. I’d like to know exactly who owns the building and will it be up to code for a dance?”

“The building belongs to my grandfather’s estate, and it’s up to code now. It already has offices that can be used for mentoring and other kinds of classes. The renovation permit is to put in a basketball court and dressing rooms, that sort of thing. It has nothing to do with the dance.”

Boyd Anderson spoke up. “I, for one, would like to see it approved. I think we need a place around here for the teenagers on New Year’s Eve.” He turned to Peter. “How many chaperones will you have?”

“I have commitments from at least fifteen people. And the police chief said he’d send over a few patrolmen.”

Nicole leaned forward. “I move that we grant the permit for the dance.”

“Second,” Anderson said.

When it came up for vote, Cal abstained and the others voted yes. Peter relaxed. One down.

Mayor Gordon fanned his face as the city clerk looked down at her agenda. “We have the last two points of business. Jacob O’Neil’s proposal for a senior center, and Peter Elliott’s proposal for a youth center. Each of you has five minutes. You want to go first, Jake?”

“Before I begin, I want to make sure I don’t need a permit for a noon get-together for a few of the seniors who are helping me on the center. It’ll be on New Year’s Eve, as well, but it’ll be over long before Peter’s soiree. Besides that, it’ll be in a different part of the building.”

Peter agreed with the general consensus that no permit was needed, and Jake thanked them and began his presentation.

As Peter listened to his cousin’s proposal, he acknowledged it sounded like a worthy project, and any other time, he’d be happy to support it.

Jake echoed Peter’s feelings as he closed his presentation. “I wish the city had the money for this project and the youth center, but I feel we owe it to our senior citizens to do something for them. And a place to gather and play dominoes or cards and have a hot meal is something we can do. Are there any questions?”

George Bivens raised his hand. “Why do you need twenty-five thousand dollars from the city?”

“To ensure your support. If the city doesn’t invest in this, there won’t be an incentive to promote it,” Jake said with a smile. “I’m not asking for a vote on it tonight. Just take a look at the proposal, and I’ll be back at the next meeting to answer more questions.”

The vote was unanimous to take Jake’s proposal under consideration. Betty eyed Peter. “You want to stay where you are and tell us about your project?”

“Sounds good to me.” He remained seated and glanced at the other members. Sheridan and Bivens sat with their arms folded. David Carr and Walter Thomas, who usually voted with Peter, leaned forward. He’d already talked with them, and they were enthusiastic about the project.

Nicole nodded her encouragement, and then he glanced at the mayor. Sweat beaded his forehead and his color was terrible. Tomorrow he’d say something to Hugh about seeing a doctor.

He cleared his throat. “The dance I proposed is only the starting point. Cedar Grove needs a place for older teens to gather. A place where they can feel safe. A place to participate in athletic activities. And that’s what the Richard Elliott Youth Center will be.

“You have my proposal in front of you, and like Jake, I’d like you to take it under advisement. We can—”

“Cedar Grove already has a youth center,” Cal said.

Cal never disappointed him. “That one is for younger kids. The center I’m proposing is for teens old enough to drive.” Peter shuffled his papers. “For the sake of getting out of here in the next five minutes, could we just vote tonight for the city council to take a look at the project?”

Sheridan unfolded his arms and leaned forward. “I’ve looked at it. And I like Jake’s project better. He—”

The mayor rapped his gavel. “Come on, you two. Can’t you— Oh!” Groaning, he clasped his chest. “I, I—”

Hugh Gordon keeled forward.

Peter leaped from his chair as the room erupted in activity. “Nicole, call 9-1-1!”

Betty reached Hugh first, and Peter pulled her away. “Let me help him.”

He leaned over the mayor, trying to get him upright. “We need to get him on the floor!”

“You get one side. I’ll get the other.”

It was Jake.

Peter nodded and the two of them maneuvered the mayor to the floor. Peter worked feverishly to remove Hugh’s tie and unbutton his shirt. His chest was turning blue.

“An ambulance is on the way,” Nicole said. She pressed her fingers against the mayor’s wrist, then felt around, indenting the fleshy skin. “I can’t find a pulse.”

Peter glanced up at Betty. Her eyes begged him to save the mayor. Placing two fingers on Hugh’s carotid artery, he shook his head. “Get the defibrillator!”

Using the heels of his hands, he started CPR and kept the rhythm going until Nicole attached the leads from the portable defibrillator to Hugh’s chest.

The screen showed no rhythm, just waves.

The automated voice blasted, “Clear! Do not touch the patient. Analyzing.”

Peter stopped compressions while the defibrillator analyzed Hugh’s heart rhythm. “Shock advised. Charging. Stand clear.”

“Get back, everyone,” Peter ordered. He pressed the flashing button, delivering the shock. Hugh’s body came up off the floor, and then Peter began another series of compressions. Where were the paramedics?

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