Page 129 of Everything Has Changed
“Like I might throw up as soon as I get out there.”
She chuckles lightly. “You’ll be fine. You’ve got a good head on your shoulders.” She places her hands on them now, making sure to look me directly in my eyes. “I know it’s hard, but you’re doing the right thing, my son. I am so proud of you.” Patting my cheek softly, she drops her hands and smoothes out her wrinkle-free skirt.
Glancing around to make sure we were still alone, I whisper a question that has been burning me up for a long time.
“If you think I’m doing the right thing, why haven’t you tried yourself to do it?”
Her hands pause their movements and drop to her sides. “I know it seems like I haven’t, but I promise you I have. I fought your father for years after he came up with this idea and again when it started to become a real thing. Eventually I realized some things were bigger than what I could handle.” Her smile is watery and weak, falling as fast as it tried to come to rise on her lips. “I can’t give you a lot of answers right now.” She glances at her dainty watch, no doubt a gift from my father if the diamonds sparkling along her wrist are any indication. “You need to get out there, but we can talk more later. There are some things I need to discuss with you, but they aren’t important right now. What’s important is you take care of this town and our people. Which I have no doubt you will do, my sweet boy.”
Popping up on her toes, she pecks her lips to my cheek, a small laugh releasing as she wipes away lipstick that must have transferred to me.
“You got this, I swear. Now, get out there before your father decides to go rogue and ruins your speech.” She nods her head toward the opposite end of the stage, where my father stands hands in his pockets and glaring in my direction. I have to clench my jaw to refrain from shouting colorful words his way when he stabs a meaty finger on his watch face and points to the stage.
“Mom,” I say quietly as I remove my eyes from him and stare straight ahead at where I know I can part the curtain. “I hate your husband.”
She sighs quietly and I swear I hear her mutter, “join the club,” before she pushes me gently toward the stage.
I release a sigh of my own as I reach out and step through the curtain, making my way to the center of the stage where a podium is set up.
There’s not much to see, thanks to the lights pointing down directly onto me, but I can hear the chatter of the crowd disappear as everyone hushes around the room. I keep my sight on the notecards I know my mother placed beneath the microphone when I stop directly behind it. Counting to three, I give myself one more moment before I lift my head and let my eyes adjust.
The feeling of eyes boring into my skull from all directions has my anxiety buzzing beneath my skin and making my hands shake. I was always good at public speaking, it’s not something I would usually have a fear of. It’s the reason I’m doing it that has me fearful. It’s the feeling of the weight of every person in this room on my shoulders that has my heart pounding in my chest.
Now or never, I think as I open my mouth to speak.
“Thank you for coming out tonight, everyone.” I work hard to keep my voice even and strong. The last thing I need right now is for everyone to hear the anxiety moving through my body. They need to know that I mean business, that I am sure in my words, and that I am wholeheartedly taking their concerns seriously.
“I know we have a lot to discuss tonight, so I won’t beat around the bush or sugarcoat anything. I want to be transparent and honest with all of you.”
“A little late for that!” A voice shouts from the back of the room, causing a few cheers in the crowd.
“You’re right,” I agree. “I know all of this came as a big shock to everyone. Hell, it was a big shock to me.” Murmurs build at my admission, one I didn’t plan on. It’s no where in the notecards sitting untouched in front of me. But as I stand here with the energy of the room hitting me in the face, I know I need to be honest.
“I won’t lie to you to save face for my father. This merger with Triton Resorts has been in the works for a long time, but it wasn’t until before my return that I knew the extent of it. That is one of the main reasons I came back when I did. I wanted to find a way to stop this from happening. I want to stop the mayor from destroying this beautiful town and making it into some corporate nightmare that no one wants.”
A hand shoots up from a few rows back and I point for them to go ahead with their question.
“How can we even trust you?” Bernie stands from his seat, helping me see him better. Though, I almost wish I didn’t as his usually kind expression is distorted in anger. “It’s clear to all of us that you failed on that task, so how do we even know this isn’t some cover up now that the news broke and we didn’t blindly follow?”
“I know asking you to believe me—to trust me—is a tall order. One I’m not naive enough to think you will with just a few words. That’s why I agreed to this meeting. I want to answer your questions and ease your minds.” I release a deep sigh before continuing. “You’re right, I did fail the task I set out to complete. I couldn’t stop my father before the ink spilled and before the plans were finalized. The best I could do was soften whatever blows were coming for us. Which I did, it just wasn’t enough, unfortunately.”
Another person stands, this time speaking as soon as they get to their feet.
“Why are we hearing this from you and not the person that did this to us? Where is our mayor now that shit is hitting the fan?”
I glance over to the right, finding the man in question off to the side just enough to be hidden from view. His arms crossed over his chest as he stares me down. I return my focus back to the people that actually deserve it.
“I think we can all safely say that he’s done enough damage right now.”
“So, you’re doing damage control for your daddy?” Someone scoffs off to the left.
“If that’s what you want to call it. I am here to make sure everyone understands what this means for the future of Willow Grove. Nothing is off limits now. Like I said before, full transparency.”
“What does this mean for our businesses?” Daphne Montgomery stands from her seat. I notice Piper right beside her and I have to stop myself from scanning the area for Gwen, knowing she can’t be far away. But the tears in Daphne’s eyes keep me from wavering my attention. “You have to know the horror stories from the other small towns they moved into. Most of the mom-and-pop shops closed down almost immediately and the ones that didn’t only lasted a few months.”
I nod my head, trying to find the right words to ease her mind. “That was my biggest fear, and while I can’t say one hundred percent that it won’t affect your businesses, I can say that we have fought hard to keep that from happening. None of the stores are part of the contract and should continue to operate as usual. That is my main priority and will always be my main priority, whether or not I take office after my father’s term is over.”
A hush falls over the room before people jump to their feet and begin shouting questions. I’m waving my hand, trying to get everyone to quiet down, ready to answer all of the question possible when the same man I saw hugging Gwen earlier steps into the aisle. He stops walking toward the stage when he get a few feet from it. A recording device is in one hand while his other raises in the air.
