Chapter 9
Lucy
Lucy got another early start the following morning, finishing up her journaling on the back porch before eight o’clock. She needed to make the rounds with the downtown business owners before it was time to open the bookstore. Although she thought her conversation with Logan had gone well the day before, there was still something about him she didn’t trust. Maybe it was his perfect teeth or his perfect square jawline. Even the dimple that made his face asymmetrical was perfect because it kept him from looking too perfect.
And no one was perfect. There was more to his motives than what he was showing, and she was going to figure out what he was hiding.
Her first stop of the day would be the flower shop. Logan already had the power to charm Missy, as they’d all witnessed, so Lucy needed to make sure Missy remembered the downtown business owners needed to stick together. They were closest to the waterfront and would be most impacted by its development, for better or worse.
Lucy followed an unfamiliar woman into the flower shop on the corner of Main and 3rd a block south of the bookstore. The sweet mix of floral scents hit Lucy as soon as she stepped inside. Farmhouse tables were staggered around the space, each piled high with different varieties of roses and lilies and more tropical selections like the giant birds of paradise poking their pointy beak-like buds from tall slender glass vases. Houseplants and succulents lined antique hutches on the left wall, while refrigerated, glass-fronted cases lined the opposite wall to protect the fresh-cut flowers ready for pickup.
Missy was talking to someone up front, so Lucy stopped to look at one of the tables piled high with buckets and arrangements filled with hydrangeas. The varying shades of blue and pink blossoms looked like the cotton candy her dad had bought her at the county fair when she was a kid. The memory made her smile, and she decided she should pick up a bouquet while she was here. She’d remind Missy how the downtown business owners had to support one another.
As Lucy moved around the table selecting several stems to make her own arrangement, she realized the man’s voice coming from up front with Missy sounded familiar. She couldn’t see over the towering displays of hydrangeas, but when she heard him reference the waterfront, she knew it had to be Logan.
He’d beat her. Of course, he’d gone to Missy first after she’d fallen all over herself to clap for him at the meeting.
Obviously, neither of them had noticed her come in the store. If Lucy just moved a little closer, she’d be able to hear their conversation. From her vantage point, she could see Logan leaning sideways against the counter, but his head was obscured by a bulbous arrangement of hydrangeas. Missy was on the other side of the counter, and Lucy could only see her from the neck down. At least she was close enough to hear them speaking.
“—it was just so nice of you to come by.” Missy leaned across the counter and touched Logan’s arm, her voice at least an octave higher than usual.
Lucy flinched at the sight of Missy’s hand staying on his arm a beat longer than was necessary. She’d been voted “Biggest Flirt” in their high school class, and some things never changed. But Logan didn’t pull his arm away either. Did that mean he enjoyed Missy flirting with him?
Wait. Was she jealous? Missy flirted with everyone from Bob at the hardware store—who was old enough to be her grandfather and whose fifty-year wedding anniversary party she’d designed the centerpieces for—to the postman. And, besides, Logan would only be engaging with her because he needed as many downtown business owners on his side as possible.
“Just doing my part to get out and meet everyone.” Logan’s voice was slow, almost solicitous. “Obviously, the commissioners and the mayor hired me, but really I’m here to work for the people of Heron Isle.”
At that, Lucy got over the temporary insanity of being jealous and rolled her eyes. He was here to work for the people of Heron Isle? Puh-lease. He was here to maximize the bottom line. That was it.
“Well, if there’s anything I can do to help, you know where to find me.” Missy was practically cooing.
“Yes, I do. It was nice getting to know you better, Missy.” Logan’s voice was as smooth as the maple syrup they served on the pancakes next door at Harriett’s Diner.
“Don’t be a stranger,” Missy called as Logan headed to the door.
Lucy shifted around the table toward the front of the store to remain unseen as Logan exited. She was so focused on making sure he didn’t see her, she bumped right into the other woman who’d entered the store in front of her.
“Excuse me. I’m so sorry.”
The woman nodded curtly before going back to examining the calla lilies on the table behind the hydrangeas.
