Free A Vote of Confidence by Robin Lee Hatcher

into town to attend a performance at the opera house or to eat in one
     of the restaurants, or they’ll want to buy a new dress or a new hat or any number of things that the resort doesn’t provide.”
     He glanced from Cleo to her father to Gwen and back to Cleo again.
    “That all sounds good,” she said, “but it begs another question in my way of thinking.”
    Something told him that Cleo Arlington always spoke her mind, and he decided he liked that about her. No pretense. No gilding of the lily. No pretending to be anything she wasn’t just to impress someone. She was who she was.
    And if Inez Cheevers hadn’t told him Cleo and Gwen Arlington were twins, he wouldn’t have believed it.
    “If you’re all so determined about making that resort of yours a success, why are you running for mayor? Won’t that take you
     away from the work that brought you here?”
    Morgan nodded. “Yes, it will, but I have good people working for me who can manage things on my behalf.”
    Softly, Gwen said, “You didn’t answer Cleo’s other question. Why do you want to run for mayor?”
    He turned his attention upon her. “Because I can do the job and do it well. And as a businessman, I’ve discovered that the
     governing bodies hereabouts are not always as helpful as they should be. They make it harder for new businesses to come to
     the community. I want to change that. I want to bring progress to Bethlehem Springs, and I want to see the town and its people
     flourish.” He challenged her with his eyes. “Don’t you, Miss Arlington?”

    Gwen almost sputtered with indignation. What a question! Of course she wanted her town to flourish. But she didn’t believe
     an outsider was the right person to make that happen. The mayor of Bethlehem Springs should be intimately acquainted with
     the people who lived here.
    “I believe in progress, Mr. McKinley, and I want prosperity for those who live here. But I don’t believe you know our town
     well enough to make those things happen in the right way.”
    “Sometimes an outsider can see things more clearly than those on the inside.”
    Gwen felt heat rising in her cheeks. What gall! Had he no humility whatsoever? As if they needed him to rescue their town, the same way he’d wanted to rescue her when his motorcar
     startled Shakespeare.
    He smiled.
    Was he laughing at her?
    “Miss Arlington, I believe I have intruded on you and your family long enough.” He held out his empty glass to her. “I thank
     you all for your hospitality.”
    He
was
laughing at her. He must be, for only a blind man wouldn’t have seen how he’d angered her. She took the glass from his hand,
     making certain their fingers did not touch.
    Morgan rose from the chair and placed his hat on his head. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Arlington. Cleo.” He nodded
     one last time at Gwen. “I look forward to further discussions about how we might improve Bethlehem Springs.” Then he turned
     and walked away, disappearing through the gate a few moments later.
    “A pleasant fellow,” her father said.
    “Pleasant?” Gwen felt as if the veins in her temples might explode. “He was condescending and… and supercilious. Why, even
     his churchgoing must be to help him win the election. Wasn’t this the first time he’s been to your services? Isn’t that what
     you said? What a hypocrite. Doesn’t he know God won’t be mocked?”
    “Gwennie,” Cleo said, “I think you’re being a bit hard on the man. You don’t know that’s why he came to church. You don’t
     want to be judging him unfairly.”
    Gwen looked from her sister to their father and back again. Had Morgan McKinley won them over so easily? Her own family! Well,
     she wasn’t so easily swayed. And if he’d thought this would make her rethink her own candidacy, he was in for a rude awakening.

EIGHT
    Harrison Carter folded the morning’s newspaper and placed it on the table next to his breakfast plate. What he wouldn’t like