Chapter 3 #2
“Don’t get defensive, honey. I didn’t mean it to sound that way.
” He flashed his bright smile at me. “I’m sorry.
I’m just a little distracted. I think the people of Trickle Creek are all very smart.
After all, you’re from Trickle Creek, and you’re pretty smart.
” He pressed his lips to my cheek, and my irritation with him slipped a little.
“This is all just a formality anyway.” Trevor picked up the printed agenda.
“I’m sure we’ll just need to answer a few questions, have a vote, and we can move on with our plans.
Get ready, Jess. Your sales office is going to be a busy place tomorrow.
I hope you’re prepared for all the extra commissions you’ll be bringing in. ”
Before I could respond, Tilley Beckett banged her gavel on the lectern at the front of the room.
Whoever had thought it was a good idea to give that woman a gavel clearly hadn’t attended any of these meetings before.
She took her responsibility as the head of the town festival committee a little too seriously.
Apparently, that role extended to self-appointing herself in charge of community meetings, too.
I settled into my seat and tried to ignore my growling stomach as Tilley moved through the agenda. I had to admit, she did run a pretty efficient meeting, even if most of the time had been allocated to the upcoming festival. Then again, Trickle Creek did take their celebrations very seriously.
Finally, Tilley announced the next order of business, and it was our turn.
I sat up straight when she spoke. “Next on the agenda, we have the vote for Timberstone Homes,” she said, reading from a paper on her ever-present clipboard.
“The proposed development will be at the end of Granite Street on the land that has been previously lent to the trail society for access to the forest and trail system. We’ll hear first from Trevor Burton. ”
I watched as my fiancé cleared his throat and stood up with a practiced smile.
He looked around the room, making eye contact with as many people as possible as he spoke.
I watched while townspeople returned his smile; some of the women even blushed a little.
I knew the power of Trevor’s attention. He was very smooth and charismatic.
The man knew how to butter up a crowd, and by the time he was done talking and explaining the proposed development, including all the benefits it would bring to Trickle Creek, multiple people clapped, and even a few cheers came up from the gathered crowd.
“That was amazing,” I said as he returned to his seat and gave me a satisfied smirk. He didn’t need me to tell him what a good job he’d done; he was a pro.
“Thank you, Mr. Burton,” Tilley said from her lectern. “Now we can all go ahead and vote on the project.”
Trevor leaned over and whispered in my ear. “What did I tell you? This was only a—”
“Not so fast! I object.”
The smile fell off Trevor’s face as we both spun around to see where the voice had come from. But I didn’t need to look to know who’d objected.
Preston Lyons.
Preston
“Not so fast! I object!”
“This isn’t a wedding, Preston Lyons.” Tilley’s comment got a few titters of laughter, but I wasn’t smiling.
They were really going to vote on this damn development without even hearing the other side.
And there was no way I was going to sit back and let that happen. “Yeah, well, this feels a hell of a lot more permanent than most weddings.”
That earned me a few more giggles, but I wasn’t there for the laughs.
Every head in the place had turned to stare at me, including Jess Anderson. Maybe I could have picked a better way to ease myself into my very first community meeting, but it was too late for that now.
“We can’t allow a vote until both sides have been presented.”
I didn’t actually know that, but I was hoping Tilley would agree with me.
“I think you’ll find that—”
“Excuse me.” Jess’s fiancé, Trevor something or other, stood up. “We just presented all the—”
“You presented your side of things.” I stopped him.
“But there are other people here who use those trails every day. Or hike on the ridge. Or care about what your development will do to the forest and the natural habitat,” I said confidently.
“And wouldn’t you agree that those are all important points that should be presented?
” I let my gaze sweep the room. “Because those people deserve a say in things before you bulldoze half the mountain to put up condos.”
“Affordable—”
“Doesn’t matter.” I shot Trevor a look and tried to avoid meeting Jess’s eye.
A few murmurs rippled through the crowd. There were a few people who nodded, and I was pretty sure I heard someone mutter, Damn right.
Confident that I had at least some support, I nodded and looked to the front of the room, where Mayor Susan Whitaker lifted a hand to call for order.
“Okay, everyone, let’s all settle down.” She turned to me. “Mr. Lyons, welcome to your first meeting.”
Why did everyone care so much about pointing that out? There must be hundreds of people who don’t bother coming to these things.
