Chapter 32
CHAPTER 32
Peter and Lizzie had made a deal not to tell anyone about Eric’s trip to Florida. It was hard to not tell Jack or her mom, but they needed the element of surprise both so no one close to Gobel and Green and their legal team could be alerted, and for the surprise element for the media.
By mid-afternoon Lizzie is feeling antsy. She’s completed her deadlines, worked on the paper’s social media and even prepped some stories for next week’s issue.
“I need a break Dad, how about you?” she says, standing up and stretching. It was always amazing to her how easily they worked across from each other, neither one bothered by the other’s presence. Part of it was all the years they each had working in newsrooms, but it was also from their total comfort with each other. Lizzie had never felt so good, even in a stressful time, in a workplace.
Peter stretches as well. “Your mom texted a while ago, encouraging me to get out, we’re going to meet at the Bunny Park and have some lunch in about a half hour. You’re welcome to join us.”
“Thanks, but you two need some alone time. You’re always surrounded by kids, in-laws, and Sophie who–no matter how delightful she is–doesn’t allow much space for you two to just be together.” She stands up and puts her coat on and her bag over her shoulder. “I’m going to walk down to Sea Coast and maybe have some soup and a coffee. I’ll see you in a bit!”
The Cape is not known for its spectacular spring weather, so when there’s a day in March that is full of sun and little wind, it’s practically cause for a parade. As soon as the fresh air and sun hit Lizzie she feels her whole body relax. She closes her eyes for a moment and takes a deep breath. This is exactly what she needed. Despite everything going on she finds herself actually smiling at the sight of daffodils and crocuses, and is thrilled to see the cherry trees that line Main Street are probably just a couple of weeks from blooming, turning the street into a sea of pink.
Within a few minutes she’s walking into Sea Coast where she is very surprised to see her mom, Shannon and Alexis all deep in conversation around a small table.
“Lizzie!” Shannon calls out. Alexis closes her laptop and her mom turns to greet her. “Hey, honey, this is a nice surprise. Look who I ran into! This almost never happens!”
Lizzie can’t figure out what’s going on, but her mother is a terrible actress. She decides whatever it is they do not want her in on it, so she points to the counter, “I’m going to get some soup, any of you want anything?” They all shake their heads.
By the time she gets back with her bowl of vegan lentil soup and a piece of warm French bread, her mom is getting up to leave. “Here, take my seat, honey, I’m meeting your dad. I came in to get us some lunch and ran into these two, and we had fun catching up.”
“If you’re sure,” Lizzie says, taking her mom’s seat. “Thanks, have a good lunch with Dad.” She’s still confused about what’s going on. Are they worried about her and were meeting in private to discuss her mental health or something? Is she presenting like she’s having a hard time? She thought she was doing pretty well. She picks up her spoon and tells herself to calm the heck down, all while smiling at Shannon and Alexis. Great, now they’ll really think I’m not doing well. Stop! She yells in her head.
“Bye, Gabby, talk to you soon,” Shannon says as Gabby leaves. “So, how’s your day going?” she asks Lizzie, trying to look casual.
Lizzie nods, “Fine, everything’s fine.” Stop saying ‘fine’, she tells herself. “What’s up with you two?” Wondering if either of them will spill the beans.
“I’m good,” Alexis says, “but I have to get going, I’m supposed to Zoom with some of the team, we’re assessing what to do with the crew etcetera.”
“Me too, I hate to leave you to eat alone, but I have to get back to the library for afternoon story hour,” Shannon says.
“Okay, I feel like I scared everyone off,” Lizzie says. “Are you upset with me?”
“Oh my gosh, no!” Alexis says, looking concerned. “We’d all been here for a while before you came in. It’s timing, that’s all.” She stands up and gathers the empty cups and takes them to the recycling bin. “I’ll call you later, okay?”
Lizzie nods, “Sure.”
Shannon leans over and gives her a hug, “You doing okay today?” she whispers.
Lizzie nods again, “Yup, I’m hunky dorey,” she says trying to convince herself as well. “We’ll talk later, okay?” Shannon says.
“Sure,” Lizzie says, still feeling a little bit like a party ruiner.
She’s not alone for long. Jack walks in and while she’s happy to see him, it’s not without some angst.
“Hey, I was hoping I might find you here,” he says, giving her a kiss.
“Perfect timing, I seem to have just scared away my family and friends. I would love the company, it’s no fun to eat alone.”
“That soup looks good, let me get some and I’ll be right back,” he says.
While she’s waiting for him her phone rings. It's Eric. “I’ll be right back, I have to take this,” she says to him as he’s walking back to the table and she steps outside.
“Sure,” he says, sitting down.
“Hey, Eric,” she says, her heart racing. ”You okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine. So I’m headed to the airport, I’m coming back. I don’t want to linger around here too long.”
“Wow, that was fast. So this source ended up having something for you to use?”
“Yes, and then some,” he says. “I don’t want to talk about this on the phone. My flight, if I make it on time, is leaving in an hour. I'll call you from Boston and let you know when I’ll be on the Cape and we can meet in person. I’ll just say, hold on to your hat.”
