Lilac Lane (Chesapeake Shores #14)(58)
“Well, of course we could,” Nell retorted impatiently, “but some things can’t be left to chance. I’ve no doubt we could ‘phone it in’—is that the expression they use for putting absolutely no effort into something?—and pull off a lovely event that would be a crowd-pleaser, but a few fresh tweaks will keep things lively. I think we can all agree that last year was the best event we’ve had in years.”
Kiera listened to the exchange with amusement. It was clear, even to her, that Nell had an agenda. She also knew Nell would reveal it when she was good and ready.
“Exactly what tweaks do you have in mind?” Luke asked his grandmother suspiciously. “And why are Bryan and I here? You never ask the men in the family to be on the planning committee. You count on us to be the muscle.”
“Muscle, is it?” Bree mocked, holding up her arm to point to her biceps. “I have muscles, but it’s never gotten me out of these meetings.”
“Stop with your bickering,” Nell scolded. “I swear, sometimes I marvel at the idea that you’ve all reached adulthood, when you still sound like children.”
Kiera laughed aloud at that, even as Heather and Shanna looked away to cover their own grins.
“Now, as I was saying, we need fresh ideas. Anyone?”
“Let’s eliminate the obvious,” Bree suggested. “You and the church ladies agreed years ago that there would never be any sort of baby contest or beauty pageant as part of the town’s fall festival.”
“And that’s still the case,” Nell agreed. She paused, her expression thoughtful. “That said, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have a lively competition of some kind that will draw interest from around the region. Any thoughts along that line?”
Shanna’s eyes lit up. “A bachelor auction,” she suggested excitedly. “That could raise a ton of money for the church.”
“You’re a happily married woman,” Nell chided. “What interest could you have in a bachelor auction?”
“None of us is dead,” Bree pointed out. “There’s no shame in looking, even if we can’t bid.”
“Well, I’m not even going to consider a bachelor auction, so you can just settle down,” Nell said. “It’s not suitable for a church event.”
“You disapproved of the kissing booth, too, at first,” Heather pointed out, “but you have to admit it was a huge success.”
“It was,” Nell agreed. “And despite my reservations, it will be back this year.”
“Your change of heart isn’t because it was successful, Gram. It’s mostly because it irritated Father Clarence,” Luke suggested.
Nell’s flushed face proved his point. “Well, he needs to move into the current century,” Nell murmured. “But I’ll deny it if you tell him I said that.”
“And haven’t you told him that to his face more than once?” Luke teased.
Nell frowned at him. “We’re getting off topic.”
Bree’s expression turned thoughtful. “There is one idea that came to me last night, so I did a little bit of research. I think it would fit quite nicely into the fall festival if the setup wouldn’t be too complicated.”
“Tell us,” Nell said eagerly.
“It seems there are quite a few of those cooking shows on TV that draw huge audiences,” she began, only to be interrupted by Heather.
“I watch Top Chef myself,” Heather chimed in. “And The Chew and a couple of others. Giada De Laurentiis is my absolute favorite. I’ve even tried some of the recipes. Of course, those are usually the nights Connor and I end up eating at the pub.”
“See,” Bree said triumphantly. “That’s exactly what I’m talking about. What if we were to have a cooking competition?” Her expectant gaze went around the room, then landed on Kiera as she added, “Amateurs and professional chefs alike can compete.”
“Interesting,” Nell said, as if mulling it over. She looked at Heather and Shanna. “What do you think?”
“I think it sounds fantastic,” Heather said at once.
An innocent smile spread across Shanna’s face as she turned her gaze on Kiera. “Perhaps we can put to rest once and for all whether Bryan’s or Kiera’s Irish stew is the best. I’ve heard that’s come up at the pub a time or two.”
The room erupted into laughter. The others seemed to be blissfully oblivious to Bryan’s suddenly stony expression and Kiera’s panic. Whatever peace they’d managed to achieve was about to be tested in some very public forum. Perhaps that was a good thing. Their truce had led to a couple of emotionally risky encounters.
“Gram, I don’t think this is such a good idea,” Luke protested. “The kitchen wars behind the scenes at O’Brien’s are bad enough. We’ve no need to take them public.”
“Not even if we can raise a lot of money at a dollar a taste with the winner being the one who gets the most tokens at the end of the day?” Nell inquired as if she were still exploring all the angles. “We can charge a small entry fee to go toward prize money and open the competition to anyone else with an Irish stew recipe they’d like to enter. Or maybe we should have multiple categories with amateurs competing against a chef in each one. Luke, you could assemble a team of judges, too.”