Chapter 30 #2
“We could do that,” I agreed. “It would be a whole festival.”
I was rambling. God, I sounded so fucking stupid, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself. And the longer this went on, I knew she would only push for me to go through with it. If I wanted to spend any time with this woman ever again, I would have to see it through.
Or admit why I was really here.
“Sure, Ryder. You bring it to the city council, and when you get approval for your Highland games, I’ll start carrying kilts in the shop.”
Swallowing hard, I nodded, taking a step back. This had disaster written all over it. I was going down in flames, and no one was around to put out the fire.
“Okay.”
“Okay,” she smiled at me, though it was a devious smile filled with hatred, vengeance, and a bit of humor.
I turned and fled as casually as a man who’d just made a fool of himself could do. There was no fixing what I’d just done, and if I went through with this, I’d have to get other people interested in it.
And frankly, I wasn’t sure anyone could even tell me what they did at the Highland games.
“So, how’d it go?” Mav asked, a huge shit-eating grin on his face.
“Shut up.”
I got in my car and slammed the door, but Mav leaned on the window, tipping his hat up at me. “Just so you know, I think the Highland games are a great idea.”
I put the car in reverse and peeled out, ignoring his boisterous laughter the whole way home.
I felt her at my door, waiting hesitantly on the other side as she tried to work up the courage to knock.
Every fucking day was the same. She had questions, but couldn’t bring herself to ask them.
And every day, I waited, hoping today was the day she finally felt comfortable enough to step forward and speak without assuming I would yell at her.
“Um…sir?”
“Just Ryder, Lily. You’re not a servant, and I’m not an aristocrat,” I muttered, staring down at my case file.
“Right. Um, Ryder. Uh…I got a call from the sheriff?”
I looked up at the frightened woman in my doorway, practically hiding on the other side. “And?”
“Um…he said you’re needed at the town hall for a meeting.”
“Did he say what kind of meeting?”
She shook her head, taking a step back the moment I pushed my chair from my desk.
“I’ll head over there. Lock the door behind me and take detailed messages if anyone calls,” I reminded her.
I wasn’t used to locking my doors in this small town, but it made her feel better to know no one could storm in through the front and corner her, so I made it a new routine any time I was out of the office.
Pulling on my suit jacket, I headed out, waiting for Lily to lock the door before I headed down the street. City hall was just across the street, and when I opened the front doors, I was surprised to hear the ruckus coming from the meeting room.
And I regretted coming the moment I walked through the doors.
“Here he is,” Mav grinned, pointing at me.
There was a crowd of nearly a hundred people gathered, all of them turning to look at me.
Ellie included.
“Come on up here and tell everyone about your plan for the Highland games!” Mav said, clapping and encouraging others to join in.
The color drained from my face as I made my way to the podium. Why the hell had I ever listened to Jeff? Why had I used it as an opening line to speak to Ellie? The truth would have been so much easier.
But I had been stupid, and now it was coming to bite me in the ass.
“Everyone, let’s welcome Ryder Lawson to the stage. He has some great ideas for us. Don’t you, Ryder!”
I glared at the man, but stood up there like an ass, straightening my tie as my eyes locked on Ellie’s. Her eyes were lit with humor, and my mortification was only making her day better.
That was something, at least.
“Good morning,” I said, loud and full of confidence. I could do this. I could lay out a plan for the people and make it sound appealing.
“As you know, tourist season around here is primarily during the winter months when skiers come to our slopes.”
A few people nodded, eager to hear more.
“Summer is also appealing, but we don’t have as big a draw as other parts of Montana, like Yellowstone. So, I propose we start a summer festival that would last a week, bringing tourists further north and increasing our town’s revenue.”
It all made sense. It was a smart idea, even if I had no clue what I was talking about.
“I propose we host our first annual Highland games starting next summer!”
The hall was silent as they all looked at each other in confusion.
“And why don’t you tell us about these games,” Mav stepped in.
“Uh…well, there are games that Highlanders do.”
“Such as?” Mav prompted.
“Um…the one where they throw the logs.” Everyone stared at me in confusion. “Um…you know, those big, long logs that they throw. And…they wear kilts!”
I was sweating so hard. Never in my life had I been this nervous, and through it all, Ellie was smiling, trying to cover her mouth to hide the worst of her laughter. And somehow, that put me at ease.
“But there’s one man sitting here today that can tell you all about the plans for this spectacular event,” I said, grinning as I eyed Jeff. “Jeff Parker!”
Everyone turned in their seats, looking for Jeff, who was doing his best to sink into the floor. Finally, the heat was off me, and everyone would focus on him now.
“Come on, Jeff. Make your way to the stage!”
Reluctantly, Jeff stood and stomped his way up to me, scowling the whole time for tossing him in the middle of this disaster.
“Thanks, Ryder,” he said, slapping me hard on the back. “Well, I’m not sure how many of you are familiar with Highland games, but it’s full of lots of athletic events, good food, and um…what are those things with the—”
He mimicked playing an instrument.
“Bagpipes,” I clarified.
“Right. The idea, as of right now, consists of all of those things, but also pulling other towns in to compete as well. We figure that the first event will be fun and draw in a small crowd, but as word of the event gets out, we’ll pull in a much larger audience, and increase our visitation by… a very large number.”
“What about the cost?” one of the citizens called out.
I took over that one, knowing I was probably the only business in town that could afford to sponsor such an event. “Lawson Law will sponsor the first event.”
Mav stepped forward, taking over the mic from both Jeff and me. As I faded into the background, my heartbeat finally dropped to a normal pace, but the moment I looked at Ellie, it kicked right back into overdrive again.
I couldn’t tear my eyes from that gorgeous smile, and the longer I stood there watching her, the more I came to realize that my life would never be the same if I didn’t find a way to keep her in it.
Jeff leaned in and whispered, “Dude, you are so screwed.”
I didn’t know if he was talking about the Highland games or Ellie. But either way, he was absolutely right.
And I had to figure out how to deal with that if I had any hopes of surviving in this town.