Changing His Plans

by Jo McNally

  He’d hurt the only woman he’d ever loved. Because he didn’t trust his own intuition? Because he’d been betrayed in the past? It didn’t matter why. He’d been wrong to flip out so quickly, to push her away instead of listening. She kept saying she was trying to fix things. He hoped she still believed they were worth fixing.

  * * *

  The emergency meeting announcement had received so many responses that the town board moved it to the grade school gymnasium to make room for everyone who wanted to attend. The echoing sound of a few hundred people talking and going up and down the old bleachers made Brittany’s headache even worse than it had been. She’d hardly slept this week, and never for more than an hour or two at a time. Her daylight hours had been spent on the phone when she wasn’t meeting with Blake Randall at the resort.

  She’d avoided going into Gallant Lake. For one thing, she didn’t know if she could handle seeing Nate. Not when she knew he’d turned on her along with the rest of the people in town. Louise had been very busy spreading all sorts of stories about Brittany’s role in Quest coming here, and what they were up to. In a few versions of the conspiracy, Brittany was the mastermind of it all, looking to bulldoze everything in town and turn it all into a parking lot. She was Cruella de Vil in the flesh. A “moneygrubbing she-devil who didn’t care about anyone in this town.”

  Those last words were a direct quote from Louise, who’d confronted her on Wednesday when she’d tried to get a cup of coffee and get a gauge of what people were thinking. It was far worse than she’d imagined. So much so that, after Louise confronted her on the sidewalk in front of a small but angry crowd, she’d retreated to her car and gone home.

  She’d had a few voice mails and texts from Nora and Mack, but she hadn’t even opened them. In fact, she’d left her phone almost exclusively facedown. She didn’t think she could bear seeing or hearing her friends accusing her of destroying Gallant Lake, too. She got it—everyone hated her. After tonight’s meeting, they might feel differently, but it wouldn’t matter. The damage had been done. She was leaving. She’d already booked her flight from JFK to Tampa.

  Turned out small towns could turn on you just as fast as city streets could. Even Nate had been more protective of himself than of their love for each other. She sniffed. Let them have their stupid little town and let him keep all his dumb antiques. She’d start fresh somewhere and remember her personal golden rule: never mix friendship and business. In fact, forget friendship. Forget love. Just find a job and make a living. If she needed friends or lovers, she could always read a book.

  Someone’s hand brushed hers and she flinched away. Her trust levels were at a lifelong low. Nora Peyton gave her a sad smile.

  “Sorry. It’s just me. How have you been?”

  She blinked away the rush of tears. No one had asked her that question this week. She reminded herself that she was used to people not caring.

  “I’m fine.”

  Nora laughed. “O-kay. That sounded about as un-fine as anything I’ve ever heard, but if that’s what you’re going with tonight, it’s okay by me.” Her laughter faded. “I’ve called you a couple of times. Did you get my messages?”

  “I think my inbox is full.” The truth was she’d left her phone facedown for two days now. She felt brittle, as if she’d shatter at the slightest touch. “When you’ve heard one insult, you’ve heard them all, you know?”

  She’d had dozens of messages from random strangers the first day, calling her names. There was even a veiled threat from some guy who’d sounded drunk—we know where you live.

  “No, I don’t know,” Nora said. “Has someone been bothering you?”

  She shook her head sharply, not wanting to discuss it. She just wanted to get through this meeting and get away. The mayor stepped to the microphone and asked everyone to take a seat. Brittany looked at the typewritten agenda in her hand, her eyes blurring at the name of the third scheduled speaker. Nate Thomas.

  I’ll stop you.

  He must hate her so much. The thought made her shoulders slump. She’d expected him to be there, but seeing him sitting in the first row, only three seats from Conrad, made her chest go tight. He looked tired. And sad. She knew the feeling.

  Conrad was first on the agenda, and he stood to a loud round of booing. He smiled and raised his hand, trying to silence them as if they were children. It didn’t work. Dan Adams had to step forward from the corner where he’d been standing. His stern look was enough to settle everyone.

