Beyond Hope's Ridge

by Silver McKenzie

  He glanced at his watch. He needed to get moving if he’d be on time for his nine o’clock meeting. He had contemplated ducking into the office to speak to Travis about this decision first but realized it was too early in the day. Travis would also be out for most of the afternoon, so the discussion about Buster leaving would need to wait until Tuesday. He wouldn’t leave him in the lurch, of course, some projects needed to be completed, but just knowing he’d made the decision and would be leaving the area provided him with relief and lightness he hadn’t felt for a long time.

  ❖

  Steph pulled her jacket tight around her as an icy wind cut across the lake. The last of the fall leaves crunched underfoot as she made her way along the lake trail toward Irresistables, the food truck her sister ran her business from. She still couldn’t believe the conversation she’d just had with Bodhi. It was entirely out of left field for her. She felt incredibly sorry for him and his family. It was an awful situation that no family wanted to be presented with. It didn’t surprise her that Bodhi was putting his parents’ needs before his own. If it were her parents, she’d be doing the same. However, she wasn’t sure what this meant for her. Deep down, Steph did believe everything happened for a reason. She was just going to need to remind herself of this.

  Steph did her best to push her morning out of her thoughts and quickened her pace as Asha waved to her from the food truck’s service window. It was almost nine, but knowing her sister, she’d probably been up baking muffins since five.

  “Hey, hon,” Asha called as Steph reached the food truck. “Coffee?”

  Steph hesitated for a split second, causing Asha to raise an eyebrow.

  “Finally remembering your body is your temple and all that?”

  Steph smiled. “Something like that, and I’ve already taught a class, so I’m wide awake.” That and Bodhi’s news was enough to keep her wide awake too. “I’ll have green tea, thanks.”

  “Does that mean you’ve given coffee up again? That you’re sleeping better?”

  Steph’s smile slipped. “Sleeping’s still hit and miss, as I’m sure Zane’s mentioned to you.”

  Asha nodded. “Sounds like he hasn’t been much better, considering he’s up chatting with you at three in the morning.”

  “We’re well suited as far as roommates go.” Steph hesitated. She’d planned to talk to Asha about Bodhi and Heat Wave but realized Asha would be full of questions and advice Steph wasn’t sure she was ready to hear just yet. She needed to get her head around the situation first. Instead, she decided to focus on her sister. “How was the weekend? I thought you’d be too hungover to function today. Jenna’s visits usually leave you in a coma.”

  “Not this one. We behaved.” Asha sighed. “I’ll be glad when this engagement party is over. She was talking about ice sculptures on Saturday night! Who on earth does that for an engagement party?”

  “It still seems very sudden,” Steph said. “I know Jenna can be impulsive, but she hardly knows him.”

  Asha handed Steph her tea. “You should have heard Zane yesterday. Jenna almost lost it with him. It’s given Zane something to bond with his dad over. I think it’s the first time they’ve ever agreed on anything. Not that that’s much help to Jenna.”

  “What does her mom think?”

  “Same as the rest of us. Too soon. But she’s also excited. She knows Jenna better than anyone, and once Jenna makes up her mind, there’s no changing it. It’s easier to just go along with the plans. It’s only the engagement party. There will be at least another six months until the wedding. That’s more time to get to know each other, at least.”

  Steph sipped her tea. “I guess we need to be less skeptical and more embracing of love at first sight.”

  “It was love at first sight for my beloved Ying Yue and me.”

  Steph turned at the sound of Charlie Li’s voice. The older man bowed slightly in greeting, a broad smile on his face.

  “How are you, Charlie?”

  “Very well, thank you, Steph.”

  “Here to collect your rent?” Asha called from the food truck. Only a month earlier, when Asha and her business were forcibly removed from the township-owned area on the lake’s shoreline, Charlie had offered her a prime lakefront position on land he owned. The rent he’d requested was in the form of bottomless tea and coffee, and muffins on occasion for himself and his three neighbors. It was the only payment he would accept.

