Chapter 16 Tash #2
Maeve kept going. "If you can't respect a simple flowerbed, how are we supposed to trust you with a river? Or acres and acres of woodland? Who's gonna fix it when you scrape all the topsoil off the valley? Who's gonna bring back the trees once the hillsides cave in?"
Her words pinged off the ceiling, sharp as gravel.
She turned to stare at the mayor. "Local businesses depend on our environment. I depend on it. If SkyArc can't tell the difference between a flowerbed and a construction zone, maybe you're not the right fit for Laurel Gap."
She stepped down, every bit as regal as any CEO.
The council looked rattled. William tried to recover, flashing that salesman smile, but his assistant had gone pale, and the mayor couldn't stop checking the clock.
Maeve slid back into the seat beside me, cheek flushed with victory.
She nudged me. "That's how we handle a wolf in a dress shirt," she said under her breath. "We did great."
I didn't have a comeback. She was right.
For the rest of the meeting, nobody topped us. A few people asked about parking or whether the new development would bring chain stores to the town square. William dodged and parried, but the questions landed more jaggedly now.
I'd done it. I'd laid it out, all of it, the numbers, the pain, the hope. If the council still went with SkyArc, at least they'd know exactly what they'd chosen to kill.
The mayor wrapped up the meeting with handshakes and vague promises. People filtered out slowly, not talking much. Everyone was a little shell-shocked.
I grabbed my folder, gave Maeve a quick nod, and sprinted for the exit like my shoes were on fire.
Out in the dark, I shoved my folder on the passenger seat and barely remembered to buckle up before speeding off.
Every inch of my brain replayed that exchange. The photos, the way William's mask broke, the flicker of hope in the old men's faces.
Halfway down Main Street, my phone vibrated. The car's dash flashed an incoming group call from Gerty and Beth.
I nearly ignored it. I wanted to drive into the woods and scream until my lungs exploded. I hadn't told them about Chance yet, and that was going to be a whole conversation. But they'd keep calling. So I thumbed accept and blasted them through the speakers.
Beth giggled, all breathless. "We just wanted to check in! It's a week until Christmas, can you believe it? I told the kids we're going, and they're beside themselves. Eliza already packed three bags, including her collection of dead bugs. So, hope you're ready for that."
I rounded a curve, wheels skidding on wet pavement. "I'm a biologist. I'd love to see her bug collection. I just got out of a town hall where the big sales pitch was 'let's turn Laurel Gap into Gatlinburg 2.0.' I might need tequila."
Gerty whistled. "Tell me you ripped them a new one?"
I shrugged, then remembered they couldn't see it. "I did my best. Science, data, guilt-trip. Even Maeve got up and called them out for destroying her flower beds."
Beth laughed so hard she snorted. "I already love Maeve, and I've never met her. Was she in apron or full battle mode?" I'd told her all about Chance's endearing cousin but not about Chance himself.
"Both. She practically vibrated the lectern."
For a moment, the only sound was Gerty's dry cackle and Beth's soft, rolling giggles. The tension in my neck actually eased a bit.
Laurel Gap's only stoplight flashed yellow, empty. I pulled onto my street, the headlights cutting between black trees. Inside, everything was warm and bright. Outside, it was nothing but wind and rain.
I turned off the car, yanked my keys out, and let the call switch to the phone automatically. I tucked the phone under my chin, juggled my folder, and unlocked the door.
Beth was still going. "Carter is determined to bring Huey a Santa hat, by the way. He swears it'll make him an internet star."
I laughed, but it came out shaky. "Huey would probably eat it."
Gerty cleared her throat. "Beth, give me a break. Tash is not okay. You haven't listened to a thing we said since you got in."
Damn it. Caught.
I set the folder on the counter and stared at my hands. Even my skin buzzed. I could just hear the girls moving around in their rooms upstairs, so I didn't bother them yet.
"Are you going to tell us what's wrong," Gerty prodded, "or do I need to drive up there with a lie detector and a case of vodka?"
"Did something more happen at the meeting?" Beth asked.
I took a breath. It was time to fess up. "No," I said. "Not about SkyArc. It's the twins. I… Okay. This is not a drill. I found their father."
