The crowd in Greenie’s was silent for a few moments before Louise stood up and looked directly at me.
“Yes, we’re mad at you, but we still love you. You’re part of this town and a part of this family. We will always help and support you, but you can’t pretend that you can do everything on your own. Now, what is this plan of yours?”
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Four days had passed since the meeting at the diner, and Operation Spicy was well underway. The plan was to make the town undesirable to Preston’s firm while ruining Teddy’s credibility. It was a long shot, but it was our only hope.
After I confirmed with Ernesto that everything at the farm was ready, I went to Greenie’s for a last-minute meeting. Teddy had already sent me a warning text that he was on his way, so that only gave us four hours until showtime.
Max and Becks, who chose to stay at a hotel nearby instead of on the farm with me, were already at the diner, sipping coffee and laughing like old friends. I slid into the booth to join them, and Erica brought a fresh pot of coffee and empty mugs.
“Are you ready for this?” she asked and jabbed me in the shoulder.
“No… Yes… Do I have a choice?”
“You got this, girl. This is classic Emma,” Max said.
“I hope you’re right.” I took a sip of my coffee. “I just really wish Dan were here. I wish I could talk to him and just…” I shrugged.
“Hey, hey,” Becks said. “One thing at a time. If this man has any sense, he will come running—”
“Oh, shit,” Max whispered as she stared at something over my shoulder. A hush fell over the table as Erica and Becks caught sight of what Max must have seen. When I whipped my head around to look, I gasped.
My mother was standing in the entrance to the diner, and she didn’t look angry or even upset. She looked nervous. I jumped to my feet and ran to her.
“Mom!” I swallowed a lump that formed in my throat. “What are you…”
“Debbie called me.” She tilted her head toward Erica’s mother, who was watching us with interest. “She told me everything that’s been going on, and she thought that you might need your mother.”
“I do.” I nodded, and my eyes stung with tears. “I do need you. Mom, I’m so sorry that I—”
“Shh, shh, shh.” She put a perfectly manicured red fingernail to her lips. “There’s no time for that now, but I hope that there will be time later. I have a lot of things I need to say to you. Things I should have said years ago.”
“Yes.” I nodded, and before I could stop myself or think twice about it, I wrapped my arms around my mother and hugged her.
“Okay, sweetheart.” She laughed and quickly wiped away the tears in her eyes. “Let’s get to work. Your father wanted to be here,but he had a surgery. He wanted me to tell you that he loves you and that you should kick Teddy’s behind.”
“I thought you always loved Teddy,” I said, still wiping my eyes.
“We love you. We liked Teddy because we thought he was giving you a good life. But if he hurts you, he becomes a problem.” She raised an eyebrow.
“Don’t start none, won’t be none. Right, Cece?” Debbie appeared by my mother’s side. “Don’t let these pearls fool you, Emma. Your mother could throw hands like nobody’s business.”
“Okay, Debbie.” My mother cleared her throat and adjusted her suit. “Let’s discuss that later. Right now, we have work to do. What should I do, Emma?”
Mrs. Lee shot me a wink before I moved to the front of the diner and called the meeting to order.
Two hours later, I got a text informing me that Teddy’s convoy had reached the town hall. Pastor Freeman insisted on leading everyone in a quick prayer, during which I held hands with my mother, and we all moved into position.
“Well,” Teddy’s mother said in a strained voice, “it certainly is… quaint, isn’t it?” After knowing this woman for almost half my life, I knew she used words likequaint,cozy, andcharmingwhen she felt the overwhelming urge to fill the silence with nothing nice to say.
However, this time, I wasn’t offended because her words meant that our plan was working. Half of the storefronts had been boarded up. All of the beautiful plants and foliage that lined Main Street had been hidden away. Trash lined the streets, along with a few parked cars with their hoods open.
We were part of a small crowd, including my mother and me;Teddy, his parents, and his donors; Preston with a few members of his firm; plus the mayor and Belinda. There was also a reporter and a photographer, who were both hand-selected by Maxima Clarke to chronicle the event.
“Is that… is that a goat?” Teddy’s father pointed at what was definitely a goat crossing the street in front of Dr. Westlake’s office. The camera clicked, capturing Teddy’s father’s reaction.
“Oh, yes,” I said, “that’s Frisbee.” I shrugged and kept walking. At that moment, Frisbee, as if in response to hearing her name, stopped in the middle of the street and relieved herself before continuing on her journey.