“Lucy, is that you?” Missy rounded the table. “I thought I recognized your voice.”
Lucy straightened, tucking her blonde hair behind her ears. She’d left it naturally wavy that morning, but she could tell it was starting to frizz in the humidity.
“Mornin’, Missy. Beautiful hydrangeas you have today. I thought I’d get some for the store.” She held up the few stems she’d chosen before hearing Logan’s voice.
“Well, that’s not going to make much of an arrangement.” Missy clucked her tongue as she pulled back her long red hair into a ponytail. “Here, let me help you.” She moved over to the table of hydrangeas and selected a few more stems. “Let me cut these down for you, and we can do a nice short arrangement you can sit on your front counter.”
Lucy followed Missy up to a butcher block table to the right of the register, where Missy began cutting the stems, selecting a short, round glass bowl to place them in.
“I didn’t even see you come in. It’s been a busy morning. That consultant the city hired, Logan, was just here. You must have seen him on your way in.”
“Oh, no, I didn’t see him,” Lucy played dumb, looking around like he might still be inside. “But he’s actually part of the reason I came in to chat,” she said, turning back to Missy. “Bob, Pete, Pam, and I went out to dinner after the meeting the other night, and we think all the downtown business owners need to get on the same page about what we want before we have our meeting with Logan. I didn’t realize he was going to go door-to-door so quickly.”
“I think he’s going to be good for Heron Isle,” Missy said, looking up from her nearly complete arrangement and smiling. “He had a great idea about bringing cruise ships into the port?—”
“Cruise ships?” Lucy hissed across the counter at Missy. “Did he seriously bring up cruise ships again?”
“Again?” Missy looked confused. “That’s the first time I remember hearing about the cruise ship idea.”
Lucy shook her head. “Never mind. What did he say about cruise ships?” Lucy was gritting her teeth, her fingers turning white as they gripped the edge of the counter. How could he continue to peddle this ridiculous idea after what she’d told him about the environmental impacts? Even the smaller one-hundred-passenger ships had wreaked havoc in other ports.
Unaware of Lucy’s growing frustration, Missy began animatedly telling her about Logan’s plans. “He said it would bring lots of business to us here downtown as the cruise ships docked for the day. He even said he could work it into the deal that they had to buy certain things from downtown businesses when they pull in. Like, they could buy fresh flowers from me to put on their dining-room tables and in the VIP cabins. Isn’t that just the best idea?”
Lucy sighed, pinching her nose between her eyes. “No, Missy. I know it sounds like a great idea, but it’s not. Did he mention the noise and air pollution that will impact those of us who have businesses on Main Street, and especially people like you and Pam who live nearby?” Lucy had been reading up on it last night, gathering all the data she could to share at the next council meeting if cruise ships were still on the drawing board.
Missy’s bright smile faded into a frown. “No, he didn’t mention that.”
“Of course he didn’t. And did he mention they dump their bilge water that’s full of oil and grease and raw sewage?” Lucy scrunched up her nose for effect. “That stuff would pollute the water we swim in, the water our seafood comes from.”
“He definitely didn’t mention that.” Missy slid the flower arrangement across the counter to Lucy, her eyes turned down as she played with the edge of the kraft paper stacked on the butcher block. “I wish I’d known all that. I told him I thought it was a great idea.”
“It’s okay.” Lucy reached across the counter to pat her hand. “It’s not like you signed an agreement or anything. He counted on you not knowing anything about the environmental impacts. Heck, I didn’t know either until a few months ago. I sat in on one of the conservancy’s meetings, and they were talking about the efforts some of the cruise companies have been making to get into towns along the southeastern coast. They figured the companies would come courting us eventually. This consultant has probably worked with them in other cities. He probably even gets a commission for every new port he adds.”
“You really think that’s how these consultants work?” Missy’s eyes were wide.
Lucy shrugged. “Would it surprise you?” For reasons she didn’t understand, Lucy didn’t actually believe Logan was the kickback type, but she didn’t know that for sure and she needed to keep Missy on her side.
