33. Devon
DEVON
Mom, Trav, and I are the first people in the meeting room.
We figured it would be the safest for me so I’m not trying to maneuver around the crowd on crutches with a leg that’ll hurt if bounced around.
Every five seconds, I check the door to see if Ember has come through, and I just hope I can find the right words when I need them.
When I think about what transpired today, I’m completely disgusted with myself.
I fell into old patterns quickly, even when so much has changed.
It was the hockey drama happening all over again, and I couldn’t get myself to see in the moment that Ember is so much more important than hockey, and I don’t need a fully functioning leg to be with her.
Trav squeezes my shoulder. “It’s going to be fine.”
My mother makes a high-pitched noise that sounds less sure. I peer over at her, and she looks away and shrugs. It’s like a bait though. She wants me to ask. “What is it, Mom?”
She answers so quickly that it’s just confirmation of what she was doing all along. “I think some begging might be in order.”
“Well, I have to see this,” Trav smirks.
“I can beg.”
“Grovel,” Mom adds.
“If that’s what it takes.”
Trav laughs like he’s loving this. Honestly, it doesn’t bother me one bit. Ember deserves it.
People start filing in, and pretty soon, the gallery area is almost filled. It makes my stomach squeeze realizing how much of an impact Ember has had on everyone in Harvest Falls in the short amount of time she’s been here. Just like I know everyone would show up for me if I was in this position.
Ember and Bea walk in next. Ember stops halfway through the door and stares wide-eyed at everyone sitting there for her.
After a little plodding from Bea to move forward, she gets words of encouragement.
Grant Cordoroy approaches her, and I wonder how she even knows him.
My mother took over the mayoral position when he decided to retire.
Before then, she’d already started to work within different areas of the town, so she was a shoo-in candidate, and she’s been mayor ever since.
The last person to walk in is Nichols. He has a straight face with his shoulders pulled back. If he’s surprised by the number of people here, he doesn’t show it. He just moves to the front of the room where Mom and the other people on the main town board already sit.
Mom opens up the meeting, but she quickly tosses it into Nichols’ purview.
He brings the microphone to his mouth. “I would like to thank everyone for coming. I’m humbled to know that so many of you deeply care about the things that happen in Harvest Falls.
I will first read the law about historical buildings in Harvest Falls, which the Sleepy Hollow Manor is deemed as, and then we will open up the floor to have people speak. ”
“Then the board will vote,” my mother adds. She smiles like she’s already sure how this is going to go. The rest is a formality.
I try to seek out Ember again, but I can only spot the side of her face. She’s a little more drawn than she has been, though she looks much better than when I was trampling over her heart in the hospital room. I feel sick to my stomach remembering the words that came out of my mouth.
Stupid.
Nichols reads the code enforcement statue that pertains to historical landmarks. He then uses it to explain his decisions and to fight for his choices.
Everything still seems off to me. He may think the haunted house should not be in a historical landmark, but that doesn’t mean everyone else does. Basically, he’s turned the office into something where he can use his personal opinions to rule it, which is not what being in office is really about.
“Now that you’ve heard my side, I would like to open up the floor. Please keep your replies to a few minutes.”
“You can take as long as you want,” my mom says, correcting him.
That twinkle in her eye tells me she loves getting her digs in when she can. She’s like a flower that has a bee on it. Beautiful and sweet, but she’ll sting you if you give her reason to.
Mr. and Mrs. Cordoroy stand with their two young children. They walk to the gallery area microphone, and then Dave stands right next to it. “My kids wanted to say something. Thank you for letting us go first so we can get home to bedtime. Timmy?”
He lifts his son in his hands and brings him in front of the microphone.
A small chuckle rolls through the crowd.
“Um, hi.” He looks toward his dad who gives him an encouraging nod.
“I really liked the haunted house. It was fun. It wasn’t too scary.
It was kid friendly. They had cider and games.
I sure hope I can get to go through it again. ”
He nods like he’s said enough and then his father puts him on his feet and picks up his daughter. “Talia, what do you have to say?”
