Chapter 5
CHAPTER 5
The next morning Lizzie woke up to see it had snowed a few inches overnight. She looked out her window and saw the back deck was covered in snow. Of course it hadn’t been in the weather report the day before, it was the prerogative of March to be mysterious and keep surprising you.
She was the first one up which surprised her. Daisy, their little rescue pup almost always had Peter or Gabby up at the crack of dawn.
As she padded down to the kitchen she was thrilled to see that her mom had been organized enough to program the coffee maker and as the smell of just brewed coffee filled her nose.
“Thank you Gabby for being so on top of things,” she quietly says to no one as she takes a cup off the shelf and pours herself a nice warm cup of the delicious locally roasted coffee. Yet another addition to the Sea Coast Coffee repertoire, that Leah was something else.
Lizzie sat down in a chair at the kitchen table, pulling her knees up to her chest, and looked out at the snow-covered deck and yard as she sipped her coffee. Her life had changed so much in the last year. It was almost hard to remember what her life had been like back in Boston. Certainly getting a thoughtful and peaceful start to her day was not on the menu back then. Working for a big city paper may have at one point had a certain cache, but no longer. It was endless days of grinding out stories with as few words as possible, there was rarely a local angle, and it didn’t feel at all satisfying or fun.
She’d long gotten past feeling like she’d failed by returning to the Cape and joining her dad in the family business. The living at home part took a little time to not feel weird about, but she knew so many others on the Cape were doing the same thing that she’d ceased feeling awkward and just embraced it. And besides, getting to live in the beautiful old farmhouse she’d grown up in wasn’t too shabby.
“Good morning sunshine,” her dad’s voice pierces the silence. “You’re sure up early,” he says as he pours himself some coffee, walking to the fridge to get out some Gabby-approved oatmilk to put in it. “You got a lot on your mind?”
She shrugs, “Yeah, I’m worried about the Town Meeting tonight,” she says, getting up to pour herself some more coffee. “I’ve decided I’m going, by the way. I’m not going to let some small-minded group make me feel like I shouldn’t be there. Jack is my boyfriend, partner, whatever...and I want to be there, and more than that,” she’s getting passionate about this as she walks back to the table, second cup of coffee and a bran muffin in hand, “I was born here, darn it, and I have every right to go and listen, and vote, right?”
Peter, not fully awake, is trying to keep up with her excitement. “I totally agree, you should go, and I will too.” He drinks some more of his coffee, trying to keep up with Lizzie’s energy.
“Oh good, I was hoping you’d agree. Both the school renovation and Terra Marique need all the votes they can get,” she says, biting into her muffin.
“Terra what?” Peter asks, looking confused.
“Oh! Mom and I came up with the name, it means land and sea! What do you think?”
“I think it sounds great!” He says, “The Latin was your Mom’s idea, right?” he smiles.
Lizzie laughs. “Oh you know your wife very well, sir.”
“You live with someone this long and you get to know how their mind works,” he says, taking a last sip of his coffee. “Mostly,” he laughs,
“Mostly what?” Gabby says as she comes into the kitchen, trailed by Daisy.
“Mostly I know you and what you’re going to do, but not always,” Peter says, getting up and giving her a kiss on the cheek.
“Now wouldn’t life be dull if you always knew what I was going to do?” she teases as she sits down with her cup of coffee.
“I want what you two have,” Lizzie says, looking at her parents. “You two are the relationship goals everyone wants to reach.”
They hug and both look at their daughter. “It’s not always perfect,” Gabby says.
“Or easy,” Peter concurs, “but it’s more than worth it.” He walks over and takes a leash off a hook and clips it on to Daisy’s collar. “Come on girl, let’s get you out for a little walk.”
“Be careful out there, honey, it looks pretty slippery,” Gabby cautions.
Peter slips into his heavy-treaded boots, “Will do! Be right back,” he says as he and a very happy Daisy head outside.
Gabby sits down with her coffee, and she and Lizzie look out at the snow that’s still coming down, but now more just flurries. “I’m usually pretty grumpy about March snow, but for some reason, not today,” she says, sitting back and putting her feet up on an empty chair near her. “A lot of things that used to make me grumpy don’t anymore.”
“And to what do you attribute this new-found sunny attitude?” Lizzie asks, smiling at her mom.
“I just feel so lucky, I have both of my children, their partners and my granddaughter here. I have friends, I love this community, mostly,” she says laughing. “I’m just feeling very grateful.”
“I am too,” Lizzie says. “Though deadlines looming over me daily might keep me feeling quite as sunshiny, but I know what you mean. Yesterday I was looking at Jack, and sometimes it still hits me that we might never have gotten back together. I feel very lucky that we did, and that we’ve both found meaningful work here. Projects we’re passionate about, and have good friends.”
“How are you feeling about the meeting tonight?” Gabby ventures.
“Good. Mostly good?” Lizzie corrects herself. “I’m worried about the old guard, folks like Billy Taylor and Bud Mackelroy. They love to stir up controversy and I’ve been hearing that they’re coming prepared to raise some hell. But maybe that’s just the Cranberry Harbor rumor mill. I hope so.”
She gets up and takes her cup to the sink and rinses it before putting it in the dishwasher. “How are you feeling about the high school renovation? You think it will pass?”
