“They stopped doing all of that by the time Ivy and I were old enough to miss it. Maybe we grew up more isolated than we had to be because we lost our Bedlam family, and became another family of three.”
Heat crawled up my neck. Couldn’t remember the last time I was stared at for this long.
“This is my long-winded way of saying that what always made Bedlam great is how we band together when times are tough. We’re family,” I stated. “As long as we don’t lose that, Bedlam has a bright future.”
Steven, Mayor Creed, Arsenio, and Judge Stone clapped.
“Well said, Miss de Souza.” Steven shook my hand enthusiastically.
Glad you liked it, asshole. Just for you, a non-answer saying a whole lot, but not really committing to anything at all.
“The future you dream of is the future we see. Many small towns are losing that small-town feel. No one knows each other anymore. They don’t talk to their neighbors. They’re not gathering to celebrate together or one another. In the town we’re building, your family will be bigger than three.”
Brooks came over holding a tray of champagne. We each took one—Judge Stone the last to step forward and claim hers.
“I was also moved by what you said, Miss de Souza.”
I don’t know what I expected of Jacques’s mom, but the low, smoky voice of a smooth jazz radio host wasn’t it. Neither was the smile as she patted my shoulder.
“I remember those days too. My father would put me on his shoulders during the Westchester parade, and I’d collect so many balloons as we danced through the streets, I thought we’d float away.”
She stroked Jacques’s cheek. “I want that same sense of family and community for my son and his children. I don’t deny that we’ve lost a bit of it over the years, but I have to ask, Mr. Ellis—”
Eileen turned the stern, joyless gaze of countless life sentences and more to come on the smiling man.
“How does tearing our home in two, razing all that makes it unique and charming, then filling it with yuppie newlyweds checking off their bucket list buy vacation home where the locals say y’all, help us get back to the family we used to be?”
She sipped her champagne, waiting for the answer.
All eyes turned on him.
“That’s a great question,” Steven said, refusing to lose that smile. “And I believe my son, Jeremy, is the best person to answer. Jeremy, you’ve lived here for months. What’s your perspective?”
“It’s like this, Judge Stone.”
Jeremy was slick all over from the gelled hair, shiny shoes, and shit-eating grin. An incredible feat seeing as his arm was still in a sling, and his bruises were healing.
“I go to school with Rainey and the other students planning to leave this town two minutes after they graduate. They’re only stopping to kiss Mom and Dad goodbye on the way. The fact is Bedlam can’t get where it wants to be because the way it is now is driving people away. Rainey.”
I started at being addressed.
“You said you have a sister,” Jeremy said. “Where is she now?”
My teeth ground, sensing where this was going.
“She lives in Chicago.”
Jeremy held out his hands like that proved everything.
“See? Families are breaking up and people moving out, because Bedlam celebrates all the wrong things of its past, and ignores the good. There are no more balloon and dancing parades, but Ruckus Royale is held every year. I can’t buy coffee from national chains, but I can get beaten up and dumped in the woods because I’m the new guy.”
I stopped myself kissing my teeth. This guy can twist history to suit himself better than anyone I’ve ever seen.
Arsenio tucked me under his arm. I felt him headed for my nipple and quickly held his fingers, lacing them through as he chuckled under his breath.
I thought Roan was the one I had to look out for.
“Bedlam needs to be shaken up. Foundry is going to tear down, but then it’ll rebuild in her vision,” he said, gesturing to me. “A safe, modern town where everyone in it is family.”
Steven threw an arm around his son. “I could not have said it better.”
Eileen’s expression didn’t let up. “Jeremy, I’m truly sorry to hear you’ve experienced violence in this town.” She coughed, cleared her throat, and continued. “If you can identify your attackers, I encourage you to step forward. We don’t tolerate b-bullying in any f-form.”
Jacques grinned at Jeremy over her shoulder. His smile tightened.
“I’m fine, but what I went through is what a lot of students are going through,” he said. “Intimidation and bullying. In the new town, everyone will feel safe.”
“You speak as though... it’s a forgone conclusion—” Eileen burst into a coughing fit.
“Excuse me,” she wheezed. “Sorry, I just—”
“Mother?” Jacques held her shoulders as she bent over. “What’s wrong?”