Chapter Forty-Four Lorenzo
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
Lorenzo
A fter one last look at the clock, I remove my hands from my pockets and plaster on an approachable smile as I walk through the gymnasium doors. I step onto the makeshift stage located in the middle of the court, where Trevor Ludlow is already seated.
It takes an incredible amount of willpower to take a seat beside him knowing that he is here because he wants to take up his father’s mantle, all while he put mine six feet underground.
Does he feel guilty when he sees me—the only child of two innocent people he accidentally killed—or does he pretend it was all a bad dream?
His drunken memory of that night’s events is probably hazy at best, although the same can’t be said about his father, who was sober and all too willing to cover up the crime to protect his son.
Trevor reaches over and offers me his hand. I stare at it before putting on my well-worn mask and shaking hands with my parents’ killer. As I give him a firm squeeze, I dream of crushing all twenty-seven bones while he smiles at me like a human version of a golden retriever.
His father sits proudly near one side of the gymnasium, smiling at his murderous son like he’s the greatest gift on Earth. I suppose Trevor is a godsend when compared to Mayor Ludlow’s other son, Richard, who sits beside him and looks like he’s suffering from hemorrhoids.
Willow steps into my direct line of sight and tugs on her ear, giving me the signal to look more approachable.
I suppose staring at the Ludlow family with bloodlust doesn’t give people the warm fuzzies, so I school my features and focus on the other bleachers full of townspeople. After a quick pass over the crowd, I turn my gaze to the woman who steals my attention every time we’re in the same room.
Lily, who is sitting with her sister and mom, smiles and throws me two thumbs-up. The way she and the Lopez family are here to support me curbs any remaining negative feelings I have about sharing the same air as the man who killed my parents.
Tonight’s moderator is a woman I recognize as the principal of the elementary school, Mrs. Singer. She steps up to the microphone that the townspeople will use to ask questions and addresses everyone. “Welcome to our first ever mayoral debate!”
That statement alone is questionable because how has this town been around for over a hundred years yet never had a competitive mayoral race?
“Since this is all very new, please be patient with us while we go over the rules.” Mrs. Singer reviews the expectations, including silence from everyone unless they’re chosen to ask a question at the microphone, before turning to face Trevor and me.
“Each candidate will have two minutes to answer a question and one minute for a follow-up rebuttal. A coin toss will determine who goes first, and we will switch off from there.”
Without further ado, Mrs. Singer calls on the first person to come up to the microphone.
“In recent years, Lake Wisteria has drastically grown in population size, but some citizens, including myself, are concerned about the town losing its charm. So, what are some ideas you have to balance growth and opportunities with keeping true to our values as a town?”
A coin toss determines that Trevor will go first. He smiles warmly at the crowd, looking every bit like his father as he pulls the mic to his mouth.
It’s the way his smile reaches his eyes that makes my stomach churn. Because how can someone appear so unbothered—so utterly untouched by the pain they caused—while I can’t escape the haunted look in mine?
“Well, we’ve been fortunate to have so many people interested in moving to our town.
It’s been difficult to keep up with the boom in population, so we’ve experienced some growing pains while we adjust to the change, but what makes our town special isn’t the size but rather the people who live in it. ”
He recites his response like he practiced it a hundred times, and after a second glance at the person who asked the question, I understand why. Of course Trevor and his father would infiltrate the crowd and plant a few of their most loyal citizens to ask questions.
He carries on talking about preserving the town square and Main Street, which are both ideas I agree with. I’m not surprised that he steers clear of talking about the Historic District, given his family bribing everyone on Lavender Lane into signing their NDA.
Trevor is finally cut off by the moderator. Everyone in the bleachers seems to like his answer based on their enthusiastic head nods, motivating me to do better.
Instead of remaining seated like Trevor, I stand up and face the crowd.
“Growth is a good thing. A great thing, honestly, but only in moderation.” I pause and watch as some nod along to what I’m saying. “In fact, I’m going to play devil’s advocate here and say what some of you will probably hate to hear.”
