by Nina Lindsey
“It’s only fair that you all know what Imperial is planning,” Hunter informed the audience. “Yes, we’ll make changes. I mean, who needs a hundred-year-old boardwalk anyway, and the lighthouse is just a blight on the landscape. But all of our changes will be in the name of profit and modernization. New roads to accommodate increased traffic. Zoning and infrastructure modifications. By turning Bliss Cove into a mecca on the Pacific Coast, the Venture Resort and Spa will make this…” he underlined the dollar sign on the whiteboard, “…our collective future.”
Silence dropped. Aria gripped her shaking hands together. She could practically feel Bruce Sinclair’s anger from across the stage as he conversed in whispers with the lawyers.
Callie and Rory were speaking in low voices, their heads bent. Brooke scribbled furiously on her notepad. Nico was still standing, his frown deepening.
“I must say.” Mayor Bowers stood, her flowered hat obscuring the people behind her. “I don’t like the sound of this.”
“Neither do I!” called a man from the back of the room.
Hunter held up a hand. “I assure you, we will explain everything in much greater detail soon.”
“Imperial Properties is committed to the good of Bliss Cove.” One of the lawyers smoothed down his jacket and swept the crowd with a smile. “We would never do anything without your consultation and approval. Though Mr. Armstrong’s speech was a bit…er, uneven, there’s no question that a well-planned development will do wonders for the town’s economy.”
“Mr. Armstrong, do you have anything further to say?” Nico approached the podium, casting Aria a quick glance. “Miss Prescott? If you can both keep it to the topic at hand, which is Oceanview, we can open the floor for questions.”
“I’d like to place my vote.” Destiny stood, straightening her blazer. “The Mariposa Association members have heard all the pros and cons about Oceanview…rather ad nauseum, if you want the truth. Since we’re the ones making the decision about selling, we don’t need to hear anything further.”
“Agreed.” Lois got to her feet, with Ray standing beside her.
“I’m ready to vote, too.” Gary stepped out of the row of chairs to let Lois and Roy precede him to the folding table in front of the stage, which held a wooden box and stack of paper ballots.
“All right, then.” Nico indicated that Hunter could sit back down. “Now it’s up to the Mariposa property owners to decide if they want to collectively sell their buildings. It’s a simple yes or no vote. Yes, you agree with the terms offered by Imperial Properties, and you agree to sell your building and land. No, you disagree with the terms and decline to sell your building. Should Mr. Armstrong obtain eighty percent or more of the association votes—that is twelve out of fifteen votes—the Oceanview Plaza project is approved. We’ll tally the ballots immediately following the voting.”
Though only fifteen members of the audience would be voting, the entire room fell silent. Aria’s heart began a low, heavy thumping. She walked toward the stage steps. As she passed Hunter, he brushed his hand against hers.
Unable to bring herself to look at him or anyone else, she took her place in line beside the voting table. She closed her shaking fingers around a pen and marked her ballot. After slipping it into the box, she returned to her chair onstage.
“Here.” Callie appeared at her side and extended a cold bottle of water. “You were amazing. You have a true gift for public speaking.”
Aria managed a smile of thanks. “You didn’t know that from all our arguing?”
Her sister chuckled and reached out to straighten Aria’s hair bow. “Maybe if I’d known you were engaging in persuasive speech rather than arguing, I’d have gone easier on you.” Her expression sobered. “For what it’s worth, I am sorry. I should have been more supportive. Did you know about the resort?”
“Not until recently. But I thought it was strange that a company of Imperial’s size would be fighting so hard for Mariposa Street. The resort was their endgame.”
“If you’ll take your seats again, I’ll read the votes,” Nico called.
Aria’s stomach clenched. She had no idea what to expect. Hunter’s speech had been calculating, but some people might want a luxury hotel on the coastline.
Callie rested a hand on her shoulder.
