Page 7 of Keeping it Local

“That’s Kathy’s job!” Marlene yelled out from across the room. “Why are you trying to fill her volunteer role?”

I rolled my eyes. As much as I loved Port St. Clair, some of these people got too dramatic. I just sat there listening to Megan calm everyone down.

“I know that Kathy usually handles all of this, but Kathy’s in Florida this year helping her mom, so we have an opening. Who wants to help?”

This was one of those towns that everyone came together for community events. Most of the people in the room already had some sort of role at some point or pitched in throughout the summer getting ready for the biggest festival of the year. This was the biggest fundraiser of the year, and it brought in people from across the state, even out of state. It was important that it went well.

There were crickets.

“Come on.” Megan stood at the podium, her hands clapped tightly over the edges, and she tensed up, clearly getting nervous with the mayor standing over her shoulder.

“Folks, someone’s going to have to take it. If we don’t get a volunteer, we’re going to have to pull someone up here,” Greg chimed in from next to her.

“Jim, what about you and Cheri?” Megan asked, putting them on the spot. Jim and Cheri had been married for forty plus years, lived in Port St. Clair just as long, and knew everyone.

“No can do,” Jim shouted. “We’ve got all the grandkids coming into town this summer for a few weeks. Too much on our plate already. What about Jenny over there?” he asked, tossing it back to someone else.

Everyone quickly turned to Jenny who was standing against the wall in the back.

“I’m already in charge of the craft fair. I think someone else could handle it, don’t you, Jim?” She gave him a look that made him stop talking and Megan took over again.

“Okay, okay, we’ll figure it out,” Megan said with a glint in her eye.

“I have an idea.” She looked at me, then at Beth, then back to me, and quirked her mouth up at the side. “Johnny? Beth? How about a duo this summer? What do you think?”

I raised my hand. “I’m in. Beth?” I looked over at her.

Her jaw had dropped just a smidge, and I couldn’t tell what she was thinking.

Beth bit her bottom lip. “Okay, I’m in.”

Megan smacked the gavel on the podium, and people stood up, milling about. I got pats on the back from Jenny and Jim, who were glad that we had taken over and they weren’t stuck with the role. I’d known enough about this town and how the festival worked to know that it wouldn’t be the end of the world to be stuck with this job. But this meant that Beth and I would be together for most of the summer.

We both stood up, and I took a look at Beth.

“Megan really threw you right in, huh?” I laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

“Apparently so.”

“You can back out if you want. I can run it solo if it’s too much.”

“No, thanks though.” Her head was already on a swivel, probably looking for Megan who was still deep in conversation with Greg and Janie, our city manager, at the front. I needed to find out more about her before she left.

“How long are you here for?” I asked.

“I leave mid-August,” she said. “I’m taking a couple summer classes and heading back before Labor Day.”

“Well, in reading between the lines, doesn’t look like you’re too excited about this festival. We’ll make the most of it though. Shouldn’t be too difficult,” I said.

“Oh, I’m not too worried about it,” she said. “I’m just annoyed that my friend over here.” She pointed to Megan across the room. “Threw me into the deep end, when she knew I didn’t want to be overly involved.”

“Hey, I’m the new guy in town just like you. Or, you’re the new girl in town, I should say.”

“No way! You’ve been here a few years.” She grinned with a laugh. “Doesn’t count.”

“True. But being surrounded by people that have lived here their whole life, except the folks coming in for vacation, I definitely feel like the new guy sometimes still.”

“Yeah, I’ve never really been the new girl in town before. But I’m going to make the most of it. Definitely different from where I grew up. I’ve been working with my parents on our small farm business for years, never lived anywhere else. I’m used to family dinners every Sunday and knowing everyone in town. And I have to say, I feel a little bit like a fish out of water here,” she said.