“He just seems so nice.” Missy glanced at the front door as if he were still there.
Lucy knew what she really meant was that he was handsome and charming. Those things and being nice weren’t the same, but Lucy knew it was something she would have to constantly remind herself of too. It was too easy to get mesmerized by those green eyes and the way he smiled so effortlessly.
“Yeah, I preferred the old guy with the big ears they brought in to present that last plan. He wouldn’t know charm if it hit him in the head. This guy’s a ringer. Even Pete was flirting with him the other night when we ran into him at the Waterway Café.”
“He is kind of dreamy,” Missy said, staring wistfully at the front door again as if he might walk back in at any moment. “Did you see those eyes? Wowee! We don’t get many men who look like him around here. You snapped up the last hunky guy who came to town—” She stopped herself as she realized what she was saying and stared down at the counter. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up Carter. Do you still hear from him?”
Although time had dulled the pain from somewhere around a knife in the heart to an annoyingly throbbing paper cut, the reminder of Carter and how he’d left her for the job in Chicago still stung.
“No.” Lucy shook her head as she attempted to dislodge the image of him pulling out of her drive for the last time. “No point keeping in touch.”
“Well, we’re glad you’re still here,” Missy said, waving Lucy off as she pulled out her wallet. “It’s on the house. Just take a few of my business cards and put them out by the flowers. I’ll write it off as marketing.” Missy smiled as she tucked pieces of her red hair that were too short to stay in her ponytail back behind her ear.
The woman who’d entered the store ahead of Lucy approached the counter holding an assortment of daisies and roses.
“We’ll chat more later,” Lucy said. “I’m going to stop by all the downtown businesses this week and figure out our plan of attack.”
“Okay, just let me know.” Missy said as she turned to help the other customer.
Lucy decided she needed to go see Bob to tell him Logan was going door-to-door. He’d know what to do.
The hardware store was unusually busy for that time of day, so Lucy told Bob they could catch up later. He’d suggested she send an email to the group and warn them against discussing anything with Logan before they’d all had a chance to get together.
As she crossed through the town square on her way to open her store, she noticed the door to the Little Free Library had been left open. She detoured up the sidewalk to go close it if no one was inside. As she reached to swing it shut, she saw a few new additions stacked on the ledge at the back and couldn’t resist grabbing them to read through the notes.
The first book was a thriller with a recommendation for anyone who loved true-crime podcasts. She read the back cover copy and shivered despite the heat already setting in for the day. She loved a good thriller, but this one sounded terrible enough to give her nightmares.
She thumbed through a few children’s books that had been added, her mood lifting when she saw the barely legible crayon handwriting on one of the notes.
I liked the brown bear. I wasn’t scared. GRRR!
A drawing of what appeared to be a brown snowman was included. Smiling, she tucked the note back inside the book and placed it on the shelf among the other children’s books. A few dog-eared copies of romance novels had been added to the fiction shelf, the creases in the bindings showing they’d been around the block a few times already. Lucy used to read romance novels, but that was before Carter left. Real-life relationships were nothing like the ones she’d read about. The girl didn’t always get the guy. Sometimes the guy moved to Chicago.
At this thought, she could almost hear Annie’s voice in her head, reminding her that it just meant Carter wasn’t the guy. He was out there somewhere, and he would choose her and Heron Isle without hesitation. She wouldn’t have to compete with a big city or beg him to stay.
Lucy sighed as she moved the last children’s book aside. The familiar handwriting of Gatsby’s Ghost appeared on a sticky note attached to the next book. She was surprised to see it was a personal development book. The 5 Second Rule: Transform Your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage. She’d read her share of self-help books, but all they’d done was convince her that some people were born with confidence and others were not. She definitely fell into the latter category.
Pulling out the book, she smiled as she removed the index card inside, eager to see what Gatsby’s Ghosthad to say today.
Island Girl,
I, too, understand what it’s like to strive for something and feel it’s always just out of your grasp. But it’s like Babe Ruth said: it’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.