“One vote in favor of selling.” Nico placed the unfolded ballot on the table and reached into the box again. “One vote against.”
A smattering of applause filled the air. Aria tightened her fingers around the water bottle. Her sister gripped her shoulder harder.
“One vote in favor of selling.”
Hunter stood to the side, his arms folded and his expression implacable. Not a flicker of emotion shone in his eyes.
“One vote against selling.” Nico unfolded another ballot.
More applause rose. Aria pulled a breath into her constricted lungs. Every nerve ending was on alert.
Nico dropped the ballot. The audience rustled with impatience.
He straightened and unfolded the paper. “One—”
“Just tally the votes!” a voice boomed from the middle of the room.
The crowd murmured in agreement.
“All right, all right.” Nico held up his hands to quiet everyone down and quickly sorted through the remaining votes. The lines on his forehead eased.
He picked up the gavel and leaned toward the mic. “In a final vote of thirteen to two, the sale of Mariposa Street to Imperial Properties is rejected.”
Chapter 25
Hunter heard the deafening applause and cheers. Bruce’s fury and the lawyers’ frantic voices buzzed like wasps around him. But every cell in his body was focused on Aria.
She stood beside her sister, her eyes wide with both shock and the dawning recognition that she’d won. He wanted nothing more than to push through the crowd to reach her.
“You son of a bitch.” A vein throbbing in his forehead, Bruce grabbed the front of Hunter’s shirt. “How fucking dare you screw this up for us?”
“Watch it,” a lawyer muttered, indicating a uniformed police officer eyeing them from beside the stage.
“I will ruin you,” Bruce hissed at Hunter.
“No, you won’t.” Pulling away, Hunter put himself between Bruce and Aria in a warning to the other man not to get any ideas about confronting her.
“You’re fired!”
“You can’t fire me.” A crushing weight rose from his chest, letting him breathe again. “I quit.”
“Dad, let’s get out of here.” Juliette slipped her purse over her shoulder and took her father’s elbow. “We’ll re-strategize this. Without him.”
Bruce’s face was so red he looked as if he were about to explode. Juliette threw Hunter a cold glare and guided her father backstage.
Destiny, Nico, and the other Mariposa owners were converging on Aria with hugs and even a few tears. The audience swarmed toward the doors, their voices rising in excited conversation.
One of the lawyers, nostrils flaring, got into Hunter’s face. “Do you have any idea what you just did?”
“I know exactly what I just did.” Hunter shoved past the other man, bumping his shoulder deliberately as he made his way outside.
His heart raced. He loosened his tie and took a deep breath. Despite his relief over Aria’s win, a sudden unease stabbed him.
He’d accomplished Mission One. Mission Two would be much more difficult. Just because Imperial had failed to buy Mariposa didn’t mean everything was fixed.
He strode down the street, the old lamps casting a yellow glow on the cobblestones. Crystals glowed in the window of Moonbeams, and Jumbo twitched his tail from his perch on the back of a sofa in the Cat Lounge. The cat regarded him through the glass, his golden eyes penetrating and strangely wise.
“Hunter.”
Her breathless voice spilled like sweet honey into his veins. Aria ran toward him, her hair billowing behind her and her face flushed. Everything inside him contracted and loosen
ed at the same time, like a heartbeat. He clenched his fists to stop himself from reaching for her.
“I….” She stopped, searching his face, her teeth coming down on her lower lip. “I don’t know what to say, except…thank you.”
His jaw tightened. “Don’t thank me. If I’d known about the Venture project before I came to Bliss Cove, I’d probably have backed it. Hell, I’d have fought to be the one directing its execution.”
“Maybe that’s what you would have done, but it’s not what you did.”
“Aria, I…” Something stuck in his throat. He turned away from her to the window, where Jumbo still sat looking at them. “I’ve fallen in love with this town. I’ve fallen in love with you. I love your strength, your determination, your goodness. You’re everything I want to be, even if it took me too long to realize it.”
