Chapter 31
The Ellicottville Town Hall’s hours of operation are nothing like the districts of New York City. It’s closed more than it’s open; I made a point to memorize the little schedule in the window my first week here.
And as I step through the door, a bell announcing my arrival, the woman behind the counter of the village clerk’s office gives me a suspicious smile. “Back again, Mr. Carpenter?”
“Getting tired of me, Laurie?” I reply warmly.
She removes her red eyeglasses and allows them to dangle from the bedazzled lanyard attached to the ends.
Her gray hair is swirled atop her head, same as always, and she has what looks like a matching bedazzled knitting needle keeping the bun in place.
“Don’t tell anyone else in this town, young man, but I do enjoy your visits. ”
I lift a finger to draw an X over the pocket of my corduroy jacket. “Our little secret, cross my heart.”
“Although… I am curious about what more you could need from this office.”
The desk runs wall to wall, effectively separating me from the rows of village information behind her. I lean forward on it and raise an eyebrow. “I have yet to read every single one of those charters behind you.”
“And why would you need to?”
“I need the obscure ordinances. Tell me about the roadblocks that most people have forgotten about.”
She purses her lips, the tap of her acrylic nails filling the silence as she thinks. “Obscure, but not outdated?”
“Exactly.”
The first time I stopped in here, she interrogated me thoroughly before determining if I would be permitted to see a single zoning requirement. She’s more like a sentry on guard than a secretary. If anyone knows what’s inside those old, leather-bound books, it’s Laurie.
“Why?”
I came here fully prepared to earn my access to something that is, in reality, public record. With a smirk, I say, “I’m doing my due diligence.”
She frowns at me.
“I want to understand them,” I assure her.
“To work around them.” It’s not a question.
“Not at all.”
The clack of her nails begins again. “What do you think of our town?”
“It’s a very special place.” Warm eyes peering up at me through wispy bangs and the aroma of sweet apple with a hint of spice flash through my brain. So overpowering, it almost feels like Lucy is here with us. “With very special people.”
The tapping of her nails halts. Her frown softens. Maybe she can hear the genuineness of my tone. “I can think of a few pages you might find helpful.”
She turns and starts pulling out a book from one of the nearest shelves.
“Can I ask you something?”
Laurie stacks a second volume in the crook of her arm and looks back at me. “You can ask. I might not answer.”
“How long have you worked here?”
“I started in this office fresh out of school. My father was a trustee and put in a good word.” She reaches for a third book. “It was supposed to be temporary; I could never bring myself to leave though.”
Coming back over to the counter, she sets the pile down and slides it towards me. “You didn’t get these originals from me.”
“We don’t have to make copies this time?”
“If you’re looking to piece together the little details, you’ll need to read the whole thing.”
“And you trust me?” This feels like a real honor, and I don’t bother hiding the surprise in my voice.
“I trust that you’re willing to put in the work for the right reasons.” She narrows her eyes, assessing me. “Aren’t you?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Then collecting the books, I add, “As someone whose seen plenty of potential projects come through this office, do you think the hotel will get built?”
Her smile turns sly. “You were correct when you said this place is special. In my experience, I’ve learned Ellicottville makes certain that the projects that should be here, are the ones that do in fact get completed.”
“You mean the people here make sure?”
“No.” She shakes her head, putting her glasses back on and returning her attention to the paper before her. “I mean the town.”
“You say that like it’s alive.”
“Oh, Mr. Carpenter, pay closer attention to the magic of this place.”
Of course, I understand Laurie wasn’t referring to Ellicottville as actually having magical properties. But her words stick with me as I walk back to my apartment.
There is a certain atmosphere around here—like maybe the unique characteristics of this town are in fact enough to make it feel like its own living, breathing entity.
By the time I’m home, I almost hope she’s right.
“Hey, boy,” I say to Charlie when he greets me at the door.
He had looked so confused when I left without him this morning, growing accustomed to joining me for the day now that we’re in this town. And a twinge of sadness catches in my chest as I think about returning to the city and having to leave him behind for work once more.
I spend a minute longer than usual scratching behind his ears.
“Let me call Tad then we’ll head outside for some light reading,” I assure him, holding up the town ordinances as if he’s interested in what I’ll be reading. Then I cross into the living room and grab the cordless phone from its dock.
Tad answers almost immediately. “Hey, speak of the devil,” he says. “I’m standing here with your father. He came to my office asking for an update on your project.”
To Richard, his words would sound perfectly casual. But I hear them for what they are—a warning. And it doesn’t take long for me to be put on speaker phone, my father’s voice joining the conversation.
“Jake, I’m glad you’re checking in with someone regularly.”
“We talked yesterday,” I remind him.
“Quarterly review meetings don’t count. What updates do you have for us?”
I perch on the end of my coffee table and stifle a sigh. This is not how I planned to discuss the ordinances I acquired.
“Did Tad tell you that we got great results from the water and sewage studies?”
My father grunts his awareness, and if I’m not mistaken, it’s the noise he makes when he’s pleased.
“That’s the only update I’ve got for now,” I say. “But I plan to study some ordinances this afternoon.”
“Well stay on it, we need to nail this one. It will open up a whole new market for the company.” His words are chased by the distinct rap of Italian shoes on the executive suite’s granite flooring. Then a door finally clicks shut.
“How are you actually spending your day?” Tad asks over the groan of his chair, as if he had been standing at attention for the duration of my father’s time in his office and is finally settling back in.
“I really am looking through ordinances—I got my hands on some of the lesser-known ones.”
“You think they’ll try to pull those out to stop the project?”
My attention flits over to the old leather books on the kitchen counter. “They should,” I mutter.
His laugh rumbles over the line. “Getting so bored in small town America that you’re playing chess against yourself now?”
Charlie tips his head to the side, eagerly waiting for me to admit the truth. Instead, I offer, “Something like that.” Then I add, “But I only got the books for the village limits. Can you do some digging into the county regulations?”
“Sure, whatever we can do to nail this one, right?”
That twinge returns to my chest. “Right.”