Chapter 23 #2
Rowan’s already here, with Willa and Ivy both helping at her booth.
The table’s loaded with herbs, handmade soaps, and a little chalkboard sign that says Salt & Root Apothecary.
She’s laughing at something Willa says, her hair twisted up in a messy bun on top of her head.
There's a breeze coming in off the harbor, cooling everything down which is a relief because it's been a hot day.
When Rowan spots me, her whole face lights up. “Hey, stranger,” she says, stepping around the table and kissing me. “You made it.”
“Wouldn’t miss it.” I slide my hand into hers and pull her toward me.
She leads me through the crowd. Ivy’s selling crocheted stuffed animals that her and Junie have been working on. Lilith's at the pie booth, handing out samples of apple pie. Pete waves from a chair behind a cooler of cider, his grin wide and unguarded.
My mom steps out from behind him and her whole face lights up when she sees Rowan’s hand in mine. But when her eyes shift to me, her smile falters because she knows me too damn well. She can feel it.
Something’s wrong. Because something is wrong.
My stomach twists hard enough to make me nauseous, and I force a smile I don’t feel. My pulse is hammering in my throat, too loud, too fast. I swear she can hear it.
I squeeze Rowan’s hand like it’s the only solid thing holding me upright, because right now it is.
I can’t tell her or anyone else.
Sammy backed me into a corner so tight I’m choking on it. The bastard really thinks he can get away with what he’s doing and he won’t. I’m going to protect everyone in this town and make damn sure of it.
The sight of everyone coming together, with laughter, smells, and the town humming with its own heartbeat, hits me square in the chest. This is home. And all these people have no idea that Sammy is trying his best to destroy it.
I’ve seen the plans, and I know what’s coming if I don’t stop it.
Neon signs for tacky chain restaurants that won’t pay what our restaurants pay their workers, chain coffee shops that will take away business from Wisteria Books & Brews, meaning half these people and their livelihood businesses will be gone.
And some of them have had these businesses in their families for several generations.
These plans will change lives in Wisteria Cove forever. It will ruin it.
And standing here, watching Rowan hand a little girl a flower from her booth, I realize exactly what “re-development” means. It means gutting this. It means erasing everything that makes this place matter. And I would have a part of that destruction.
She glances up at me, smile fading a little, too. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I lie, forcing the word out past the tightness in my chest. “I’m fine.”
The lie tastes bitter. It sits heavy in my throat, like gravel I can’t swallow. I hate that I’m saying it, hate that I’ve backed myself into a corner where it feels like the only option.
But what am I supposed to do? Tell Rowan that I took the meeting, knowing damn well what he did to her? Tell her I let myself get blindsided by Sammy Briggs of all people? No. I can’t do that to her.
I can’t tell her. Not until I fix it. Not until I’m sure it won’t break her trust. So, I lie until I can fix it.
She studies me for a second, then nods, though her eyes say she doesn’t believe me. She turns back to Willa, and I shove my hands in my pockets, pretending to admire the next booth.
The band begins another song, and the crowd sways in time with it. All I can hear is that one voice in my head whispering, you signed it. You let them in. You're just as shitty.
I pull my phone from my pocket and type fast.
I have to talk to you. I messed up.
The message bubbles for a beat before Remy replies.
Remy: Where are you?
Farmer’s market.
Remy: I’m here too. I’ll come find you.
I look up. Rowan’s laughing again, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, completely unaware that a group of men with renderings and contracts are already redrawing her world and everything that she has given her life to building.
My stomach knots as I take a breath that doesn’t quite fill my lungs and glance down the street at all these faces I know with my mom, Pete, Ivy, Willa, and the kids running wild.
They have no idea.
I force a smile and walk toward the cider booth, because for now, all I can do is wait for Remy and try not to fall apart before he gets here.
I don’t have to wait long. Ten minutes later, I spot Remy weaving through the crowd with his usual “don’t start” look on his face. He’s still in his work boots, a Bennett Tree Farm T-shirt, like he came straight from work.
He scrutinizes me, eyebrows pinched together. “You look like shit.”
“Wouldn’t be inaccurate by the way I'm feeling.”
We move off to the edge of the square, where it’s quieter. The music’s still playing somewhere behind us, laughter rolling through the air, the whole town glowing like a postcard. Tourists are flooding the town tonight, and the booths are packed with customers.
And I can barely stand it, because I know what those papers in my truck console mean.
Remy studies me as he crosses his arms. “All right. Talk.”
I rub my hand over my jaw. “I went to that meeting with Sammy today.”
He groans. “Why?”
“I know.” My voice comes out tight. “He had developers there. They’re planning a full overhaul of Main Street with new shops, new leases.
They want to gut it. Rowan’s bookstore, Willa’s shop…
everything is in jeopardy. My house, too.
And I—” My throat closes for a second. “I signed an NDA before they showed me the plans. I’m not even supposed to be telling you. ”
I don't even care about telling Remy any of this. He's a lawyer, although he doesn't practice, he maintains his license and jokes that it's just in case he needs it for any of us. And right now, I'm calling in that brotherly favor.
Remy’s eyes narrow. “What?”
“It looked like a standard contract,” I say quickly. “Bid paperwork. I thought it was routine. I didn’t know they were planning this crap until after they told me everything and showed me the plans. It’s awful, Remy. Wisteria Cove as we know it will be gone.”
He swears under his breath, glances around to make sure no one’s close enough to overhear. “You have a copy of the paperwork they had you sign?”
“In the truck.”
He nods slowly, processing. “Okay. Deep breath. First thing, you didn’t commit a felony, so that’s good. Second, I can help you figure things out.”
I huff out a humorless laugh with relief. “You always know how to make things right.”
“I’m serious,” he says. “We’ll go over it line by line. See what they actually locked you into. If they’re planning something that affects public land or existing leases, they can’t bulldoze without the board’s approval. There are ways around this. If anything, we can get ahead of this.”
I nod and swallow a huge lump in my throat, trying to keep my hands from shaking. “They threatened me. Said if I didn’t play along, they’d come after me, and all of us. Our businesses are in jeopardy.”
Remy’s jaw sets. “Typical Sammy.”
“Yeah, but I shouldn’t have signed,” I admit quietly. “I screwed up, Rem.”
He looks at me for a long moment, then nods once. “So, we fix it.”
I blink at him. “You’re not even going to give me hell?”
“Oh, I’m giving you hell later,” he says dryly. “But right now, you need a plan, not a lecture.”
That gets a small, shaky laugh out of me. “Well, that's a first from my bossy big brother.”
“Yeah, well,” he says, smirking, “I can’t let you drown. Who else would I have to make fun of?”
I grin, but it fades fast as my eyes drift back to the market, where I see Rowan and Ivy laughing at something and Willa leaning over to hand a bag to a customer.
“This place,” I say quietly. “If they get their way, it won’t look like this anymore. It’ll be chaos and soulless. Wisteria Cove will be gone.”
Remy follows my gaze, his expression softening. “Then we don’t let them win.” He claps a hand on my shoulder. “Tomorrow morning, you bring me every piece of paper you’ve got. We’ll read it together, figure out where to hit back.”
The knot in my chest loosens a little. “Thanks, man.”
He squeezes my shoulder. “You don’t thank me yet. Wait till we’re done making that snake Sammy wish he’d never met us.”
We walk back toward the glow of the market, the sounds of laughter and music mixing with the crash of the tide in the distance. Rowan spots us and waves, her smile bright enough to cut through everything I’m feeling.
I wave back, my heart heavy but steady.
Because whatever happens next, I’m not fighting this alone.