Arewe finally seeing clear?”
The song ended, and the silence that followed lasted only a heartbeat before the crowd erupted. Noah looked momentarily stunned by the reaction, then offered an awkward half-bow before attempting to escape the stage. Axel caught him by the arm, forcing him to stay for another round of applause.
I stood frozen, the revelation of my feelings rendering me temporarily incapable of movement.
Noah Barrett.
I was falling in love with Noah Barrett.
As Noah finally extracted himself from Axel’s embrace and descended from the stage, a commotion at the festival entrance broke through my emotional epiphany. Heads turned toward the source of the disturbance, conversations faltering as a familiar four-wheel-drive golf cart careened into the parking lot.
The vehicle still bore the scars of my crash, dented front bumper, cracked windshield, one headlight dangling.
Marcus and Victoria stepped out, and like someone flipping off a light switch, the energy of the entire festival changed.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Marcus stepped out of the driver’s side of the LuxeLife golf cart, surveying the scene like an aristocrat who’d accidentally wandered into a peasant uprising.
Victoria stepped out of the passenger seat; her pristine white pantsuit remained immaculate despite the surrounding wilderness. Her gaze moved systematically across the scene: conservation booths, fusion food tent, the massive screen displaying Gary the Grouse dance videos, crowds wearing “Save Gary” t-shirts.
Then, Victoria’s eyes found me.
“Oh, oh,” said Brie. “She doesn’t look happy.”
Marcus scrambled to keep up with Victoria’s measured pace as she marched toward me, flinching whenever he made accidental eye contact with anyone wearing tie-dye.
Victoria pressed her perfectly painted lips into a thin line, her eyes boring into me. My newfound emotional clarity about Noah would have to wait. Because right now, Victoria Sterling was bearing down on me with the momentum of an avalanche,and I had the sinking feeling that no amount of social media savvy was going to deflect what was coming.
From my peripheral vision, I caught both Noah and my mother converging on my position from opposite sides of the festival grounds, each wearing identical expressions of protective determination.
“I’ve got this,” I said quietly as they reached me, holding up a hand to stop them both. Noah hesitated, concern etched across his features, while Mom’s eyes narrowed with the protective instinct of a woman who once chased a crooked health inspector out of her restaurant with a meat cleaver.
“You sure?” Noah asked, his voice still carrying the husky quality from his song.
“I’m sure.” Our eyes met, and I found strength in his steady gaze. “This is my mess to clean up.”
Victoria came to a stop before me, her heels sinking slightly into the graveled parking lot. Her perfect features contorted with barely contained fury as she surveyed the surrounding festival. I watched as she watched the video display above the stage. I saw her take in the signs. “Save the Grouse!” “Stop LuxeLife!” “No More Corporate Expansions!”
“What exactly do you think you’re doing?” Victoria demanded, each word as sharp as a scalpel. “Besides violating approximately eighteen clauses in your contract?”
I tilted my chin up, refusing to be intimidated. “Saving an endangered species. Protecting a community landmark. Oh, and generating the most authentic content this resort has ever seen.”
Victoria’s laugh echoed off the mountains. “This little …” she waved a manicured hand dismissively at the festival, “… freak show won’t change anything. The development plans are already in motion. The board has approved the budget.”
“You have obligations, Samantha,” said Marcus. “Contractual ones. With very specific penalty clauses for breach.”
Victoria stared at the video screen, frowning. “What is that, exactly? A bird? Dancing? It looks like the chicken version of Barry Gibb.” She looked at the faces of the crowd gathering around us, most of whom were much younger than she was. “That’s a Bee Gees reference for all you millennials, by the way. Greatest disco band of the 70s. Look them up.”
“We know who the Bee Gees are,” said Brie.
Victoria’s eyes narrowed as she turned back to me. “This little stunt of yours could end your career. One call from me, and you’ll never work with another luxury brand again. Is that what you want, Samantha?”
I took a deep breath, drawing strength from the friends around me. From the community that had come together over the past few days. From Noah’s song, still echoing in my heart.
“What I want,” I said, my voice growing stronger with each word, “is to do work that matters. The Adventure Center matters. The grouse matters. This community matters.”
Victoria’s perfectly shaped eyebrow arched. “Does it really? Do you honestly believe people care about this beyond a few earthy-crunchy wackadoos?” She gestured to the festival-goers around us.