  “A coffee, perhaps. But it’s not the reason for my visit. There’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”

  Asha raised an eyebrow. “Is everything okay?”

  Steph saw the concern on her sister’s face. After the dramas initiated by property developer Matt Law concerning Charlie, Steph wasn’t surprised Asha was concerned.

  Charlie’s smile widened. “Yes, yes. Better than okay. I have an idea that I hope you will like.”

  Asha looked to Steph, a sparkle in her eye. “We’re all ears, Charlie.”

  He laughed and checked his watch. “Not yet. My surprise will arrive in a few minutes.”

  “In that case, I’ll make your coffee while we wait.”

  Steph smiled at the joy in Asha’s voice. Asha had had a rough time when Matt had decided to firstly prevent her business expansion plans, and secondly, make life as difficult as possible for her. Still, with that behind her and now in a new relationship with Zane, she couldn’t be happier.

  “You’re not going to give us a hint about the surprise?” Steph asked as Charlie rubbed his hands together, his beaming smile still fixed in place.

  Charlie’s eyes traveled past Steph to Lake Drive as a silver pickup stopped in the small area designated as parking for the food truck’s customers. “No need, here he is.”

  Steph didn’t recognize the pickup. She watched with interest as the back of a tall, broad-shouldered man appeared. He leaned down and scooped up a computer bag and a long tube before turning and facing them. His short blonde hair and tanned complexion made him instantly recognizable.

  Steph’s hand froze midair as she brought her drink to her mouth. Her heart raced when she realized it was Buster. She closed her eyes momentarily, reminding herself to breathe.

  “Steph?”

  Concern laced Asha’s tone.

  Steph opened her eyes, her heart continuing to hammer.

  “Everything okay?” Charlie glanced from Steph to Asha and back again.

  Steph nodded. “I have…I have to go.” She placed her tea on the food truck’s counter, stuffed her hands deep in her jacket pocket and, with her head down, hurried in the opposite direction of Buster to the lake trail.

  ❖

  Buster watched as Steph practically ran from the food truck. She was definitely in a hurry. The meeting this morning was supposed to be between himself, Asha, and Charlie, so he hadn’t expected to see her. Had his appearance caused her to leave so suddenly? He remembered Zane’s words a couple of months ago. Did you know Steph Jones relives the accident every day too? Blames herself. He’d convinced himself that Zane had it wrong. Steph had done everything she could to save Holly. Sure, she would have been affected by what happened, but she was hardly to blame. He probably should have spoken to her about it, but until today, he hadn’t seen her. And he certainly hadn’t set out looking for her. If he was honest, he knew it was guilt that stopped him. Steph had walked away from the accident with minor injuries, but they could have been so much worse. If only he hadn’t… He pushed the thought from his mind as he neared the food truck. This was a client meeting, and he needed to be professional.

  “Henry!” Charlie clapped him on the back. “Thank you for coming this morning.”

  Buster smiled. “You’re very welcome. And call me Buster, everyone else does.” He turned to Asha. “Hey Ash, how are you?”

  “Confused. Charlie said he had a surprise for me this morning, and now you’ve turned up. I’m scrambling to think of why you’re here and how it might affect me.”

  Buster rais
ed an eyebrow and turned to Charlie. “You haven’t told her?”

  Charlie shook his head, his smile widening with each shake.

  Buster laughed. “Wow, okay. This is going to be a surprise then.”

  “Come and sit down,” Charlie insisted. “And then you can tell Asha what’s going on.”

  Buster followed the older man’s instructions and sat down at one of the large tables beside the food truck.

  “Can I get you some coffee?” Asha asked.

  “No, I’m good, thanks. I might get one to go when we’re finished. I do think you might want to be sitting when I explain what Charlie’s asked me to do.”

  Asha sat down opposite him, and Buster took a deep breath, turning to Charlie for final confirmation that he wanted Buster to be the one to tell Asha. The older man gave a small nod.

  “Charlie came and saw me a few weeks ago and asked me to draw up some preliminary plans.”

