Page 89 of Falling For You

“That news segment was great,” Dad added. He leaned forward in his chair. “Violet, you really nailed it with that speech. You said what needed to be said. But I think in this instance, money has more pull. I can’t blame Vern, but I wish he’d given us a chance.”

Mom leaned over and squeezed my hand, glancing at our dad. “I know it’s hard, but we must trust that Vern has a good heart. He’s been part of this community for a long time, and I don’t think he wants to see it destroyed.”

“I hope you’re right,” my dad said quietly.

Just as the conversation drifted into lighter territory, the phone rang. I jumped about ten feet as everyone in the room fell silent.

Our parents exchanged looks. The tension thickened the moment our dad answered.

He stood slowly, his expression unreadable. He crossed the room to stand near the window and sighed.

“Yeah. Good to hear from you,” Dad said, his voice calm but tense. “Yeah. Quite the turnout, indeed.”

We all held our breath, watching him closely, waiting for signs, anything to tell us what was being said on the other end of the line.

Our dad’s face remained stoic at first, but as the conversation continued, something changed. His shoulders relaxed, and the hard lines of worry on his face began to soften.

He ran his fingers along the edges of an orange and brown wool throw and fell silent for what felt like hours.

“Yes, Vern,” Dad said after a long pause. “I understand. Thank you for calling. No hard feelings.”

That couldn’t be good.

Mom clutched her hands together in her lap. Her eyes never left Dad’s face as he listened to Vern some more.

Beck and Fifi exchanged a nervous glance. Liam, who usually seemed laid-back, looked tense and blew out a gust of air.

The hard cider wasn’t cutting it.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Dad said, “We’ll talk soon. Thanks again, Vern.”

My Dad hung up the phone and turned to face us with relief and disbelief.

The room remained silent.

I glanced at our mom, who looked at Fifi. Liam cleared his throat as Beck stood and sat back down.

It was like we were too scared to ask the question hanging in the air.

My dad let out a slow breath as a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Vern didn’t sign the deal,” he said quietly.

His words didn’t register at first. I frowned and shook my head.

Staring at my parents, my mind struggled to catch up. “He didn’t… what?”

Dad’s smile widened, and he nodded. His eyes shone with the weight of the news. “The deal’s off. Vern didn’t sign with the developers.”

Our family erupted into chaos. Fifi’s high-pitched squeal of excitement filled the room, and my brothers hollered like they had just won a soccer tournament.

And our parents just held each other. Our mom rested her head on our dad’s chest, and my heart squeezed at their love.

They didn’t need words. They just knew. They knew what one another was feeling in silence.

My mind flew back to Owen today, studying meand telling me everything I needed to hear with one look anda nod across the street. I could feel it all.

I sat frozen for a moment as the reality of what Dad had just said slowly sank in.

The deal was dead. The developers weren’t getting the land.

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