Page 108 of Everything Has Changed
I rub my hand over my mouth in exasperation. “I wish I could.”
“What the fuck,” he growls out. “How could you let this happen?”
I promise you, I didn’t.” I beg him to listen. “This is all my father. Unfortunately, he brought me in a little too late, but that’s why I came back. Not just to take over as mayor, but to try and put out whatever fires he started in his greed.”
“And? Have you?”
I hang my head for a second, debating silently how much I want to go into detail. I can’t keep it in anymore, though. And now that someone knows something, I need them to know everything. Matt isn’t my first choice to confide in, that would be Gwen. The situation runs through my mind though as I weigh the situation. Matt’s a contractor. A well loved one, too. He probably has knowledge I could use to combat this master plan.
So, with a deep sigh, I raise my head and tell him the truth.
“No,” I raise my hand to stop whatever he’s about to say. “But I managed to block it from getting worse. I don’t think we can get out of the contracts my father has in place with Triton–-”
“He partnered with Triton?” The horrified look on his face tells me I am right to feel the way I do about them.
“Unfortunately, they have those contracts on iron-clad lockdown. There’s no way to get out of it now. They will be building their mega resort nearby and using Willow Grove as its ready-made Hallmark town. However, they came in recently with new requests, including a clause that would effectively destroy the small businesses in this town.”
“What the fuck is your dad thinking?”
“Only about the insane amount of zeros landing in his bank accounts to set him up for life. He saw his retirement plan, and he took it, no questions asked.”
“I always knew he wasn’t the great guy he played on TV, but shit, this is a new level of awful.”
He has no idea how low my father will go. This might shock everyone in our town, but this was right on course with how I knew him. “I think I was able to block the clause from being retrofitted into the contract. That’s why today was so important. I had to show them how important the small businesses are to the life of our town.”
Matt leans back. “Does Gwen know?”
I look down at my hands. My fingers twist against themselves with anxiety. “She’s completely in the dark, just like everyone else. I didn’t want the news to get out without at least trying to fix this.”
“And you becoming the mayor wouldn’t kill the contract?”
I shake my head. “It wouldn’t matter since they are planning to start clearing land by the end of the year. The best I can do is take my place, filling his shoes, and control what happens in the future.”
“You know I could never figure out why you decided to come back and do what your father wanted, but I think I see it now.”
I tap my fingers on the table. “I can’t chance one of the many men just like him that will eat out of the palm of his hand taking the position. I don’t know what they would do. At least I can make sure it doesn’t get worse than this.”
Matt runs his fingers through his dark hair. “This is fucked, Logan. No one is going to like this.”
“I know, but there is nothing we can do about it now except make the best of the situation. And honestly, I think we could make this work for the town.”
“How? These people love the small-town life. This is why they stay here.”
“Tourists keep us going, though.”
“Obviously, we are doing fine the way it is now. You add in too many, though, especially the ones that usually do business with Triton, and this place will never be the same.”
That was my fear—Willow Grove losing its vibrancy and character to keep up with the uppity patrons that frequent Triton Resorts all over the country. I had read horror stories from other towns that were pleading for help online on how to combat the corporate take-over. No one ever had the answer, and all of the small-town charm was lost quickly after they moved in. I couldn’t let that happen to our beloved town.
“That’s why I have to stay and fight. I–-”
“There you are.” A sweet voice rings out beside me before her hand caresses my back. It’s gone as fast as it’s there, and I instantly miss it.
Gwen leans down, her mouth at my ear as she whispers, “I just had the most beautiful flowers delivered to me. I’ll thank you for them properly later.”
She straightens up before I respond, grasping the edge of the table beside us. Matt tenses up, his eyes studying his hands like he had never seen them before. I look back to Gwen in time to see Kennedy step up next to her, expertly looking anywhere but Matt as well.
“If it’s not New York Times Best Selling author Kennedy Prescott.” She rolls her eyes at me, but I notice the apples of her cheeks grow pinker just like Gwen’s do when she’s embarrassed. “Don’t hit me when I say this, but can I get an autograph?”
