by Zoe York
“Because the powers that be don’t care about our unique concerns.” That was Bailey.
Someone muttered something about dictatorial overlords, which made everyone laugh, and Catie secretly thought about Will. Authoritarian freak.
The conversation that followed echoed Catie’s observations over the last few weeks. There was deep-seated concern in the community about paid parking being imposed for reasons that might make sense to other towns on the peninsula, but didn't make sense for Pine Harbour—their needs, the needs of their little community, were not being put first.
This was the problem of being a very small part of a larger municipal government. But the reality was, Pine Harbour didn't have the taxpayer base to support its own town governance—a fact Olivia Minelli circled them back to more than once.
They didn’t want to draw a lot of attention to their campaign, either. Pine Harbour was a secret little gem of a town, and they wanted to keep it that way.
But they still wanted it to be warm and welcoming for those who discovered it.
“Two things can be true at the same time,” Catie finally said, trying to draw together all the conversation threads. “We can be wary of the costs associated with increased tourist traffic. And we can also understand that visitors spend a lot of money in our community. However, managing them cannot be put ahead of understanding that we have…” She pointed at Jenna and Kerry. “Midwifery clients, for example. Or my own salon customers, who shouldn't have to suddenly face a three or six dollar charge every time they come to Main Street for an appointment. We need some sort of balance there. And we have to be careful that any solutions that we present, don't come with added costs without also being a revenue generator, right?”
Olivia nodded. “One of the reasons why the municipality likes paid parking is because it is revenue neutral. It covers the cost of itself.”
Catie grabbed on to that part. “But it only just covers the cost of itself, right? It’s not actually profitable?”
“That’s right.”
“Then that’s our task, friends. Let’s find alternates that are actually profitable. Something bolder than a few dollars out of someone’s pocket every time they want to run an errand.”
The conversation spiralled from there, with no idea being labelled as good or bad. The only thing they pushed each other on was to be more innovative, and not afraid of change.
At one point, Catie found herself wondering what Real Life Will would think. Innovation. Change. Not two of his favourite words.
It was a shame Fantasy Will couldn’t submit a statement to the municipality in support of whatever great idea they finally settled on. Fantasy Will would think it was exactly what Pine Harbour needed, based on the strength of Catie’s recommendation alone.
Chapter Nine
Canada Day in Pine Harbour was always celebrated with a family picnic in the park next to the community centre. The celebration started at ten in the morning, and by four in the afternoon, everything was tidied up and people went their separate ways.
This year there were two significant changes to that schedule. For an hour before the picnic started, there was a community event in partnership with the Saugeen Ojibway Nation. The reeve read a land acknowledgement statement, recognizing Pine Harbour as being a part of “the Territory of the Anishinabek Nation: The People of the Three Fires known as Ojibway, Odawa, and Pottawatomie Nations. We thank the Chippewas of Saugeen, and the Chippewas of Nawash, known collectively as the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, as the traditional keepers of this land.”
After the statement, there was a moment of reflection and silence, followed by a walk down Main Street. Many in the crowd wore orange t-shirts in solidarity for those mourning recent discoveries of previously unmarked graves at residential schools.
The event was a first for Pine Harbour, and deeply powerful.
For Catie, it was a jarring shift to immediately head from that event to the picnic, so she went home and thought about the land her house stood on, a home her mother had brought her to from the city, and how all of it had once been the territory of Indigenous nations.
She spent a lot of time thinking about Pine Harbour’s future, but she owed it to herself and her neighbours to find out more about its past as well. She made some notes for herself, and put writing her own land acknowledgement for her business at the top of her to-do list. Then she checked her phone to see what the estimated time of arrival was for Bailey’s cousins, who were coming up from the city.
The other change to the day’s official events was the evening at the beach, with Josh Kincaid and the Howe sisters trying to pull some of the picnic party vibe down the hill to the harbour as well for the late afternoon and evening. Lake Huron was at a lower level than it had been at in years, which meant the return of a sandy beach on the north side of the harbour. Josh was sponsoring a bonfire on that newly revealed beach, and the Howe sisters were running a limited menu grill, with desserts from Bake Sale! available for purchase as well.
The bonfire would be the perfect setting to show the Patels the potential of the motel.
Knowing it would be a long day, Catie packed a tote bag with all the essentials for a full day of fun. Sunscreen, multiple hats, sunglasses for every level of light intensity, a book to lose herself in if people got too annoying, and a water bottle because staying hydrated was the key to having fun.
She was already at the park with Bailey when her friend’s family arrived at lunch time.
“Oh my God,” Bailey said as she flew off their picnic blanket and sprinted across the grass. “You made it, you beautiful people!”
And they really were gorgeous. Polished in a way few of Catie’s clients were now, cosmopolitan and sophisticated, their arrival instantly transported her back to the best of her time in the city.
She stood and waved as Bailey navigated them around the groups dotting the lawn.
The tallest of the bunch, a bearded, lean, and well-muscled man with a wicked smile, introduced himself as Dilip Patel. “Bailey’s oldest cousin. And you are?”
