Under a Firefly Moon

by Donna Kauffman

  “How does that make a difference? Who out there can step in and help?” Addie Pearl asked.

  “We’re not looking for that kind of help in this case,” Wyatt said. “All we need is the conversation itself. It becomes a news story beyond your local press, and suddenly the council is having to answer to people who can broadcast what they’re doing to a much bigger audience and bring a lot more pressure to bear.”

  “So, we’re overrun with news trucks and reporters?” asked Mabry. “If we can’t shame the council into doing the right thing when they know we all oppose this resort, then why would that work? What do they care if the whole world knows?”

  “Yes, it might mean news trucks,” Wyatt said. “Hopefully, yes. You are right that we’re talking about Paul Hammond. If he doesn’t play fair, as Seth pointed out, then the last thing anyone involved in those backroom kind of deals wants is media attention. Media attention isn’t just reporters on sidewalks, it’s also journalists digging, asking questions, and publishing their findings. I’m sure you have local papers you could alert to this story, but since time is of the essence and I’m already here, I’m willing to help speed up that process.”

  “So, what is the next step?” Addie Pearl asked.

  “Finding an alternate solution,” Wyatt replied. “None of this works without that.” Wyatt looked at Vivi, who had taken a seat again, to see if she wanted to pick up the ball, but she waved for him to continue. “So, I do have an idea,” he told the room, and there was immediate excitement. He held up his hands. “Hear me out on this, okay? The thing is, the resort really does solve the immediate town problems in the most direct way possible, both the lake property not being utilized and the reduced tourist stream into the town itself. Just not in the way you want.” He lifted a hand when the grumbling started. “Not with this particular developer.” He glanced down at Chey, who gave him a supportive smile. He’d told her what he was going to propose, and he had her support. He just wasn’t sure if anyone else would join her when they heard his idea. “But there are other developers out there.”

  That definitely stirred people up, and not entirely in a good way.

  He raised his hands again. “Let me explain. There are developers now who have started to realize that coming in, razing everything to the ground, and paving things over is a shortsighted plan. More and more, planners are working to preserve the environment they come into, work with the natural aesthetic of a place instead of replacing it with something prefabricated and nonindigenous. They work with the local resources instead of squandering them.”

  “So, you’re saying a resort of some kind is going to happen no matter what?” Mabry asked.

  “I’m saying a resort is on the table right now and it does tick off the boxes. Maybe there is some other way to revitalize the town, draw tourist traffic to the town center, and separately, some other way to save the lake and public grounds around it.” He motioned to Seth. “I know you built your music center, your amphitheater, from the proceeds of an album your wife recorded here. There are many ways to achieve things, but, in this case, not in the time needed to keep the council from saying yes to the solution that is already right in front of them. If they are thinking ‘resort,’ then give them one, just one that works with the area, and preserves what is special about it.”

  “Why pick an eco-resort we propose if the other will offer them backdoor deals, or whatever you called it.” This from Jake.

  One thing Wyatt was coming to love about this town was that everyone got involved, everyone cared, young and old. They turned to Addie, their version of a tribal elder, for guidance, but at the same time, no one told Bailey or Jake to sit down and let the adults handle things. Everyone worked together here, and that gave him hope that if any town could do this in the short time left to them, it would be Blue Hollow Falls.

  “It’s a combination effort,” Wyatt said. “You come in with a solid alternative plan that will do the best for the most. If that and your clearly voiced opposition to their planned solution doesn’t turn the tide, then you go wide, and bring in the outside world, shine a brighter light. Expose the truth.”

  “Does it always work?” This from Addie Pearl.

  Wyatt turned. “No,” he told her with plain honesty. “Sometimes greed wins, or corruption wins.” He looked back to the room, saw slumped shoulders. “But more often the outcome has been positive. That’s why I’m able to keep doing what I do, helping where I can. Maybe there is a better way. I’m just offering this way, because it’s the way I know. I am sure that you can’t win if you don’t play. And I think you all want to win.”

