Love Under Construction

by Britney M. Mills

  Chapter 2

  Colton Maxfield pulled out the three sets of plans he’d been given before he came out to this small town. He was used to working in Denver where everything was loud, busy, and crowded. After arriving in Sage Creek the night before, he hadn’t slept well. How did people actually sleep when the night was so silent?

  He’d thought about getting up in the middle of the night to research those sound machines, but once the fan kicked on, it seemed to do the trick, lulling him to sleep. It had been so long since he’d been in a quiet town, but even where he’d grown up had been somewhat close to the railway station, meaning train whistles and sounds going off at random times during the night.

  His time in Sage Creek depended on the outcome of the town council’s preliminary meeting that night. He would deliver the plans and answer any questions the people had. After that, and some due diligence, he’d hopefully be able to drive back to Denver with a letter of approval to build. That was the biggest test, if he could persuade the people of this town that a little growth would only benefit them, not take away their livelihood.

  Adam Summers, his boss, had already warned him that the town might not be friendly about the development, and Colton was preparing to win them over, going over different scenarios while waiting for the day to pass.

  The coffee shop in the middle of town had been the perfect place to study the plans, better than the stuffy room at the hotel. He had to make sure he knew them inside and out because there was nothing worse than not having an answer for something important, which usually caused his mind to go blank. He’d felt like an idiot on more than one occasion, and if he could prep himself to avoid it, that’s what he did.

  The woman who’d bumped into him that morning kept coming to mind, and while Colton wasn’t in the market for love, something about her caused his curiosity to roar to life. He’d always loved people-watching, from the time he was little at the playground until now, where he’d analyze people as they passed him on the street. It was one of the reasons Adam had sent him here, to make sure he read the reactions and smoothed things over.

  But there was something about that woman, her dark brown hair draped over her shoulders and those hazel eyes boring right through him. She’d thrown him off for a few seconds, but he was glad he’d somewhat regained his composure. Not that any woman would be interested in a long-term relationship with a guy who’d barely graduated high school. He’d gone through a fair amount of rejection from his lack of impressive resume.

  Since the coffee shop didn’t offer anything but muffins and scones to eat, Colton had walked to a diner for a late lunch. As he continued to prepare through the afternoon, his brain was nearing the mush stage. He’d been focusing on all the details for much longer than he was used to.

  Being a project manager would definitely stretch him, if he actually landed the job. He was used to the mindless measuring and cutting of boards and nailing them onto walls, working for hours in this manner. But having to prep for negotiating an entire subdivision seemed to be like prepping for a pop quiz. All the information left as soon as he tried to recall it a few minutes later.

  Soon, the clock on the wall said ten to seven. He’d better get over to the town hall. Nothing was worse than being late to convince people of growth.

  Colton hopped into his two-year-old Chevy and turned on the ignition. He still sighed at the roar of the diesel engine. It was a company truck, but Colton treated it like his baby. As he drove down the road several blocks, he remembered his old 90s Toyota with mismatched paint. He’d had to wiggle the key in the ignition every time, hoping it would start for him. And on the colder days, well, he arrived at places looking more like a popsicle than a working man.

  Pulling into the parking lot around back of Town Hall on the north end of town, he saw several cars already parked. A few people walked through the back door, while others stood just outside. Adrenaline shifted through him. He hoped it would just be the city council since it was a preliminary meeting. He always felt a lot of pressure when addressing a big group, but with smaller numbers, it was easier for Colton to relax and answer questions.

  Walking into the air-conditioned building, a woman looked him up and down and said in an overly sweet voice, “May I help you?”

  “Yeah, I’m, uh, here for the meeting?” Colton scrunched his face, hoping to make the woman laugh. Instead, she seemed more intent on staring at him. The seconds ticked by, and Colton was afraid to move a muscle, watching as she eyed him up and down.

  He gulped, hoping she’d give him the directions soon enough. He wasn’t good at being ogled, and he could see the wheels turning in her head. Not that he’d dated that many women in his life, but he knew that look, the one that told him they were contemplating something clever to catch his interest, which usually didn’t work.

  “I’m Susie Jones. I don’t work here, but most of the meetings are held down at the end of the building.” She turned and pointed down the hall, smiling at him again.

  Colton jumped. “Uh, thank you.” He took several steps away, getting the sense he needed to keep his guard up when around her in the future.

  Hearing a few voices, he moved in that direction. As he walked into the room, he saw at least twenty people. A large table was set up with seven people sitting around it while a handful of other people sat in folding chairs throughout the room. Taking a seat at the back, Colton looked around, noting small details of all the people around him. Anything that could help him through this meeting.

  An older man at the table yelled for quiet, his strained voice calling the room to order. “We’d like to welcome you all out to this week’s town council meeting. We’ll be hearing from some of our townsfolk first before we move through the agenda. I think Agnes had something to discuss?”

  A woman stood up two rows in front of Colton, her back toward him. “Yeah, I’m here to complain about Farmer Henson’s dog. It’s kept me up the last few nights. I know he is basically a member of their family, but there’s got to be something we can do so the dog isn’t waking up the whole neighborhood.”