“Catie,” Bailey said. “She’s a local friend. And the real estate agent who did the research on the motel for us. Catie, Dilip. This is Dilip’s sister Aarti, and our other cousin Sandeep.”
“So nice to meet you all.” Catie shook their hands enthusiastically, then gave them a quick orientation to the picnic. “The food stations are in that direction. Tickets can be purchased in a couple of places. That’s where the face painting is, balloon animals are over there… You get the idea.”
“And where do we go to talk business?” Dilip asked.
She laughed and sat down, patting the blanket next to her. “Right here.”
Will had come straight to the park from the land acknowledgement to help set up for the picnic, so the Kincaid encampment was in a prime spot, under a big oak tree. Lots of shade coverage, enough for all their chairs, and the perfect location to see the entire park.
For example, if someone wanted to track how long Catie had been lying on a picnic blanket with some hot stranger, they could.
He didn’t, of course. He was talking to Owen about his adult daughter Becca’s plans for the fall, when her boyfriend—who played pro hockey—would be busy, and with Kerry’s due date approaching, Becca wanted to be back in Pine Harbour for the arrival of her baby brother or sister. Owen wanted to know if Will could…something.
“Are you listening to me?”
“Yep.” He jerked his attention back to his brother. “Just missed the last part.”
“How long has Catie been talking to that guy?”
“Almost two hours,” he bit out before catching himself.
Owen chuckled.
Will sank lower in his chair.
“As I was saying,” Owen continued, mercifully returning to the original subject. “I was hoping Becca and Charlie could stay with you when they come up to visit.”
“Yeah, of course.” Will scrubbed his hand over his face. “My house is the
ir house.”
“You’ll need to install some gates on the staircase.”
He nodded. “That’s fine.”
“I can buy them if you give me the dimensions.”
“I’ll get them.” He glanced in the direction of the hamburgers—the opposite direction from where Catie was sitting. “I’m going to grab something to eat. Do you want anything?”
Owen shook his head. “Do you want me to keep guard and report if there’s any kissing?”
“She’s not going to kiss someone in the middle of the picnic,” Will snapped, the back of his neck getting hot.
“And if she wanted to…”
“It’s a free country.”
Will stalked away. At the burger table, he bumped into some of his students, and allowed himself to be dragged into a volleyball game on the far side of the park.
By the time he finally made it back to his siblings, Catie was long gone—and so was her mystery date.
But Will spotted them again a few hours later, when he followed the party down the hill to the harbour. Catie and her friend were hanging out with Bailey on the marina dock. It looked like Catie was giving one of her polished Welcome to Pine Harbour spiels.
Maybe he should go over and introduce himself.
That’s the worst idea you’ve ever had. What would he say? Hi there, I’m the man Catie can barely stand. What are your intentions towards her?
Instead, he forced his feet to head in the opposite direction, to the bonfire set up Josh had put a ton of energy into. He had buried two oversized metal rings in the beach, one inside the other, the inner one lower than the outer one. Adam had secured them a number of good quality fire extinguishers, and Owen had a couple of off-duty EMTs there.
Since the fire wasn’t going to be lit until the sun went down, right now the EMTs were handing out stickers and flyers for the community vaccine drive. Will took one, and then found a spot of shade to stand in while he took a picture of the flyer and posted it to the school’s social media accounts.
Officially, Will Kincaid was not an online person. Unofficially, he had all the apps on his phone and only used them for work purposes. And occasionally for keeping tabs on community members.
Don’t look at Catie’s Instagram.
He didn’t. Instead, he looked at a dating app he’d downloaded last year and never created a profile on. He knew he was in a rut. Had known it for months, but work had overwhelmed him.
Now he had the summer off.
It hadn't been that long since he'd been on a date. There had been a nice woman last summer. They’d dated a few times. And the summer before that there had been… He tried to remember. Two women? Maybe that was three years before.
Will dated, anyway. Every summer, he thought, this is the year I find someone. Time had started to blur together. Suddenly he was thirty-eight and past the point when younger Will had been sure he would find the Right Woman.
He clicked on the dating app, but instead of opening it, he deleted it instead.
Then he went and looked at Catie’s Instagram account. The first photo was of Sam, proudly in charge of the music playlist the day before. Her caption on it was great, encouraging people to come in and book an appointment to see if Sam’s music selections matched their mood or not.
It was the kind of playful community engagement Will just couldn’t seem to muster.
As he scrolled back, looking at her posts—including the one everyone had told him about, a joyous call for a summer student employee that made Will wonder why he’d ever questioned Catie’s intentions about anything—a kernel of an idea started. A proper apology, and a redo. A chance to start over.
Before the idea could properly form, he heard a familiar laugh. Throaty and amused, confident and sexy. Jumping as if his phone gave him an electrical shock, he fumbled it for a moment before managing to shove it in his pocket. Then he glanced up, knowing Catie and her friend were strolling in his direction.
