I waited for outrage and protests to her words from the audience. Although a few murmurs rose, no one stood up to her. Perhaps they suffered from shock at her outrageous claims.
“And so,” Aunt Nora ignored the gnome and addressed the residents, “to keep Honeysuckle safe from those who would shatter our peaceful existence, I propose that we hold an immediate election for the high seat position. Am I seconded on this council?”
Flint crossed his arms and sat back down. My aunt snorted and confronted Tucker. “Mr. Hawthorne?”
My aunt had managed to bully and trap my former fiancé. Tucker glanced down at Clementine with uncertainty and regret. My cousin tilted her head in confusion, but her husband hung his head in resignation.
“I second the motion to hold an emergency vote,” he mumbled under his breath.
Aunt Nora put her fingers to her ear. “What was that? I’m not sure that everyone heard you.”
“Seconded,” he grumbled a little louder.
My aunt beamed at the gnome. “Seems the vote is two to three, so—”
“Hold on!” Matt bellowed, stepping out from behind the curtain and making his way onstage. “There’s one more vote to be counted.”
Aunt Nora narrowed her beady eyes at my brother. “If Vivian is too unwell to attend the meeting, then she cannot have her vote counted.”
I joined my brother in solidarity. “Nana isn’t the only Goodwin in town.”
“And you think you qualify? You’re not even related.” She sneered at me with absolute contempt.
My blood boiled and a little power zapped down my arm and danced at the end of my fingertips. Even if I ended up in jail tonight, it would be worth it to hex my aunt’s hiney with absolutely no blessing of her heart.
“Mother, stop being ridiculous.” Clementine popped out of her chair and approached the edge of the stage. “You’re making a fool of yourself,” she hissed.
Aunt Nora’s arrogance wavered. “Shouldn’t you be sitting down?” she asked, gazing at her daughter’s stomach area.
“Not until you recognize once and for all that Charli is just as much family to Vivian as she is to you and me.” She slapped the stage floor to keep her mother from interjecting, turning her eyes in my direction. “After all, love makes a family. And there is no doubt that she is loved.”
If we weren’t in the middle of a crisis, I would fly off the stage and sweep my cousin into the most enormous hug of her lifetime. My gratitude would have to wait until we took care of her mother first.
“Fine. She’s family,” Aunt Nora said through gritted teeth. “Now, please sit back down and don’t overexcite yourself.” Waiting until her daughter obeyed her request, she addressed Matt and me. “So, what do you hope to accomplish?”
“If someone has to vote on the Goodwin family’s behalf, then one of us will,” my brother challenged.
Aunt Nora paused as she processed the demand. A sly grin spread on her lips, curdling my blood. “But as your grandmother has yet to resign her position or step down, I’m afraid that the Goodwin’s place on the council is still filled.”
I walked to the edge of the stage. “Ben, what did the covenant say about who can serve on the council?”
My friend ignored me, spending all of his time gazing at Lily and whispering something in her ear.
I clapped my hands. “Hey, Mr. Advocate. Stop wooing your girlfriend and pay attention.”
Someone tapped Ben on the shoulder, and his focus on Lily broke. He finally noticed my attempts to get through to him. “Oh, hey, Charli. Did you hear? I asked her to marry me and Lily said yes. Isn’t that amazing?”
Ignoring the scattered applause his declaration earned him, I placed my hand on my hip. “That’s great, and we’ll celebrate later. But right now, I need your legal expertise as to whether or not Matt or I can vote in proxy for Nana.”
The advocate stood, a goofy smile still spread on his face. “Based on my reading of the town covenant, which we found hidden in a secret safe in Tipper’s old house,” he pointed at me and winked, “either you or your brother is going to have to declare that your grandmother is unfit to fulfill her duties and then take her place on the council.”
“How did Tipper get his hands on the covenant, and why was she involved in the retrieving of it?” Aunt Nora asked, referring to me.
“If you haven’t noticed by now, Auntie, I run a business called Lost & Found. It’s my job to find things,” I snarked.
Matt pulled me aside by my elbow. “What do you want to do? If we do what Ben says, then one of us will take Nana’s position away from her. Permanently.”
It took a second for that reality to sink in. “And with Nana off the council, it’ll open the high seat position for anyone to take.”
“Which is already our aunt’s goal. But if one of us claims the Goodwin seat, then we can vote against her.” Matt grimaced. “It’s not an easy choice to make.”
The pathway to the right choice seemed clear enough to me. “Sure it is.” I touched his arm. “You should take it.”
“Come on, Birdy, you’re not listening to the absolute drivel Aunt Nora’s spouting.” He jerked a thumb towards our cousin. “Clementine just went up in my esteem because she’s right. You are just as much a Goodwin, no matter what blood flows in your veins.”
Our aunt cleared her throat. “If you could kindly finish your private discussion, we could get on with things.”
The lights in the hall flickered on and off again a few times before everything went pitch black. A few light orbs materialized when conjured but became unnecessary when the power
