Chapter 10 Ryder
RYDER
The cool night air blows in my face as we walk back to the sunflower farm. My car is parked in the lot there, so I figured this would be the opportune time to talk next steps with Eve.
But I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Despite the few words Margie actually said, she conveyed a lot.
Most of which, it seems, went right over Eve’s head. She heard what she wanted to hear—that she now has some sort of protection for the water wheel—and failed to see the implication in what Margie said.
More units. Torn up land. The greater the number of units, the more jam-packed this development is going to be. The bigger the chance construction will affect Eve in some way.
She hums as we walk together. “You can always try submitting the same thing with a few little tweaks next time. Mayor Reed is known to be pretty finicky. I’m honestly a little surprised that my application was accepted considering the rooster nonsense that has him all up in arms. But then again, the historical society has been thirsting after my water wheel for years and Margie’s on the board. He probably knew not to fight it.”
“You think he’ll take a look at the same exact plan a second time?”
“It’s worth a try, right? If this plan works for everyone except for him? Maybe just make sure the rooster hasn’t kept him up all night before springing it on him.”
I shake my head as we enter the parking lot, my BMW sitting dust-covered at the far end.
I take a moment to trigger the remote start so there’s at least a chance the heat will have kicked on by the time we get there.
In the distance, I see Gam’s senior community, lit up in the night sky like a reminder of why I’m doing all of this.
“I can’t believe I have to time development proposals for when the mayor’s sleep isn’t fucked by the neighbor’s new rooster. ”
She snorts. “Welcome to small town politics. Happy to have you back.”
I look at her from the corner of my eye.
The cool breeze blows that wavy brown hair over her shoulders, the sun-streaked highlights giving it a more golden hue.
Her hands are stuffed into her pockets, her shoulders hunched up against the cold and the brown paper bag that contains her new sweater looped around her wrist. “You certainly seem to have a handle on the politics here.”
She turns to me, raising an eyebrow. “If that was the case, I wouldn’t have had to apply to the historical society.”
I shrug. “Well, assuming small town politics aren’t that different from big city politics, it’s very rarely black and white.
You gave them something they wanted with the understanding that when push comes to shove, they’d give you the protection you need.
Sounds like you have a very good understanding of small town politics. ”
She’s quiet for a second as we reach my car. “I guess it did kind of work out for me. Tonight, at least. It sounded like they were truly concerned about protecting the sunflower farm.”
I unlock the car, eyeing the distance between here and Eve’s bungalow. It’s not far, but it is cold.
“Want a ride up?”
Her eyes follow the line of the dirt road leading to her house.
She shrugs. “Sure. Thanks.”
When we get in, I blast the heat, angling the vents in the middle toward her and breathing a sigh of relief that I hit the remote start when I did. She shivers, holding her hands in the warm air.
“Thanks,” she repeats.
“So you’re not worried about whatever the new plan might be?”
Her brow furrows as she settles into her seat, pulling her seatbelt over her lap. “The new plan? You’re not going to try again with the same one?”
“I mean, Eve, wouldn’t you be pissed off if you were the town mayor and somebody came back with the same exact proposal as if you were dumb enough to not remember?”
She bites her lip as I pull out of my parking space. “Well, I figured maybe you could move it a little bit away from my land and maybe add just a couple more units, you know? It’s not the same proposal, it’s just giving him what he wants.”
“I thought I did.” I pull onto the main driveway, heading slowly for her bungalow in the distance. “There are a lot of notes on that doc. And my guess is that he’s not going to be satisfied with one or two more units.”
She nods, and when I glance over at her, she’s staring at the currently unoccupied plot of land next door. “Do you think you’re going to have to start over? Make one of those big box apartment buildings instead?”
I raise my eyebrows as I pull up to the front of her house and throw the car in park. “Have we graduated from calling them fugly?”
She turns to shoot me a glare. “I never called them fugly.”
“As good as.”
“Well, if the shoe fits.”
“Oh, so we’re doubling down now?”
“Ryder! I’m trying to be nice.”
I grin at her. “What I sacrifice in looks, I make up for in affordability. However, I understand that you want to look at something with a little more charm. I get it.” And I can’t resist poking the bear. “In Sunflower Hill, we all bow to the Sunflower Queen Eve Harper.”
She rolls her eyes. “I’ll have you know, I was about as far from winning Sunflower Queen as anyone could be.”
I blink. I forgot that was a thing.