  “How much time do we have?” This came from Jake’s father. He looked at Wyatt. “Will McCall,” he said by way of introduction. “When are they planning to sign this deal? How fast do we need to cement this backup plan?”

  Addie Pearl stood. “We can call the town meeting, but as Mr. Reed has said, that’s better done when we have the backup plan in place, not before.” She looked at Vivi. “Vivi has fought the good fight in the meeting where this project was announced, but her concerns fell on deaf ears. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to support her, but I’m not surprised at this result. This situation with our town council, and with Mr. Hammond, is not new. That’s why I’ve shifted my energies to improving this town from the outside. But Wyatt here makes a good point. You keep letting corruption go unchecked, and it just grows. We have to draw the line at a project like the one Hammond is backing this time, one that will fundamentally change the Falls forever.”

  Vivi stood as Addie Pearl sat down. “The council has a meeting scheduled with representatives from Pantheon in six weeks. Even if we are vocal in our disapproval, I think the majority of the council, and the mayor, will vote yes. Unless there is another option.”

  The spike of tension in the room was palpable.

  Chey squeezed Wyatt’s hand before he stood again as Vivi sat. He gave her a quick smile. He knew the people in front of him had a lot riding on this, and he hoped he was steering them in the right direction. “Now that you know the stakes, and the time frame, let’s focus on that solution.” He smiled, knowing the key was to keep everyone moving forward. Hand-wringing was a natural reaction, but counterproductive when the clock was ticking. “First and foremost is to find a developer who wants to enhance what Firefly Lake already has to offer. Not all resorts come with high-rise hotels, sandy beaches, and golf courses. Think more along the lines of a smaller number of rustic lodges, done as part of the natural landscape.”

  There were nods of approval, but some still had their arms folded, waiting to hear more.

  “This area is made for outdoor sports like boating and fishing, hiking and climbing. From what I’ve seen,” Wyatt continued, “that is a vastly underdeveloped resource. One way to get a developer interested is to dangle that carrot. The right developer could come in and grow that market. That plan encourages maintaining the lake, land, and trails as they are. Upgrading the nature center, the docks, and maybe adding in a small campground and another, smaller amphitheater, but for nature-oriented talks and whatnot, so it complements your music venue, rather than directly competing with it. If you can find someone with the right attitude and eye, this could work as wonderfully for you as your mill renovation did. And you have the mill and music center as an example of the kind of thing you’re looking for.”

  The mood in the room shifted more fully then, with people murmuring and a hum of excitement building. Wyatt reached down for Chey’s hand and held on to it as he continued. She nodded encouragement, her expression one of optimism and hope. He looked back to the room, feeling a renewed energy himself.

  Addie Pearl stood and brought the room back to rights with a simple question. “Where do we find such a paragon of a developer?”

  “I might know someone,” Vivi said, just loudly enough that the room hushed. “Let me . . . think on it.”

  Wyatt turned to Vivi, who remained seated. He hadn’t missed her diffidence regardin
g contacting whoever this person was. “I have good researchers,” he said, so the room could hear. “I’ve already got them looking. I put them on it this morning.”

  “I don’t think that will be necessary,” Vivi said, and he noticed she was tucking her cell phone back into her pocket. She stood once more and addressed the room. “I’ve set up a meeting with an old friend for tomorrow morning.” She was smiling, but there was strain around her eyes and the corners of her mouth. Wyatt didn’t know her all that well, yet he was pretty sure the meeting she’d just set up had cost her in some way.

  “I’ll still get my guys to find a few backup possibilities—” Wyatt started, but Vivi shook her head.

  “No need,” she said. “I know this will work.” Vivi found a more sincere smile then, but Wyatt was still concerned.

  He decided he’d keep his team on it anyway. He really didn’t like the look of whatever it was Vivi was planning to put herself in the middle of. Ultimately, that wasn’t any of his business, but backup plans were always a good thing. Now you just need to drum one up for what you’re going to do when you have to put Blue Hollow Falls in your rearview mirror.

