by Sarah Peis
My mom hugged me and then shooed me out of the kitchen. “Now tell me how much you loved the pancakes.”
“The pancakes were special, Mom. Never tasted anything like it.”
“Good enough.”
I grinned and left the house I grew up in. I already felt better. Everyone had their safe haven, and mine was wherever my parents were.
I drove back to Humptulips in Sunshine’s van and parked in front of the shop. There weren’t usually any spaces left because of the coffee shop next door, but I got lucky for once. And the space was even big enough to get the behemoth of a van in.
The day passed quickly, Chloe handling the front of the shop while I caught up on emails and online orders. I was confident that I might not suck at this as much as I thought. But only the next few months would tell if I could make the shop work.
“Maisie, someone is trying to tow Sunshine’s van,” Chloe called from the front.
I was out of my chair and outside the shop in record time. And there was asshat Ray, standing on the sidewalk, watching Stevie hook the van up to his tow truck.
“No, no, no, what are you doing? Why are you towing Sunshine’s van?” I yelled at the dickface.
“There’s a two-hour time limit along this street. Should have moved the eyesore.”
“Nobody ever checks the parking,” I said lamely, knowing that was not the right thing to say to an officer of the law.
“We will now,” the douchenozzle said, not making a move to stop the towing from going ahead.
“Stevie, please don’t tow the van. I’m here now. I’ll drive it around the corner.”
There was a clank, and then the car’s back wheels went up. “I’m sorry, Maisie. You’ll have to come get it from the yard.”
At least he looked sorry. After shooting me another apologetic half smile, he drove off, towing Sunshine’s baby behind him.
“That was unnecessary,” I snapped at Officer No Brains.
“If you hadn’t broken the law, I wouldn’t have to do this.” He held out a ticket, and I snatched it out of his hand.
“One hundred and seven dollars?” I screeched. “Are you serious?”
“The law never jokes around.”
I fought hard to not call him names.
“Thanks. I’ll remember that.”
“You should. Wouldn’t want to arrest you. Not even your fancy boyfriend could help you then.”
And there it was. The reason for his sudden interest in making my life hell after we managed to avoid running into each other for almost two years.
“I don’t have a boyfriend. And you abusing your power just shows how right I was to end things between us.”
“You ended things? I think the fact that I had to get it from someone else should have told you you just weren’t doing it for me anymore.”
It was barely past noon, and he was already starting with the gut punches.
“Fuck you. I was over you the moment I saw you with that skank.”
“Is that why you tried to drag me to counseling?”
It was true, and one of the things I regretted most about the whole mess. I should have just kicked him to the curb straightaway, but I was under the foolish impression that he loved me and had just made a mistake. Looking back at it now, I knew my brain must have temporarily malfunctioned.
“I thought I meant more to you. But we both know that’s not true. Now why don’t you just get on with your new job as a traffic cop and let me get back to work.”
He ignored my jab at his demotion, which I knew was just part of his job in a town as small as Humptulips.
“I will as soon as you stay out of my business. If you ever go to the chief again and tell him that you saw me get in my car after having a few drinks, I’m going to make your life hell. Now why don’t you just move on with your life and mind your own business.”
Yeah, I did do that. Great times. The police chief was friends with my dad, and I might have mentioned Ray’s frequent visits to a certain strip club in town. Too bad I didn’t have any photographic evidence. That would have gotten his ass fired for sure. I should ask Nora, Willa’s friend who worked at the strip club, to take a few snaps.
“It’s hard to move on with my life when I’m constantly reminded of you. Like when I see dog shit on the sidewalk. Or trash. And you should know better than to drink and drive. You are an officer of the law, after all.”
I knew when to cut my losses and retreat, so I turned on my fabulous heels that made my legs look a mile long. My dress flared out, and before the shithead said anything else, I had closed the door of my shop behind me.
“What the hell happened out there? The cop looked like he was ready to arrest you.”
“Can’t arrest someone for speaking the truth,” I said and sagged against the counter. “Is he gone?” I asked Chloe, not wanting to look up and risk sprinting back outside to kick him in the balls when I saw his stupid face again.
“Yup, he’s gone. You okay?”
“Peachy.”
“So what’s going on? Do you know him or something?”
“He’s one of my worst mistakes.”
He was also my first love, my best friend, and the one who promised me forever. The man I thought was my knight in shining armor turned out to be just a loser covered in tinsel.
“I think I’m going to throw up,” I groaned and then gagged.
“Stop complaining. You did this to yourself,” Willa chastised and kept dragging me behind her.
“Where’s your empathy?”
“I don’t have empathy for someone who ate a whole bowl of buttercream icing before an important meeting.”
“I didn’t mean to. It just happened. I was only going to have a little bit, and next thing I knew the bowl was empty.”
“Excuses, excuses. Now, stop your moaning and move faster. We’re running late. And why would you eat just the icing? What happened to the cupcakes?”
“I ruined the cupcakes and had to throw them out but had already made the icing. And why would I get rid of perfectly good icing if I can just eat it?” A decision I now regretted. “Maybe we should just let Klaus handle it.”
