Page 51 of Book and Ladder
“You’ll have the opportunity to buy stock in the company. This will truly be a local-owned, local-run business venture.”
“A horse by any other name …” I whisper roughly. My throat is so constricted, I’m surprised any sound comes out.
“It’s all in the preliminary stages right now,” Patrick’s dad explains. “We’re only exploring options at this point. Today, we need your vote permitting us to do the initial survey of the land, soil tests and environmental impact study. We’ll submitour findings and go forward from there. No actual building would begin for a while.”
I’m crestfallen. My crest has officially fallen. I’m crestless.
My future flashes in front of my eyes. Not only have I been struggling to cover expenses, but now a chain is moving in next door. Will that chain carry books? All Home Marts do. They have a whole section of discounted books. Customers can request special orders. Maybe I could still run story time and featured events that a chain won’t have, but if the bulk of my sales move next door, I’m done for. I won’t be able to keep the doors open.
Does Mr. O’Connell know this?
I’m quite sure he does.
And he doesn’t care—at all.
I tune out the rest of the meeting—the passing of the ballots, the closing remarks. At some point we must have officially wrapped up because people are standing and milling around.
Emberleigh steps over Carli to get to me. She pulls me up out of my chair and into a hug.
I squeeze her and step back. I’d sink into her arms and let her hold me like a little baby, but I’d bawl like one too, and right now I need to stay strong. Because Patrick O’Connell is studying me from his place at his dad’s side.
I’ll make it out of here, get home, walk up my steps and shut my door behind me. Then I’ll collapse into a puddle of uncontained sobbing.
Not. Here.
I will not cry in front of the O’Connells.
“It’s going to be okay,” Emberleigh assures me.
I shoot her a disbelieving side eye.
“It is,” Carli echoes. “Because we are all going to chain ourselves to trees.”
“By all, you mean … ?” Winona asks.
“Winona!” Carli scolds. “All of us. We can’t let them do this. The land around the shop is precious.”
“It’s not just the land,” I say, my voice raspy with emotion.
My friends’ eyes all echo the truth I’m not speaking out loud.
My shop will close. Moss and Maple will be a memory. I’ll be unemployed.
“Do you want to go grab coffee and pie?” Cass asks from Winona’s side.
“No … Yes … No. I don’t think so. I just want to go home. But thank you.”
“I understand,” Cass says. “We’ll take a raincheck.”
“Definitely,” I nod.
Winona’s eyes brighten. “Maybe there will be some near-extinct lizard who only lives in the exact climate of that field. I’ve heard of developments shutting down when endangered species are found.”
“Maybe we should buy an endangered species and release it into the wild in that field,” Carli suggests.
“It would most likely die,” Cass says, bluntly. Then she looks at me. “Sorry, Daisy.”
“No. You’re right. I don’t think we’re going to be able to relocate an endangered species to that field in time for it to convince the inspectors to shut down the development.” I crack a half-smile. “But thanks y’all. You are the best.”