  Conrad was just as smooth as ever, apologizing for “misunderstandings” created by his former employee—that would be her—and trying to assure everyone that despite the way his plans had been “misrepresented” by some, he had Gallant Lake’s best interests at heart. He talked demographics and New York City and seasonal resort statistics and property values and fairness, and it all blended into the sound of a tuba played by a six-year-old in Brittany’s head.

  But he had attractive graphics and videos, and when he talked money, a few people started to sit up and listen. Until he displayed the artist’s rendering of the waterfront condos and offices he wanted to build along Main Street. There was a collective gasp in the gymnasium when the modern monstrosity showed up on the screen, twelve feet tall.

  Ever nimble, he quickly added that the plans were just a “first stab” at the design, and it could be changed. All Brittany could think was that she’d like to take a first stab at him. Conrad wrapped up his pitch by again apologizing for her and promising to move forward with complete transparency. That would be a first.

  Louise rose to her feet slowly, leveling a malevolent glare at Conrad as she passed him. She talked passionately about the legacy of the waterfront businesses, without mentioning that hers was struggling, just like most of the others. She talked about the waterfront being the town’s finest asset, and that covering it with ugly condos was a desecration. Brittany couldn’t argue there. Then she lifted her head and stared straight at Brittany, standing as close to the exit as possible without being outside. She braced herself when Louise pointed her out, everyone turning toward her. Her hand slid behind her, resting on the door’s push bar. She could be out of here in a flash.

  “And then this girl comes to town and starts stealing our properties! Buildings that have been in our families for generations!” An angry grumble went across the room like a wave. Brittany gripped the door more tightly. Nate stood, and she leaned back, cracking the door open fractionally. She couldn’t stand here and listen to him join in the pile-on. It would destroy her to hear him attacking her. He held up his arms to quiet the room. Louise looked smug, as if she knew exactly what was coming.

  “Hold on, everyone.” He’d said he didn’t like public speaking, but his voice right now commanded attention, even though Louise still had the microphone. “For one thing, Brittany Doyle is not a girl. She’s a professional woman, and she came here to do the job her boss demanded of her.” He glared at Conrad. Was Nate...? Was he defending her? Brittany’s heart skipped. Not finished, Nate walked over and took the mic.

  “And I’d like to know exactly why you think she ‘stole’ anything.” He turned to Louise. “Your building’s been for sale for over a year. You said you were retiring. You got a fair offer. You accepted it. How is that theft?” The woman’s mouth opened and closed as she huffed and blustered. Nate turned away from her. “Sol’s owned the old firehouse for five years. Remember when he told us he was going to convert it into a restaurant? It’s sat there empty since he bought it, and it’s been on the market for three years.”

  Someone shouted from the audience. “What about the hardware, Nate? Did you have that on the market?”

  “No. And Brittany never made me an offer on it. That’s my point.” He stole a quick glance toward the back of the room, where she stood, but she couldn’t read his expression. “No one is forcing anyone to do anything.”

  “But she did
lie,” Louise said. “She lied to all of us.”

  Nate turned to her. “Did she? She told you she was looking at commercial property for an investor.” He gestured toward Conrad. “That was true.”

  “But...” Louise hesitated. “She went around pretending to be our friend while she was doing all this. She pretended to be your girlfriend. How can you defend her?”

  Brittany held her breath, wanting the answer to that question more than anyone here. But he didn’t answer Louise directly.

  “I don’t know what’s true or not true any more than you do.” His forehead wrinkled as if he was struggling with himself. “That’s my point. Since when has this been a town that turns on someone without knowing the facts? It’s not what we’re about. It’s not what I’m about.” He rubbed the back of his neck, scowling at the floor for a long moment. Then he looked up at the bleachers, where everyone was sitting. “What if Brittany wasn’t pretending?”

