Page 13 of Cherry Picked
“No, you’re right. It is important. Very,” Environmental Guy agreed from the mic. “I’d love a chance to explain our specific plans for that part of the project in more detail if you’ll stay after the meeting.”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah. Okay. But I have manyquestions,” I warned before I sat down.
“Awesome. I love questions.” Environmental Guy shot me another smile, then gestured the lawyer back to the mic to resume rambling.
Jack hadn’t taken his worried eyes off me. “Bird, keep an open mind, huh? Sounds like they’re being really thorough. There are no bad guys here, right?” He gave me a lopsided smile.
“Yes,” Webb whispered. “Listen to Jack.”
I sucked in a breath through my nose and resolutely trained my eyes on the stage.
Jack’s words, his veryreasonableness, set my teeth on edge.
How dare he lecture me on keeping an open mind when he refused to? When had “I like when people are unapologetically enthusiastic about their interests and opinions” changed to “there are no bad guys here”? And, most importantly, if our friendship was the reason he wouldn’t have sex with me… why wouldn’t he support me when I needed him?
It was pretty pathetic when Environmental Guy, a tool of the enemy, took my concerns more seriously than the man I’d given my heart to.
“I’ll stay with you afterward.” Luke nudged my knee. “If you want.”
I nodded, managing a small smile. Luke was thoughtful and smart, and his job as a schoolteacher made him good at reading people. He’d be a solid ally.
Crys’s hand squeezed my shoulder from behind. “I’ll stay, too. This is obviously important to you.”
“Thanks,” I whispered, grateful that someone had my back.
I blew out a breath and refused to meet Jack’s eyes. I had no idea what to do about him, and the person I’d normally ask for advice was Jack himself, which clearly wouldn’t work. So, instead, I was going to put him out of my mind as much as possible. I was going to focus on the fight to protect Little Pippin Hollow from the evil forces that threatened my beloved wilderness.
Thiswas a fight I could actually take on. One I could win.
I needed to find Helena Fortnum and see if she could call another meeting of the Environmental Committee. Maybe I could get Uncle Drew on board—he didn’t seem particularly riled about the issue just yet, but he’d been anti-establishment since the ’60s, and if I could convince him to take a stand, lots of folks in town would take notice. Maybe I could drum up some support with the Nature Scout parents, too, since their kids tramped up and down those trails as part of their summer day camp.
The rest of the meeting passed in a blur as I made a mental list, and when the speeches concluded, I launched out of my seat, flashing Luke and Crys a “wait here” gesture, and ignoring Jack’s efforts to get my attention.
For the first time in the history of our friendship, I felt like talking to Jack would make me feel worse instead of better. His protective concern usually made me feel cherished and strong, but today, it made me feel fragile. If the man asked if I was okay one more time, I might actually scream.
As I stalked to the front of the room, Environmental Guy’s face lit up with recognition and a smile. “Hawkins Sunday, right? Someone mentioned you were the guy with all the smart questions.” He beamed and offered his hand to shake. “Simon Wentworth, nice to meet you.”
I took his hand in mine. “Wentworth? As in…” I shut my mouth before I embarrassed myself by mentioning any of my novels.Not the time, Hawk.
Simon’s grin widened. “As in the character from Jane Austen’sPersuasion? My mom’s favorite. I swear that’s why she married my dad. Do you know the book?”
I swallowed hard and felt my face heat. There were signs, and then there weresigns. “Yeah. Yes. Of course. ThoughPride and Prejudiceis my favorite of hers. Do you… do you read Jane Austen?”
“Not really? I’m a complete geek when it comes to my job. I love reading articles and studies on environmental impact and protecting our wild areas. It doesn’t leave much time for novels, as much as I love them. My mom says I’m missing out.”
“You are,” I agreed. “Novels are my favorite things…” I hardened my voice a fraction. “After Glassy Ridge. You know, I haven’t seen any environmental impact studies from Evola’s recent developments outside Ithacaorup in Bangor. Why is that? And I didn’t hear anything in your presentation about the endangered species on the Ridge. Does that mean you haven’t looked into the situation?”
Simon inclined his head. “A man who’s done his research,” he approved. “Why am I not surprised? Hawkins, I assure you, Evola has a squeaky-clean track record. I don’t think you’ll find any complaints at all about Point Meduc or Morgan Falls. And our teams have spent long hours figuring out how best to mitigate the impact on all native species. But… why don’t you and I trade reading recommendations, just to be sure? You can send me any information you think might be relevant, and I’ll see if I can get you copies of our ongoing studies at our recent builds. If you want, I can talk you through them, too. Explain the special considerations we made for environmental factors in those cases.”
“Okay. Yeah. I’d appreciate that.” I rocked slightly on my feet. “You can call me Hawk. Everyone does.”
“Hawk,” he repeated solemnly. “Would you… that is to say…” He glanced down at his feet. “If you were interested in touring the area around the proposed resort sometime, we could do that. There are flag markers out there, and I could kind of walk you around the place? Maybe even change your mind?”
“You want to go hiking with me?” I asked, surprised.
“Only if you’re interested.” He gave me a shy smile. “No pressure.”
I looked at Simon more closely. He seemed cute and well-spoken, and his stammering earnestness reminded me of… well, me. He might be employed by a villainous corporation, but that didn’t mean he, himself, was so terrible. And I couldn’t lie, after Jack’s rejection, it felt pretty great to have someone pickmeas a person they wanted to spend time with.
