Page 1 of Grounds for Love

Chapter 1

Rod

“Rod!”

I look in the direction of the familiar voice in the crowded town hall and finally spot my brother. Winding my way through too many cheerful faces and happy conversations, I slip into the seat Blake luckily saved for me just as Martin raps on the podium for quiet.

“The Faire Island town council meeting is now in session. The honorable Mayor Hershel Young presiding. Mayor, the meeting is yours.”

“Thank you, Martin,” the mayor says before turning his attention to the gathered crowd. “Citizens of our fair town, we see it with our eyes and hear it by the jingle in our tills, our beloved hometown is prospering.”

A loud cheer erupts from the assembled residents of Faire Island. The mayor raises his hand to settle everyone and continues. “We have one person to thank. I would like to ask Kimberly to come on up here and give us a revitalization update. Let’s all give Kimberly a round of very appreciative applause. Without her, none of this would have been possible.”

Kimberly Westmoreland Murphy gives her husband, my nephew Bode, a kiss before standing and quickly walking down the aisle and up on stage to the podium. Mayor Young busses her cheek and gives her a brief hug before taking his seat and turning the meeting over to her.

Casting my eyes around the room, I frown and lean over toward my brother to whisper, “I never thought I’d attend one of these meetings in a packed room and not know everyone here.”

Blake nods in agreement. “I know. Isn’t it great?”

Inside, I cringe. He may think it’s great, but I see it as nothing more than a headache. Fine. Maybe it’s benefitting the town, but I can’t help but see the negative side to all these strangers invading what used to be our sleepy little island.

Kimberly flips through her notes. “Thank you, Hershel, for those kind words, but it was all of us pulling together that turned the fate of Faire Island around. I am happy to give you an update of progress. As of today, all storefronts on Main Street are at full occupancy.”

Another cheer and applause arises from the crowd. Kimberly smiles and gives a chuckle before continuing. “Thanks to our new technology and high-speed internet connection, three startup tech companies are now open for business. I’m hearing they are doing very well in their first year of operation. Real estate that once sat vacant has now either been sold to new or returning citizens or is being rented as vacation homes. My father always said putting bodies in beds means money in your pocket, and we are certainly doing that.”

A low rumble of laughter circulates throughout the room with nods of agreement.

“The Westmoreland Spa and Resort is already completely booked through December of next year. Currently, they are increasing their staffing roster, which means jobs for our residents as well as bringing in additional new citizens and visitors to spend their money.”

Kimberly turns over another note card. “Our town population has more than quadrupled in the past two years. This has led to the addition of staff and equipment for the fire and police departments. We’ve worked in conjunction with the emergency medical center to now have on-island EMTs. Oh, and if you haven’t seen the additions and renovations to the center, you should stop by. One of our new doctors commented that our facility rivals any on the mainland.”

Murmurs begin and Kimberly raises her hand. “I’m not finished. We have a lot more news. Our coastal water rescue is now a full-time paid position instead of volunteer. Also, we can expect our summer population to grow exponentially. Looking at the projections, we could have as many as ten to fifteen thousand visitors to our island between May and September. Because of this, Rod Murphy has added another ferry to his fleet, at no additional cost to the town I might add.”

This prompts a great cheer with eyes searching the room for me. I glare at anyone who makes eye contact.

“We will now be able to offer bi-hourly ferry service from 7:00 in the morning to 7:00 in the evening, Monday through Friday. Saturday and Sunday, the ferry will run until 11:00 at night for our day visitors. Now, I’ll open the floor for questions.”

I scowl, daring anyone to slap me on the back or thank me. Adding a ferry was a good business decision. Period. I didn’t do it for recognition or to be helpful. Had I known Kimberly was going to mention me, I would have squashed that from ever happening.

Mrs. Briggs raises her hand and stands. “What about the coin Shyanne found on the beach? Is it true it’s pirate treasure?”

That’s my cue to leave. I’m not sticking around for the gossip session and punch Blake to get his attention. “I’m outta here. I’m on shift in thirty minutes.”

Blake puts a hand on my shoulder, stopping me from rising. “Hang on a minute. I need to talk to you after the meeting.”

I lower back down to my seat with a heavy sigh.

Kimberly gathers her notes and replies, “As you all know, the coin that Shy found was sent to a lab for dating and analysis where it was determined to be from the 1718 to 1760 time period. A team of researchers will be coming this summer to explore the ocean bed offshore. No exact determination of where the coin came from has been made at this time, but they did mention it could be from an undiscovered shipwreck. We should know more by the end of the summer.”

A half dozen more questions are asked with either Kimberly or a council member answering before the meeting is adjourned at 8:00 p.m.

Blake turns to me and asks, “Want to go fishing this weekend?”

I huff and look at the ceiling. Unbelievable. “That’s why you wouldn’t let me escape?”

Blake laughs and I stalk away, calling over my shoulder, “Be ready at six.” Asshole.

There’s a knock at my door the next morning before I even have my first cup of coffee.

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