  He turned his head to stare at her, and she wasn’t prepared for the power of his eyes meeting hers directly. She felt the heat from his gaze. The anger. The hurt. The conflict. With a rush, she realized he wanted to believe her. He wanted her to be telling the truth. To be in love with him. It wasn’t everything. It wasn’t as if he was taking her at her word, and that still hurt. But knowing that he wanted to believe was something.

  Someone shouted out another question, and Nate turned away from her.

  The door opened behind Brittany so quickly she almost tumbled right out of it. Blake Randall caught her by the shoulders and saved her the embarrassment. Amanda was right behind him. Blake looked around as he stepped inside, muttering an expletive under his breath. He glanced at Brittany.

  “Am I too late? Have they done anything?”

  She gave him a wry smile. “Other than trying to decide whether to tar and feather me or simply ride me out of town on a rail? No, not much.”

  “And which side is Nate on?” Amanda reached out to squeeze Brittany’s arm.

  “So far he seems opposed to actual hot tar. He’s sort of playing peacemaker.”

  “Good. Let’s go.” Blake’s arm slid around her waist, pulling her along as he headed to the gym floor.

  “Wait! No...”

  But it was too late. She was being swept along toward the podium, where Nate was speaking.

  “...don’t want those condos any more than you do. I don’t know Conrad Quest and I sure as hell don’t like him. But there’s no reason to burn Brittany at the same time. We don’t know her involvement...”

  She cringed. That was far from a glowing endorsement, considering the number of times she’d slept in that man’s arms. But it was better than the angry words they’d thrown at each other on Monday.

  Blake’s voice called out right next to her.

  “I know her involvement! She’s worked her ass off to actively prevent those condos from being built.”

  Nate spun to face them. His eyes narrowed when he saw Blake’s arm around her. Blake must have noticed, because he released her immediately. These two men had been on opposing sides in Gallant Lake before, when Nate led the fight to keep Blake from building a casino there. Blake stepped up to Nate, leaning in and saying something in Nate’s ear. Nate gave him the microphone. He didn’t stand by Brittany, though. Instead, he went to the opposite side of the podium. She raised her chin, refusing to show how much it hurt.

  Blake introduced himself, as if everyone in Gallant Lake didn’t know the largest employer in town. She looked at Conrad, and his face was scarlet with rage. Blake clearly hadn’t told her the whole story between the two men. This kind of anger didn’t come from some lost business deal.

  “Since there seems to be a rush to judgment when it comes to Brittany Doyle, let me start by saying the only reason you all won’t have to fight Conrad Quest and his plans is because Brittany made sure they wouldn’t happen.” Another murmur went through the room, but it didn’t sound as angry as before. “And the only reason Quest is here at all is because of me.” Silence fell on the gymnasium. “As ridiculous as it sounds, this mess started back at Harvard. I won’t bore you with all the details, but Conrad and I have been competing for a very long time. For girls. For grades. For properties. And I’ve won most of those battles. Quest looked at the Gallant Lake Resort before I bought it. He didn’t pull the trigger fast enough, but I did. When my father and brother tried to take it from me, it was Quest who was backing them financially. He tried to build his own casino on the lake, and I blocked that, too.”

  Louise stood and glared at Conrad. “Are you kidding me? You created this mess because of some personal vendetta? Maybe our police chief needs to lock you up.” Everyone’s head swiveled to Dan Adams. He looked to Blake, who shook his head.

  “He’s not a psycho stalker. I’m sure he’s been careful to do all this by the book. He could have made plenty of money, because he’s right—Gallant Lake needs long-term vacation homes and rentals. And I’m going to build them.”

  Another ripple of reaction moved through the meeting. People looked confused. Louise folded her arms on her chest.

  “So how does that make you any better than him?”

