Chapter Eighteen
Lottie
The final downtown business association meeting was scheduled to start any minute, and Nate was nowhere to be found.
Lottie paced the hallway outside of the offices, wearing a pattern in the wooden floorboards with her slingback heels.
The sound of them clacking against the dark wood was starting to grate on her nerves, but Lottie had to keep her body moving or she would go crazy.
Berating herself for not insisting that she and Nate arrive together, Lottie pulled out her phone, frowning when there were no calls or texts from him.
There was no way he’d forgotten this meeting.
The two of them had been talking about and preparing for it for weeks, and now that it was time to present Nate’s final proposal, he’d gone AWOL.
Not wanting to think the worst, she continued her pacing, counting the bricks in the wall just to have something to distract herself.
Just when Lottie thought her skeleton might burst out of her skin from all the anxiety that had been building, a cold breeze moved past her exposed legs and she whipped around to see Nate entering the building, a bright smile on his face the moment his eyes met hers.
As beautiful as it was and as much as Lottie loved to see it, she couldn’t stop herself from marching up to him and swatting him lightly on the arm for all of the distress he’d caused her.
“Where have you been?” She chastised him. There was no real heat in her tone, and the moment she’d finished posing her question, she wrapped her arms around Nate and held him as tightly as she could, not caring that she was wrinkling his fine suit. “I thought something might have happened to you.”
Nate’s arms snaked around her and he swayed her gently, placing a simple kiss on the top of her head.
“I didn’t mean to worry you.” His lips found hers and the moment their connection was renewed, any misgivings Lottie had had about him being late melted away along with her ability to stand.
Kisses from Nate always managed to weaken her knees in the most wonderful way, like when you slipped into a hot bath and your whole body went pliant.
When he leaned back, his blue eyes were nearly as bright as the clear sky outside as he stared down at her.
“I was actually taking a page out of your book.”
Pulling back from the hug, Nate showed Lottie a pink bakery box in his hands and she chuckled at the sight of it.
“Buttering up the panel? That is definitely something I would do.” In fact, it was a thought she’d had earlier but ultimately dismissed, not wanting to overstep.
She was there for support, nothing more.
Nate kissed her again briefly before placing his hand at the small of her back and leading her toward the office door.
“Well, it worked last time and I need all the help I can get. Besides,” he said, his smile widening.
One of his hands disappeared into his coat before emerging with a single red rose.
“I wanted to stop somewhere else to surprise you with this. Sorry, it’s a little crushed now, but someone gave me a pretty amazing hug. ”
Lottie smiled down at the flower as her finger brushed over one of the velvety petals. It was a little smashed, but the bloom was still beautiful, mostly because Nate had been the one to give it to her. “Worth it,” she said, beaming up at him. “Are you ready for your big presentation?”
Nate huffed a breath as they walked inside the office. “As ready as I’ll ever be.” His brow pulled together as he smiled sadly at her. “I’m not sure what I’ll do if they say no.”
Lottie reached up and kissed his cheek, smoothing away some of her red lipstick that she’d left behind.
“They’ll say yes.” Of that, she was certain.
It was not only a great idea, but Nate would undoubtedly present it in a way that left little room for argument.
She cupped his cheek, staring into the eyes that she longed to see looking back at her for the rest of her life. “I believe in you.”
Nate beamed at her and after they’d said hello to Francine, they made their way to the conference room where the panel of three waited, looking like judge, jury, and executioner.
It was fitting, seeing as how they were the arbiters of the fate of Nate’s project, but Lottie had every confidence that the man she loved would be able to convince them of the necessity of his idea.
After perfunctory greetings were made and Nate presented the group with the bakery items he’d procured, the presentation began.
Lottie listened with rapt attention as Nate went over every part of his plan.
From the new stage for live music to the sculpture made from the reclaimed wood of the benches that currently resided there, each addition to the town square would add a new form of beauty and function, giving the town and its gathering place new life while appreciating it for what it once had been.
The logistics of construction and the permit approvals required were a little lost on her, but even when she didn’t understand the words Nate was using, the passion in his voice was easily recognizable.
The way Nate spoke so forcefully about anything he set his mind to was something Lottie had always admired about him.
She could make small talk and had a mind like a steel trap when it came to remembering little facts and pieces of information about people, but the way Nate could command an audience was awe-inspiring.
When all of that directness and fierce attention was directed at her, she stood no chance of resisting it.
Persuasiveness was his business but Nate had convinced her of his merits long ago.
Even as she listened to him speak, his tone both compelling enough to demand attention yet amiable enough to show he was open to suggestion, Lottie watched as the expressions of the three people across from her changed from skepticism to acceptance. With one exception.
When Nate finished, Anthony Gutierrez, the one clear hold-out, was the first to speak.
“I don’t know, Nate. I still think this project is too ambitious for our small town.
” Lottie could see the minds of Marshall Thorpe and Jenny Ballinger start to turn back, the small seed of doubt Anthony had planted starting to sprout.
She opened her mouth to dispute his claim, but her mind was suddenly blank.
Luckily, the man who had spearheaded this whole passion project to begin addressed the concern.
“It is ambitious, but that’s what makes it great.
When this town was founded over one hundred and fifty years ago, it was pretty bold of people to settle in the middle of nowhere with nothing but the clothes on their backs and a small hope that they could do something with the land.
My ancestors were some of those settlers and they managed to get a whole orchard going.
Other families followed until the area was surrounded by agriculture, then the business district popped up, and the rest is history. ”
Anthony leaned back in his chair. “Exactly, and it’s that history that we’re trying to preserve by not redoing the town square unnecessarily. The town will survive without it.”
Nate’s expression started to harden, something Lottie recognized from their time in high school whenever he felt backed into a corner, but then he looked over at her and his features softened.
“Yes, the town has survived for a long time and will likely continue to do so, but don’t we want it to thrive?
Business is good, but it could be great.
The town comes together often, but having a better gathering spot would encourage more tourism from surrounding areas and beyond.
That’s what makes this project so necessary.
What makes Applewood so wonderful isn’t the old benches or historic cobblestone, but the people.
People make Applewood great and that’s what I’m trying to bring in more of. ”
Anthony sat back in his chair, either processing Nate’s impassioned speech or thinking of a rebuttal. Before he could talk, Marshall and Jenny were already nodding their heads in agreement. “That’s exactly right, Nate,” Marshall said, extending his hand for a shake. “You have my vote.”
Jenny nodded. “And mine. I would love to see more people in town and this sounds like a creative yet practical way to do that while still honoring what we already have.” She smiled at Nate and offered her own hand to shake. “Well done, Mayor Kemp.”
Lottie stifled a giggle as she watched Nate turn to Anthony with a smirk, knowing he didn’t need the man’s vote because the other two had already approved but wanted it anyway. “What do you say, Gutierrez? Can we make it unanimous?”
Anthony looked like he was currently chewing glass, but finally he extended his hand as well.
“Fine.” He rose from his chair to leave, but not before snagging one of the cinnamon rolls Nate brought.
“Just make sure you come to us with any delays or alterations that will affect the businesses downtown.”
“Will do,” Nate promised. After more hands were shaken and the three left the room, Nate pulled Lottie up into his arms and swung her around. “We did it.”
Lottie laughed, feeling lighter than air as they spun around the room both from the high of Nate’s success and enjoying the way he held her. Smiling down at him, she planted a kiss on his lips when they finally stopped moving. “You did it. I was just her for moral support.”