Chapter 22
Astrid
I parked my car outside Ashbourne Hall, the sky fading into that gentle purple that comes just before night fully settles in.
Three women stood near the steps, chatting quietly with a man, their expressions suggesting someone had definitely done something worth discussing.
One of them I recognized immediately—Aunt Dee.
She was dressed in a yellow-and-black zebra-striped outfit, her matching satin jacket was cinched with a wide golden belt.
To her left was a blonde woman in a pink dress, short curls pinned back neatly by a matching headband.
On her right stood a woman wearing a polka dot dress and red glasses.
These two had to be her minions. Kelly had mentioned they were glued together at every event.
“Astrid! Come here, come here!” Aunt Dee called, flashing her full set of pearly whites. Her minions eyed me curiously.
I walked toward them just as Aunt Dee leaned in to whisper something to the man, who nodded quickly and hurried away. “Betty, Lou, you haven’t met our town’s new girl, have you?” She nodded toward me. “This is Astrid.”
“Oh, it's you.” Betty’s blonde curls bounced as she grinned. “Ever since Amy’s wedding, you've become Orange Falls’ celebrity. I’ve been waiting to meet you. You know, Lou's even thinking of asking you to decorate her dog’s next birthday party.”
“Absolutely not.” Lou shook her head. “Tom isn't getting a birthday party, not after he chewed up the sofa.” She turned towards me, eyes curious. “I heard Mabel convinced you to take on the summer festival. Is that true?”
Seriously?
It had been only three days.
Did they have secret agents all around Orange Falls?
“She did.” I kept my voice neutral. “But we’re still figuring things out.”
Aunt Dee shot a meaningful look at Betty and Lou. “Oh, don’t worry, dear. Take your time. Though I’d hurry up if I were you.”
“Was there a problem?” Mabel and I had talked it over, sure, but the council still needed to approve.
And Aunt Dee’s tone was landing a little too close to ominous for comfort.
It wasn’t about the money—it never had been.
I genuinely loved the festival idea. I hadn't been this excited about planning something since my first wedding project.
“Nothing….” Lou shook her head, leaning closer as if revealing top-secret intel. “But watch your back at the meeting. Rosalind, you know, the lady who ran last year’s event might show up with brownies to sweet-talk the council.”
“I wouldn't support her this time, brownies or no brownies.” Betty huffed, adjusting her pink headband. “She rejected my watermelon stall last year. If summer isn't about watermelon, what does she think people are even coming for?”
“You worry too much, Betty. Our Astrid will make sure your stall gets approved this time.” Aunt Dee smiled at me in a way that managed to feel both comforting and filled with expectation.
I'd planned to deliver a smooth political reply, but somehow landed squarely in diplomat territory instead. “As long as it fits nicely into the festival, I’d love to include it.”
Aunt Dee leaned toward me again, lowering her voice. “Between us, Astrid, you might have some competition. Certain people, no names, of course, think these events should stick strictly to local talent. You know how it is, tradition and all.”
So, the meeting wasn’t going to be a relaxing evening. But at least I had these three backing me.
“What trouble are you stirring up this time, Della?” came a voice from behind me. Mabel appeared at my side, giving the trio a skeptical glance. “Should I be worried for Astrid?”
Worried? More like terrified. These three had practically been interrogating me.
“We were just talking, Mabel. You know, welcoming Astrid to the town,” Aunt Dee said. “I heard Aeron’s back in town.”
“With you and your friends around, I'm surprised there’s anyone left who doesn't already know my son’s back,” Mabel replied dryly.
I pressed my lips together, fighting back a smile as the trio’s expressions went from sugary to sour in record time.
A handful of people had already gathered inside the town hall.
Some smiled warmly and a few even asked how I was settling into town.
My attention snagged on a woman seated in the front row, who kept sneaking glances at me, not frequently enough to be obvious, but definitely enough to trigger my inner alarm bells.
Kelly arrived a little while later. We’d planned to come together, but she’d gotten tied up with a few customers. I’d assured her seventeen times that I was perfectly capable of handling it on my own, but she'd insisted my first town hall needed some emotional backup.
“Thank you for coming,” I whispered, squeezing her hand.
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous. I wouldn’t miss my best friend’s town-hall debut for the world. This is like your first day of kindergarten, but with more judgmental adults.”