“No way. You have a speech prepared. And they need you. There’s a reason they voted you as their speaker.”
Yeah, like temporary insanity.
“Stop thinking they can do this without you. They can’t. And if one more negative word leaves your mouth, I’m going to tell Stella who broke her ugly glass statue.”
I gasped, meeting forgotten. “You swore you would never tell. Does a pinkie swear really mean so little to you?”
She didn’t get a chance to answer because we made it to the town hall. It looked like there were already a few people here. I didn’t slow down, just went straight inside. And stopped dead, then blinked like an owl. There were people everywhere. Not a single seat was free, and the room was too small to fit everyone, so the hallway was filled as well.
“What the hell?” I asked, wondering how we’d gotten so many people here. I hoped Klaus didn’t promise them something.
“This is going to be awesome,” Willa announced and towed me along with her. Klaus was at the front of the room, talking to one of the council members. As soon as he saw me, he waved me over.
Willa had to take my hand and lead me there because I was too busy looking around and greeting people I knew. If I screwed this up today, then everyone in Humptulips would know. I felt like throwing up again.
“Maisie, you made it. I thought you wouldn’t show up,” Klaus greeted me.
“Of course I made it,” I said and rolled my eyes at him.
He pointed to a chair next to him. “I saved you a seat.”
Willa hugged me. “I’ll be at the back.”
Then she left me with Klaus, who immediately started going through my presentation. After he reminded me for the third time to mention the tourism numbers and how a dead town center would affect them, I stopped listening.
Instead,
my eyes wandered over the room, taking it all in. I wiped my sweaty palms on my dress, hoping I would calm down enough to get a word out in front of everyone.
A loud banging at the front of the room moved my gaze forward. Guess Klaus wasn’t the only one who enjoyed using a gavel.
“Those of you who have a seat, please sit down. Everyone else, stop shuffling around and shut up,” Mel, the mayor’s secretary, instructed. His rude instructions didn’t surprise anyone. He was an asshole and proud of it. Probably why the mayor kept him around.
Everyone did as instructed, and after making us wait for five minutes in silence, the mayor graced us with her presence. She took a seat at a big table set up to face the room, a stony expression on her face and a big folder in her hands. She slapped the pile of bricks down on the table and sat down.
“Let’s get this over with,” she started the meeting. “I don’t know why so many of you bothered to come out, but here you are, wasting my time anyway.”
Guess she really didn’t need our votes anymore.
“I was told one of you would do a little speech. Keep it to under thirty minutes. You’ve wasted my time enough already.” She shuffled through her papers. “Maisie Slater. You’re up.”
I shot out of my chair and wiped my palms again. At least I wouldn’t have to shake anyone’s hand. The mayor pointed to a spot next to her where a small podium and microphone were set up.
My steps were slow and measured, because there was no coming back from falling on your face in front of most of the township. I made it fall- and trip-free to the microphone and took my position. I smiled and took a deep breath.
I was ready for this. Maybe. Probably. Almost.
Argh, why did I agree to this?
“Hi, everyone. I promise to keep this short and sweet. I’ll present our case first, and then you can ask questions or add anything you want the mayor to consider once I’m done.” I took a breath and glanced at my notes. “Since you are all here today, I assume that you heard there are plans in motion to build a mall just outside of town. As much as I love shopping and like a trip to the mall, I don’t think it would be in our best interest to build one so close to our town.”
I took another deep breath and continued the speech I’d practiced. I included the numbers Klaus had made me repeat back to him before the meeting started and last night when he called me to make sure I was prepared for tonight.
I was done within twenty minutes and proud of myself. I thought it had gone well. Not that the mayor looked impressed, but she was the one who was pushing to get the mall built, so our only hope was a vote to stop the project from going ahead. Because if the majority opposed the project, there was nothing she could do about it.
“Thanks, Maisie, you may take a seat. Next up is Rise Development. Oliver Thorpe, the floor is yours.”
I was already halfway to my seat when I froze. Oliver? What did he have to do with this project? And why was he going to talk at the meeting?
Klaus waved me over, and I woodenly walked toward him and sat down. What was going on? Did I fall asleep and this was all a terrible dream?
Oliver took his place, and I was still trying to blink and make sure I wasn’t hallucinating. He was really there.
“Good evening, everyone. I’m Oliver Thorpe and in charge of the mall project. Rise Development is one of our companies, and we were planning on building a mall just outside Humptulips. However, as of right now, the development is on hold indefinitely, and the project will not be going ahead as planned. If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to contact our office. Thanks for coming out tonight.”
And that was it. After a brief nod at a speechless mayor, he walked back to his seat.
About 2.3 seconds after he finished, the room erupted into pandemonium. People got out of their seats, everyone was talking, and there were a lot of big hand movements. Someone would lose an eye if they weren’t careful. My legs weren’t feeling the enthusiasm everyone else showed and stayed still, making me the only person in the room still sitting down.
