Page 82 of The Lies We Told Ourselves

It should be illegal to be this happy.

I guess the meeting was going as well as expected. The people were scared and honestly pissed that no one had told them earlier the direction the town was heading. One thing I hadn’t anticipated was the town looking for someone to blame.

“But why was this kept a secret for so long?” a woman asked to the agreement of the crowd.

“So the Farrington’s could come in and buy up everything cheap. You know they were going to put a golf course on the Barrett land? That’s all they want, to run the rest of us out of town and bring in their rich friends,” a man added.

The crowd was getting whipped up, and we weren’t reaching any kind of conclusion. The plan that Trace and Delaney had been talking about made sense. Investing in the town and the businesses that were already here was smart. I really liked the idea of starting seasonal events to display local goods and bring in visitors. But as soon as they started talking about investing, a lot of people had shut down. Some didn’t even want to open the town up to draw in more tourists. They liked Willowbrook how it was, and I couldn’t blame them.

Finally, Booker surged to his feet. “Look, I get that you’re angry. You should be. A lot has been done around here, and whether it was done with good intentions is hard to say. What I can tell you is that Trace is trying to help you. If you would just see what they have planned at their farm, you’d see what it could do for the town.” He looked down at me, and I nodded.

“I’m going to be expanding the business at the ranch,” he announced, and a murmur ran through the crowd. “You all know that I’ve been bringing in horses for rehab. Well, I want to keep doing that and open up the ranch for people to come and find some peace, too. Work with the horses if they want. Find a quiet place to help them heal. It might not bring a lot of people into town, but they’ll be people who will shop at our businesses. Who will see Willowbrook for the peaceful and beautiful community that it is. We need families, we need revenue, and why not share what we have with new folks? Sometimes you find they’re exactly what you need.”

Booker looked at me with a soft smile and then awkwardly took his seat as his cheeks flushed.

“Stealing our men more likely,” the old lady who apparently liked spanking mumbled.

“Oh, please, June. A woman like you would have broken the poor boy anyway,” her friend added, and Booker looked like he was praying for a heart attack to take him away.

Dex stood up next. From the look on his face, I was sure he was about to say something that Booker would hate, and I braced myself for the explosion that would no doubt follow.

“Look, I know we don’t all talk about stuff like this. We have our heads in the sand because we want everything to stay the same. But the garage has nine months tops before we’re out of business. There just aren’t enough of us to keep the small businesses afloat much longer. Thishasto happen. Small towns die every day, and if it’s a choice between Willowbrookdisappearing for good and suffering through a boom in the economy from tourism, well, I know what I’m hoping for.”

Booker looked at his friend with concern as he took his seat and people talked among themselves. Trace let them talk. It was important people came to their own conclusions, and at least there was some discussion happening now rather than people just shutting down.

“He never said anything,” Booker said quietly, still watching Dex, who’d pulled out his cell to mess around with.

I heard the ding of a notification as Booker pulled his own phone out and scowled at the screen before he tipped it in my direction.

Dex: Stop staring at me. I’ve told you before that I’m not making out with you.

“Idiot,” Booker grumbled, but he couldn’t hide his smile from me.

“It’s going to be all right. We have six months to make some changes.”

Booker nodded. “And until then, I might need a few things done to the ranch equipment,” he said with a smile.

I had a feeling this was why Dex had said nothing to his friends. He knew they’d immediately find a way to send work his way.

What was wrong with that?

“I might have a slight accident in my car tomorrow,” I said, snuggling into Booker’s side as we listened to the town get serious about how we were all going to save this place. “And maybe the cheese smell is coming back.”

Booker shuddered dramatically.

The meeting was drawing to a close an hour later, and everyone looked exhausted. The whiteboard that Delaney haddragged into the community hall was filled with ideas, and she was busy taking notes of people to follow up with.

It had been an epic brainstorming session, but the results were impressive. Dex wasn’t the only business that admitted to struggling, but with the introduction of some new annual events and an expansion of the B&B in the cards, it was all looking more positive.

“We can expand the town visitors’ accommodation by ninety-five percent in the next six months,” Delaney said, sounding impressed.

“All of this won’t mean anything if people don’t know what’s happening here, though,” someone said.

“We can tell the internet about it,” someone suggested, and Delaney smothered the smile on her face.

The thing was, they weren’t entirely wrong.

“Reece has experience with managing events through social media. She can build you enough attention to have those beds filled in no time.” The sound of his voice sent a chill down my spine.

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