  “For what?”

  Buster took the lid from the long tube and slid out the rolled-up plans. “For a pavilion.” He couldn’t help but smile when Asha’s mouth dropped open. Charlie clapped his hands together like a delighted child.

  “Surprise!”

  Asha turned to Charlie. “What do you mean? You can’t do this.”

  “Why not? I have the money and, more importantly,” he spread his arms wide, indicating the area around them, “I have the location. We will build a beautiful pavilion complete with flooring so your customers can sit and enjoy the view. We can add some of those patio heaters so that they can sit year-round in comfort. Rain or shine, you’ll have plenty of customers.”

  “But…” Asha’s voice trailed off. She appeared lost for words.

  Buster spread the plans out in front of them. “These are very early plans, but Charlie wanted me to provide some suggestions for different approaches we could take. We’ll also need to work out exactly where to locate it to ensure the best views, but so it’s also easily accessible from the food truck.”

  Charlie clapped his hands together again. “A covered boardwalk from the service window to the seating area. We must add that. That way, if it’s raining, no one gets wet.”

  Asha was shaking her head. “No, Charlie, this is too much. It’s one thing to let me run my business on your land; it’s another to do this.”

  Charlie frowned. “Your dream is to have a cafe one day. Correct?”

  Asha nodded.

  “This will give you more of a cafe feel. You could consider expanding your menu, even upgrading the food truck if you need something bigger. I would be happy to help you do that too. I was thinking about building a proper cafe, but I think the food truck concept and open-air seating area brings something unique to the lake.”

  “All of this will cost a lot, Charlie. The materials, let alone the construction.”

  “That part is not your concern. What is your concern is giving us your input about the layout of the seating area and exactly how you would like it set up. Now, let’s get back to business. Henry…I mean, Buster has other ideas to show us, and I’m very excited to see them.”

  Buster grinned. He wished he’d thought to take some video of Charlie and Asha’s discussion. Of Asha’s shock and Charlie’s delight. He opened his computer bag and took out his laptop. “Based on some of Charlie’s suggestions and my thoughts as to what I believe will fit in with the look and feel of the area, I’ve come up with a few initial design ideas.” He turned the computer so Asha and Charlie could see the first design on the screen. “Of course, these are just suggestions to give us a starting point. There are a few restrictions based on the town plan that we do have to take into consideration, mainly height and what the structure might block as far as views from the houses on Lake Drive, but overall we have a lot of flexibility.”

  Charlie gave a low whistle as he looked at the design. “This is perfect. When can you start building?”

  Buster laughed. “I’m sure there will be a lot to discuss before we get anywhere near the point of submitting plans. But I’m glad you like these initial concepts. How about you, Ash?”

  Asha looked from Charlie to Buster, her eyes brimming with tears. “It’s amazing. To be honest, there’s so much to think about I don’t even know where to start.”

  Buster nodded. “How about I send you both copies of these initial ideas for you to start thinking about. Once you get your head around the concept, Ash, I think you’ll have a lot of ideas you’ll want to incorporate. I’ve got a little more research to do into the zoning laws and restrictions, so if you want to meet again in a few days, I’ll make sure I have all of that information confirmed.”

  Asha nodded, her lips turning up in a small grin. “Matt Law’s not going to be happy about this.”

  “A dream come true,” Charlie said.

  They all laughed.

  “But really,” Asha said. “Won’t this cause problems for you since you’re already working with him? It makes the food truck a more permanent business, which he definitely won’t like. I’m sure he’s trying to find a loophole to get me removed from this location or secure the land for himself.”

  “Matt’s a client, and we’re doing our best to keep him happy. You and Charlie are also clients. While neither of you might be happy with what the other is doing, that’s not our concern. As long as all of our projects are completed within the law, then we’re happy to work with anyone.”

  Asha nodded. “I wouldn’t want to be around him when he finds out, that’s all I’ll say.”