People who were on their phones or whispering among each other during Ludlow’s time look up or quiet down.
“We’re becoming the Hamptons of the Midwest, and I don’t mean that as a compliment.”
A woman lets out a startled gasp near the top of the bleachers.
If there is one thing I’ve learned during my canvassing, it’s that born-and-raised locals love the money the new residents pump into the town but they hate the idea of selling out.
Which is very much a possibility if Trevor is put in charge.
“Who here has visited Lake Aurora?” I ask.
Almost every arm in the crowd shoots up, including Jane’s, who told me what it was like to witness how much Lake Aurora has changed.
“Keep your hands up and look around.”
Bleachers squeak from all the movement.
“Now, who here knows someone who has lived in Lake Aurora?”
All the hands remain raised up high.
“And to those of you with your hands still raised, put them down if the person you know has moved away within the last five years due to circumstances related to the town, such as the cost of living becoming too expensive or the unstable job market.”
Slowly, hands everywhere drop until there is only a small fraction left. Even Jane’s hand is no longer raised because similarly, most of her friends and family moved out of their hometown once it began to change and the rent prices became unaffordable.
She told me as much during our double date, but I put all the pieces together once Lily and I witnessed it ourselves.
The silence in the room is deafening, but it says much more than I ever could on the subject, and I let the crowd sit with that discomfort before continuing.
“Lake Aurora faced the same predicament as us a decade ago, and their mayor decided to embrace change because they too were so very fortunate to have people interested in their town.” It’s poetic justice to use Trevor’s words against him, and I enjoy watching the emotions flicker across his face.
Fear. Surprise. Uncertainty.
And soon enough, defeat .
“The town’s council welcomed growth and expansion, and now Lake Aurora is struggling with an identity crisis.
Mom-and-pop shops are having a tough time paying rent and keeping up with expenses with so much cheaper competition.
Franchises are replacing family-run restaurants that were established fifty-plus years ago, turning their Main Street into a graveyard of boarded-up storefronts waiting for the next McDonald’s to open up.
Their rental market is at a record high, their infrastructure is struggling to support the influx of people, and community staples like their rec center have suffered from funding cuts despite the town’s increased tax revenue. ”
I pause and allow what I’m saying to sink in. “Locals can’t run away fast enough, and if we’re not careful, our town will be next. So I’ll throw the question back on you all and ask: How does one prevent Lake Wisteria from becoming another Lake Aurora?”
No one claps because of the event’s rules, but the looks of fear on everyone’s faces feel better than any round of applause I could receive. Not to mention the worried expression on Trevor’s face as his wide eyes dart to find his father in the crowd.
“Mr. Ludlow, you have one minute to respond.”
Trevor follows my lead and stands up, so I return to my stool and watch as he addresses everyone.
“My family has helped this town grow for a hundred years. I studied how my grandfather led us through the strawberry boom, and I saw my father navigate the inflation crisis that swept the nation a few decades later. I’ve studied their choices, not all of which I agreed with…
Sorry, Dad, it was never a good idea to try to ban motor vehicles. ”
People laugh, and Mayor Ludlow waves his son off with a smile, his eyes full of pride. It makes me sick to see the two of them happy together when they should both be behind bars for their crimes.
Trevor grins. “I’ve learned from them because I always knew that one day I would want to follow in my father’s footsteps.”
My molars grind. I prepared myself for him using his family’s legacy as a tactic, but stomaching it is a whole different issue, especially when the crowd is nodding along and eating up his words like they’re gospel.
Trevor practically glows as he takes us down memory lane.
“The town has entrusted us to lead them through the good and the bad times, and we’ve done our best to encourage economic prosperity while retaining what makes Lake Wisteria special.
We can see Lake Aurora as what it is—a cautionary tale rather than a prophecy waiting to be fulfilled—and we can use that knowledge to better guide our decisions.