“Should I be happy or worried?” she asks, her pulse quickening.
“Mostly happy, but there are a lot of people who aren’t going to be, so there’s always room for a little worry,” Eric says. “I’m going to run so I can focus on catching my flight. Talk to you soon.”
“Okay, travel safe, and I’ll talk to you later,” She puts her phone down, and stands outside for a moment gathering her thoughts, knowing she can’t share any of this with Jack. She does her best to shake it off, and then goes back into Sea Coast where Jack has finished his soup and is on to a cookie, there’s another one sitting on a napkin for her. She smiles and thanks him for the cookie, and takes a bite, even though she hasn’t finished her soup, which has now gone cold anyway.
“Everything okay?” he asks, taking a bite of his salted chocolate chip.
“Yeah,” she nods, “Everything’s fine.” She smiles, and tries to be present, even though her mind is a million miles away. “How are you doing? Anything new I need to be caught up on?” She breaks a piece of the cookie off and pops it in her mouth. She really doesn’t want a cookie right now, but it’s a distraction and something to do with her hands.
Jack takes a big sip of his coffee, “Yeah, there’s a lot. The legal team is gathering in New York and then will head here at some point in the next couple of days to prepare for court. I talked to them about my assault case, which is sounding much less scary. I forgot that we have security cameras set up on the periphery of the land, and they found footage of Billy and Bud skulking around and even taking some building supplies, and attempting to sabotage some of the equipment.”
“Wow, really? I find that shocking! Even though I’ve known those two my whole life, that seems low even for them,” Lizzie says. It’s so hard to not tell Jack that some even bigger news could be coming on a flight from Orlando in a few hours, but she doesn’t want to risk jeopardizing anything. This is bigger than something you want to share with your fiance, this sounds like it could be criminal, so she bites her tongue.
“I know, right? I mean, I know they didn’t want Terra Marique to happen, but committing a felony is a whole other level of misbehavior. I always thought they were malcontents who didn’t have anything better to do. But, by sabotaging heavy equipment they could have caused an accident that could injure someone. But enough about all this stuff, how are you doing? You okay?”
Lizzie shrugs, and eats some more of her cookie. She doesn’t know what else to do, she can’t tell him about Eric’s story, and she doesn’t want to tell him how she’s really feeling about postponing the wedding, so there’s not too much to talk about otherwise, so once again she puts on a smile and acts like everything is okay. “I’m fine. Boy, this cookie is so good!” she offers up, lacking anything more that she feels comfortable sharing.
“I know, when I got to the counter Hope was taking them right from the cookie sheet to the display case. Can’t get much fresher than that. You want another one? I think I’m going to have one more,” he says, getting up.
She shakes her head, her mouth full of the last piece of hers, “I’m good,” she manages to get out despite the cookie. While he’s gone she takes the opportunity to check Twitter, she’s been following Gobel and Green and keeps waiting for them to post something about having filed this injunction, but there’s nothing, which after a couple of days surprises her. Usually the modus operandi of these types of companies is to build buzz and sympathy for their misdeeds. There’s not usually a shortage of a certain type of media outlet that loves to slam people who are working hard to stem the tide of climate change and make them look like the bad guys, not the corporations who are pillaging the planet.
When Jack comes back he not only has more cookies, but he also has two lattes. Lizzie accepts hers, but is worried about how she will ever get to sleep tonight with more caffeine in the afternoon.
“It’s decaf,” he says, “I know you, you’ve reached your cutoff time,” he says, smiling at her.
She leans over and gives him a kiss. “You’re the best, which is why I know you’ll understand that I have to get back to the paper and see how my dad is doing, and check on a few things. Don’t hate me for leaving you here all alone, okay?” She says, getting up and putting on her coat. “Thanks for this,” she says, raising the decaf latte. “It was very thoughtful of you. Things seem not terrible,” she says. “And not terrible right now is a very good thing.”
“Yes, right now not terrible is about the best bar I can hope to reach.” He’s quiet for a moment. “We were really moving along, Lizzie, you know? We were looking to be able to have this place habitable well before our original date. I’m so angry at these people, but I can’t let that get in the way of doing all I have to do. The lawyers say to keep doing everything I’ve been doing that isn’t related to the site–all the future planning, reaching out to possible residents and all the rest. They said to keep going as if nothing is wrong, so that’s what I’m trying to do. It’s hard though, my mind keeps going right back to crisis mode.”
“They wouldn’t tell you that if they weren’t confident about winning this case. Jack, this isn’t a bunch of fresh-out-of-school lawyers who don’t know what they’re doing, so listen to them,” Lizzie says. “It is going to work out.” She hugs him. “Call me later, okay?”
“I will,’ he says. “And thanks for the pep talk, I needed it.”
“Anytime,” she says. As she walks back to the paper she’s trying to give herself a pep talk, quietly, under her breath, “It’s all going to work out, this is just a speed bump, this will all get fixed and everything will be okay for everyone.” The closer she gets to the paper the less sure she is, but she’s trying to have faith.That’s all she can do.