“While objections are allowed,” Mayor Whitaker continued, “we do need to follow procedure.”
More people called out, trying to have their opinions heard.
Tilley Beckett banged her gavel like she’d been waiting her entire life for this moment. “One at a time. One at a time.”
Ignoring everyone, Trevor forced a polished smile. “With all due respect, Mayor. We’ve already followed the process. The vote is the next step and—”
“And with respect,” I said before I could stop myself, “the town hasn’t heard anything about the user impact and what the trail closures will mean to the people of this town.”
More murmurs. Stronger this time.
Trevor sat down again and leaned over to Jess, muttering something in her ear.
I obviously couldn’t hear what he said, but judging by the way Jess shifted in her seat and twisted that ridiculously large engagement ring on her finger, it wasn’t positive.
I tried not to notice her frown, but I did anyway.
Mayor Whitaker cleared her throat, and once more, Tilley Beckett banged her gavel to call the room to attention.
“It sounds like there are concerns on both sides,” she said once the buzz quieted a little.
“And since this project will significantly impact the community, I think it’s only prudent that we pause the vote for now and—”
Trevor shot to his feet again. “Pause? But that’s—”
“Yes,” the mayor said, unbothered. “Pause, Mr. Burton. I suggest that we form a committee that will evaluate the proposal and measure the impact on the community as a whole. We’ll need community representation as well as members on both sides of the matter at hand.”
Tilley nodded, already scribbling on her clipboard.
“Are there any volunteers?” Mayor Whitaker looked out at the crowd.
Chase Carlson was the first to stand up. “I’ll do it.” His voice was calm and steady. “I grew up on those trails, and I enjoy them almost daily,” he said. “But I’m also a businessman. I think I can be fair and objective.”
I couldn’t help but agree with that. I nodded my approval even though no one asked my opinion.
A middle-aged woman in a fleece vest raised her hand. “I hike the ridge every Sunday. I’d be happy to help.”
Tilley pointed at her before scribbling some details on her clipboard. The neutral voices were accounted for.
“Is there anyone else who would like to volunteer?”
“Me!” Tilley raised her arm in the air and waved wildly. “I have extensive organizational experience, as you know. I think the committee could benefit from my ability to keep things on track.”
More like, she had to be involved in everything that went on in this town. Not that it mattered. Mayor Whitaker agreed with Tilley’s involvement before pointing across the room at me.
“Mr. Lyons?”
I tilted my head in question.
“I assume you will want to be involved in this committee.”
If I were being honest, it was the last thing I wanted to do. But there was no one better to protect our trails, so there wasn’t really another choice.
“Of course,” I said without hesitation.
“Wonderful. And Mr. Burton, would you like to represent your interests in this matter?”
Surprisingly, Trevor, the jackass, shook his head. “As much as I’d love to help everyone understand how beneficial the Timberstone development will be, my commitments in the city will keep me from being a good committee member.”
Before the mayor or anyone else could object, he waved his hands toward Jess. “But my beautiful fiancée will step in to represent our side. She knows the land well, she understands the benefits of a project of this magnitude, and she’s an excellent communicator. She’ll be a tremendous asset.”
Next to him, Jess blinked and opened her mouth to object, but before she could, Tilley interjected.
“That’s wonderful. I’ll add her name to the list. It will be a balanced committee.”
Balanced. Right.
My jaw tightened. And not because Jess was involved.
Well, maybe a little bit because Jess was involved. But the fact that her fiancé just volunteered her as if she were another bullet point on his checklist was beyond irritating.
“That settles it,” the mayor said. “The trail committee will consist of Chase Carlson, Becky Harding, Tilley Beckett, Preston Lyons, and Jess Anderson. Please meet after we adjourn to discuss your first meeting time and location. The council will expect an update and a recommendation in two months’ time. ”
Two months?
I could handle eight weeks of committee meetings and agendas.
Maybe.
There were a few more things on the agenda, but none of them took very long, and soon the meeting had been adjourned and chairs started scraping across the floor. People burst into conversation all around me, and the room buzzed with new energy.
I glanced across the room in time to see Jess pull her arm out of Trevor’s grasp. Her expression was caught between annoyance and resignation.
Was there trouble in paradise?
Not that I cared.
I didn’t.