I was happy that we’d saved our shops but confused about what was going on. I pulled out my phone and stared at the blank screen. Why did I get my phone out anyway? I put it back into my purse and decided I should probably go home. Regroup. Maybe get Sunshine to eat waffles with me and dissect what happened bit by bit.
Two expensive Italian shoes appeared in my vision, and I looked up. “Maisie,” Oliver greeted me and took the seat previously occupied by Klaus.
“What just happened?” I asked him, taking in his black suit that, as usual, fit him like a glove. He must have at least a hundred tailor-made suits, because I had never seen him wear the same one twice.
“I canceled the mall project,” he deadpanned.
“You mean you just lost millions,” I corrected, needing to hear it from him.
“And then some,” he muttered.
“Why?”
“Why do you think?”
“My speech was just too good, and you saw the error of your ways?”
He chuckled. “Something like that. Are you hungry? I’ll explain everything over dinner.”
He stood up and held out his hand. I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to be seen with the enemy. Instead of thinking about the strange meeting any longer, I took his hand and let him pull me up. He didn’t let go but instead made his way through the room, holding my hand.
People called out to me, and some tried giving me a hug, but Oliver was not to be deterred and kept walking.
“Don’t be rude. I need to at least stop and say hi,” I said when he pulled me away from my third awkward, one-armed hug.
“Then we’ll be here for a few hours. And there’s no way that will happen.”
I waved at Willa who was watching us with her mouth open.
We made it outside and Oliver walked me to his car, opening the door for me. “Anywhere in particular you want to go?”
“The impound lot,” I replied and got inside the car.
“Do I want to know why?” he asked once he was in the driver seat. The engine came to life, and I got comfortable. Any ride with Oliver was bound to be a good one.
“Not really. The only thing you need to know is that it wasn’t my fault.”
“I thought you didn’t have a car?”
“I don’t. It’s Sunshine’s van we need to pick up. Got towed.”
“Did you park in front of a fire hydrant?”
“Nope. Just have an ex-fiancé who likes to make my life hell. Instead of just writing me a ticket, he towed it. And then gave me a ticket anyway.”
Oliver was silent for a moment, though not in a let’s go for a leisurely drive way but rather a I might start bashing heads together if I don’t get my anger under control way.
“Don’t worry about it. He’ll get bored eventually.”
“How long has this been going on exactly?”
“Since he found out about you. He has a short attention span, so I give this another week and he’ll move on to other things.” I pointed to a big sign ahead. “There’s the lot. Just park outside, and I’ll run in and get the van. And whatever you do, don’t get out of the car. Word would have spread like wildfire that you’re the developer who wanted to build the mall. Better not let them see your face for a few days until the dust has settled.”
“But I canceled the project.”
“Not sure if people believe it yet.”
“I already messaged my project manager to stop everything.”
“When did you do that?”
“When you started your speech.”
I studied his profile, trying to figure out if he was making fun of me. His eyes were on the road, and he didn’t look like he was kidding.
“Okay. Let’s say I believe you.”
“You should, because it’s the truth.”
“Why the hell would you do that? You would have wasted a lot of time and money already. The mayor supported this project, and you had her vote. The o
utcome of the meeting was in no way going to be in our favor. You could have pushed this through if you were lucky.”
“And lost you? Not an option.”
Okay, wow. I didn’t know what to do with that statement. Instead of answering, I got out of the car and picked up Sunshine’s van. At least I didn’t have to pay to get it released, since Ray had no reason to tow it, despite the parking violation. All he could legally do was give me a ticket. Which he did. Towing it was just another way to mess with me.
Oliver followed me back to our house, and I parked the van in its rightful spot on the street out front. I left the keys in the sun visor—everyone knew who the eyesore belonged to, so nobody would be stupid enough to steal it—and got back in the car with Oliver.
“How about La Fontan for dinner?” I asked when I was back in Oliver’s car.
He pulled back onto the road in the direction of Clayton, the closest town, where the restaurant was. “Sounds good.”
“So you work for Rise Development?” I asked, picking up our earlier conversation again and hoping he would have forgotten all about Ray.
“I’m the CEO of Thorpe Holdings. Technically, they work for me.”
Wasn’t his last name Thorpe? My brain was slow to understand that the chances of having the same last name as the company you worked for were slim to none. Not in this case. Not when I knew he definitely had a lot of money. Wardrobe, cars, and the newly acquired house were proof of his status.
We passed the sign for Humptulips and the lights faded away, leaving only the car’s headlights to illuminate our way.
“So it’s not a coincidence that you have the same last name as the company you work for?”
“No, it certainly is not,” he said, amusement lacing his words.
“And you technically own the company.”
“Not really. My family owns it. I’m just the CEO.”
Holy shit, this was big. Huge. Why hadn’t I ever asked why he was in town before? If I hadn’t been too dick-whipped to ask questions, I could have maybe avoided tonight’s debacle.
“I guess you only came to town for the mall project.”
The buttercream frosting was doing somersaults in my stomach, and I fought it back down. It would be a shame to throw up in his beautiful car.