I glanced across the room in time to see Jess pull her arm out of Trevor’s grasp. Her expression was caught between annoyance and resignation.
Was there trouble in paradise?
Not that I cared.
I didn’t.
Chapter Four
Preston
“Good boy.” I bent and gave the pup a rub on the head before he scarfed down the treat I held out for him.
Summit and I had been working on some basic commands, and he really was a smart pup. And eager to please. He was also highly motivated by the bag of treats I’d picked up for him at the pet store, along with about three hundred dollars’ worth of other supplies.
For a free puppy, he was turning out to be an expensive little guy.
Not that I minded too much.
So far, Summit came everywhere with me. I know I’d pressed my luck by bringing him into the brewery with me, but I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be afforded the same leniency that my brother gave me with the coffee shop.
So, for the last few minutes, I’d been working on getting Summit to stay and calmly lie down outside while I went into the Bean Bag. When I felt satisfied that he wasn’t going to cry and bark while I was inside for the first trail committee meeting,I gave Summit one more treat and slipped into the coffee shop.
Inside, I ordered myself a black coffee and joined Chase, Tilley, and Becky, who were already gathered around a table close to the window, which gave me a good view of the puppy. Not that I should be worried. He’d already attracted the attention of a passerby.
I almost spilled my coffee when the woman straightened up, and I saw it was Jess who’d been scratching Summit’s ears.
A sound dangerously close to a growl slipped from my lips, and Chase gave me a look. “You all right, man?”
“Fine. It’s just that we’re already running late.” I shot a look at Jess, who’d just joined us. “The meeting started two minutes ago.”
“Sorry I’m late,” she said, not sounding sorry at all. “I was just petting the cutest?—”
“His name is Summit.”
“He’s yours?” She dropped into the chair next to me.
“He is, and he’s in training. You shouldn’t have bothered him.”
I knew I was being a dick, but when it came to Jess, I couldn’t seem to stop myself.
“Anyway.” Chase cleared his throat. “Why don’t we get started. The purpose of this first meeting is to decide how we plan to go forward. Tilley, will you keep notes?”
“You know I will.” She raised a sparkly pen.
“Excellent.” Chase nodded before continuing. “First things first. We’ll need a plan for how we’re going to evaluate trail impact?—”
“Easy,” I cut in. “I propose that as a committee, we walk the trails that are in jeopardy of destruction, so we can see firsthand the damage that the development would cause.”
“Or,” Jess countered, “we could walk them to see exactlyhow minimal the disruption would be and see exactly how beneficial the development will be to the community.”
Chase looked between us before looking at Becky, whose eyebrows were raised.
“Okay…” Chase took a sip of his coffee. “I actually think that walking the trails together is a great idea. Why don’t we start with a group hike and go from there? Preston and Jess, can both of you come prepared to show us the pros and cons for the area?”
It wasn’t a bad idea at all, although I couldn’t see how Jess could possibly convince this group that bulldozing trees and wilderness to replace them with concrete would ever be a good thing.
“I think that may?—”