I’m currently in a bit of a predicament myself. I’m at the plate with two outs, two strikes, and it’s the bottom of the ninth. I either win the game or perhaps there will be no more games for me.
I think what I’m trying to say is that we both need to trust our swings when we step up to the plate. This is the book I reread every time I need a boost. Thought maybe you could use it too.
Signed,
Gatsby’s Ghost
P. S. I hope you like baseball, haha.
Lucy smiled. Luckily for Gatsby’s Ghost, she used to spend nights snuggled in next to her dad in his old recliner watching baseball. He’d loved sport analogies too. She still remembered how he’d yell “batter up!” in the mornings to let her know it was time to come downstairs because her breakfast was ready.
A warmth spread over Lucy as she realized Gatsby’s Ghost had seen what she wrote in her last note, and instead of viewing her as weak, he wanted to encourage her to keep trying. She’d have to be mentally tough to take on Logan Lancaster. If he had a confidence issue, it was from being too far on the other end of the spectrum from her. What was it Bob had called him? A fixer. He probably didn’t need a book like this to make him feel more confident. He had a natural swagger that was as irritating as it was magnetizing. She needed to focus on the irritating part. She needed to be immune to his charm and those green eyes. She slid the book into her purse, vowing to read it as soon as she had some quiet moments at the store today. She could use all the confidence she could get.
The town had brought Logan in because they meant business, but she wasn’t going down that easy. This was her island too. Four generations of Sullivans had lived here. She wasn’t going to let some outsider come in and tell her what herisland needed. That it wasn’t good enough the way it was. She wondered if he’d ever gone back to the little town in Wisconsin he was from and tried to push his ideas of so-called progress on them.
After Lucy closed up the library and opened her store for the day, she logged on to her computer. Mornings tended to be slow until the tourists headed into town for lunch. As she put out food for Lizzy and Alice, she wondered what Gatsby’s Ghost was facing that had him feeling like he was down to his final pitch. Was it work or personal? It had been vulnerable of him to share that he, too, was struggling, and if the dog-eared copy of the book he’d left was any indication, he’d needed a confidence boost now and then also.
Maybe his business was in danger of closing, or he had a big proposal out that he needed to win to make his quarterly sales goal. She tried picturing what a man who loved both literary history and baseball did for a living. Maybe he was a professor in town for summer break who rented a beach house so he could write his novel. Maybe that was his do or die situation—he was on a deadline for his book.
Her stomach flip-flopped as she remembered what that had been like. That feeling, however uncomfortable, had paled in comparison to the gut punch of finding out the book wasn’t even being published. She’d given up so many weekends and nights to sit at her computer and write and then edit, letting the rest of her life basically pass her by, only to have nothing to show for it in the end. It was part of why she’d fallen so hard and fast for Carter. She’d been swept away by the idea of settling down with him and having a family of her own where she could find purpose.
Having gone down the Carter rabbit hole once already today with Missy, Lucy decided to take a look at the book from Gatsby’s Ghost while the store was quiet. Normally, she would never jump ahead in a book. She knew some of her customers liked to read the end first, but she’d never understood that. She loved letting the story unfold in its own time as she progressed through the pages. Now, however, she found she couldn’t resist the urge to flip through until she saw his familiar handwriting in the margins. What nuggets had he highlighted for her?
“Hesitation is the kiss of death. You might hesitate for just a nanosecond, but that’s all it takes. That one small hesitation triggers a mental system that’s designed to stop you. And it happens in less than—you guessed it—five seconds.”
She harumphed out loud to Lizzy, who had crawled into her lap. “So what? We’re supposed to make uninformed, impulsive decisions?” she asked the cat, who was now pawing at the book as if she, too, wanted to see what Gatsby’s Ghost had written.
“Your feelings don’t matter. The only thing that matters is what you DO.”
Yikes. Your feelings don’t matter? Gatsby’s Ghost certainly didn’t seem like the kind of robot who would identify with this passage, but there it was—underlined twice.
She flipped ahead, looking for more, finding herself disappointed in his latest suggestion. This was supposed to inspire her to be more confident?
