by Mia Ross
“Aw, that’s nothin’,” Jack assured him. “Grover don’t need keys to start a boat.”
The man whipped around just as the sailor swung onto the deck and made for the stairs leading to the fancy wheelhouse. As the thought of someone hotwiring his precious boat sank in, the man pointed a threatening finger at Jack. “Call him off, or we’ll have a serious problem, old man.”
The taunt backfired, and a calm but very determined Jack sauntered up to meet their visitor in the middle of the dock.
Fortunately so did Cooper.
Offering his hand to the intruder, he hauled out that disarming lawyer’s smile. “Cooper Landry, mayor of Holiday Harbor.”
“Kevin Dearborn.”
When he eyed Jack expectantly, the old salt chortled. “Not a chance. You can just call me ‘sir.’”
Bree smothered a laugh with her hand, but Cooper’s sharp ears caught her squeak, and he glanced her way. When she sent him an apologetic look, his mouth quirked in an almost-grin before he turned back to the two arguing men. “Why don’t you tell me what’s going on? Maybe I can help.”
Jack motioned for Kevin to start, which she thought was nice of him, considering the situation. Then she realized it was because Cooper understood the problem, and Jack wasn’t going to waste his breath telling the mayor something he already knew.
This had happened before, she realized, recalling Jack’s violent reaction to the Daisy Mae and his criticism of sports fishermen her first night in town. So tourism had its downside, too. It shed new light on the town’s decline, and how crucial it was to come up with a solution everyone could live with. Her assignment had just gone from puff piece to the kind of gritty, hard-hitting journalism she thrived on.
When Kevin was finished relaying his side of the story, he pointed over. “He sent one of his guys onto my boat. I want him off.”
“No problem.” Jack let out a piercing whistle, and the crazy first mate saluted from the wheelhouse. Coming out on the walkway, he did a nice half pike into the water, and the fascinated crowd burst into laughing applause. If they’d had judging paddles, she suspected they’d have given him a perfect score.
“This place is nuts,” Kevin said, and not in a nice way. “Stay off my boat, or I’ll have you arrested.”
Instead of delivering his threat and walking away like a smart person would have done, he made the mistake of poking Jack in the chest. The captain grabbed his hand and flung it away in one powerful motion. “Touch me again, I’ll put you in the drink with Grover.”
Kevin turned to Cooper with a pleading look. “You’re supposed to be in charge of these lunatics. Aren’t you going to do something?”
“Seems to me things are under control.” Turning to Jack, he asked, “Wouldn’t you say so?”
“Yup. No problems here.”
Kevin’s eyes narrowed in fury, and he spat, “You’ll be hearing from my lawyer.”
As he turned to go, Cooper caught his arm. Taking a business card from his jacket’s chest pocket, he grinned. “I’ll be looking forward to speaking with him soon. In the meantime you need to move your boat so the crew can process their catch while it’s fresh.”
“I’m already late for dinner.”
“So’m I,” Jack rumbled, “but I got a few tons of fish to unload first. If it wasn’t for guys like me, you and your friends’d be eating salad and rolls tonight.”
Kevin seemed ready to continue arguing, but a quick look at the unyielding fisherman and the tall man in the suit apparently changed his mind. Without a word he stalked back to his boat and glided over to remoor where he should have been in the first place. It took him less than five minutes.
When the fuss was over, Cooper strolled over to the Brenda and gazed down at Bree and Sammy. “What’re you doing down there?”
“Jack told me to stay put, and I figured it was a good idea to listen to him.”
“Really?” he teased as he reached a hand down to bring her onto the dock. “I’ll have to find out his secret.”
Once they’d rescued Sammy and Horatio, she asked, “Do you really think Dearborn will sic his lawyer on you?”
“I hope he does. We get a few of these arrogant jerks every summer, and everyone’s tired of it. I don’t care how much money he’s got. Nobody comes into this town and shoves aside the people who built it.”
The protectiveness in his voice got her attention, and she gained a new level of respect for the reserved lawyer. It was inspiring to meet someone who stood up for what they believed in, no matter how much trouble it caused. “Those reserved signs don’t work.”
“I know. Folks who aren’t from around here think they’re just for fun, I guess.”
“Jack’s pretty reasonable, but some of the other captains, not so much. If you don’t do something, someone’s gonna get hurt.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” he muttered.
Searching for answers, Bree glanced around the bustling pier. When her eyes landed on the unused section, a lightbulb went off. “Maybe you could refurbish that side for pleasure boats, and keep them out of the crews’ way.”
“I’d love to, but we just don’t have the money.”
“You would,” she pointed out, “if you approved Ellington’s plan and got those big houses on the tax rolls.”
Shoving his hands deep into his pockets, he sighed. “I know. I’m just worried about what it’d cost us in the long run.”
* * *
The night of the development vote the town meeting was packed.
Cooper did a quick count of rows and multiplied that by the number of occupied chairs in each row. Five hundred, more than double their usual attendance, and max capacity for their modest town hall. At least everyone was taking this thing seriously.