They don’t have the same history we do, and that’s a good thing. ”
The energy in the room shifts, and the fear in everyone’s eyes dims, replaced by hopeful expressions and soft chatter. Lily must hear something she doesn’t like because she gnaws on her bottom lip, and Willow appears paler than usual as she looks back at a couple whispering behind her.
I can feel my victory slipping through my fingers. My gut instinct has gotten me this far, so I trust that if I don’t win tonight’s debate, I’ll lose the entire election, and that is not an option.
Not because I want to avenge my parents, although that will always be a reason, but because Lily needs me to win.
Somewhere along the way, winning became less about getting payback and more about saving Lily, her mother, and their flower shop. I want to protect the life Lily built in this town by fulfilling the future she so desperately wants.
A future that I couldn’t be a part of should Trevor become mayor. That much becomes painfully clear as I sit here, thinking of my past trauma that he caused.
I thought that maybe I could suffer through his time as mayor for Lily’s sake, but I can’t. I’d only end up driving myself crazy and push Lily away for good.
“Mr. Vittori, you have one minute to respond before we move on to the next question,” Mrs. Singer calls.
I try to calm myself down, but Trevor’s ability to charm the crowd and use their nostalgia as a weapon has rattled me.
Now is not the time to be nervous, I remind myself. Not when I have hundreds of people watching me, waiting to see how I can live up to the Ludlows’ legacy.
I want to surpass it, not only for myself and my parents but for the woman I love.
“Mr. Vittori?” Mrs. Singer prompts, not letting me process my feelings.
I rise, noting the uncomfortable pang in my chest as I hold the mic up to my mouth.
With a deep breath, I begin. “Mr. Ludlow speaks fondly of his father’s legacy, and for good reason since the town has grown significantly.
But I’m curious about one thing he said in particular.
” I shift to the side so I can look at him out of the corner of my eye.
“When you talk about wanting to follow in your father’s footsteps, does that mean carrying on with his plan to destroy part of the Historic District?
Because according to the architect at Morrison and Holmes, you paid them to draw up plans that require tearing down a lot more than five small businesses on Lavender Lane. ”
I swore to Lily that I would protect everyone who signed an NDA, including her mother, and the only way I could do that was by flipping the Ludlows’ other source—the architecture firm.
Maybe instead of manipulating the townspeople into signing NDAs, the Ludlows should’ve focused more on making sure the people they hired stayed quiet.
Trevor’s eyes go wide, giving himself away, and the debate rules go out the window as the entire gymnasium breaks out into a roar of outrage.
Mrs. Singer does her best to get everyone under control. It takes a few minutes, but she calms everyone down by promising to give Trevor one minute to explain himself. I want to object but doing so would make me look like I’m intimidated, so I agree with the format change.
For someone who appeared nervous only two minutes ago, Trevor has a certain swagger to him that raises an alarm in my head.
And when he looks over at me and smiles like he won the debate, I freeze.
“What Lorenzo said is true—” He holds his hand up to quiet the whispers. “But what he failed to mention is that I would never make a decision like that without putting it to a vote.”
I can see where he is going with this, and I don’t like it.
“We did contact an architect to draw up some plans and a few construction companies to get quotes. I won’t pretend that isn’t the case, but we only did it so that we could give the town as much information as possible for you to make a well-informed decision.”
I knew he’d go down swinging, but I didn’t expect him to punch back this hard.
“I understand this might come as a shock to everyone, and I completely understand, but we Ludlows look out for our own, which can’t be said about Lorenzo.
He walked away from his family business when it got a little too hard for him.
” Trevor pauses, and I watch as his words and his victorious smile sink in.
Trevor faces the crowd. “Does that sound like a person who’s loyal to you? Like someone who will fight when things get hard?”
For someone who was confident he could pull out a win tonight, I feel like the complete opposite right now, and the crushed look on Lily’s face confirms it.