  Colton rested his head on the wall behind him. He hoped this would go fast. With all that needed to be accomplished on this trip, he didn’t have time to listen to every moment of bickering the people in town had. He went over the questions the council would ask him, feeling pretty good about the answers he gave, even if only in his mind.

  Almost dozing off, he was grateful when the mayor finally said, “Complaints are over. It’s time to begin with what we’ve got set up on the agenda tonight. If you don’t want to stay, feel free to leave now. Otherwise, let us begin. Becca, what’s the first thing we need to discuss?”

  Colton’s head popped up, surprised to hear her name. It was the same woman from that morning, only this time, she was wearing black-rimmed spectacles. Colton studied her, squinting so he could see clearer. She was striking, giving him a girl-next-door vibe. As she spoke, he could see an air of confidence and knowledge that impressed him.

  “We’ve received several complaints that the levee is getting weak in some spots. We need to hire someone to get those fixed, even though it’s late in the rain season.” She glanced around the table, looking at the men and women around her.

  Colton grinned, grateful she wasn’t looking in his direction. She seemed to be a firecracker, which was probably something this town needed.

  One of the guys across the table from her spoke, and Colton crossed his fingers, hoping it wouldn’t take forever for them to get to his subdivision on the agenda. The man’s answer was quick, and the Becca woman finally said, “Sunnyside Farm Subdivision.” She took off her glasses and chewed on the end, her almond eyes more visible now, drawing out the color in her cheeks.

  Remembering that Sunnyside was his reason for being there, Colton stood. “I’m here to represent Dream Homes Inc.” He stepped forward, setting the roll of plans on the council table.

  The older man who had called the room to order looked at Colt
on, his eyes narrowed as he searched Colton’s face. “Welcome to Sage Creek. What’s your name, son?”

  “Colton Maxfield, sir.” Colton shifted his weight to the side, feeling uncomfortable under the scrutiny of all the eyes on him.

  “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Mayor Watkins, and we have our financial planner here to my left, Darcy Sunbolt. Next to her is the recreational manager, Jacob Downey. Richard Lawson is down there at the end. Across the table is Stacy Goodfellow, David Wallaby, and Becca Taylor. What position do you hold in the company?”

  It took a minute for him to register all the names and then another minute for him to realize they were waiting for him to speak.

  “Fini— I mean, project manager, sir.”

  “Where you from, Colton?” the mayor asked.

  It wasn’t his favorite question because his family had bounced around as a kid. “All over, mostly Boulder, but I’ve lived in Denver for the past twelve years.”

  “Well, we’re glad you could come out and see the beauty that is Sage Creek. Now, talk to us. What is it that Dream Homes has proposed for our little town?” The man sat back with his hands on his stomach, one eyebrow raised.

  It was finally showtime. Colton just hoped his brain would cooperate. He could feel Becca’s eyes on him, the set of her mouth revealing she wasn’t in favor of this proposal.

  “Those plans,” he said, motioning to the stack of papers on the table, “are for the new subdivision on the south end of Sage Creek. My boss has done quite a bit of research, with surveying and groundwater tests, to make sure this would be a benefit for your town.”

  Becca turned her eyes on him, pulling the glasses away from her mouth long enough to say, “What if we don’t think we need new houses and apartment buildings?”

  Colton tried to hide his smile at having correctly assessed her opinion with just a few seconds of studying her body language. She was attractive, but with an attitude like that, he'd have more fun rolling around with the pigs he’d seen on one of the farms a few streets over. But this was one of the scenarios he’d rehearsed, and with his shoulders back, he felt a surge of confidence flow through him.

  “From the numbers I’ve seen, the population of Sage Creek is on the decline. New structures and apartment buildings will allow families who want to take part in the small-town experience to do so. This will help keep your town thriving through the years.” Colton returned her stare, but her expression revealed nothing.

  “What did the groundwater tests say? And would the water pressure decrease throughout the town from the number of new builds?” The questions came from the man named Jacob. If he was the rec manager, he was probably worried about the state of the grounds he managed.

  Colton sorted through some of the papers he’d kept with him, hoping he’d brought those papers with him. After going through each paper individually, his stomach sank.

  “It looks like I left the documentation back at the hotel. Groundwater tests came back normal, and from everything I’ve read, there is enough water in the town to sustain the buildings we’re proposing. I can make sure copies are given to each of you by morning so you can see for yourselves.” Colton could kick himself for not remembering to bring all the documents. He just hoped they could see he was being honest and not trying to manipulate the vote.

  “That would be great, Colton. I appreciate your time coming here with these plans for us,” the mayor said. “We’ll need a few days to look at them, and then we can ask more questions and vote on how we’ll proceed from here.”

  “We can vote now. I’m not sure a few days could ever sway us toward going through with this project.” Becca’s voice sounded like acid, and it caused Colton to wonder what she didn’t like about the whole project.

  The mayor held up a hand and said, “This is a big decision for the town, and as its governing members, we need to make sure we make the right decision. Everything Colton said is true. This will help some newer and younger families to come in and be a part of our community.”

