Carolina Girl

ONE "You're kidding me, right?" Aurora Jenkins glanced at the nearly empty budget file the head of the tourist commission handed her. "You want me to spin gold out of straw, too?" Shrugging his narrow shoulders at her disparaging words, Terry Talbert retreated to his desk so she didn't tower over him. "We're all volunteers here, Rora. We have a million-dollar grant, but no one with your financial expertise." No one else had her big mouth and opened it so frequently, she corrected, mentally kicking herself. She'd just been laid off from her lucrative bank position for opening her mouth one too many times. But this time, she'd done it for her family. She could fix her career easily enough, but she was pinning her family's future on the state park plan represented by this meager file. Volunteering her time and expertise had seemed the best means of getting on the inside track. Now it looked as if she would have the responsibility of making the park happen. No point endangering this golden opportunity by telling Terry he was a lazy bum. Shouldering her bag, she slipped the file into it. "I'll start with land acquisitions. Who's this Thomas Clayton McCloud? I've never heard of him." This was a small town and she'd grown up here. She thought she knew everyone. "Some computer guru the mayor's mother thinks is cute." Terry grimaced in distaste. "You know how things get done around here. " Yep, she did. She'd just landed this position because she'd been Terry's high school lab partner. Networking, that was called in the city. "And 'cute' will acquire the land how?" she asked. "With charming smiles and asking if we could have the beach, pretty please?" Terry snorted. "Not from McCloud. He's a surly bastard. Check him out. He's usually sitting on the courthouse roof at this hour." Oh, good, surly bastards were right up her alley. A good fight to get the old adrenaline going, and she could put an end to the park right now. Keep the big mouth shut, Rora. "Is it too soon to resign my commission?" Rolling her eyes but not giving back the file, Rory headed for the door. She'd accomplished more impossible feats than persuading budgets out of surly computer gurus who sat on courthouse roofs. Maybe not any quite so colorful, though. The sophisticated city life she'd been leading paled in comparison. "Don't strangle him until you get the list of landowners out of him!" Terry called after her. Once she had the list of heirs to that tract, the state could start purchasing land for the park. The sooner the island had a park, the sooner they could bring some tourist money in here to fill her family's pockets, and she could be on her way again. Maybe she would take a job in Chicago this time. The skyline there was spectacular, and the culture and nightlife beat Charlotte's by a country mile. A career move would be good for her. Walking out of city hall, she nearly bumped into Jeff Spencer, the town banker, conversing with the elderly mayor. They both knew her but didn't acknowledge her existence. Recognizing the attitude, she shrugged and stepped out of their way. She wasn't rocking any more boats these days. Breathing in the sweet scent of blooming jasmine, she glanced up the oak-lined street to her rural hometown's only claim to a skyline. The gilding on the clock tower of the courthouse gleamed in the bright May sun. Built shortly after the Civil War, the steepRice, Patricia is the author of 'Carolina Girl' with ISBN 9780804119832 and ISBN 080411983X.