Chapter 29
Logan
Lucy didn’t know it yet, but she had helped save the waterfront. Thanks to the book she left him in the Little Free Library, Doug had found the shell middens they were looking for at a speed that would have made pirates searching for gold turn green with envy. It was like having a treasure map. The book detailed exactly where the settlement on the island had been, and it even referenced early journal entries from a European settler describing the settlement. Doug was familiar with the area, but hadn’t previously had reason to look for its exact location.
Now it was Tuesday and Logan was headed to the council meeting, but first he stopped at the Little Free Library to make sure Lucy had found the note he’d left yesterday. He’d asked her to meet him—well, to meet Gatsby’s Ghost—on the back deck at the Waterway Café and promised her he’d be there this time. He’d had to make the time 9:00 p.m. to account for the council meeting, so he hoped that hadn’t turned her off. He’d chosen a place that was still public enough to make her feel safe, but also afforded a little privacy. And he’d asked Mildred to have champagne waiting at the table and not to seat anyone around them. She’d agreed to keep secret who’d set up the reservation. Mildred didn’t know the whole story, but she was so excited about the prospect of Logan and Lucy ending up together that she said she didn’t need to know anything more.
As he walked up the steps to city hall, Logan thought about how defeated he’d felt just a week ago as he stood in this same place with Lucy. Tonight, Doug and Helen were first on the agenda so they could present their evidence before the big vote. Worst-case scenario, they’d halt the sale long enough to come up with alternatives. Best-case scenario, Turner would want no part of the legal battle to develop on top of what Doug was pretty sure were the burial grounds of indigenous peoples.
Logan had also secured a spot on the agenda at the last minute so he could present his new idea for the waterfront and also ask for preliminary approval to reinstate the library at its new location at Hill House. Mayor Jenkins had already blessed everything the day before, so it was just up to the council to approve it.
He spotted Lucy sitting on a row near the front as soon as he walked in, her back to the door as she chatted with Pam and Pete. Her hunched shoulders indicated she’d come to witness what she thought was the inevitable vote to sell the waterfront property to former councilman, Dan Turner.
Pete saw him first and nudged Lucy, nodding in Logan’s direction. When she turned, the wide-eyed surprise on her face quickly turned into a smile. He wanted to run across the room—jump over chairs if he had to—grab her and spin her around. They could still win this thing.
But he didn’t even get the chance to walk over to her because Helen and Doug quickly descended upon him asking for help setting up the slideshow.
As he passed Lucy’s row, she whispered, “What are you doing?”
“You’ll see.” He gave her a big smile. He couldn’t wait for her to see his presentation, to tell her about her role in it all.
By the time Logan got the slideshow set up, Mayor Jenkins was calling the meeting to order. The mayor was the only person other than Doug and Helen who knew why they were on the agenda. He’d advised that catching Turner off guard at the meeting was the best way to get a vote in their favor tonight and halt the idea of selling the marina to the developer.
Helen and Doug presented everything flawlessly. They’d decided Helen had more credibility with the town than Logan, so Logan let them lead the way. He turned in his seat from the front row several times during the presentation to gauge Lucy’s reaction. At first, she’d looked confused, a tiny line appearing between her eyebrows as she tried to piece together what was happening. As Doug closed out, however, he saw the realization in her eyes. Doug was detailing how the area would have to be excavated carefully and cataloged before any development could proceed and how the Florida courts had already ruled in similar cases that development would be prohibited. Lucy burst into a smile then and looked to him and tilted her head as if she was trying to piece it all together.
Logan knew before Doug finished that Turner was out. He’d walked up to the clerk to the right of the council and whispered quickly before leaving the chambers. Logan was sitting on the far right of the front row and caught the whole exchange. Turner had taken his item off the agenda without a fight. Logan nearly pumped his fist in the air, but thought that might be a little unprofessional. He still had to give his presentation.
Mayor Jenkins flipped on his mic after Doug and Helen packed up their things and returned to their seats.
“The clerk has informed me that the next item has been stricken from the agenda.”
Whispers erupted across the crowd as several council members leaned to their neighbors. The mayor banged his gavel.
“As many of you know, we expected to entertain an offer from Mr. Turner this evening, and the council was prepared to vote on the sale of the waterfront property after failing to develop our own viable plan for the land. However, with Mr. Turner’s item off the agenda, we’ll also remove the vote from the agenda.” He motioned to the clerk to indicate she should make the necessary update in her document.
“Next, we have a presentation from Mr. Lancaster. Although he is no longer under contract with the city, he’s asked to present a new plan for the waterfront”—he looked to Logan and then cleared his throat—“and other matters for consideration.”
Logan appreciated that the mayor hadn’t stolen his thunder on the library news. In a small town like this, it was a miracle the few people who knew had managed to keep it under wraps for even a couple days.
Fueled by Lucy’s warm brown eyes and gentle smile in the audience, he gave his presentation. Along with the ideas that had had support before—the open-air seafood market, paddleboard and small watercraft rentals, and food kiosks, all of which could be set up without disturbing the area with the shell middens—he shared his new idea. He wanted the city to consider spending a little money to make even more money. He’d run the numbers and provided the council members with copies, and was suggesting they could buy a small fleet of three boats to use for ferry service to nearby islands, sunset cruises, eco tours, and more. It wouldn’t take long to get up and running, and it didn’t present environmental concerns like the cruise ships they’d considered. He’d also worked with Helen to design a small amphitheater along the water that would repurpose natural materials and not require any major construction, and the city could rent it for small concerts, plays, and other entertainment.
