My Beautiful Neighbor (The Greene Family Book 1) by Piper Rayne (phonics reading books TXT) 📕

the committee because he’s a longtime resident with a respectable business and often acts as a tie-breaker on votes. He’s our impartial third party, you could say.

I find my seat next to Trent Lawson, and as I lower to sit in my chair, my gaze falls to Presley in the first row. Her mouth slowly drops open, and I bite my inner cheek before my smile forms. Having to stare at those crossed legs the entire meeting… all I can do is be grateful the desk hides my lower half from view.

I’m not sure who will be more tortured during this town council meeting: her or me.

George is a list maker, so when the flyers went out, everyone knew the meeting would start with parking meters and whether we should extend the time. Then we moved into the Fourth of July fireworks—how much will be spent, whether we have to change them, the regulations on boats in the bay during the show. There are no objections from anyone. Fourth of July is a huge day for us in Sunrise Bay.

Coming to the discussion of Denise Harrison’s building, George calls up Presley. She has Clara help her set up her computer and dim the lights.

My dad leans over George to whisper to me, “A slide show? I like this girl.”

“Don’t call the church just yet, Dad.”

Trent laughs. “She’s a spitfire. She’d keep you on your toes.” He nudges me with his elbow.

I refrain from telling them they’re all crazy.

“Okay, so these are just some ideas I had,” Presley says, “and how I see the building looking inside and out. And I’m going to be really focused on running events and promotions that would drive traffic into Sunrise Bay, especially during tourist season.” She eyes me when she says that, and Trent and my dad glance over.

She flips on the video, and as soon as it begins I wonder how much time and money she put into this. A simple sketch would have gotten her in. The video scans past Truth or Dare Brewery to what she envisions her building looking like. It’s got the navy blue awning but printed with The Story Shop. The camera continues through the double doors and she’s added little streams of stars as though it’s magic that we’re stepping into. The store is quaint and cute and everything Sunrise Bay residents and tourists eat up. Circular tables full of displays, floor-to-ceiling bookshelves closer to the front and filled with books. But midway through the building, it turns into a children’s paradise. Small toadstools spread around an apple tree painted on the wall, lower bookshelves for the kids to grab their own books that interest them. There’s a section for young adult fiction to the right with monthly book recommendations and a couch and chair.

I haven’t put too much thought into the upbringing Presley had. Based on her fancy clothes, I assume she came from money. But she clearly went to school for something because her sales pitch is pretty damn good.

After the video ends, she goes through all the bullet points on why she thinks her bookstore will be a great addition to the downtown area. It all holds up and I can’t see why anyone would say no. In truth, the fact that any new business that wants to come into the square needs to be approved by a vote from the five chairs on the committee is ridiculous. But that’s small-town life.

Since Jed and I share a chair on the committee and I’m the one here tonight, I vote how I see fit. We all write down our votes and hand them to George. Presley’s foot bounces up and down as she waits for the answer. Clara smiles at her and nods confidently.

“Okay, the votes are in. It’s four to one in approval of Denise Harrison’s sewing store becoming The Story Shop. Congratulations.” George sets the votes down in front of him. “May I suggest that you read all the by-laws that will impact the awning you want to install and read up on the rules for window displays and sidewalk promotions in the square?”

Presley smiles. “Thank you so much.” She nods to everyone, purposely skipping me it seems. “I promise The Story Shop will be a success.”

“I’m sure it will, Miss Knight.” George nods, and half of me wonders if they all approved it just so gossip will continue to swirl around Presley and me. “Now, does anyone have any other line of business we need to discuss?”

Zoe from The Grind raises her hand and gets the go-ahead to ask her question. “I’m wondering about the duo night. When will we hear which two businesses will be partnering up next?”

George looks at my dad, and they both glance at me. I’m fairly sure the brewery will be one of the two since we haven’t been chosen in a while, and we’ll probably be paired with Trent Lawson. We’ve already discussed him giving free legal advice and we’d name a beer after him for the month.

After having a silent conversation with my dad, George says, “Let’s tackle that in two weeks.”

Zoe raises her hand again.

“Yes, Zoe,” George says.

Zoe was my mom’s business partner when they opened The Grind. I’m not sure how much of the business my dad still owns or whether he’s allowed Zoe to buy him out. He never involves himself in it anymore. I love Zoe, but every time I see her, I think of Mom and her hopes and dreams when they started the small coffee shop.

Zoe stands. “I mention it because I was thinking that The Grind and The Story Shop would be a great pairing.”

George looks at my father again. There might be three other people on this committee but my dad and George run things.

“We’ll take that into account.” George looks around. “Anything else?”

My gaze falls to my sisters Mandi and Posey in the front row. One runs a B&B and the other runs Fringe,