“To be fair, the fact that this town doesn’t have a Homecoming Queen but a Sunflower Queen is a little scary, to begin with.”
“Don’t I know it,” Eve says, her gaze running across the farm before landing back on me and leaning forward. “You want to know something juicy though? The girl my year who won Sunflower Queen was Reed’s daughter.”
“Reed has a daughter?”
She nods. “Won’t speak to him anymore. He and his wife had a nasty divorce.
His daughter is in the city now. I think she’s a lawyer or something and refuses to come back to visit.
For the past decade or so, Reed has put all of his energy into this town.
If you’re on his good side, you’re rewarded graciously.
If you’re not… well, expect to face all sorts of hurdles trying to do a damn thing around here.
I’m pretty sure that’s why that road work has been stuck for the better part of a year. Contractor got on Reed’s bad side.”
“So why not call in somebody else?”
“Contracts?” Eve explains with a shrug. “I’m not sure.
It doesn’t really affect the sunflower farm except for during road closures.
Most people come from the center of town, so the only time the road closure gets in the way is if traffic is diverted for a parade or something, but even then it hasn’t been much of a problem for us. ”
“Hmm.”
“Hmm?’
“Just digesting the information. Seems like you’re a good friend to have.”
She raises her eyebrows. “Don’t make me your accomplice.”
“You don’t want to do a little Bonnie and Clyde thing with me? I’ll let you drive the beemer.”
She eyes me. “What crime are we committing?”
“So you’re interested?”
“Depends on what role I have to play.”
“Mole, obviously.”
“Are you asking me to forsake my hometown?”
“Just its crotchety mayor.”
She purses her lips. “I’ll think about it.”
“You drive a hard bargain, Eve Harper.”
She raises an eyebrow. “We haven’t even gotten to compensation yet.”
“What do you want?”
She grins. “A navy blue sweater and unlimited chocolates for life.”
“You’re a cheap date.”
She raises her eyebrows. “You said that sweater was expensive! And let me tell you, a lifetime supply of those chocolates will not be cheap.”
I throw her a wink because—okay—sometimes I get a little cocky. And I happen to know my audience is not the kind of girl who goes out buying herself cashmere sweaters every other day. “What I said stands.”
She rolls her eyes and then lowers her voice to mock me.
“Oh look at me, Mr. Big Shot City Developer out in the suburbs with his big city budget.” She snorts.
“You probably think I’m a cheap date because you date gorgeous, leggy Manhattan women who spend the day in the spa and lunching with the girls. ”
This… went in a different direction than I was expecting.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a pattern, but I have.”
She raises her eyebrows. “Oh. Well. You know, if that’s what makes you happy then that’s great.”
“Your subtext is screaming.”
“No subtext. I mean, everyone has a type, right? If that’s yours, that’s great you found it.”
I nod, hardly able to suppress my grin. “And what is yours?”
Her eyes go wide as she shrugs. “I don’t have one. I don’t really date.”
“Why not?”
She shakes her head. “I don’t have time. With the farm and everything, it just takes so much time.”
I narrow my eyes. “I don’t buy that.”
She shrugs. “It’s true.”
I roll my eyes. We can dig into that comment later. “So if you had a type, what would it be?”
“Are you really asking me what sort of guys I’m into?”
I shrug. “Color me curious.”
When she doesn’t speak, I take my own guess.
“Farm boys who have graduated to mountain men. Blue collar, muscles, not afraid to get their hands dirty.”
She raises one eyebrow. Right on the nose.
“Maybe a little flannel?” I ask, remembering how flustered she got when she held my hand across the river. “Work boots, heavily used?”
“What’s your point, Big Shot?”
I roll my eyes at the nickname I can’t manage to shake.
“Just wondering if you might say your type is lumberjack impersonator?”
She glares at me, and in a second so fast I can’t even process what’s happening, she gathers the paper bag into her arms and pops her door open.
“Thank you for the sweater and the ride home.”
“Oh come on, Bonnie! It was just a joke!”
She shakes her head as she stomps to her door, waving over her shoulder as she unlocks it and steps inside.
I wait until a light switches on before pulling away from the house, shaking my head at myself for making fun of her.
But she’s really damn cute when she’s flustered.
Is it the best idea in the world to flirt with my neighbor who now has the backing of the town council if I put a single toe out of line?
Who really knows? It’s a toss-up, whether that might lead to my success or my downfall.
All I know is that Eve Harper is warming to me, and something about that feels exceptionally good.