Nonetheless, it could still work, she reminded herself. She shook her head, but not well enough. She would lose her tree. Instead of a glorious snowy mountain to their front, they would have to look at the back of a resort. Their street would be an afterthought, second to the resort, which would wrap all of the ideas of their shops in one town hall centered motif within their own space. She’d seen the plans. Their quaint row of shops on Main Street would seem unexciting and would be competing with resort offerings.
Not to mention her father’s tree farm. If the regular families who lived and worked here had to leave, where would they sell their trees? Who would buy them? Much of their business came from the local families and the school district from the town over. They might be fine, but they would lose the significant income from the town.
Then there was the Festival of Trees. And her mother. Her eyes found the picture of her mom she hung across from the wreath desk. She would have been devastated to learn of the tearing apart their iconic Main Street.
Her phone dinged.
Ezra: I hope you’re happy. The kids now hate me. Tim wouldn’t even look at me.
What?
Star: I don’t want to talk about it.
Ezra: Why not? What’s your excuse for attacking me doing my job?
Star: Like I said, don’t want to talk about it.
Ezra: Well I think we should.
Star: What good would it do?
Ezra: I’ve called a press conference.
Star: What! You can’t just do that.
Ezra: It’s done. If you want to be there, we’re meeting today at five.
He was crazy. He’d lose this battle if the press were involved.
Star: You’re on.
No response. Had he stepped away? Then a thumbs up emoji dinged. She flew into action, calling everyone she could think of, all the key players and all the people affected by the change. If he wanted war in front of the press, he’d have it. And he might wish he’d never started such a thing.
His green eyes came into her mind. She paused for two breaths, considering that going head to head with him in the press was not going to charm him as the city council had requested, and she certainly wouldn’t have any further friendship with him once she went down this path.
But she could see no other alternative. He’d called for the meeting, hadn’t he? She couldn’t allow only his voice to be heard. She sighed. But he was the first good-looking man who’d made her miss him when he wasn’t around. Even now, she wished to see his smiling look of approval again. She wanted to kick herself.
The mayor called. She braced herself. “Hello.”
“What are you doing?”
“He’s called a press conference.”
“We’ve approved his plans, you know.”
“I know, I thought you wanted him to change his mind.”
“We do. Voluntarily. We’d be idiots to turn down all that he’s offering Sanders Corners…but if he were to readjust his building plans, if he were to make some changes…”
“I hear you, but he’s pretty determined and now this.” She knew it was her fault. “I took him to Mary’s.”
His soft groan made her bristle. “What?” she asked. “He needs to know who and what he is displacing.”
“He knows.”
“On paper. He doesn’t know the lives who are at stake.”
“When we asked you to charm him, this is not what we meant.”
“I can’t help it. This kind of stuff comes up when I’m around him.”
“We can’t afford for him to back out. We’re lucky he chose our town. I’m calling to let you know we won’t be supporting you at this press conference. You’ll hear us speak in his and the resort’s behalf.”
Her heart sank. “Not even to talk about what Main Street has meant to the people of this town and our customers all over the world?”
“No. You’ll hear more from me on the lines of how much this new resort means to the people of this town and our customers all over the world.”
Everything felt so heavy. She almost couldn’t find the words to say goodbye. But she did her best anyway. She had a speech to plan.
When everyone arrived in the Town Hall chambers for the press conference, she was surprised to see the amount of press coverage. All major channels showed up, the local papers and the state papers. This guy had clout. Many seemed to be invested in the creation of a spectacular ski resort in their state.
She was, too, to be honest. She would love for all those people to come visit her store, love to go skiing herself, if only the resort didn’t take up half the hillside right in the center of town and cause her iconic, memory-filled location to be moved.
She found her seat at the front of the room, next to Ezra.
“Hello, Star.”
“Ezra. I don’t know why this is necessary.”
“It’s necessary. If you feel the need to badger me with visits of all the displaced people on Main Street, we might as well do it all at once, and in public.” He turned to her, and she was struck by the kindness in his eyes. “I might not be the only one here with something to learn.” Something about his face, his earnestness, gave her pause. Was her selfishness getting in the way of something really great for her town? As she studied him, she wondered if perhaps he, like she, wished things could be different so they could get to know one another?
The mayor called the meeting to order, welcomed the press, and then turned the time over to Ezra. He spouted off statistics, the proof of how his other resorts had benefitted their locations. Star had to admit, she couldn’t argue with numbers. He showed slide shows of the beautiful locations he had created. When he was finished, the reporters asked few questions. Until one said, “What about Main Street? There is talk of cutting down the whole street.”
He nodded. “Yes, we would need to displace the stores currently located. The town council and our company are in discussion about how to best go about that. Compensation choices will be offered and new locations provided if desired.”
Some grumbles followed his answer. A few more hands.
Then the mayor called for Star to take the stand. She showed pictures of her store, of her mother’s ribbon cutting day. Star’s throat tightened to see her mother’s smile. She showed parade shots of their light parade that went down the center of town every year, the tree lighting every evening. She gave the press the statistics on the value of such an old tree, the Arbor of America Foundation’s statements about how it should be saved at all costs. She brought up each store owner one at a time and then she brought up one of the children from the home.