  Addie Pearl rose then and slid her hand in Vivi’s, encouraging her to stand. “A big thank you, to our dear Vivienne. You all are relative newcomers to these hills,” she said, looking from Vivi, to Chey, then Avery and Hannah. “But you are already family to us.”

  Cheers of support and applause filled the room.

  Vivi’s expression was one of gratitude, then relief when she sat and allowed Addie Pearl the stage.

  Addie turned to the room. “The weather is being kinder to us now. So, I say we see what comes of Vivi’s meeting tomorrow, and in the meantime, put out the word to everyone—and I mean everyone, up here and in town—to meet up at the music center amphitheater this coming weekend. How about Saturday morning? Plenty of room for everyone, and we’ll see where we are then, and what we need to do next. Sound good?”

  After a deafening chorus of ayes, Addie turned to Wyatt with a broad smile on her weathered face and offered him a little salute. Behind her, Bailey nodded, and Wyatt smiled. So, the verdict was a yes all around. He nodded back.

  “It appears we’re all on board for a trip to Reed Planet,” Addie Pearl said, then looked around the room. “Let’s do this!”

  The room broke out into cheers and Chey surprised him by standing, pulling him close, and laying a resounding kiss full on his mouth. The cheers doubled at that, along with whistles, hoots, and hollers. So, naturally, he kissed her right back.

  Chapter Nine

  “Vivi,” Chey said as she walked into the kitchen after seeing the last of their neighbors off. “Do you have a minute?”

  “Just as soon as I scrape these plates and—”

  “Hannah, Avery, and I will take care of all of that. You cooked for three or four dozen people this morning. You’re officially off duty for the rest of the day.” She went to the counter and poured a cup of coffee from the fresh pot Vivi kept going all day, then steered her to the big kitchen table. “Here. Sit.”

  “You make me sound like the family schnauzer,” Vivi groused, but she sat all the same.

  “Stay,” Chey added with a cheeky grin, then danced out of the way before Vivi could swat her behind.

  “Your young man is quite something,” Vivi said after taking a long, appreciative sip.

  Chey started to say that Wyatt wasn’t her man, but that kiss she’d spontaneously planted on him in front of half the town pretty much took that denial off the table. She’d just been so proud of him. He hadn’t simply tossed out an offer to make a little video of their situation. He’d stood up and commanded a call to action—in that lovely, charming, congenial way he had—then laid out what had to be done and how.

  Watching videos of his livestreams had shown her why he had so many people following his every move, hanging on his every word. Seeing him in action today had shown her how he’d become so successful in championing his chosen causes. She hadn’t thought about all the behind-the-scenes work he had to do, talking with people, finding solutions, figuring out how to showcase them, and in a way that would maximize the kind of exposure he wanted, while minimizing the kind he didn’t.

  “He is, indeed,” she said, maybe a little proudly. “I’m glad he could help.” She opened the lid of the trash can and started scraping dishes.

  “I’m glad Victoria managed to drag him out here,” Vivi continued mildly, “or we’d have likely never heard of him.”

  Chey badly bobbled the plate she was scraping and almost dropped it to the floor. She didn’t know what to say to that. Because it was true.

  “Not that you owe us every detail of your past, darling. But he does seem a rather significant one.” She smiled when Chey looked her way. “Emphasis on the ‘significant.’”

  Chey smiled at that, then turned back to the dishes. It would be easier to talk if she kept her hands busy, and her gaze averted. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about him,” she said. “With Cody gone, and my aunt and uncle, it was just too much. He was my best friend, from the time we were little, until we were teenagers. He was like family to me. When he left . . . we, uh, we didn’t part well.”

  “It appears the reuniting part has gone significantly better.”

  Chey barked out a surprised laugh at that, and she looked at Vivi, whose smile was warm and knowing. She merely lifted her coffee mug in a silent toast.

