What's Love Got to Do With It? by Anna Premoli

Author:Anna Premoli [Premoli, Anna]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Head of Zeus
Published: 2018-09-14T00:00:00+00:00

9

Calm down!” Greyson keeps on repeating to the assembled crowd, but in vain – they’re more than a little agitated. At this rate, someone is going to get punched in the face by the end of the evening. I just hope there’s an ambulance parked outside. Just so as not to take any risks…

We are at the meeting of the town committee that is supposed to approve the idea of the auction, and the outcome still seems very uncertain. There are only a few people against it, but they are surprisingly vocal, which is a good enough reason to resort to the heavy artillery.

“This is an obscene and outrageous idea!” says an outraged Grace, who has recovered just in time from her near fatal cold to become the flag bearer of the town’s morality. “What will the next step be?” she asks challengingly. “Auctioning off people’s virginity?”

Feeling worried, I turn round to look at Aunt Jill, who seems to be enjoying herself. She told me that the town committee meetings were a deadly bore. Well, it doesn’t look that way to me…

“Oh, what nonsense you talk, my dear,” interrupts my aunt. “And anyway, if we ever do decide to do it, you can always put yours up for offers.”

My jaw drops open in shock. When it comes to low blows, they are second to none here in Heber Springs. Everyone has been offending everyone else for over an hour. Greyson gives me a worried look, perhaps hoping that I’ll intervene before the situation degenerates further. I thought that things had hit rock bottom twenty minutes ago, but given this last exchange, it’s clear that I was wrong.

I stand up and try to attract everyone’s attention. “Calm down, calm down… Aunt Jill, please, don’t say such horrible things.”

Aunt Jill looks at me in astonishment. “It was her who told me she was a virgin, not me—”

“I told you in confidence!” the other woman shouts.

“I said that’s enough!” I snap, raising my voice and this time sounding annoyed. “We are not here to offend each other but to approve this fund raising evening, so please concentrate a bit less on the idea of the auction, which is only a suggestion, and more on the idea of advertising Heber Springs’ beautiful scenery and its ability to offer fun, recreational activities,” I remind all present. “And to do that we desperately need money.”

“Are the municipal coffers really that empty, Greyson?” asks Jim from the back of the room.

The desolate mayor cannot deny it, “They’re absolutely empty, and they have been for over twenty years,” he admits. “I myself am not particularly enthusiastic about this idea, but I can’t see any other valid alternatives… If nothing else, at least Kayla is trying to do something… Maybe auctioning ourselves off is a bit of an unorthodox thing to do, but the idea is perfectly honourable. All we can do is try, and approach the whole thing as if it were a game.”

“Thank you, Mr Mayor,” I

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