“Yes, you can move mountains. Whatever is happening right now, this is it. This is your life. And it’s not going to begin again. You can’t change the past, but in five seconds you can change your future.”
He’d drawn an arrow in the margin next to the last sentence, tracing over it several times so it was bold and the page was indented from the effort. She read it again. Finally, something she could get behind. She’d add it to her journal later so she could repeat it in the mornings with her mantras.
Wanting to end on a high note, she closed the book and concentrated on petting the cat in her lap until she jumped down at the sound of the bells jingling on the front door, eager to greet their first customer of the day. The mayor poked in his head, as if he hadn’t fully committed to entering.
“Mayor, come on in.”
“Are you alone?” He looked toward the bookshelves that ran perpendicular to the wall on the right side of the store as if someone were hiding and might jump out at any moment.
Lucy tucked the book between her leg and the arm of the chair. “I am. Is everything okay?” As he shuffled toward her, she pointed to the other armchair. “Have a seat. Can I get you coffee? Tea? Water?”
“I’d take a cup of coffee if it’s not too much trouble.” He lowered himself into the armchair.
“I was just going to put on a pot.” It was a lie, but everyone in the South did it. You never wanted your guest to feel they were putting you out. “Let me get it started. Be right back.”
In the little kitchenette, Lucy fished a filter out of the drawer and added a few heaping spoonfuls of coffee inside it, then set the pot to begin. Taylor had given her a Keurig the previous Christmas, touting how quickly it could make coffee or tea on demand for her and her customers, but it still sat in its box on a shelf in the back. She didn’t mean to be ungrateful for the gift. It was very thoughtful. Lucy just didn’t want to speed up the process. Waiting for coffee to brew gave people time to chat or browse. This wasn’t a fast-food joint where she wanted to hustle people in and out the door.
She rejoined the mayor up front. “So is this a social visit or a political one?” She sat in the same chair she’d been reading in, turning slightly to her left to face him.
“Can’t it be both?” His friendly smile and easy demeanor had made him a shoo-in for mayor when he’d first run, and now he was a year into his second and final term before the town’s term limit would force him to pass the gavel to someone else.
She sighed. “Yes, of course. How are you? How are Mrs. Jenkins and Thomas?” Lucy had known the Jenkins family her entire life. Their son, Thomas, was her age and had often been in her classes growing up.
The mayor was beaming now. “Thomas and his wife are expecting a baby this Christmas. A grandchild! Talk about the best gift under the tree.”
“Congratulations.” Lucy was sure Thomas would make a wonderful father. He’d always been kind and seemed like someone who would relish being a parent, the same way hers had. “Please tell him I send my best.” Thomas had moved away for college and never come back, like many of her classmates. The lure of bigger cities seemed to call to everyone but her.
“I will. He and Jennifer are visiting for Labor Day, so I’m sure you’ll see them then.”
Lucy heard the beeps indicating the coffee was finished. Standing, she asked the mayor, “Cream? Sugar?”
“A little of both, please.”
“You got it. Be right back.”
Once she’d returned with their coffees, her curiosity got the best of her. “So what can I do for you, Mayor?”
“I wanted to talk to you about Logan Lancaster.”
Remembering how jealous she’d been when Missy placed her hand on his arm that morning at the flower shop, Lucy busied herself with stirring her coffee.
“Mm-hmm.” She took a long sip. “What about him?”
“He says you’ve spoken already. That you had some good ideas he’s going to try to incorporate.”
“Did he also tell you he wants to bring in cruise ships and gambling boats?”
“Yes, those have been mentioned. They’re not the worst ideas I’ve heard. At least it wouldn’t be a giant development on the waterfront, right?”
“They’re still not great ideas.” She set her coffee on the table between their chairs. “Have you run it by Helen yet?” Lucy was sure Helen would be on her side on this.
The mayor held up his hands in surrender. “That’s why I’m here. There are a lot of ideas on the table, and they all have pros and cons. I want to do what we should have done the first time around. I want to hold a series of community forums where we can all discuss these ideas and find the best solution. This isn’t just a council decision; it’s a community decision.”