  “That boy deserves every bad thing that comes his way,” Charlie said, shaking his head. “He is a bad seed, from which nothing good grows.”

  Buster looked from Charlie to Asha, who was nodding. He understood that they both had intense feelings about Matt, but he was Buster’s client, and he felt he should say something. “You know, Matt’s only looking to improve the town.”

  “That I have no problem with,” Charlie said. “The way he goes about it, however, I do. Karma will come back to haunt that boy, and I, for one, will be pleased when it happens.”

  Even from Charlie, the words sounded harsh. But then again, Buster had heard rumors of Matt trying to get Charlie declared unfit to take care of himself and put in LakeView, Hope’s Ridge’s long-term care facility.

  “What problems are we likely to come up against with this development?” Charlie asked.

  “Possible objections from the town,” Buster said. “You’re planning to build on an area that is currently available for recreation.”

  “But it is my land.”

  “It is, and you’re within your rights to build. It’s just that some of the town might not be too thrilled. It will change the lakefront from what they’re used to. Some people hate change regardless of whether it will improve things.”

  “Perhaps we should give it more thought, Charlie,” Asha said. “I don’t want to upset anyone. My food truck is one thing, but a permanent structure is another altogether.”

  Charlie shook his head. “No, we move ahead. This is my land, and I’m entitled to do whatever I like. I’m also popular with the town, so I will ensure everyone is behind the project.” He winked. “It is amazing what the promise of free coffee and cake can do. Okay?”

  Asha nodded, and Buster gathered his belongings. “Let’s meet again later in the week,” he suggested. “It gives Asha a chance to get her head around the idea and her thoughts for how she’d like it positioned and laid out. Call me with any questions, of course.”

  Charlie stood. “Very good. Now you’ll need to excuse me. I have someone I need to speak to.” His eyes twinkled, and he rubbed his hands together. “A very important conversation that I’ve been looking forward to.”

  Buster looked from Charlie to Asha, who shrugged. He smiled at the older man. “Okay, well, enjoy your conversation, and I’ll contact you to schedule a time for our next meeting.”

  He watched as the older man practically skipped along the path in the direction of Main Street.<
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  2

  After dashing from the food truck that morning, Steph had spent most of the day in the garden, pulling weeds and chastising herself over her extreme reaction to Buster. Zane was right, she did need to talk to him, but she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. The sick feeling that plagued her anytime she saw him had worsened as time moved on. If she’d spoken to him straight after the accident, maybe she could have avoided this situation altogether. Her thoughts had flickered between Buster and Heat Wave, where she’d returned in the afternoon to take the four o’clock class.

  Now, her conversation with Bodhi replayed in her mind as she chopped vegetables for the stir fry she was making. It would be exciting to see Heat Wave expand, but she wasn’t sure if involving Matt Law would be to anyone’s benefit, except possibly Matt’s.

  “You look deep in thought.” Zane entered the kitchen and opened the fridge. “Everything okay?” He took out a bottle of water.

  Steph nodded. “Just a few things happening at work. How about you, are you here for dinner? There’s plenty if you are.”

  “Knock, knock.” Asha’s voice floated down the hallway from the front door before Zane had a chance to answer. He grinned and went to meet her.

  Steph smiled at the muffled voices as she picked up a zucchini and began to chop it. She looked up as Zane returned to the kitchen, hand-in-hand with her sister. “Hey, what’s happening?”

  Asha dropped Zane’s hand and took a seat on one of the stools at the kitchen counter. “Came to see if you were okay. You left in a bit of a hurry this morning.”

  Steph shrugged. “I’m fine. I just had a lot to do.”

  “Steph?”

  Steph continued chopping, unable to look at Asha.

  “Have I missed something?” Zane asked.

  “Buster arrived at the food truck this morning, and Steph took off like a frightened rabbit.”

  Steph stopped chopping and held up her knife. “I just didn’t want to talk to him, okay? I know I need to, but I want to plan what I’m going to say, not be put on the spot. I wasn’t expecting to see him in Hope’s Ridge.”