I laughed. “Kel, calling it a debut is a little—” My voice died out as the familiar laser-focused stare landed on me again. I dropped my voice. “Don’t look right away, but there’s a woman in a purple dress who’s been staring at me like I’m the most wanted criminal.”
Kelly, being Kelly, turned instantly, completely ignoring my warning. Two seconds later, she was giggling. “That’s Rosalind. She owns Honeycomb Events, the one who organized last year’s town festival.”
Oh, crap. No wonder she’d been glaring at me like I was her arch-nemesis. In her mind, I'd stolen the summer festival right out from under her.
Steeve and Mabel arrived, Steeve heading straight to the dais while Mabel sat in the front row. Aunt Dee and her minions breezed in just behind them. They'd been here before anyone else, and I still had no idea what they’d been doing outside all this time.
“All right, folks,” Steeve began, clearing his throat. “Let’s get this meeting started with—”
“Steeve, can we talk about the potholes on Maple Street first?” someone shouted from the back. “I take that road every day to my office. At this rate, my tires won’t even survive until Christmas.”
“Just take Oakwood Street instead!” another voice shouted helpfully from the front, earning a round of laughs.
“Sure, if you’re cool with driving by Miss Silvers’ creepy mansion every day.”
“Miss Silvers lives alone in that big old house.” Kelly dropped her voice to a whisper. “Half the town thinks she’s into witchcraft.”
“We’ll have to stop by sometime and introduce ourselves,” I whispered back, grinning.
Kelly’s eyes lit up as she muffled a laugh. “It’s been on my bucket list forever.”
Our attention shifted back to the meeting as someone jumped in with another issue.
It was my first town hall, and honestly, it felt less like an official gathering and more like a chaotic street market.
People threw out complaints left and right: one woman was frustrated over a library book that was overdue for an entire year, another was annoyed about faulty streetlights, and Aunt Dee was offended that some Parker's dog was using the park as its personal bathroom.
Steve nodded patiently, jotting down everything.
Mabel stood, exchanging a quick nod with Steeve as she stepped up to the dais.
“All right, everyone, let’s move past potholes and faulty streetlights to something more thrilling.
As you know, the summer festival is coming up, and this year we're going bigger and better than ever.” Her gaze landed on me. “Astrid, would you join me?”
Kelly squeezed my hand with enough enthusiasm to cut off circulation. I stood up nervously, and made my way to the front.
“Please welcome Astrid to Orange Falls. She’ll be organizing this year's festival.”
There were plenty of friendly smiles and nods welcoming me, but a few faces in the crowd looked less thrilled.
“How can we just hand this over to a complete newcomer?” a woman sitting next to Rosalind called out, sounding personally offended. “She doesn't even know Orange Falls yet.”
“Exactly!” another voice piped up. “The summer festival is our pride. We can’t survive another disaster like last year.”
My palms turned clammy. This wasn't exactly the ride I’d hoped.
Aunt Dee added fuel to the fire. “They’re right. We’ve got Matilda and Jessica, locals who’ve done so much for this town. Astrid’s been here, what, all of a week?”
Seriously, Aunt Dee? Weren’t you the one who pinky promised you'd be on my side? Talk about betrayal.
“You all saw what Astrid did at Amy’s wedding,” Mabel said, giving my hand a supportive squeeze.
“She pulled off something beautiful in just a few days. Imagine what she could do for the summer festival. Besides, Orange Falls thrives on tourism. If we're happy to welcome visitors, shouldn’t we extend that same welcome to someone who’s chosen to make Orange Falls her home? ”
The crowd quieted down, exchanging murmurs as a few heads nodded in agreement with Mabel's point.
“Astrid’s been doing her homework, too,” Steeve said. “She spent a day in the archive room researching Orange Falls’ history.”
“I think she knows more about the town than half of us at this point.” Kelly added helpfully.
“Oh God, that archive room is basically a dust museum,” Lou piped up. “How did Astrid spend a whole day there without allergies?”
Aunt Dee cleared her throat loudly. “Personally, I’ve always said we should give Astrid a chance.”
I blinked. Since when?
Soon, heads bobbed in agreement around the room, as if they'd all spontaneously decided it was safe to jump on the Team Astrid bandwagon.