  “I don’t know why it was so hard talking about him,” Chey admitted as she continued to scrape and stack plates. “I mean, I do, but—”

  “Because it was left unresolved,” Vivi said, her voice quieter now. Reflective. “Unless you do something to fix that kind of thing, it remains an emotional minefield that is often best left alone. I don’t fault you for that, dear Cheyenne. I certainly don’t.”

  Chey put the last plate on the stack and closed the trash can lid. She looked over at Vivi, who held her mug in both hands, as if about to take a sip, only her thoughts were clearly somewhere else.

  Chey carried the plates to the sink and turned the water on to hot, and got out the rubber gloves and scrubber, all while debating what to say to her dear friend. She’d asked for a moment with her because she, like Wyatt, had seen the troubled look on Vivi’s face after she’d made her appointment. Chey had wanted to find out what was going on, see if maybe they should pursue a different path. Only now she worried that she’d be asking Vivi to wander into the same kind of minefield Chey herself had avoided for years. And, yes, probably would have continued avoiding if not for Tory.

  The difference was, Vivi had apparently made an appointment to willingly walk into that minefield. As her friend, Chey couldn’t let her do it without at least trying to make sure she’d be okay. She washed her hands, turned the water off, then poured a mug of coffee and sat down across from Vivi.

  “You know me,” Chey began. “I’m not one for gentle forays into delicate subject matters, so I’m going to preface this by saying I’m not asking you to tell me whatever this story is. It’s your minefield.” She reached over and gently covered Vivi’s wrist with her hand when the older woman set her mug abruptly down and started to scoot back her chair. “Vivi,” she said, more softly now. “I know whomever you’re seeing tomorrow . . . you’re making some kind of personal sacrifice to do it. I’m not asking what that is, or what happened or who he is to you. I wouldn’t. I’m just worried that you’re putting yourself at risk. Emotionally at the very least, maybe physically, too—I don’t know. After what happened with Hammond out on the lake, maybe I’m being overprotective. But we can find another developer—”

  “What’s done is done,” Vivi said with finality, though she still wasn’t meeting Chey’s gaze.

  “No, it’s not. You can cancel the meeting.”

  Vivi did look at her then, and Chey’s heart broke a little at the utter resignation she saw in Vivi’s eyes. Even at their lowest, most grief-stricken moments, Vivi had been their che
erleader, their fierce champion. Never once had Chey seen her look defeated like this.

  “I’ve opened that door,” she said simply. “It doesn’t matter if I try to close it.”

  “Would it help if we went with you? Strength in numbers?”

  “No, this is something I have to do by myself.” She sighed and set her mug down. “I should have done it years ago, quite frankly. Instead of diminishing the impact, time has merely fed its importance, and that’s unacceptable.” She covered Chey’s hand on her wrist with her soft palm. “You know a little about that, my dear,” she said, not unkindly. “Watching you and Wyatt gave me a good reason to put this piece of my past to rest once and for all.”

  “Will you be safe? I mean—”

  Now Vivi laughed and it was a relief to hear a bit of her usual vim back in her voice. “My darling girl, did you not witness my prowess with my umbrella?”

  Chey smiled at that. “Maybe I wasn’t talking physically, but I suppose that umbrella would work to abort the mission if you were feeling threatened either way.”

  “Indeed,” Vivi said, then patted Chey’s hand again before withdrawing her arm and standing, mug in hand. “I’ll be fine.”

  Chey wasn’t so sure about that, but she’d done what she could. For now, anyway.

  “Speaking of minefields, where is your young man?” Vivi said as she went to the sink and pulled on the rubber gloves.

  Chey didn’t bother trying to take over. She knew how she was when she needed to distract herself from a challenging situation. She puttered. Like dish scraping. So did Vivi. Instead, Chey picked up a dish towel and started drying. “He’s out in the stables with Bailey. She’s showing him her goat enterprise.”

  Vivi laughed. “Now, letting those two put their heads together. . . they could solve all the world’s problems before dinner.” She shook her head. “You know, I was thinking earlier, when she was grilling Wyatt, that I could see her doing what he’s doing. When she gets older. Saving the world.”