“Great. So you, me, Tyrone and the crazy cat lady,” Shelly scoffs.
“Just because she has a lot of cats doesn’t make her crazy,” I say. The two just stare at me.
“Babygirl, she has six catsinsidethe gift shop. God only knows how many she has in her house,” Steven says, joining our conversation suddenly.
“What do you think?” Shelly asks him.
“I think it’s bittersweet. Good for my business, good for all of us as homeowners, bad for the nostalgia. And the environment, probably. Sad to see it all go.”
“But what about tourism?” Mrs. Newman wonders, everyone listening in now, “Isn’t the charm of our town the whole reason people come here?”
“Came here,” Ron corrects her, clearly on board with the resort. The resort which, notably, leaves his side of the street intact. “Past tense.”
“So that’s it? You’re on Team Take Down Town Square, just like that?”
Ron shrugs, Tyrone laughs and says, “Yeah, yeah, we’ll see what team you’re on when Texas Roadhouse and Olive Garden buy up the big empty plots to the south.”
“They wouldn’t,” Ron pales a bit.
“They would. Just like Chili’s did in Cedar Point,” Gary says, visibly excited and clearly on team Take Down. “Think of the schools, the parks, the roads, everything gets funds.”
“Everything that isn’t torn down!” Shelly argues.
And so the conversation explodes again, around and around. There are fair points made on all sides. By the end, we help Ron clean up and file out, exhausted and mostly sad. After reviewing every angle, they’re all too sharp. We’re all feeling gutted. No one loves either option that His Royal Dictator laid out,accept or die.
One thing is clear, to me, at least.
That beautiful—terrible!—terrible but very well-dressed man, is a bully.
I’ve lived with one of those before.
And we simply cannot let him take over our town.
I can’t let that happen. I have to make sure we stand up to him. Find another way, with someone else or by some other means. Somehow, I will find the strength to say so. Audibly.
CHAPTER 3
Harper
“Listen, nine percent over last year’s Valentine’s Day is not nothing, Harp,” Janie assures me.
“It wasn’t enough to make up for January,” I say, trying not to sound as desperate as I feel.
“But itdidwork. Your ideas worked. You’re crushing it. I know your dad is proud,” she says.
“Yeah, well, a lot of good it did in the end. Which is upon us. We only have one last council meeting beforehecomes back again.”
“I maintain my position,” Janie replies.
“Sweden,” I sigh.
I can hear her gray eyes and dark, could-be-a-model-face smiling as she says, “Switzerland. I love you, Ben loves you. Ben also loves Aiden and says he has a heart inside his suit somewhere. I love Ben. Therefore, I must cheer both of you on but you’re at 60% cheer and Aiden is only getting 40%.”
“That’s way too much!” I squeak.
“Well, that’s what happens when you get married!” She squeaks back.
“Ugh, alright. Well, thanks for the pep talk,” I tell her, meaning it. She quickly relays their travel plans over the next month before they’re home, encourages me a bit more, then lets me go.
