Read Online Summer in Good Hope (A Good Hope Novel Book 2) by Cindy Kirk - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Cindy Kirk
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white pants and a royal blue camp shirt, rose with an easy grace Prim envied. Unlike Prim’s unruly ’do, Lynn’s silvery-blond bob brushed the tops of her shoulders, silky smooth.
“In addition to what is already in the works for the Independence Day and Hometown Heroes parades, the pancake feed, and the Music in the Square events, we’ll be adding a children’s parade on July third. Prizes will be given for the best-decorated bicycle, wagon, et cetera. We—”
“There was no money earmarked in the budget for prizes,” Eliza interrupted, startling Lynn, who simply stared.
“I was about to explain that the prizes will be covered by the merchants.” Lynn’s tone turned as cool as her eyes. “Katie Ruth got the buy-in from the business owners because any child who is in town during the festivities can participate. The merchants see this as a win-win for the community.”
Some of the tightness bracketing Eliza’s mouth eased. “I hope they’re not offering their support for this but pulling back on other planned donations.”
A startled look crossed Lynn’s face, as if that thought had not occurred to her. “Absolutely not.”
“Are you certain?” Eliza pressed.
Lynn’s lips pressed together for half a second but her voice displayed no irritation. “As a matter of fact, while I was discussing this addition, I confirmed their donations to the main celebrations.”
“Good.” A look of relief crossed Eliza’s face. “That’s fine, then.”
“Are donations of time, money, or supplies down, Eliza?” Katie Ruth raised her hand but spoke before being acknowledged. “You seem concerned.”
“We haven’t done as much fundraising this year as in the past. As each year we attempt to up our game, it doesn’t take much to deplete our coffers.” As if dismissing any further questions from Katie Ruth, Eliza shifted her body toward Prim. “Primrose, I’d like you to report on the progress of the parade on Independence Day.”
Startled, Prim glanced at Ami, who looked equally perplexed.
“Primrose is co-chairing the Independence Day parade with Max,” Eliza explained to the others. “As this is one of our most attended events of the year, it is critical that the parade go off without a hitch.”
The glint in those hard gray eyes told Prim the executive director was well aware she’d put her on the hot seat. Not only that, Eliza hoped she’d get scorched.
If Prim explained she’d only taken over the duties in the past forty-eight hours or protested that the brief agenda e-mailed to her hadn’t indicated she’d be expected to give a report, Eliza could make her appear incompetent with a few carefully chosen words.
Judging by the cat-got-the-canary look on Eliza’s face, that’s exactly what the executive director had in mind.
“Thank you for the opportunity to report, Eliza.” Prim rose, plastering a serene smile on her lips. “Max and I have all of the participant entry forms. We will be reaching out to the contact person for each entry to verify their participation and make sure they understand the parade guidelines.”
Her assumption was, at this late date, they had all the entry forms. By the nods, she’d assumed correctly.
Now the slippery part.
Last night—another restless one—she’d opened her laptop and pulled up everything she could find on parade planning. The information on how to best organize a parade had proved to be a better sleep aid than warm milk or melatonin. Still, Ami wasn’t the only Bloom sister with an excellent memory.
Prim wasn’t certain exactly how the parade in Good Hope was organized, but as she continued her report, she focused on common tasks cited in the articles.
“Our focus for this week is to fine-tune the lineup.” The way Prim figured, a lineup could always be adjusted to make it better. “We want to—”
“The lineup is the same every year,” Eliza interrupted, obviously determined to squish her like a bug under those pretty
“In addition to what is already in the works for the Independence Day and Hometown Heroes parades, the pancake feed, and the Music in the Square events, we’ll be adding a children’s parade on July third. Prizes will be given for the best-decorated bicycle, wagon, et cetera. We—”
“There was no money earmarked in the budget for prizes,” Eliza interrupted, startling Lynn, who simply stared.
“I was about to explain that the prizes will be covered by the merchants.” Lynn’s tone turned as cool as her eyes. “Katie Ruth got the buy-in from the business owners because any child who is in town during the festivities can participate. The merchants see this as a win-win for the community.”
Some of the tightness bracketing Eliza’s mouth eased. “I hope they’re not offering their support for this but pulling back on other planned donations.”
A startled look crossed Lynn’s face, as if that thought had not occurred to her. “Absolutely not.”
“Are you certain?” Eliza pressed.
Lynn’s lips pressed together for half a second but her voice displayed no irritation. “As a matter of fact, while I was discussing this addition, I confirmed their donations to the main celebrations.”
“Good.” A look of relief crossed Eliza’s face. “That’s fine, then.”
“Are donations of time, money, or supplies down, Eliza?” Katie Ruth raised her hand but spoke before being acknowledged. “You seem concerned.”
“We haven’t done as much fundraising this year as in the past. As each year we attempt to up our game, it doesn’t take much to deplete our coffers.” As if dismissing any further questions from Katie Ruth, Eliza shifted her body toward Prim. “Primrose, I’d like you to report on the progress of the parade on Independence Day.”
Startled, Prim glanced at Ami, who looked equally perplexed.
“Primrose is co-chairing the Independence Day parade with Max,” Eliza explained to the others. “As this is one of our most attended events of the year, it is critical that the parade go off without a hitch.”
The glint in those hard gray eyes told Prim the executive director was well aware she’d put her on the hot seat. Not only that, Eliza hoped she’d get scorched.
If Prim explained she’d only taken over the duties in the past forty-eight hours or protested that the brief agenda e-mailed to her hadn’t indicated she’d be expected to give a report, Eliza could make her appear incompetent with a few carefully chosen words.
Judging by the cat-got-the-canary look on Eliza’s face, that’s exactly what the executive director had in mind.
“Thank you for the opportunity to report, Eliza.” Prim rose, plastering a serene smile on her lips. “Max and I have all of the participant entry forms. We will be reaching out to the contact person for each entry to verify their participation and make sure they understand the parade guidelines.”
Her assumption was, at this late date, they had all the entry forms. By the nods, she’d assumed correctly.
Now the slippery part.
Last night—another restless one—she’d opened her laptop and pulled up everything she could find on parade planning. The information on how to best organize a parade had proved to be a better sleep aid than warm milk or melatonin. Still, Ami wasn’t the only Bloom sister with an excellent memory.
Prim wasn’t certain exactly how the parade in Good Hope was organized, but as she continued her report, she focused on common tasks cited in the articles.
“Our focus for this week is to fine-tune the lineup.” The way Prim figured, a lineup could always be adjusted to make it better. “We want to—”
“The lineup is the same every year,” Eliza interrupted, obviously determined to squish her like a bug under those pretty
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