Page 65 of Take This Heart
I know better than to get invested in anyone with red flags, so why is he all I can think about?
I go to Kitty-Corner Cafe in desperate need of distraction…and Juju’s lemon scones and coffee won’t hurt. I see all the regulars—Bosco is even at the front—but it goes quiet when I step inside. Juju looks worried when she sees me and waves me back. I follow her into the kitchen where she’s been piping cream into a row of eclairs.
“I was going to call you,” she says, picking up a piece of yellow paper and handing it to me. “Have you seen these?”
I frown and flatten the page on the countertop.
Protect Windy Harbor. Say no to overdevelopment. Say no to the Whitman Project.
I stare at the bold font, feeling sick to my stomach. There’s a grainy, unflattering photo of the project that’s underway. The flyer warns of traffic congestion, corporate greed, and environmental destruction, like we’re planning to build a shopping mall.
I flip it over. There’s no name or group listed.
“Where did you get this?” I ask.
“They’ve been popping up all over. One was taped to the light pole outside and someone set this on the front counter. I asked Bosco if he saw who left it and he didn’t know but said he’d seen one at Cox earlier this morning. I have no idea who’s behind it.”
I don’t have proof, but I have a pretty good idea of who it could be.
Bruce Granger has always played dirty, and if his nephew wasn’t cooperating with him to bring us down, maybe he convinced his newfound daughter to do it for him. I’d like to think this is all circumstantial, but there are just too many coincidences that involve Ava Piper.
If I’m right about her, she has played dirty from day one. And now she’s going after my family? I don’t think so.
The bell rings on the door and Juju lifts her thumb behind her.
“Sorry, I better get out there. I just wanted to make sure you were aware of these.”
“Thank you.”
I follow her out to the restaurant and she works on my coffee. I look around to see who came in and Ava Piper is setting her things down at my table. Of course she goes for my table too—she’s Milo’s freaking cousin.
When she walks to the counter, my blood runs hot. She pauses only for a second when she sees me. Her hair is in a sleek ponytail and with her heels, we almost see eye to eye. I hold up the flyer and watch for her reaction. Her eyes drop to the paper and then back to me.
“Is there something you’re trying to say?” she asks. “I’ll have my usual, Juju. Thanks.”
I scoff. “You’ve been in town two seconds and you already have a usual?”
Juju shoots me an apologetic look as she sets my sconeand coffee out for me and gets to work on what I assume is Ava’s order.
“I’m sorry, were you under the impression this town belongs to you?” Ava asks coolly.
I ignore her attitude and wave the paper. “Did you have anything to do with these showing up around town?”
Her expression is bored and I have to say, she’s maintaining her cool. I’d at least have the decency to be nervous if I was confronted like this.
“I think the people here have a right to be concerned.” She folds her hands. “Something your family should’ve considered before bulldozing a piece of Windy Harbor’s history.”
“We’re restoring it. Reviving it. And no one had any objections until you showed up. I’m not sure they do now. What I do know is that you and your dad are stirring up trouble.”
Her eyebrow lifts slightly. “Maybe the locals didn’t realize what was really at stake.”
“Oh, give me a break,” I snap. “You don’t care about Windy Harbor. You’re not from here. You don’t know the people or the history. Why don’t you admit what this is really about?”
I think something flickers in her eyes, just for a second, but then it’s gone.
“I’m just offering people information,” she says.
When Juju sets the coffee on the counter, Ava picks it up and puts cash on the counter, thanking Juju.