She smiles. Her lips pull apart so wide. “Hi, I’m Talia, and I think Miss O’Malley is so nice. I’m sad that you won’t let her have her haunted house because Timmy and I had such a good time. The witch was scary. Only it really wasn’t. Oh, and we got candy!”
She says the last part with so much glee that it’s hard not to laugh.
“Thank you, Miss O’Malley,” they say in unison.
“Aw, you’re welcome, kids.”
The father leans into the microphone and says, “Thank you.”
Instead of taking their seats, they leave the room, saying goodbye to their grandfather on the way through.
Next, Bea leaves Ember’s side and stands in front of the microphone.
Ember looks shocked when she starts to speak.
“As a business owner in Harvest Falls, I’m wary to learn that Sleepy Hollow Manor is being restricted in such a way.
As any town, we have our struggles. We want to promote business, not make it hard for them to thrive.
I’ve listened to you read out the decree, Pierce, but I fail to see how the haunted house, or anything that Ember would decide to do with the manor would embarrass the structure or the town. ”
“Well—.” Nichols starts to talk, but my mom shushes him. “You had your turn. Next, please.”
One by one, people get up. Everyone talks in favor of Ember accept the other Nichols family members who are against the whole tourism factor in the town. They simply don’t realize that we’re even able to function like we do because of the outside money that comes in.
When it looks like no one else will stand, I do. I shuffle out of my seat with the crutches. Ember must hear the sound they make because she peers up and spots me. Instead of looking away, she holds my gaze for longer than before, but drops it before I stand in front of the microphone.
“Devon Lachey here. I just want to note that tourism is the reason why Harvest Falls flourishes. Drive through any of the other small towns our size in this state, and you’ll see downtown buildings for sale, no one walking the streets, dilapidated houses.
I’m sure Mayor Lachey can speak to exact figures, but especially during the fall season, tourism is what draws those dollars here.
Without it, we would not have all the beautiful things we do.
Businesses would close, the town would turn to shambles.
I deeply respect what Ember is trying to do here.
She shouldn’t have to worry every time she has a good idea that the Office of Code Enforcement will shut her down. It’s not right.”
I peer back at Ember and catch her eye. She turns away almost immediately. I’m dying to tell her how wrong I was. How I believe in her and how deeply sorry I am that I let my emotions get the best of me and walked away when she needed me most.
Instead, when she turns away, I realize I’m not ready to yet. I can’t just tell her pretty words because I’d already done that and then walked away. She needs to see me take action.
“Thank you for listening, and please vote to reinstate the haunted house, and not only that, change the wording in the law. We need to help the small businesses in our town, even if they are historical landmarks.” I pull out the folder I’d been carrying in my hand.
“Here is a proposal, an edit if you will, of the new possible wording that would be more advantageous toward our hardworking businesses in the area. It would allow Ember to hold her haunted house, the ball, or whatever else she deems worthy within reason. Meaning, she must uphold the standards of Harvest Falls, which we all know she would anyway. This would give her, and everyone else, the right to do what they believe to benefit Harvest Falls, but also allow meetings such as this so that one opinion cannot shut down a fun event.”
Mom comes around the long table they’re all sitting at and takes the folder. She peers inside to find that there are enough copies for everyone sitting on the board today, and then she hands them out on the way back to her seat.
With that, I walk back down the path between the two sides of the room and exit the doors. Once outside, I pull out my phone. I let out a breath. I hate to do this. My mom might hate it even more. However, there’s really nothing else that can be done at this point.
He answers, his voice chipper. “Hello?”
“Hey Randy, it’s Devon Lachey.”
I can almost picture him over in Heritage almost falling off his chair, but like my mom said, sometimes you have to grovel, and right now, Harvest Falls needs him.
“I’d like to talk to you about a few things.”
Even if I can’t be everyone’s handyman right now, I can still figure it out. That thought was lost on me just this morning, but I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that just because I’m injured doesn’t mean my life is over.
And I’m going to show Ember what I can do, laid up or not.