Gabby gets up too. She’s quiet for a moment, pondering the question. “I think so?” She leans against the counter and sighs. “I have a little speech in my back pocket I’m prepared to deliver if the need arises. I have no problem pulling on some heartstrings.”
“Oh, if anyone can appeal to people’s hearts it’s you for sure,” Lizzie says, joining her mom in leaning against the counter.
“Well you two look deep in thought,” Peter says, coming in with the dog who shakes, scattering snowy droplets everywhere. “Everything okay?” He unclips the leash, hangs it up and slips off his snowy boots, oblivious to the wet floor. Gabby gets up and drags a dish towel around the floor with her foot wiping up the water.
“Sorry,” Peter whispers, smacking his head as Gabby smiles and pats his shoulder, used to him being oblivious.
“Yeah,” Lizzie says, “We’re just talking about tonight, that’s all.”
“I have a good feeling,” Peter says. “And as you know, I am not always the most optimistic of fellas given my experience in covering town politics for decades. But I think most people have seen the help wanted signs up year-round now, and they know this town needs housing, and we need to find a way to keep young people here. I also think all those pieces we ran by students at the high school made a real impact. The stories of brown water in the gym showers, and no windows in some classrooms really shocked folks. People know it’s time. It’s more than time.”
“I hope you’re right Dad, I really do,” says Lizzie. “Okay, I’m going to go take a shower and head to the office. You?”
“Same. I’ll see you there in a little bit. Well, if I don’t see you right back here before that,” he smiles at her.
As Lizzie starts to go upstairs Peter calls after her.
“Hey, so this is all working okay for you? You’re not sick of me? Not yet anyway?” he asks.
Lizzie turns around and comes back, and hugs her dad. “Not tired of you yet. Not by a long-shot. It’s all good.” She kisses him on the cheek and goes upstairs. She picks her phone up off the nightstand where it’s been charging all night and sees she’s missed four calls and three texts from Jack. “Call me ASAP,” says the text. Her stomach drops as she calls and waits for him to pick up.
“Hey, are you okay?” she asks, trying to not panic.
“Depends on how you define okay,” he says. “I’m not sick or anything, but apparently Bud Mackelroy and Billy Taylor have been organizing some people to come out and protest the project. He’s determined to sink it.”
Lizzie can hear the panic in his voice. “Okay, everyone knows that they are both malcontents that are never for anything. I can’t imagine they’ll find much of a following. I mean, I haven’t done official polling, but in all the stories we’ve done, and all the people I talk to all the time, I have heard nothing but excitement over your project and the high school renovation.”
“Well, he’s apparently making up all kinds of things about how this is all a big ruse on my part and how I plan to bring in all these people from Silicon Valley and there won’t really be any local jobs realized.” He’s silent for a minute. “And then he’s dredging up all this stuff from the past, when my startup failed and I moved to California. He’s making me out to be some kind of carpetbagger who’s going to somehow take all this money from the town and leave people stranded.”
“Oh my god, he’s such a jerk! Nothing is further from the truth, and you’ve been nothing but completely open and transparent about what happened, and how this isn’t the same thing at all.”
Lizzie can tell that more than anything Jack is hurt, and he’s revisiting a past business failing that he still feels so much guilt about. She struggles to find the right thing to say, while also wanting to go find those two men and throttle them for stirring up so much trouble.
“You know those two are idiots, right?” she says to no response. “Remember when years ago the town was all for building a community center and those two knuckleheads got up at town meeting and said it was going to attract ‘criminals and hooligans.’ I remember it because the entire room erupted in laughter. Yes, having a place where your grandmother could play tennis, and your kids could take swimming lessons was really going to destroy the town.”
“Oh my god, I’d forgotten all about that,” Jack says, chuckling.
Lizzie feels better, getting him to laugh was her goal, though even she’s now feeling a little concerned, but she’s certainly not going to share that with Jack.
“Both the Terra Marique and high school projects are things this community needs, Jack, and the people who really love Cranberry Harbor know that,” she says. The high school is over 50 years old, and everyone knows we need housing, and we are not going to survive if we don’t start doing some innovative things around housing and jobs. We’re going to be Sunset Pines in a few years if we don’t find a way to help younger people stay here and build businesses, buy homes and raise families.”
“I sure hope you’re right,” he says, sounding a little less frantic. “I’m really glad you and your parents are going to be there. I’m going to need all the support I can get.”
“We will all be there, and I don’t care about optics, if those guys do something stupid I’m speaking up,” Lizzie says. “I love you, but that’s almost beside the point, the town needs this, and Billy and Bud can take a flying leap as far as I’m concerned.”
“Ha! Well, one thing is for sure, it’s not going to be a dull meeting,” Jack says, and takes a deep breath. “I love you too. Maybe lunch later?”
“Sounds good. I’ve got to get myself in the shower and to the office. Text me when you’re nearby later and we’ll make a plan.”
“Okay. And hey, thanks for talking me off the ledge. I was so upset. You’re the best. I’m so lucky.”
“I’m lucky too. It’s going to be all good. I promise. I’ll see you later. Love you.”
Lizzie puts down her phone and stands by her bed for a second. “I sure hope I’m right,” she says out loud to herself. “I just have to be.