This had to be my decision.
“Okay.” I nodded toward Chase. “I’ve spent quite a bit of time reviewing the proposal, as well as all the points we discovered over the course of our hikes. As you said, there were a lot of great points.” I didn’t look, but I heard a murmur of approval from Preston. “However, I strongly feel that the benefits of the proposed development outweigh some of those challenges.”
The table went quiet.
Preston’s head lifted, his eyes locked on mine. His jaw tightened.
I knew he wasn’t going to like what I had to say. “I think we can make a compromise that will satisfy?—”
“A compromise?” he snapped. “You’re kidding, right?”
“The residential access can stay limited,” I continued. “The trail reroute can address the erosion concerns, while adding in some buffer zones for the wildlife. I think it might be the?—”
He laughed once. Sharp and humorless.
“You have got to be joking.” He shook his head. “You can’t possibly be good with this. Not after?—”
“Preston.” My voice came out much steadier than I felt. “I am.”
My words landed heavier than expected.
For a split second, something flickered across his face. Not anger. Not quite.
Disappointment.
And something more.
The group seemed to hold its collective breath.
“This isn’t personal, Preston,” I said carefully.
“Isn’t it?” His jaw flexed. “It sure feels personal.”
No one spoke. Not even Tilley, whose pen hovered uselessly over her clipboard as she watched the scene play out.
I met Preston’s gaze and forced myself not to look away. “It isn’t.”
The silence stretched longer than it should have before Preston pushed his chair back with a scraping loud enough to disturb the puppy, who jumped up with a yelp under the table.
“I think I need some air,” he said, already headed for the door.
“Preston,” Chase called after him. “We need to finish?—”
His words were cut off as Preston disappeared out into theplaza, the bell over the door chiming softly as the door closed behind him.
I stayed seated, my hands wrapped around my mug, my heart pounding in a way that had nothing to do with the meeting.
And everything to do with the look on Preston Lyons’s face right before he’d walked away from me.
Preston
I stepped outside the coffee shop before I said something I couldn’t take back.
She was voting yes.
After…aftereverything.
What the actual fuck?