Councilwoman Gilbert asked him the question he’d been waiting for when he finished running through the particulars.
“Mr. Lancaster, as you so bluntly informed us when you were working for the town, we have a history as a city of doing a poor job acting as landlord or running extraneous business operations. What makes you think we could take all this on?”
Logan began flipping through the financial package in front of him. “If you could all please turn to page four.”
As he waited for everyone to flip through their packets, he looked up at Lucy and smiled. He couldn’t wait to see her reaction to this next part. It would tell him everything he needed to know.
Looking back to the council, who all seemed to have found the right page, he continued. “Line item nine is the salary for a director of external operations. I’ve factored that number into the budget projections because I do think you need to hire someone to run these new ventures.” He cleared his throat. “And I think that person should be me.”
Logan caught a satisfied smile on Mayor Jenkins’s face as the council members began to confer with one another quietly. He held his breath as he turned to see Lucy’s reaction. He couldn’t remember wanting something so badly since he’d seen the thick USC envelope in his mailbox that signified he was leaving the farm for big-city life.
Now, he couldn’t imagine anything that would make him happier than settling down in this tiny town and sailing off into the sunset with Lucy Sullivan. Her hand was covering her mouth, and tears were shining in her eyes. When she dropped her hand, a smile lit up her face and he was finally able to exhale.
But he wasn’t finished yet. After the council said they’d take his proposal into consideration, he spoke again.
“I have one more proposal for the town. It’s more of a formality, actually.” He glanced back at Lucy, who was tilting her head again, probably trying to guess what was next. “I’ve entered into an agreement with the Heron Isle Historic Foundation to purchase the historic Hill House on Fifth Street. We’ll be fully restoring the house to serve as the town’s library and repository for the foundation’s historical documents. I’m here tonight to ask that you allow us to use the name from the original library since the town technically owns the name.”
No one bothered to whisper anymore. Everyone in the room seemed to be talking all at once, but he only cared about one person’s reaction. Pam had an arm around Lucy’s shoulders and was squeezing her while they talked excitedly. Then Lucy looked up with tears sliding down her cheeks, even as she smiled the biggest, brightest smile he’d ever seen. He thought he would burst if he didn’t get to wrap his arms around her very soon.
The council agreed to consider this proposal, but Mayor Jenkins had already told him that that part of his plan would be a piece of cake. The town would gladly allow someone else to take up the library if it didn’t rely on any funding from its coffers, which he’d clearly spelled out in the proposal in their hands.
The remainder of the meeting felt as if it lasted hours, but was barely more than twenty minutes. Lucy was out of her seat and at his side before the mayor had even turned off his mic.
“I don’t know what to say.” Her eyes were glassy. She was shaking her head so hard her earrings made a jingling sound that reminded him of the bells on her store’s front door. “When did you come up with all this?”
Before he could answer, others were stopping by to slap him on the back and thank him for continuing to fight for the waterfront. Doug and Helen had made sure the crowd knew it was Logan’s idea to look for the shell middens.
“Let’s go outside.” He put a hand on the small of her back and guided her toward the doors at the back of the room. The feel of her skin under her thin blouse made all his muscles go tight, his jaw clenching as he fought the urge to turn her around and kiss her right then and there. He dropped his hand and immediately missed the contact with her.
Once they were outside, he gave her a quick rundown of everything that had happened since the last meeting—the trip to Boston, Fuller’s idea about the shell middens, calling Gladys, meeting Sidney at Helen’s house—everything except how the book she’d left for Gatsby’s Ghost had led him straight to what he needed to save the waterfront. He’d tell her that soon enough.
“I can’t believe you did all that. So now you’re staying? Here on Heron Isle?” She looked up at him through her thick lashes.
He longed to touch her again, to put a hand behind her head and pull her in close to kiss her. Swallowing hard, he remembered she still didn’t know everything. One last hurdle stood between him and everything he wanted in life.
“Looks that way.” He smiled, stuffing his hands in his pockets to keep from reaching out to touch her.
“But I thought you wanted to move to Boston? Isn’t there some big job there?”
“There is.” He shrugged. “But I don’t want it. I found everything I need here.” He searched her eyes, hoping she could read between the lines.
A small smile was playing on Lucy’s lips when she suddenly jumped and looked at her watch.
“I’m so sorry. I have to go. I promised to meet someone. I—” She looked sheepish suddenly.
“Well, don’t let me keep you.” He motioned toward the street. “We’ll catch up later. I need to talk to some people anyway.”
She hesitated before going down the stairs, as if she was debating whether she should go.
“Hey, let me ask you something.” He had to do this. “If we’d met some other way, if we hadn’t been fighting on opposite sides of this waterfront thing for so long, do you think maybe… I don’t know. Do you think you would have said yes if I’d asked you out for a drink?”
Looking down at her shoe as she tapped the toe against the stair above the one she was standing on, she bit her lip. Seconds felt like minutes before she looked up at him again, giving him a small smile.
“I’m sorry. I’ve gotta go. I’m supposed to meet him in a few minutes.”
With that, she scrambled down the stairs and hurried off to meet Gatsby’s Ghost.