A precocious little girl stood and told her story. “When I was born, no one could find my mommy. She was lost and couldn’t take care of me. So now I live with my friends and Mary, and I love it there. We hope the bad man Ezra Scrooge doesn’t take away our house, because I really really love it, and my mountain and our Christmas tree in town.”
The cameras ran and clicked like crazy, and they had their story.
The name stuck. Across headlines of all papers, read the words, “Bad man Mr. Scrooge tries to steal young girl’s home.”
Two days later, Star felt only a little bit bad. He had called for the conference. What did he expect? That she would calmly let him display all his cold statistics and ignore the human element? Perhaps, but that’s not how she did things.
The next meeting for the Festival of Trees was in ten minutes, and she did not want to go. Surely Ezra would leave the committee. Everything about it felt flat now that he had once been a part. But she traipsed over there after making her orders to a German company for more of the authentic Christmas Pyramids.
When she arrived, everyone was laughing and enjoying cookies, and Ezra was right in the center of it all. They grew quiet when they saw her. Her irritation rose. How did she become the scrooge of the group? “What are you doing here, Ezra?”
“Come now, Star, we can be civil.” Herald gestured that she be seated.
“I’m perfectly civil. I was under the impression from his own mouth that Ezra would not be returning.”
Ezra held up a hand. “It’s true. But I’ve had a change of heart. I find I’m feeling so incredibly un-Scrooge like lately.”
She made her way to her seat at the head of the table. She tried to feel normal, to run a meeting, but she was incredibly unsettled and surprised. When she sat, a cookie sat on a plate at her front and a hot drink, labelled hot chocolate, out to her front. A folded note tucked under the plate. Everyone was watching so she smiled and said, “This looks delicious, Ezra, thank you. I am pleased our cookie habits have rubbed off on you. Hopefully other things will as well.”
She asked for the committee reports first so she could slip the note down in her lap and read it.
To the woman who makes me wonder if Christmas might have something for me after all.
When she looked up, she met his eyes, again full of hopeful sparkle. She wondered if it was possible to start some sort of friendship with the man who was destroying her store. He indicated she should flip over the note. Dinner? Eight?
She shrugged, unsure. He nodded. The meeting continued. Ezra had surprisingly helpful ideas, things they’d never thought of before to make the event run smoother. He offered his crew to build a resort float for the parade.
Everyone ended with smiles, and Star was relieved and grateful for such a fantastic team. It made running the festival that much easier.
Ezra waited for her. People filed out, she stalled, and he stayed. What should she tell him? She couldn’t think of a good reason to go to dinner with the man, but she couldn’t bring herself to turn him down. But they didn’t live in a vacuum. Getting to know him as a human being would only complicate things. But she wanted to go.
When he reached for her heavy bag and his mouth lifted in half a grin, she said, “Dinner would be great.”
Chapter 8
His father’s voice rasped from Ezra’s phone in his ear, desperate sounding. “Get it under control, son. I don’t have to remind you that everything is hinging on this deal.”
“It’s under control. Nothing has changed. Our agreements are finalizing. What’s eating you?”
“I told you. Things are falling apart everywhere.”
“You want to give me some details? Should I have Joe send me the financials?”
“No, just do this deal, and I’ll explain later.”
They hung up and Ezra went for a run. After five miles, he finally felt himself relax. He didn’t know what was wrong with his father, but he admitted that he feared him. He had feared him for years. Afraid to disappoint him, afraid not to do exactly as he said, afraid his dad would totally wig out, afraid he’d give up and leave like his mom.
The man trusted him, gave him full reign of all his responsibilities, but Ezra still had his father’s disapproving face in the back of his mind while working on any project. Did he work to please his father, or simply not to make him mad? He ran harder. And felt like a young boy again. A quiet voice persisted, a whispered question: What would he do if his father were not involved? What did Ezra himself want?
But his date with Star was in two hours so instead of facing that Goliath, he hurried home to shower. He hadn’t been this excited to get to know a woman in as long as he could remember. She had every reason to hate him, might just be using time with him to save her store, but he couldn’t help it, he had to try to win her over, try to see if it might work between them, something, if only to be her friend at first. She was special, and happy, and had something magnetic about her that drew him to her. And, the business side of him admitted, negotiations would be easier on them both if they were on friendly terms.
He put on a hunter green tie and his sharpest looking suit. The restaurant was ready for him, and everything else lined up smoothly as well. He checked his watch. Time to pick her up. She would be at her parent’s house, out on the edge of town.
Their house bordered a huge forest, leading up the mountain right behind their property. They were surrounded by rows and rows of evergreen trees. When he parked, he stepped out and breathed in the smell of pine. The air was crisp, delicious, with no wind. The sky was clear with a huge array of stars visible in the night sky. The foggy Milky Way spread out across the top. Ezra was baffled for a moment at the reminder that earth sat on a ring across from the one he was seeing in a swirling galaxy, hurtling through space. His own insignificance seemed heightened.
