Page 80 of The Hermit on the Hill

A kinder woman might have felt bad for her ex, but I laughed. A big guffaw of a sound. I slapped a hand to my mouth and laughed more quietly as the people around us turned to glare like I wasn't allowed happiness after being involved with a man out to get them.

It warmed my heart that Cody had gone to such lengths to avenge my broken heart.

"How'd he take it?"

"Disappointingly well. He lunged, but he didn't get close to any of us. I don't think his heart was in it. He knew he had that and worse coming."

"Don't do anything else to him, okay?"

"Won't be able to," Cody said. "He's leaving town for good."

My heart dropped like lead to the bottom of my stomach. Sam had told me he was leaving, but this was his home. As much as I hated him for what he'd done to me, I hated more that he was going to leave the home of his heart.

"Hey." Jared patted my shoulder as he took a seat behind me.

"Hi." I twisted in my seat to wave at him and Brittany. George sat next to Brit in the last seat in the aisle and pulled May onto his lap. Carrie sat on Cody's other side and Aubrey sat next to her. Noah and Mom took seats across the aisle.

"Who's with the kids?" I asked Cody.

"Kayla's watching them all. It's a kiddie slumber party at my house."

I pressed a hand to my growing belly. I couldn't wait for this baby to arrive and play with his cousins.

At the front of the room, the mayor banged his gavel and called the meeting to order. A couple of people spoke about the need for a new playground at one of the local parks in town and the council passed a motion to allocate funds for such a project.

Then Mandy May, the owner of the local nail salon Color Buzz, stepped up to the mike. "I'd like to speak on the issue of a development company moving into town and taking over. I want some assurances that we are going to fight this and do something to insure it never happens again."

Shouts of agreement and an indistinct murmur of discussion erupted in response.

The mayor banged his gavel for quiet and Mandy May started in again with her proposal that the town give money to every local business indebted to Sam Oakley so they wouldn't be at the risk of his whims.

The mayor and the council did not accept her proposal and stated it was up to each individual business to protect itself.

Then, another business owner got up to suggest the council enact a new law to prevent any individual from owning over twenty percent of the town at one time.

Judge Conley and Terrance Bridger, a local attorney, agreed to help the council investigate whether such a law might be possible or enforceable.

Cody squeezed my shoulder and gave me a nod. I stood on shaky legs and eased past him into the aisle.

I'd written out several versions of what I wanted to say to the town and held my favorite version tight in my sweaty hands. I didn't look at it when I stood before the audience, most of whom stared back with anger simmering, resentment high, ready to lash out at whatever I said, ready to tie me to the stake and watch me burn. Maybe I was okay with that. I didn't need a lot of friends, didn't care much if people liked me or not, but I couldn't let them burn down my family and their businesses along with me.

I stared at those people and understood that nothing I said would change their minds about me. They didn't know me and they didn't know Sam, and they were terrified of losing their businesses and their homes.

No one can think rationally when they're afraid.

"I met Sam Oakley seven months ago." I hated the way my voice wobbled. Why did it still hurt so damn much to say his name?

"We don't care how you met him," someone yelled from the audience. "He's nothing more than a money hungry monster, and you and your family will become rich along with him."

"No." I'd wanted to explain. Had hoped they'd be willing to hear my story and then might listen to my denials about Sam's plan and my family's involvement, but they wouldn't let me say a word. "No." I tried to project over the shouting of the crowd, but they were screaming for my head and Sam's and my family's because screaming was all they could actually do in that moment. They couldn't stop a determined developer, couldn't hold on to businesses they'd already given to Sam.

"My family has nothing to do with any of this," I shouted, my smile still firmly in place, because news always went down better with a smile.

"You're a liar," someone said. "Your family doesn't care about any of us."

"We have to stick together against the invaders," someone else said, caught up in the drama.

"Move." Brittany was suddenly at my elbow and shoving at me, her ordinarily pale cheeks red, her normally laid-back demeanor furious and ferocious. I moved, because I'd run out of things to say and she clearly needed to speak.

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