I stood and went into the kitchen. The wooden spatula was in the dishrack. I opened the woodstove door and threw it in. The flames caught the wood, and as it started to blacken, the reality of everything set in. It was over. Again.
My phone buzzed. There were twelve texts from Beck. I blocked his number and deleted the whole thread.
The spatula crackled and split in the heat. I watched the wood turn to ash, and then shut the door.
16
BECK
I walked back into chaos.Inside town hall, everyone was yelling and no one was listening. I slunk along the wall and returned to my seat next to Everleigh. Her hands sat relaxed in her lap and her lips were turned up in amusement.
Mrs. K stood on a chair and Donnie stuck his fingers in his mouth to blow an ear-piercing whistle that shut everyone up. "I've lived in this town for eighty-two years," Mrs. K yelled. "You can take your fancy proposal and shove it."
The church ladies clapped and some raised their fists in the air. Mouser white-knuckled the edges of the podium, trying to look like he still had control. "If everyone would just settle down, we can discuss the—"
"There's nothing to talk about!" Donnie stood on the chair next to Mrs. K. "You're not touching our rink."
I should have stood up for my people. Instead, I sat there like an idiot as Mouser ruined everything I'd built that month. My cheek stung, and that was the only part of me that felt alive.
Mayor Mavis banged her gavel until the room quieted down. "You had your chance to voice your opinion, but instead youacted like buffoons. This matter will be on the next council agenda to be decided by your elected representatives."
Rob clapped and shook Mouser's hand.
Mavis gave one more bang of her gavel. "Meeting adjourned. Thank god," she muttered the last part under her breath.
Mouser packed his briefcase. "Good work, Shepherd. We've got a meeting scheduled for tomorrow morning at my suite. Eight a.m. sharp." He didn't wait for a response. He walked out with Rob right beside him.
The room slowly emptied and I found myself wishing for a secret exit. I'd have to wait until everyone left if I wanted to get out of the building unscathed. Maddie's dad shot me a look that made me want to crawl into a hole. The rest acted like I didn't exist.
When almost everyone was gone, Logan dropped into the chair next to me. He looked exhausted.
"What happened, Shep?"
I stared at the scuffed floor. "The clause was in there. Mouser must have cut it from the final version."
"I know. Charlotte showed it to me. Did you check the final doc?"
"I trusted them."
Logan shook his head. "You trusted the wrong people."
"I know. I'm going to fix it."
"How?" He turned to look at me. "You need to figure out whose side you're on. Until you do, stay away from the dressing room. Nobody wants you there right now."
I opened my mouth to argue, but he was already standing.
"I'm not saying it's forever," he said. "But right now, nobody in this town trusts a word out of your mouth. Including me."
I stayed in the building until the night cleaners started stacking chairs. As the metal legs clanged, I pulled out my phone and called Clara. It went straight to voicemail.
The ski hill'sgondolas glinted in the rising sun as the colorful cabins whisked skiers up the mountain. The village overlooked Chance Rapids, but it felt like it was a world away. I thought I saw Evan and his daughter strolling to the lift in their ski boots, skis propped over their shoulders, but as I raised my hand to catch his attention, I realized he probably hated me too.
Mouser's room was on the top floor of the Sugar Peaks Suites. As he opened the door, I pushed past him into the room.
"Well, good morning to you, too," he said. He was in a hotel bathrobe, sipping a cup of black coffee.
"You rewrote the whole thing," I said. "You cut everything I promised them."
