“That may be true,” Jenny added.“But construction will cause a huge disruption as well and the town square in its current form has been a staple of this town long before any of us were even born.Why do away with all that history?”
Something Lottie had said to Nate the other day tickled the back of his brain.“Stepping into the future doesn’t mean letting go of the past.”
The three people across from him seemed intrigued, and Nate smiled at having them on the hook.“How would you accomplish it?”Marshall asked.
To that, Nate had no response and had to watch dejectedly as the fish he’d thought he was reeling in snapped off the line.While he tried and failed to come up with an immediate plan, the sound of cardboard sliding across wood drew everyone’s attention to the middle of the table where there was now a pink bakery box.
Nate looked over to Lottie who was picking off pieces from a blueberry muffin and popping them into her mouth.“Oh, sorry.I just wanted to make sure I shared some of these delectable pastries from Warm Delights.”Lottie nodded to the box in a silent urging for the rest of the table to join her.Nate couldn’t put anything in his stomach until this meeting was over, but the rest of the group didn’t feel the same way.Each person sitting across from them grabbed one breakfast bread or another with gusto and started to eat, thanking Lottie for her thoughtfulness.Lottie smiled at the group and passed over some napkins.“You know, I was talking with Mr.Martin, the owner of the bakery, just this morning about the town square and he mentioned that he would love to have someplace to hold some kind of Valentine’s Day Sweetheart Dance like they did when his parents were still alive.A new town square would be the perfect place for that.”
Nate gaped at Lottie, in awe of how seamlessly she’d interjected a positive aspect of his project into the conversation while also currying favor with the group by plying them with pastries.If Lottie ever decided to use her powers for evil, she would be diabolical.Yet now she was his personal superhero.
“That’s just one person’s opinion, Lottie,” Anthony said.Nate hated the way her name sounded coming out of the man’s mouth and he hated even more the way he looked at Lottie with thinly veiled interest.“The whole town doesn’t feel that way.”
“How do we know that?”Lottie asked.When she was met with blank stares from across the table and a quizzical expression from Nate, she leaned forward and smiled.“Have we asked the whole town?I talk to a lot of people and I would say when it comes to the town square project, the results are at the bare minimum, a mix of both for and against.What if Nate were to hold a public forum, present his plan, and then listen to the concerns from the community?Then he can adjust accordingly.”
Nate beamed at the brilliant woman next to him.He’d assumed everyone was on his side and was so excited about his project that he’d tried to push through the approval process when instead he should have been out persuading everyone to make their voice heard on the matter.Raising up other people’s voices was the number one rule of politics and clearly something he’d forgotten in his pursuit to secure his legacy.As he looked at Lottie, Nate realized he’d forgotten a lot of things and had a lot to make up for.Hopefully, she’d be just as understanding and forgiving as she always had been and let him.
The three people across the table conferred for a moment.“That sounds agreeable, but after the public forum you have one last chance to present this to us before we consider the matter closed Nate.”The finality in Anthony’s voice didn’t bother Nate, he was still too preoccupied with the woman next to him.
“Sounds like a plan.”Nate rose and shook hands with everyone across the table, maybe gripping Anthony’s with a little extra strength after he’d watched the man peek at Lottie’s cleavage.“Thank you for the opportunity.”Lottie smiled but lingered a while longer after Nate had left the room.When she rejoined him out in the hallway, Nate couldn’t help his curiosity at her absence.“What were you doing back there?”
Lottie smiled up at him as she buttoned her pea coat.“I was wishing them all a happy holiday season and getting a little information about which businesses are most on the fence.”Nate shook his head in disbelief of her abilities to get people to open up to her.“What?”
Nate smiled and held out his hand to her.When she slipped her palm into his, he laced their fingers together and led her toward the stairs.“Nothing.You’re just really amazing with people.”Lottie shrugged off the comment, but he didn’t want to let her brush the compliment aside so casually.“I mean it, Charlotte.”
Lottie’s eyes searched his for a moment.“I believe you.”
“Good.”As Nate walked them back outside, he pulled her a little closer to him.It was cold and he wanted her to be warm, but he also just needed her near him.Hopefully as they spent more time together, Lottie would believe him in every way possible.
Chapter Ten
Lottie
December in Applewood was always a magical time, and this year was no exception.Bright evergreen wreaths with red ribbon hung from the streetlights and every store window was either decorated for the upcoming winter holiday with twinkle lights and miniature Christmas trees or had art on the glass in the form of rotund snowmen or frolicking reindeer.The whole town seemed more abuzz than usual, but Lottie wasn’t sure if that was the excitement of the season being reflected back by the locals or the fact that she was in a better mood than she had been in years past, making the blood in her veins feel almost like electricity.
Before last year, Lottie’s Christmas celebrations included a phone call to Willa the night before where they would catch up on one another’s lives followed by dinner at the senior center with some of Applewood’s oldest citizens.The next day would find her opening presents she’d gotten for herself or a few from people around town before Lottie would make her dreaded yearly phone call to her parents followed closely by binge watching classic holiday movies to scrub the entire conversation from her mind.
