CHAPTER 21
“How are you feeling?” Lainey asked.
“Like I spent a lot of money on stupid buttons for no reason,” Maisie said and tossed the aforementioned buttons into the trash by the table.
“I can’t believe I actually thought I could do this.
I know it was silly to think I could overcome the likely millions of dollars Colter Stone had to spend, but when I saw the polls go up a bit, I let myself believe it could happen.
Plus, my commercial ran, and I thought that would help, but I just wasted India’s money, too.
I should have just spent my savings on it instead. ”
“No, you shouldn’t have. You took campaign donations like everyone else. India donated. It was her money to spend, and she spent it on you.”
“I lost, Lainey. He got seventy-three percent of the vote.”
“Losing doesn’t mean you weren’t the right one for the job. It just means that fucking Stone guy has a broader reach. Hey, if you’d met India earlier in the process, I bet she could’ve helped you with those connections, even if you didn’t let her give you more money.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t,” she replied, sitting down next to her friend. “And now, it’s just over. What am I supposed to do?”
“Go back to running this place,” Lainey told her as she looked around the shop.
“With its three customers a day and at least one of them needing the bathroom on average?”
“I thought you said you were going to talk to the woman about the tours.”
“I did. I am. She’s supposed to call me back today.”
“NOLA Guides is the best tour company in this city. If they start putting you on more tours, other companies will follow. You’ll get more customers, Maise. Chapter I don’t see you walking around with a ring on your finger, and you were with that boyfriend of yours for over a year.”
“That was two years ago. I’ve dated three women since then. Keep up, Laine.”
Maisie stood up to leave them to their sibling bickering, which she’d heard a lot of back in the day.
“The longest was for, like, a month.”
“It was four months, asshole,” Dana argued as she began pulling items out of the bag. “Get napkins. I didn’t bring any.”
“Bossy,” Lainey replied as Maisie arrived at the front of the shop.
It was one in the afternoon, and they’d already had their three customers of the day, but she figured they might get lucky and have a few more in the afternoon since the store next door was running a massive sale to front-run Black Friday, which could net her some walk-in traffic.
So far, though, nothing had materialized.
Maisie knew she could close early, but that would mean definitively losing out on any potential customers, so she stood behind the counter and restocked the bookmarks.
When her phone rang, she was surprised to see it was Colter Stone’s office number, which she knew and had saved when she’d been trying to reach him to schedule a debate for the election.
“Hello?”
“Miss Lincoln?”
“This is her,” she replied.
“It’s Colter Stone.”
“I know. What can I do for you?”
“Oh,” he said as if he hadn’t expected her to recognize his number or voice. “Listen, I wanted to talk to you about the bookstore.”
“I’m not selling the property to the city, Mr. Stone. I don’t care what you offer.”
“What? No,” he said. “I’m not calling to try to make you another offer. I wanted to get you on the agenda for the next meeting.”
“The agenda?”
“Yes, for the historical landmark status.”
“What? Why?”
“Because I think you were right. The truth is that lot is not going to get me much. Yes, it’s in a great location, but it’s squished between two businesses that haven’t been there all that long, and they might make an offer to you to buy it, but the city doesn’t have much to gain.
I lied about that. Anyway, it’s a PR thing for me, but it would give you what you want. ”
“The election is over, though. Why do you care? Just PR?”
“Mostly, yeah,” he said. “It would also get you off my back, plus my sister.”
“Your sister?”
“Yes. It would get India off my back, too. She’s annoying. So, what do you say? Can you present to the council again at the next meeting? I can’t guarantee anything, obviously, but I can work my magic, and if you’ve got a good case, they should approve it this time.”
Maisie tried to focus and push the thought of India out of her mind because Colter Stone was offering her the one thing she’d cared about the most for the past couple of years.
“You know this won’t get you anything, right? I won’t agree to not run against you in the future or something.”
He laughed and said, “I won’t be in this position long anyway.
I’m running for mayor next cycle. In fact, I’m thinking about bringing some new blood onto my staff.
Part-time, if needed, but someone to advise me on votes, among other things.
I have a lot of yes-men who work for me.
I’d like to bring someone on board who might not agree with me on everything. ”
“Are you asking me to join your staff?”
“As a part-time advisor,” he said quickly. “You wouldn’t get an office or anything, but I’m sure we could rustle up a desk for you if you need one. We could do it on a trial basis to start, and if it works, we keep going.”
“You’re serious?” she asked.
“I am. I know it sounds crazy, and you can’t stand me, but I think that’s why you should consider it. You’d be paid to tell me no.”
Maisie laughed because she couldn’t not laugh at that and replied, “Well, when you put it like that…”
“I can’t promise that I’ll do what you say, though. I will take your opinions into account. Best I can do.”
“I want to help this city. It started with my shop, yes, but it’s more than that for me now. I don’t care about the politics.”