“Hunter…” She put her hand on his arm.
“But it’s not enough.” He dragged in a heavy breath and closed his hand over hers. An ache tightened his chest. “Rejecting Imperial’s contracts doesn’t mean Mariposa Street is suddenly saved. It can’t be saved without money and support.”
“I know.” Her eyes were luminous, her mouth so lush that it was all he could do not to kiss her and let everything else fall away. “Mayor Bowers just told me she’s going to advocate for funds to restart the Historical Preservation Society so we can determine what needs to be done next. A bunch of other people have already asked how they can help support us.”
Her hope was like a sunrise. Hunter desperately wanted to tell her how happy he was, that they’d work it out, that this was such a great start.
But he’d been in this business for much too long not to know that it wasn’t enough. Mariposa needed more. Bliss Cove needed more. Aria needed more.
For most of his life, he’d lived by a plan. He’d worked hard to make one, to stick by it, to see it through. Now he no longer had one.
“I’m going back to New York.” He stepped away from her, unable to shake the feeling that he was no good to her without a damned plan. “I have a lot of stuff to deal with. Tell Rory I hired a cybersecurity expert to make sure no one can trace her steps. Though I’m guessing she already knows.”
“Is that why you only sent me one text?”
“I had to make sure you were safe. You should also tell Rory to check all the security on your networks and devices…though she probably already knows that, too.”
“She’s probably already done it.”
Hunter expelled his breath in a long rush. “Good.”
Aria studied him, a crease appearing between her eyebrows. She rested her hand on his chest. His heart sped up, thumping against her palm. The ground seemed to shift under his feet. How could he leave her? How could he not?
“Come with me.” She reached for his hand, her fingers closing tightly around his. She led him to the florist shop. She stopped and peered up at the building façade. “See if you can find the butterfly.”
“The what?”
“Every building on this street has a hidden butterfly somewhere on the exterior.” She gave him a smile so gentle it almost broke his heart in two. “Mrs. Paxton-Smith started the tradition. Over the years, when new properties were built, the architect would add a butterfly somewhere. Owners of the older buildings added butterflies, too. Some are carved into the concrete, others are painted. A couple even used tile designs.”
Hunter looked up at the old stone building. Hidden butterflies.
“It’s the Mariposa Street secret,” Aria said.
He searched the façade and pointed to a painted Monarch right beneath the awning. “Every building has one?”
“Every building.” She squeezed his hand. “So you not only helped save Mariposa Street, you saved the butterflies.”
“Where’s the Meow and Then butterfly?”
“You’ll have to find it yourself.”
Hunter rubbed his chest. If he wanted to find the butterfly—and he did—that meant he had to come back. He had to figure it out, make a new plan. One that was much bigger than him, that encompassed so much more. One in which the most treasured spot was reserved for the woman who’d shown him how life was meant to be lived.
“I love you.” He stroked his fingers against her soft cheek. “By the way, you were amazing in there. I was so proud of you.”
She smiled again, her blue eyes shining with both warmth and tears. He curled his hand around the back of her neck and lowered his head. Heat and light exploded through him the instant her lips touched his. All of his unease and wariness solidified into the knowledge that he’d done the right thing—for himself, for the town, for Aria.
Now he had to ensure it stayed that way.
“I’m sorry for what a mess this all turned into.” He lifted his head, letting his hand linger on her neck.
“I’m not.” She curled her fingers around his wrist. “I take back what I said before the debate. If it weren’t for this mess, we wouldn’t have met.”
A smile tugged at his mouth. “And you wouldn’t have changed my life.”
He took a few steps backward, loath to turn and walk away from her. He imprinted the picture of her in his mind—blond hair shining in the streetlights, her skin flushed pink, her face as lovely as a painting.
“When are you coming back?” she asked.
“When I can offer you something better.”
“Hunter, all I want is you.” She wiped at a stray tear. “That’s the absolute best you can offer me.”