  A man at the end of the table spoke, his face etched with frustration. “I’ve lived here since I was born, and so have my father and my grandfather and my great-grandfather. We’ve been in this town long enough to know that with a bunch of outsiders, the dynamic of our town will change completely. I don’t think a subdivision is a good idea. In fact, it could be the division that makes the town fall. Why can’t we just leave it how it is now? With only the current members of the community living here?”

  Colton had never heard such elitism, and here they were in the twenty-first century.

  The mayor opened his mouth, his lips barely moving as he said, “Thank you, David. We—”

  “A lot of us come from original Sage Creek stock, but that doesn’t mean we can’t welcome others into our midst. Some people are just looking for a grand opportunity to get out of the city, and why not make it easy enough for them to find their dream home in our quaint little town?” one of the women said.

  Colton felt a little more at ease, knowing he wasn’t going to have to go against the entire committee to get this passed. His boss wouldn’t be happy if Colton didn’t get the plans approved in the next week or two. He just hoped he didn’t have to stick around here for that long.

  The mayor spoke up again. “Okay, we’ll meet again next Wednesday to discuss the options and come to a decision on the subdivision project. Becca, is there anything else we need to discuss for this meeting?”

  The woman looked down at the paper in front of her and shook her head.

  “Okay, then we’ll dismiss for the evening.”

  “So we’ll make the final decision on it at our next meeting?” Becca said with her pen poised over the paper. She must be the secretary.

  “Yes. I’d also like each of us to visit the site to make sure we think of all the ins and outs that allowing this to go forward will impact.”

  Colton groaned. A week? What was he going to do around here for a week? The town didn’t even have a movie theater, let alone any regular restaurants. His stomach gurgled with the greasy fries stuck to the bottom of it. His room had a little hot plate and a few dishes and pots. He’d have to plan out what he’d cook, pretending as if he were at home. Otherwise, he was going to be in pain over the next few days from all the eating out.

  The meeting adjourned, and Colton went back to his seat to pick up his phone and other files from the seat next to where he’d been sitting. As he stood to turn around, Becca slammed into him and went flying backward, papers flying in every direction around them.

  She looked up at him and frowned, opening her mouth as if she were ready to rip him apart. But then her mouth closed, and Colton wasn’t sure what she was trying to say.

  He reached out his hand toward her. “I’m so sorry. I really didn’t mean to run into you…again.”

  Avoiding his hand, she pushed off the ground and moved around, collecting pieces of paper and stuffing them back into a folder. Could she be any more obnoxious?

  Getting all the paperwork resettled, she pushed past him with a scowl and walked out of the building. The other council members filed past, not saying much as they left the room.

  When the mayor passed by, he said, “I see you met Becca face to face?” The grin on his face confused Colton.

  “Yeah, I don’t think she’s too fond of me at the moment.” Colton turned to look at the empty doorway as if Becca would storm back in to agree with him. The mayor’s voice caused him to turn back.

  “Well, if you really want this subdivision to go through, you might want to start working on her.”

  “Excuse me?” Colton leaned a little closer, not sure he’d heard the man correctly.

  “I’m saying, if you want to take a signed paper to your boss saying that you’re good to build the proposed homes and apartments, you need to find a way to get that girl on your side.”

  With a frown, Colton said, “Aren’t you the mayor? Isn’t that why they elected you? To make the best decision for
the town?”

  “I also don’t get a vote in this process, and you’ll need a majority vote here. Becca has an incredible way of persuading people, and this town turns to her for a lot. She’s kind of the town darling. People have looked out for her for several years, and she’s always trying to help make the town better.”

  The mayor must have seen the confusion on Colton’s face because he smiled and then let out a deep laugh. He wrapped an arm around Colton’s shoulders, which was a feat with Colton being over six feet tall. “You have a lot to learn, my young man. There are elected leaders that help a community, but there are also those who have such a way about them that they shape the decisions that impact a small community such as ours.”

  “You’re telling me that some young woman has enough sway to persuade four thousand people?” Had he stepped into the Twilight Zone? He’d seen the town council in his hometown work together to make changes back when he was in high school, but he’d never thought one young woman could have such a profound effect on the rest of the town.

  “Just don’t make her mad. That’s my one piece of advice for you.” The man chuckled before walking out the door.

  “Basically, I win over the girl and I win the contract?” Colton called out before the mayor disappeared.

  The man turned and nodded. “Exactly. Good luck, Mr. Maxfield.”

  Colton ran his hands over his face, wishing he could be working on one of the projects he was used to back in Denver. But this was a new opportunity for him, the chance to move up in the company and become a project manager instead of just a finish carpenter. With a pay raise came several improved prospects.

  Of course, while overseeing this project, Colton would also be expected to put in some of the manual labor. Adam already told him that with all the jobs going on in Denver, he’d be hiring newbies to start on the development out here. That meant Colton would have to keep plugging away as the craftsman he’d become over the past twelve years, training workers on the way Dream Homes did things. He didn’t mind it much, but he knew he couldn’t do that kind of work for the rest of his life.