“I was here once years ago as a kid. I came back to see if it was as magical as I remembered.”
“And... ?” she asks. I look up through the green branches of the redwoods. I can see that it’s a bright blue sky far above the canopy of trees. But down here, sheltered by layers of lacy green boughs, it’s the golden hour all day long.
“I think it might be.”
“Oh, it is,” she says with certainty as she tightly rolls a fleece and stuffs it back into her pack. “There’s no place like Norland Park. And do you know why?”
“The incredible scenery?”
“Nope.” She looks at me like I’m an idiot. “There are lots of resorts and motels along Highway One. It’s the Greenwoods. They’re what make this place so special. Have you met them?”
“Actually . . . I’m waiting to meet Elinor Greenwood.”
“Lucky you,” she says with a twinkle in her eye. “Then you know what I mean about the Greenwoods. They have this special quality that makes you feel like you matter. Sometimes in a place like this, where the natural world is so big, you can feel lonely—a good sort of lonely, if you know what I mean.”
I nod, even though I’m not sure I do.
“But after a while, the loneliness gets to you. That’s why I come back here. The Greenwoods—they’ve created a community where everyone belongs. Everyone feels wanted and loved, and it’s wonderful. There’s not enough of that in the world.”
“Do you want to help us build the world’s best sandcastle?”Elinor’s question echoes in my mind. She was always inviting other kids to help us dig holes or haul buckets of water. Each new child was accepted as an important and valued member of the sandcastle committee—or fort building, or whateveradventure we might be up to that day. We all looked to her for directions.
Whenever I work on a group project I think longingly of that summer of building sandcastles with strangers and the easy good will and cooperation of young children. Why can’t all group projects go so smoothly?
I am beginning to suspect that the magic ingredient was Elinor. She has a low-key form of leadership. She’s the antithesis of my boss, Ms. Steele, who flatters and threatens and picks favorites.
At the thought of Lucinda, the potatoes from breakfast sit heavy in my stomach. She will not take kindly to my plan to alter the proposal in order to save Bumble Cottage. Likewise, this friendly woman chatting with me would be horrified with the changes I’ve already signed off on.
“You’re right. I’ve never been to another place like this,” I say.
“And you won’t find another,” she says, returning a bag of protein bars to the top of her pack. “Too many resorts cater to the rich. I’m a retired nurse. Do you think I can afford those places? I just hope Norland Park survives. I hear there’s a new owner.” I nod along, coward that I am. There’s no way I’m going to tell her that the new owner is my mother. “I hope they do the right thing—whoever they might be,” she says. And the way she looks at me with her sharp blue eyes makes me fear that she can see right through me.
“We can only hope,” I reply with hardly any hope at all.
My new friend lifts up her pack. It looks heavy and unwieldy in comparison to her small build. I jump up to help her, but I’m not fast enough. She deftly puts it on, then clips the waist belt and adjusts the straps.
“Off I go on another adventure!” she says with such genuine excitement that I briefly reconsider my firm personalstance against sleeping on the ground.
“Have a great hike!” I wave to her with excessive zeal partly fueled by guilt. I turn back around to see Elinor standing a few feet behind me, trying her best not to laugh.
“You just couldn’t tell her, could you?”
“I prefer people to like me, and that lady’s convinced the new owner’s a villain.”
“Andareyou?” she asks with a cheeky smile.
“I’m not the owner. My mom is.”
“Uh huh. But you were sent on her behalf. Or did your boss send you?”
“My boss?”
“Yes, Lucinda Steele of Steele Properties, a company that specializes in developing luxury resorts. I did some research last night.” Her look hardens. “I’m guessing that has something to do with your visit.”
“Well... um...” I sit back down on the bench. “My company is looking into developing Norland Park. But nothing’s final. I swear.”
“Tell me, Mr. Frechette.” Her dark eyes pin me. “Name one good reason I should take you on a tour of the resort this morning when my time would be better spent looking for a job.”
I swallow.