“Makes you feel special, doesn’t it?” Star had sidled up beside him without him even noticing.
“What? How so?”
“All those stars, all that organization, and we get to be a part of it?”
He’d never thought of it quite that way. “I guess so. I was feeling kind of small, I’ll admit.”
“That’s precisely why it’s so remarkable. Here we are, with life. A tiny speck of rebellion amongst the millions and trillions of miles of space without it. We shout, we breathe. We live. No one said small means the same as insignificant.”
He was floored with that piece of wisdom and tried to say something equally grand. “Like they say? The largest moments in history turned on the smallest of hinges?” Something like that.
“Exactly.” She shrugged. “As you can imagine, I am passionate about my stars. Come in, say hello to my father?”
“Excellent, yes.” Hopefully no more discussion about the resort. Her father couldn’t possibly be in support of him building it, but hopefully they could leave that conversation for another day. He prepared himself for icy looks, disapproving frowns and efforts to dissuade his intentions.
As soon as he walked in the door, all he felt was warmth. A beautiful, pine-filled entryway, wood towering above him in the two-story space. Thick wood banisters lined the staircase, and a huge tree captivated the center of the room, filled to overflowing with ornaments, decorations and lights. The sweet smell of Christmas tree told him the huge beauty was live. What would the conservationists say about cutting down such a giant?
A kindly man with twinkling eyes stepped around the corner. “Star, you’re here.”
Father and daughter embraced, and then his firm, friendly handshake said he and Ezra would be friends. Ezra didn’t know how that could be, but he welcomed the thought. No wonder Star was so positive and strong, raised by such a man. “You remember Luke Henley, my father.”
He greeted him and said, “I love the wood, it’s beautiful. I’ve been admiring the grain.”
“Thank you. We grew it all here on our own property.”
“And the tree?”
His and Star’s faces turned to look at it with such proud expressions that he had to smile. “I have to admit, it’s beautiful.”
Star rolled her eyes. “Was that hard to spit out?”
“Come Star, he just praised your work. Give the man some credit.”
“And yours.” She turned a brilliant face to his. “Dad grew the beauty; nature adorned it; I embellished a little. Though I think it just as beautiful or more so in its natural state.”
“I’m impressed with your work. Both of you. I don’t have to be a fan of Christmas to appreciate great talent when I see it.”
“Well, father, we’re off. I’m sure we won’t be too late.”
He felt the barb but ignored it. He wasn’t giving up that easily.
When his hand clasped Mr. Henley’s in his own, Ezra felt again a strong sense of approval and caring from a man he hardly knew. He was surprised by its effect on him, empowerment, cheer, hope, a desire to be better than he was, to somehow meet this man’s approval.
Their feet crunched through the snow across the driveway. “Are you cold?”
Star smiled. “No.” Her breath filled the air in wispy clouds out in front of her. “I dressed warmly. You didn’t give me many hints about what we are doing.”
“Surprises are fun.” He searched her face. “They’re fun for some, would you rather not be surprised?”
; “No, I love surprises. Thank you.”
Pleased, he opened her car door then stepped around to join her in the heated car.
“Oh, my seat’s warm. This is wonderfully cozy, thank you.”
“I hope you don’t mind I didn’t bring the truck.”
“This will be just right.” She wiggled in her seat and leaned back in her chair.
“So, first, on our way to dinner, I wanted you to have this.” He handed her a wrapped box.
“What?” Her eyes sparkled. He had guessed correctly. She loved gifts.
She lifted the box lid and folded back the tissue paper. Then gasped the whisper of surprise and wonder.
He wished to record such a sound, it delighted him so much.
She lifted out a small glass ball, encompassing a winter scene: A man with an ax over his shoulder, a felled pine tree on a sled, a woman beside him, winter snow and pine forests all around.
“Shake it.”
She did and it acted as a snow globe, snow flurries falling all around the couple. Her eyes misted. “It’s beautiful.”
“I’m happy you like it.”
“Thank you. Though I’m surprised, coming from Scrooge himself…”
“What?” He turned to her, searching for a hint of animosity but all he saw was a good-natured teasing sparkle. “You would go straight there, not ten minutes into our date.”
“So, this is a date?” More teasing sparkle.
“I hope so. It is to me.”
She looked away, a small smiled playing on her lips. “It is to me, too.”
“Are we crazy?”
“Maybe, a bit. But we can have a date if we want.”
He nodded. “Just what I thought.” He started the car. “First stop, dinner.”
They drove to a small café in town. She opened her mouth in surprise. “We’re eating here?”
“We are starting here.” He opened her car door, picked up her hand in his own and did not let go. “You’ll see.”
They entered the café and Holly, the waitress, grinned. “Oh, you’re here. We have your table ready.” She gestured to the back of the small café, most of the room watching them curiously. Star waved at a person here and there and then followed him to their table.
Taming Scrooge Page 4