Page 105 of Take This Heart
MILO
When we walk into the town meeting on Monday night, we make quite an entrance. The small courthouse is full and noisy…until they see us.
Goldie is on my right side, her fingers threaded through mine, and her dad and brothers flank us on either side, a full-blown posse. Goldie looks hot as hell in a short, fitted black skirt and a white blouse, dressier than her normal vibe, but she said it’s a power move. The guys and I are in suits, which wasn’t planned, but with our freshly shaved heads, it all looks intentional. Like we’re the small-town mafia who’s coming to set everyone straight.
There’s nothing so sinister going on here, but I can tell we paint an intimidating picture.
Goldie says she’s still caught off guard seeing all of us without hair, and it’s a little jarring when I look in the mirror too, but I’m getting used to it. She also says I’m pulling offthe lookextremelywell, but when I offered to keep it like this, she saidhell no…
The grandmas are already sitting near the front. Everett tried to talk them out of coming in case it got heated, but they insisted. Miss Idella and Emmy are sitting next to them, chatting away, and Beverly and Carol are right behind them. Bosco waves at Goldie and she grins, waving back, before taking a seat.
A few news teams are here that I’m sure came at my uncle’s bidding.
The meeting is called to order not long after we arrive, and eventually, the mayor, Meredith Strong, gets up to say a few words. I've only talked with her a couple of times, but Everett speaks highly of her. She’s indicated that she’s completely behind the resort. She’s nice and seems like a smart lady. One morning last week, she was in Kitty-Corner Cafe and came over to say hi to Goldie and me. She mentioned how much she loved Goldie’s mom, Stella—how they’d had a few lunches in Windy Harbor when Stella was there for the summer and a fun memory of running into her in Minneapolis when they were new moms. It was sweet and I could tell it meant a lot to Goldie.
Later, Goldie said, “Often people avoid talking about someone who’s passed because they don’t want to cause sadness, but there’s already sadness. What makes me the saddest is to think that my mom would be forgotten.”
When she says things like that, I say another prayer that Everett will survive this cancer prognosis. She’s too young to lose both parents.
Everett gets up and talks in depth about the plans for the resort. A few people whisper when he gets up—the bald heads are creating some attention. He gets a few pityinglooks, but mostly everyone is all smiles at how animated he is as he’s speaking.
And then Bruce gets up and talks about how the Whitmans are destroying the waterfront and the peace of Windy Harbor. Ava talks about what this will mean for the otters. The way she talks about them, I doubt she’s ever even seen one in real life. A few of the townspeople get up to speak about their feelings about the project, both positive and negative. When Juju gets up, Camden stiffens next to me. I shoot him a look, but he stares at Juju with a blank expression. He’s the nicest guy, but for some reason, he seems to avoid Juju. When I asked him why he rarely comes to Kitty-Corner when he’s in town, he said his best friend’s pesky little sister is a brat. I was shocked that he was talking about Juju.
Erin gets up, and so does her dad, Jason. They talk about how nice it would be for Windy Harbor’s economy to have a beautiful resort.
“We had it for years and miss what having that business up and running did for this community,” Jason says. “And this will be even better than that, more jobs, more possibilities. I think we need it to keep the town flourishing.”
The few who speak out against it say that the Whitmans aren’t full-time residents of the town, so they don't know the impact of what this change will bring. But these comments are few and far between, compared to all who are for the project. I look around and spot Ava and she looks angrier as the night goes on.
Meredith gets up at the end. “Thank you for your input. Since permits for everything have already been issued, the Whitmans are within their legal rights to keep moving forward, but we can take a final vote to put the matter to rest.”
Everyone votes and while the votes are being tallied, there’s a low hum of chatter around the room.
It’s not long before Meredith walks back to the podium. “We have the results!” she says, smiling widely. “There is resounding support for the Whitmans to continue their work—99%voted YES to the Windhaven Resort!”
A cheer goes up and Goldie squeezes my hand, looking at me in relief.
“Congratulations, now no one can get in the way,” I tell her.
Afterwards, people come up to wish us well and I’m surprised to be included in that. Bruce and Ava stand on the other side of the room with their small group of people. When I make eye contact with Ava, she glares at me.
“I just don't understand why she's so angry,” Goldie says, her voice low. “I know she wants to make an impression on her dad, but it's kind of crazy that she's jumped right into this argument.”
“I agree,” I say quietly. “I’m not sure what she hopes to gain. It doesn't seem worth it to me.”
Before we leave, Everett thanks us for being there.
“That went about as well as it could possibly go,” he says. “And as Meredith put it at the end, we’ve already gotten the permits for everything, so let’s forge ahead. Noah, I know you need to get back home tonight to relieve the sitter, but would you mind stopping by the house before you leave tomorrow? I need to talk to you kids about something.”
Noah agrees.
Before Everett gets in the car with Camden, Dylan, and Tully, he hugs Goldie.
“I’m good for the night,” I hear him say. “Why don’t you take a little break from mothering me? I’ve got two at homewho’ve got it covered.” He winks at me and Goldie’s face is bright red when she looks at me.
“Love you, Dad. Maybe I will…hang out with Milo for a little while.”
“Sounds good, buttercup. Good night.”