Bree sat in the back corner, tucked behind a dusty blackboard so no one would notice her. She’d told him she wanted to capture the give and take of the normal meeting and contrast that with the emotions the contentious vote was liable to unleash.
Cooper called the meeting to order right on time. There were a few business-related issues, such as who was responsible for fixing the cracked sidewalk between two shops. The grocer’s wife bemoaned the loss of her prize-winning begonias to a rogue mutt with a taste for fresh flowers. Cooper managed to keep a straight face while reminding everyone of the leash law.
That brought a ripple of laughter, and a few glanced back at Sammy, stretched out in his spot next to Bree’s chair. Grinning, she held up her end of the leash, which made everyone laugh again. It was a tight, nervous sound, as if they all sensed this was the calm before the storm.
Bringing the routine business to a close, Cooper took a deep breath and said, “Now for why we’re all really here. At last month’s meeting, I presented a plan from Ellington Properties, a real estate development firm interested in building a golf course community out at Schooner Point. Before we adjourn to vote on it, I wanted to go over the high points of the proposal again and answer any questions you might have.”
The room was silent until he finished outlining the developer’s offer. When he indicated he was done, the place erupted.
“Not in this lifetime!” one man insisted.
“This is just what we’ve been praying for,” another said more quietly. “Now we can afford to retire and move closer to our grandchildren.”
That was just the beginning of a spirited back and forth. By his estimation, half the people loved the idea and would have signed on the dotted line if the contracts had been sitting on the table. The other half hated it with a passion Cooper found more than a little disturbing.
Trapped in the middle of the skirmish, he dutifully stayed at the lectern, feeling like a condemned man waiting to discover whether he’d be hung or beheaded. He hadn’t asked for any of this, yet here he was, doing
his best to make sure everyone’s opinion was heard.
Finally Jack stood and turned to address his neighbors. “I don’t know about all o’ you, but I’d like to hear what our mayor has to say about this.”
Several shouted agreement, and Cooper faced them squarely, careful to keep his expression neutral. “I want what’s best for our town. This is a very important decision, and we need to make it carefully.” He looked around the crowded hall, connecting with several sets of eyes, some angry, others sympathetic. “All of us together.”
“But what do you think of the proposal?” a softer voice asked. He spotted Julia Stanton standing at the end of a middle row, her face lined with concern.
“We’ve known for a while that we need to replace the revenue we’re losing from our fishing industry,” he replied evenly. “I think the best option is to get more tourists in here. That way we’re only renting out part of the town during the nicest months. Over the winter we’d have it all to ourselves again.”
“Except for those nutty ice fishermen,” someone commented, his laughter breaking some of the tension.
Several residents popped up with questions or concerns, and the occasional “Let’s do it!” Beneath it all was a rumble of several unrelated conversations he wished he could follow. Then again, he might be better off not knowing.
Cooper let them air their comments, only stepping in when someone talked over someone else or ridiculed a differing view. After nearly an hour he held up his hands for quiet. “All right, then. It’s getting late, so let’s wind this up so we can all vote and head on home. By the way, anyone who turns in a ballot gets a free piece of pie, courtesy of the Captains’ Chapel Ladies’ Aid.”
His announcement brought a round of applause, and everyone stood to fold up their chairs and stack them against the walls. While they got themselves arranged in a fairly orderly line, Cooper strolled back to where Bree was finishing up her notes. He paused next to her chair, taking Sammy’s leash from her so she could uncoil herself from what he’d come to think of as her pretzel position.
“Impressive, Mr. Mayor,” she approved, sliding her tablet into her ever-present messenger bag. “You let them know how you feel without actually saying you oppose developing Schooner Point. Must be all that courtroom practice you’ve had.”
The way she said it, it sounded like a compliment, and he decided to take it that way. “Guess so.”
“Cooper.” Heeding the emphasis in her tone, he met those dark, intelligent eyes. “Everything will work out, one way or another. You’ll see.”
For lack of anything better, he smiled and held open the swinging door for her to leave. Her phone rang, and she paused in the entryway to check the caller. “It’s my mom. This signal’s much better than the one at the lighthouse. Is it okay if I just hang out here and talk to her?”
“Sure. Just don’t do any exit polling.”
“Me?” Blinking, she gave him an innocent smile. “I’d never even think of it.”
“I mean it, Bree,” he replied in a more serious tone. “Voting’s private, and I don’t want anyone to get the idea you’re gonna put the details online for the whole word to see.”
In a heartbeat her joking demeanor shifted to one that more closely matched his own. “I understand, and I’ll report just the results, not people’s individual comments. You have my word on it.”
Not long ago this reporter’s word would have meant less than nothing to him. But over the past couple of weeks, he’d grown to trust her more and more, and he was confident she’d stand by her promise.
“Okay. Have a good night.”
As he walked Sammy back inside, one thing was clear to him. Progress had come to Holiday Harbor. The big question was would they embrace it, or turn it away?
* * *
While everyone was distracted with the hubbub of the voting, Bree quietly chatted with her mom. After catching her up on what had become a fascinating assignment, Bree hung up and got ready to leave. Then she realized she could see and hear everything going on inside and decided to stay right where she was. The alcove under the coat rack was dark, so no one could see her. Cooper would probably kill her for doing this, but she’d deal with that later. If he found out, that is. If he didn’t, no harm done, and she’d keep her change in plans to herself.