She wasn’t looking at Will, but somehow he knew she knew he was watching her. It was in the way her shoulders squared, and the way she slowed down almost imperceptibly. Ready for a fight, always. Even when she didn’t want one.
Even when it was just Will being a dick for reasons he could not name.
He forced a smile on his face—why didn’t that come more naturally when he was around her?—and stepped out from under the tree.
Catie liked the way she had Dilip’s complete attention, and hated that she could not say the same about herself toward him in return. She was trying, but everywhere she took the potential investor, Will was there in the distance—glowering, and then pretending to ignore her.
And now not in the distance at all, but right in front of them.
Smiling. Sort of.
“Will,” she said smoothly. One of them could be slick no matter what. “This is Bailey’s cousin, Dilip Patel.”
“The school principal,” Dilip said, grinning. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Catie’s eyes flared wide as Will glanced sideways at her. No. Hell no. Not from her. But now Will was grinning for real. “Oh yeah?”
“My sister is a teacher. The community school you have here sounds like a lot of work.”
“It sure is. But it’s rewarding, too. Nice to be able to keep school local.”
She rolled her eyes, not that either of them noticed.
Will leaned in her direction. “What brings you and Catie down to the harbour today?”
She’d wasted the eye-roll on his humble brag. She should have used it on the world’s silliest question. “Same reason you’re here?” She put a distinct are you being dumb? questioning uplift at the end. “The bonfire.”
“Right.” Will crossed his arms and furrowed his brow at Dilip. “But why else are you here?”
She wrapped her hand around Dilip’s impressive biceps. “To see his cousin.”
“Also getting to know Catie.” And bless his heart, he didn’t say anything about the motel.
She liked the way that wiped the grin off Will’s face. That’s right, Mr. Kincaid. Some people actually like me.
Dilip turned around. “Speaking of Bailey, I should go and find her.” He glanced back at Catie. “Are you joining us for dinner?”
She wanted to say yes, just to keep Will wondering, but she was also ready to find a spot on the beach and read a book for a while. So she shook her head regretfully. “But thank you for the invite. And we’ll keep in touch, yes?”
“Absolutely.”
As the lawyer sauntered away, she took her time turning her attention back to Will.
When she finally did, his expression was carefully neutral. “How’s it going, then?”
“Great. You?”
“Yeah. Excellent.” He did a slow pivot on his heel, taking in the growing crowd. “Nice turn out.”
The park they were standing in was at the bottom of a T-junction. With the lake behind them, the marina sat to their right, and the beach stretched out towards the forest on their left.
Across the road, on one side of the T junction was Joshua's garage, and on the other side was an empty, abandoned parking lot. Except today it wasn't empty. It was full, but not overwhelmingly so.
And it was to that orderly, well-sorted group of cars that Will pointed. “Someone should take a picture of that and send it to the powers-that-be. Point out to them that Pine Harbour doesn't have a parking problem most of the time, even for a big holiday event.”
The powers-that-be. Will—the authoritarian freak—was echoing the conversation from the night before. Was he more open to innovation and change than she had given him credit for? “How would you feel about that lot being modernized and having paid meters installed?”
He made a face. “Nothing wrong with how we do it.”
So maybe a no on the innovation and change after all. She made a noncommittal noise. Time to go find a spot on the beach.
“You don’t agree?”
She lifted her gaze to meet
his—only realizing when his bright eyes locked onto her attention that she’d been avoiding looking at him quite this…directly. “I didn’t say anything.”
“Which isn’t your usual style.”
So she made the same noncommittal noise again.
He gave her a faint smile, this one different than the others before. Not cocky, not unsure. A bit cool, and a lot distant. Then he nodded and shrugged at the same time. “You’re probably already on it.”
No way was she being goaded into revealing her secrets. She dug into her tote bag and pulled out her book. “I’m going to grab a spot on the beach before it gets too crowded.”
“See you later?”
What kind of a question was that? They always saw each other, whether she liked it or not. “Maybe?”
“Are you staying until the bonfire?”
“Yeah.”
Another nod/shrug combo. “Then I’ll see you later.”
She forced herself to walk past him, and not look back. What she really wanted to do was stay and dig into him about his unnecessary fear of change and what he really meant when he guessed that she was already on it.
But this wasn’t the time or the place. Maybe there would be a chance to bring it up at next week’s training. “Hey, by the way, last week you said something to me and I’ve been stewing about it ever since.” No, okay, she wasn’t going to bring it up. She was going to do her best to put Will out of her mind, and just enjoy the rest of the day.
Once she was settled on the beach, though, she couldn’t get into her book. Even the snack she’d bought earlier, a handy to-go quartet of Isla’s Bake Sale! treats, didn’t help her relax.
Maybe she needed to wander back over to the marina and get something more substantial for dinner. Maybe you should have tagged along with the Patels for dinner. She stood up, carefully packed up her tote bag, and made her way back to the park, stopping to chat to people along the way.
She enjoyed ninety percent of those conversations.
The last one, though, was with her nosy neighbour, Frances Schmidt, who never had a nice word to say to Catie, and today was no exception.