  Blake placed his hand over his heart. “Because I’m not building them in the center of town. I’m not coming after your properties, because I’ve owned the perfect property all along. It surrounds the golf course and runs along the lakeshore. It’s part of the parcel I added to the resort five years ago.” He glanced toward Brittany. “My thing is hotels, so I wasn’t sure how to develop or market condos. But Brittany Doyle does. Let me introduce the new vice president of sales and rentals for our planned Gallant Lake Resort Waterfront Villas. Pending environmental impact studies, we’ve been assured permits shouldn’t be a problem.”

  Blake leveled a hard stare at Conrad, who looked like he was gonna burst a blood vessel right then and there. “You like to be the big dog in town, Conrad. I’m guessing your appetite for condos in Gallant Lake is already fading. After all, you’d be competing with condos on the grounds of the hottest resort in the Catskills. And they’ll be mine.”

  A roar of applause rose in the gymnasium. There was a rush of people around Brittany and Blake, clapping her on the back and smiling. Even a few apologies mixed in. Then a hand gripped her arm firmly and turned her.

  Conrad ground his words through his teeth. “You signed a noncompete clause in your contract, and I could take you to court for going to work for Randall. You know that, right?”

  “Yes, I’m aware. But those things can be tricky to enforce in court. You might be able to show that Blake Randall is a competitor, but I won’t be working for Blake. I’m opening a real-estate office of my own here in Gallant Lake, so I won’t be competing with you unless you’re suddenly interested in selling rural family farms.”

  The lies still came too easily to her lips, but she didn’t want to ruin Blake’s big moment. Staying had been the plan. No one had to know just yet that she’d decided to leave. Staying here would be impossible when she’d have to see Nate all the time and know that he’d set her aside.

  Conrad’s brows rose. “You? The Barracuda is going to sell farms here in the middle of nowhere? And what about Randall’s condos?”

  She lifted her shoulder. “What about them? Once they’re finally built, which will be long after the noncompete clause expires, it makes sense for a local Realtor to manage sales and rentals, right?” It made her sad to think that it wouldn’t be her, but Blake would find someone. She leaned forward, lowering her voice. “This barracuda is leaving the deep waters to you. Have fun out there, Conrad.”

  She turned away, feeling a strange mix of sorrow and satisfaction. The town had been saved. But the cost had been high. She searched the faces for Nate, not sure why she was looking. To forgive him? To see if he’d forgiven her? It didn’t matter. He wasn’t there.

  Chapter Sixteen

 
Nate walked from the school to the store, where his van was parked. The air was sharp and cool—his favorite kind of autumn night. A full moon was just coming up over Gallant Mountain, soft and peachy. Unlike his life right now, which was the polar opposite of peachy.

  He’d left the gymnasium before the meeting was even finished. Once Blake Randall made his big speech and told the truth about what Brittany had been up to behind the scenes, Nate couldn’t stay in the room another minute. He’d vowed to fight her, and she’d already been fighting for everything he believed in. The problem was...he hadn’t believed in her.

  “Stop! Police! Freeze, asshole!” Hank started hollering as soon as Nate unlocked the shop door. He understood the bird’s confusion, since he’d already been fed and covered for the night. Nate turned on just one bank of lights so the bird wouldn’t be too freaked out, then pulled off the cage cover and tossed him a banana chip.

  Hank let out a string of whistles and alarm sounds but settled down once he grabbed the chip from his dish. His sounds became more like contented chirps than shrieks.

  “Sorry, buddy. Didn’t mean to scare you. I just don’t want to go home right now.” Nate sat on a nearby barrel. He had no idea what to do with himself. Driving past Brittany’s cabin would be like stabbing himself in the chest. Walking into his house, so full of memories... He looked at the office door. He could always sleep on the old cot he had in there. He sighed, talking to Hank. “Can I keep you company, pal?”

  In response, Hank let out a string of obscenities. Nate didn’t bother tapping the cage. He let the bird say them over and over. If anyone deserved to be cussed out right now, it was him.

  “You know, I think there might be a law against that language in a public place.” Dan Adams closed the door behind him as he stepped inside. “You okay in here?”

  “Stop! Intruder! Police!” The parrot started as soon as he heard Dan’s voice.