“You would say that, son. You’ve always had it. Luckily, you’ve never experienced the hardship of growing up and having to scrape together money for a loaf of bread. Your great-grandparents came to this country from Ireland with nothing but the clothes on their backs. If it weren't for their hard work, we wouldn't be here.”
I rest my hand on my father’s shoulder. While I may not always see eye to eye with him, I can empathise with his perspective after reflecting on the hardships our ancestors faced. “I’m grateful for the privileges I have. But maybe it’s time to give something back to the community. There’s more to life than work, Dad.”
He furrows his brow while he chews on my wordsbefore digesting them. “Where will you go? Are you moving back to England?”
“Probably.” I look around at the town I’ve come to love and call home, knowing I’ll miss it, but there’s nothing here for me now.
“You’ll be back when you run out of money.”
“I’ll let you know. I won’t leave without saying goodbye.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
SHELLY
Two months later
“Did you see the news about the development going ahead?” Oli says as I walk into the hut.
“Yes, I had an email. I’ve already spoken to a lawyer and sent emails to the Sea Oats Conservation.” With the emergence of the turtles well under way, I have so much to do without dealing with all this crap. “Can you man the fort? I need to get up-to-date with our accounts and make sure we have the funds to take this appeal to court.”
“Of course.”
I open my laptop on one of the tables in the hut cafe and go through the accounts. Usually I keep on top of things at the end of each month, but with new turtles emerging every few days, I’ve been focusing all my attention on that. Now that the summer volunteers are back at school, college and uni, there’s only a few of us left.
Oli brings me a sweet tea. “Here you go. Let me know if you need anything else.”
“Thank you.” The staff and volunteers always look after me. I couldn’t do any of this without their support. They look up to me for answers and to lead them, but lately, with all the stress of the looming development, I feel like a failure.
The money we raised during our annual fundraiser will see us through the nesting season. With the extra money raised this year from the kissing auction, I hope it’s enough to pay for a lawyer. They charge a few hundred bucks just to send a letter. My pot of money will run out a lot faster than Dream Developments and Construction.
While I have the passion and determination to beat them in any fight, I don’t have the wallet to match. It’s obvious their connections and money are what got this development approved. No matter how good my presentation, or how valid my point was, they were always going to take a bribe from their golfing buddy.
I rub the creases in my forehead as I log into the charity’s bank account. My eyes widen when the balance pops up on the screen. I’m pleasantly surprised, but also confused as to where the money’s come from.
Standing out are several deposits from the same source in the past few months. Large deposits, but all random and different figures. There’s no pattern or reasoning.
When I click on the name, it’s deposited from the Creative Collective Gallery. Labelled Eagle Arts Studio. I’ve never heard of Eagle Arts Studio before.
Thinking of eagles, I’m reminded of Finn and our time on the boat, watching the white-tailed eagle soar above us. My heart’s never fully healed, but I try not to think about him, instead throwing myself into my work. Last I heard, he moved back to England. I don’t blamehim for the development. I believe he tried where his father was concerned. He couldn’t even convince his father to let him follow his dreams, so he certainly would not get him to budge where my passions were concerned.
I hope Finn’s doing all right whatever he’s doing. A note was left in the hut before his departure over two months ago. I still have it in my purse. Feeling nostalgic, I pull it from the inside zip pocket and carefully unfold the paper to reread
Dear turtle girl,
I hope this letter finds you well. I was going to text, but I wasn’t sure if you’d blocked me, and I couldn’t handle another rejection.
I’m not sure when I’ll be back this way, if ever. Without you, there’s nothing here for me now.
I hope you keep fighting for what’s right. You’re the female version of my favourite Ninjas, seeking justice and protecting those in need. A real superhero. Whatever you do in life, I know you’ll do great things.
You’re a breath of fresh air. Knowing you for our brief time made me a better man. You taught me to soar to new heights like the eagle, yet gave me the courage of a lion. You’ll always hold a special place in my heart, turtle girl.
For what it’s worth, everything was real.
You said I have a piece of your heart. You possess a part of me as well. The real me. I could only ever be my true self with you.
All mylove,