The air sucked out of the room. Even from two towns away, Beth and Gerty went dead silent.
"What?" Beth squeaked, volume rising.
Gerty practically yelled, "I fucking knew it. I could tell something was up."
I unloaded everything. No edits, no drama filter, just everything I could think of in one big rush.
"His name is Chance Meyer. We met in college, one wild night, then he vanished.
I tried to find him for years. His mother told me he was sterile, and said there was no possible way the girls were his. "
"Yeah," Gerty interrupted. "We knew that part. We were there, remember?"
"Right, but the thing is, his mother, Livia, lied to both of us.
He never knew about the pregnancy. When I moved back here, I found him.
He works at the bakery. Co-owns it with Maeve, actually.
He lost his mind when he saw me, and when I told him about the twins?
You could've knocked him over with a feather. "
Beth actually clapped, full-on, through the phone. "That's so romantic. Like, fate or something!"
Gerty snorted, pure disbelief. "It's risky, is what it is. Do you even know this guy? What if he's nuts or worse?"
I bristled but covered it with a joke. "He bakes. How could he be nuts if he bakes?"
Gerty wasn't letting go. "You're deflecting. You always do this. Do you love him?"
My heart went sideways. I slammed a cupboard just to have something to do.
"This isn't about me," I snapped. "It's for the girls. They want to meet him. That's all."
"Keep telling yourself that," Gerty purred. "I give it two months max before you're eating cinnamon rolls off his bare chest."
Beth shrieked with laughter. "Oh my god, stop. Tash can't even make eye contact right now, I bet."
She wasn't wrong. My face might've been red enough to cook an egg. Heat crawled up my throat at how fast one night with him still lit me up.
Gerty backed off, but just a hair. "Are you okay, Tash? Really?"
"Yeah," I said, and this time it wasn't even a lie. "The girls decided to meet him tomorrow. I'm just freaked out about them getting hurt."
Beth sniffled, because of course she did. "They won't. They have you. And us. Even if it's a disaster, you'll land on your feet."
I smiled, finally. "Thanks, guys," I mumbled.
Gerty took a new tack. "By the way, I'm coming up the day after Beth, so you better save me some cinnamon rolls, or I'll riot."
Beth wheezed. "Her and her baked goods. She needs a husband or a new hobby."
Gerty groaned. "Stop trying to set me up. The last guy nearly cleaned out my bank account and my liquor cabinet."
I leaned on the counter and let their banter roll over me. Actual peace, for the moment. I started folding towels to keep my hands busy.
Huey barked upstairs. Something crashed. The twins' voices raised, then I heard laughter, then the sound of a dog stampeding on hardwood.
Beth caught the noise. "Tell the girls hi. If Eliza asks, she's dying to know if Fifi has any new drawings. I think she's plotting a prison break from her reading class."
Gerty moaned. "I need to borrow those kids sometime. My house is too quiet. Maybe I'll foster kittens."
"Get a boyfriend," Beth shot back.
"Hard pass. Never again. I have Prime and a state-of-the-art vibrator."
They were both ridiculous. The way they argued was half the reason they were my best friends.
We signed off, hugs and threats and promises to call if anything went sideways. I found the girls upstairs, an argument brewing.
"You can't wear that. It screams desperation!" Fifi waved a hoodie in Mere's face, scandalized.
"Better than smelling like a department store," Mere shot back.
"At least I don't have dog hair on my skirt," Fifi huffed, flicking a strand at her sister.
Mere rolled her eyes and started braiding her hair. "It's called texture. Maybe read a fashion blog?"
Huey, ever the opportunist, barreled past me and wedged himself between the twins, tail wagging so hard it thumped the wall.
They shrieked, mock-horrified, then broke into giggles. All that anger and bravado, up in smoke.
Some things they had to work out for themselves.
If this whole thing broke their hearts, I'd never be able to forgive myself. But I wanted, needed, them to have a shot at something bigger than me.
I knew it. I just didn't want to say it out loud.
The twins kept arguing, but it was friendly now, the old rhythm restored. I went back to the kitchen to start a late dinner. Tomorrow, everything would change. But for tonight, I could handle the chaos.
Even if it killed me.