Lucy crossed one leg over the other and looked out across the bookstore. As much as she wanted everything to remain the same, she knew that now the town had engaged Logan they were going to move forward with some sort of plan for the waterfront. At least this time they wanted to involve everyone in the decision.
“Well, you know I’ll be there. I’m sure a lot of people will want to be involved in the process, but with so many opinions, how will we ever reach a consensus?”
“That’s why I’m here.” The mayor put his mug down on the table. “I want you to lead the community forums”—he glanced away and cleared his throat—“with Logan. The two of you would decide the topics for each meeting, contact any outside experts you want to bring in, that sort of thing. He’ll represent the council and you’ll represent the community. That way it’s fair and balanced.”
“I’m not sure I’m the right person.” These meetings were too important for her to lead. She’d thrown every argument she had at Logan out on the docks the day before, and if his talk with Missy was any indication, he was still forging ahead with the cruise ship idea. She didn’t know how to fight someone like him. “You should ask Helen to do it.” Helen was one of the most noted people in her field. She’d probably come up against people like Logan her entire career.
“Helen has to present some kind of groundbreaking research at a conference next month and said she’ll be working around the clock until then out in California with another researcher. She promised others from her group will be at the meetings, and she’s emailing you info on her experts. She agreed with me that it should be you.”
Lucy didn’t feel any more confident. “There must be someone else. I don’t think I could bear it if I failed. We’re talking about the future of our entire town.” She racked her brain for someone better suited to the job.
The mayor leaned toward her. “Lucy, I don’t think this is a life-or-death situation. Do you really think I would sit by and watch the town be destroyed? We’re just talking about a little progress. Look at this building you’re in.” He motioned around the room. “It wasn’t one of the original buildings on Main Street. It came thirty years after the ones closer to the water. And now you can’t imagine it not being here, right? Change can feel like the end of something we love just the way it is, but what if it’s the start of something even greater?”
She frowned. “You saw the previous plans. Can you seriously compare those monstrosities they wanted to build to this building?” She looked up at the tin ceiling, each tile stamped with delicate designs that looked like flowers growing on vines.
“No.” The mayor’s voice was gentler now. “But that’s why we brought Logan in. Did you know he minored in historic preservation?”
“Yes, he mentioned that. Then just minutes later he suggested trucking giant ships through the channel. Are we just going to overturn the ninety-foot limit we’ve had on boats coming into the marina and start dredging?” She shook her arm toward the marina on the other end of downtown. She understood why on paper the mayor might think Logan was the right man for the job, but he clearly wasn’t. “I did a little research, and even the smallest cruise ships are more than three hundred feet long.”
“Clearly you’re opposed to that direction. And that’s fine. You and everyone else will have your chance to voice those opinions at the community forums. Even more reason for you to lead them with Logan.”
She thought then of the last passage from the book.
“This is your life. And it’s not going to begin again. You can’t change the past, but in five seconds you can change your future.”
Lucy felt torn. Of course, she wanted to be part of the discussion and ensure that cruise ships stayed away from Heron Isle. But what if she failed? Then she’d have to spend the rest of her life watching those ships pull into port, knowing it was her fault they were there, because she wasn’t strong enough or smart enough to stop them.
She fingered the tiny anchor pendant on the delicate chain around her neck, flipping it back and forth. Her dad had given her the necklace for her eighteenth birthday, shortly before she left for college, to remind her to always have a strong anchor and stand for the things she believed in. Then she remembered the book again.
Five seconds of hesitation. That was all the book said it takes for your brain to stop you. Maybe the author was on to something after all.
“You know what? I’ll do it,” Lucy said, noting the look of surprise on the mayor’s face. Obviously, he’d thought she’d be a tougher sell.
“Wonderful! I’ll talk to Logan, and we’ll get the first meeting on the books.” He reached out to shake her hand.
Smiling, she thought of Gatsby’s Ghost and how proud he would be of her.