Page 65 of Sunset Tides
Rob stepped outside to get out of the way. He wanted to take back what he’d said and tell her how sorry he was, but he couldn’t form the words, and in his hesitation, she slammed the door in his face.
He stood there, staring ahead, trying to rewind the last five minutes in his mind. It had all fallen apart so quickly, and so spectacularly.
Surely she would forgive him? He told himself if he gave her some time, they could talk it over, work it out.
He made the slow walk to his car, unable to convince even himself that there was any chance of that happening.
Chapter Twenty-seven
What a scoundrel – no, what acreep!Lucy had never been fooled so badly in all her life!
Not that she was ready to concede she’d been fooled. She had never liked Rob. Not really.
Sure, she kissed himonce.Big deal. Deep down,she’d known there was something off about him. She could feel it, and she’d kept him at arm’s length until just recently.
If only she’d trusted her gut.
By that evening, she felt like she’d calmed down enough to talk about it. She got home, printed the FOIA documents, and slapped them onto the kitchen table.
Lillian looked up at her, eyes wide. “Is this bad news?”
“You tell me,” she said, arms crossed.
Okay, she was still a little angry, but how couldn’t she be? She’d been completely swindled and then insulted by an overgrown rich kid!
Lucy watched as Lillian flipped through the documents. When she reached the one detailing how OSS had initiated the request, she looked up with a concerned look on her face. “What did Rob say about this?”
Lucy scoffed. “A bunch of lies. You know how he is.”
“Lucy,” she said in a low voice. “He must have an explanation for himself.”
“He acted like it was the company’s doing and not his, but I don’t believe him.”
Lillian frowned and set the papers aside. “I’m really sorry. I know you liked him.”
“I never liked him,” she snapped. “He managed to distract me with a cool boat ride, but I wouldn’t say I ever liked him.”
Lucy cringed when she realized what she’d said.Distracted. Apparently, that was what Rob thought she was looking for all along – just another distraction.
He’d provided one, too. He served as the distraction, trying to keep her away from the hotel. It hadn’t worked, though. She was as on top of things as ever.
Did he really think he wassohandsome andsosmart andoh sofun that she’d forget about helping Claire?
The arrogance. He was a cruel person. Cutthroat. All he cared about was work, and he’d do anything to win.
None of that mattered. Lucy wasn’t going to let him win. She was going to destroy him.
Until the hearing, Lucy had one focus: doing everything possible to save the hotel from being condemned. She thought their chances looked great.
Okay, not great – that was what she would tell Claire to bolster her spirits – but at the very least, things looked good. Even their ever-serious lawyer thought so. Their presentation about the hotel was strong, supported by actual numbers and figures. They’d gotten over two thousand signatures from county residents, and on top of that, many islanders pledged to come to the hearing to show their support.
With help, Chip made amazing progress on the shabbier properties, removing the dangerous structures and taming the overgrown lots. It was a miraculous transformation.
Still, even Lucy couldn’t gloss over the fact that the other property owners weren’t going to suddenly create profitable,taxable businesses. Most of them could barely make it to the hearing.
On the other hand, why did every square inch of land need to make money? The county council couldn’t be filled with a bunch of Robs, could it?
Even if the council members preferred to see the land developed, it wasn’t that simple. Building the monstrosity that OSS and Grippy wanted wouldn’t just bring tax revenue, it would bring people – hundreds of them. Maybe thousands! These people would need somewhere to live, places to eat, places to park their cars – everything!