One thing she wouldn’t even consider doing was breaking her promise to guard the voters’ privacy. While it was tempting to ferret out some emotional reactions to the night’s events, no story in the world was worth losing Cooper’s respect. Proud of herself for doing the right thing, she observed what she could from her sheltered spot.
One of the entryway doors was missing, which gave her a decent view of the long table that held two boxes. They weren’t marked, so people wouldn’t know what their neighbors had written on their folded slips of paper. It wasn’t exactly cutting edge, but it worked fine. Cooper stood off to the side, talking with Derek and some of the business owners, trying to look cool when she knew his stomach must be in knots.
As people cast their ballots and dug into their yummy-looking rewards, Bree’s own stomach began to growl. Rummaging around in her bag, she found half of a candy bar. The stale half. She munched on it to pass the time, and gradually the din inside the large open room tapered off to just a few voices. Among them she clearly heard Cooper and Derek, discussing their next round of golf with Otter tomorrow.
By nine-thirty, all the votes had been tallied. Three hundred for, three hundred against. Based on her interviews around town, Bree wasn’t surprised in the least, and she leaned out to get a better view of the main hall.
Now the boxes were labeled Yes and No. Sitting at the table where Derek and three others had been counting, Cooper flung his head back and glared at the arched ceiling. With a groan, he swiveled his head to look at Derek. “You’re kidding, right?”
Grimacing, his old friend shook his head. “We counted ’em three times, and it was the same every round. As mayor, the bylaws say you have to break the tie.”
“Pay attention, buddy,” Cooper grumbled as he scribbled his choice on a slip of paper. “This is the kind of trouble you’re in for.”
Cooper handed the paper to him, and Derek hesitated. “Don’t you want to do that in private?”
“It won’t matter.” He checked his watch. “By ten, everyone will know it was a draw, and I had to break it. Even if they missed the point that I’m completely against this project, when they hear the results they’ll know I voted against developing Schooner Point.”
Shrugging, Derek added the folded paper to the “no” pile. “Okay, but don’t say I didn’t give you a chance.”
“Duly noted.” Standing, Cooper shook hands with his friend. “It’s been a long day, so I’m headed home. My house phone’ll be off the hook, so if you really need me, call my cell.”
“Good idea. These folks—” he rattled the “yes” box “—won’t be thrilled with you.”
Cooper chuckled. “Once you’re mayor, I’m looking forward to not worrying about that kind of nonsense anymore. Night.”
“Night.”
Bree expected Derek to follow him out, but for some reason he didn’t. Instinct told her to stay put, so she shrank back a little farther into the darkness and waited. She heard a side door close, then Derek’s footsteps as he walked back through the empty hall. The telltale beeps of a phone dialing broke the silence, and she strained her ears to catch what was going on.
“Just calling to tell you the vote went exactly the way I predicted.” He paused, then said, “No, it’s not a problem. After the special election on Labor Day, I’ll be mayor, and this will all be moot. We’ll tweak your proposal and reissue it for another vote. Some of these folks are on the fence already, and with a little arm-twisting, we’ll have enough support to avoid another tie. We’ll be breaking ground for those big beaut
iful houses by fall, just like I promised. Partner.”
Bree’s jaw fell open, and she was glad she was sitting down or she might have dropped from shock. Derek didn’t oppose the development as he claimed. He was in the developer’s pocket, trading his influence with the locals for a piece of the action. Intentionally deceiving everyone, putting Holiday Harbor at risk so he could make a fortune for himself.
And Cooper had no idea.
He’d said it more than once: he didn’t want to be mayor. Since he believed Derek’s vision for the town’s future matched his own, he was happy to turn the position over to a man he’d known and trusted since childhood. With Cooper’s history, she knew this latest betrayal would break his big generous heart. She certainly wasn’t thrilled about being the messenger, especially when the only proof she had was half a conversation she shouldn’t have heard in the first place.
Technically she was just a reporter from out of town, and this had absolutely nothing to do with her. If she’d left the meeting when she was supposed to, she wouldn’t know anything about Derek’s plan. Her confrontation with the kindly senator earlier that year still rankled in her memory, and she wasn’t eager for a repeat performance. It was possible she’d misunderstood this situation, too, and if she said anything the result would be even more damaging. Because then she’d risk losing Cooper’s friendship, and that would be a hundred times worse.
Biting back a moan, she rested her head against the wall and wondered. Should she wade into the middle of this mess? Or was this one of those times when a smart girl would just walk away?
Chapter Ten
That Sunday was even more interesting than usual at the Captains’ Chapel. The entire congregation, Bree included, showed up wearing their grungiest work clothes. Pastor Allen’s sermons were always good, but this one was the best so far. Smiling throughout, he praised them for giving their time and energy to the church’s annual painting job.
“God’s house is more than four walls and a roof,” he concluded proudly. “All of us together make it what He meant for it to be: a place to gather and connect with our neighbors. When we do, we learn more about each other, and that we’re really not that different, after all.”