He shook his head. Pressing a hand to his heart, he lifted his palm toward her and then turned and walked away.
Chapter 26
For the next couple of days, Mariposa Street grew busier, but Aria’s heart grew emptier. People who hadn’t been to the neighborhood in ages came to see what was still there, while others strolled through on their way to the beach.
On Saturday afternoon, several people sat eating pizza outside Nico’s, a crowd gathered at the door of the bar, and in the window of Moonbeams, Destiny was conducting palm readings for a group of young girls. It felt like the way Mariposa Street might have once been.
Several customers who’d come into the café congratulated Aria with cheerful remarks of, “You did it!”, which always made her think, “We did it.”
If Hunter hadn’t revealed the Venture plans, he would certainly have won the vote. Though she was immensely relieved and happy about the outcome, Hunter had given up far more than she might ever know.
Mariposa. Oceanview. His promotion. The Venture Resort. Possibly the CEO position. Maybe even his job or his entire career. Bruce Sinclair would want revenge for Hunter’s betrayal. There might even be legal repercussions.
She picked up two cups of iced tea and brought them into the Cat Lounge, where Callie and Rory were sitting at a table with a laptop, a thick, three-ringed binder, and an open bag of gummy worms. Rory had spent the past day double-checking firewalls and their network security to ensure no one had or could get into their personal data.
Aria was no longer worried that Bruce had his sights set on Rory. The Imperial Properties’ CEO now had good reason to target much bigger quarry in Hunter.
“I’ve made a spreadsheet of all federal and state grant application deadlines for historical preservation.” Callie turned the laptop screen toward Aria. “I’m sure the town hall has information on each individual building.”
“I’ll get going on a central Mariposa Street database.” Rory chewed on a gummy worm. “All of the owners can have access to the files.”
“Hey.” Callie nudged Aria with her elbow. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Aria wiped her hands on her apron and sat at the table. “I mean, thank you both for all your help. I’m…I thought of this when I was asking people to sign the petition and donate to the renovation fund, but now that it’s actually happened, I’m just wondering if I’ve screwed things up for the other building owners.”
“They voted no,” Callie reminded her. “T
hey’ve all thanked you. Lois even sent you a bouquet of flowers.”
Aria smiled faintly. Lois and Ray planned to close the florist shop while they went on their cruise and considered other sale options for the building. The flowers told Aria they had no hard feelings about her campaign.
“If you hadn’t been the sole crusader against Imperial, they’d not only control this neighborhood, they’d be plotting like evil geniuses how to take over the entire town and coastline,” Rory added. “The more they bought, the more power they’d have. We all thought they were going to stop at Oceanview, so to find out they were like…what’s his name…Lex Luthor…well, you helped this town dodge a bullet. Everyone knows it.”
“You could have caved,” Callie added. “But you didn’t. Not everyone can say that.”
A lump formed in Aria’s throat. She felt Rory’s gaze.
“You did the right thing,” her sister said softly. “For Mariposa Street and for you.”
Aria fiddled with a wrinkled straw wrapper. Aside from her months with Steve, she’d never known life without her sisters. She’d compared herself to them so often, wishing she had Callie’s intelligence and Rory’s aptitude for data, and their constant, intense determination to get the job done.
She’d wished she had their drive, confidence, and sense of their place in the world. She’d wished so hard that she had something she was good at. She’d wanted to point to books, awards, diplomas, completed projects, prestigious jobs, and say, “That’s me. I did that.”
But as Hunter had told her, she didn’t need to compare herself to anyone. Not anymore. She already was everything she wanted to be. She was smart, caring, dedicated, loyal. She could sense instinctively what both animals and people needed. She’d learned how to stand her ground, even when the odds were against her. She liked herself.
Jumbo nudged at her leg. She picked up the cat and set him in her lap, then straightened to face her sisters. “I need to tell you both about Steve.”