Page 67 of 183 Reasons

The guys side-eye each other as if I’ve lost my mind. I clear my throat to get their attention. When I leave, I don’t want any regrets.

“Seriously, guys, I want to say thanks. Thanks for sticking by me this last year, even though I’ve been MIA and not the greatest friend at times. Cheers.”

Short and sweet. Looking at one another in silence, they hold their glasses and drink. I breathe a sigh of relief.

“OK, enough sappy shit,” Tyler says. “I hear your girl’s friend is driving north tomorrow night. Mia. I’ve got to say, man, I’m looking forward to seeing her.”

“Actually, I didn’t know, and you shouldn’t be calling her ‘my girl.’ She knows I’m leaving.”

“Dude, your loss. That girl is hot, and from the looks of it, she’s into you. Why not take her for a ride and then cut your losses?”

He can be such an ass sometimes. The thing is, though, Tyler is a lot of hot air. He riffles through women as fast as underwear. They never stick around, and if you ask me why, I’d say it’s because he keeps himself emotionally unavailable. He’s a deep guy, a great guy, but he won’t let a woman in. Like, really in. And he has no filter. Anyone who overheard him would assume Tyler is a total asshole.

“Ty, don’t say shit like that. I’m not into her for the sex, and I’m leaving. That’d be a real dick move. Solia is an amazing girl.”

“You’re right, man, I’m sorry. She seems great. I’m sure she’ll have no trouble finding someone around these parts. Those eyes are enough to melt ice,” Tyler says, nudging Jay, proud of his retort.

I’ve got to admit, his words sting. But I know he’s right. Solia is the total package. Girls like her don’t show up every day. Of course I want her to be happy, but I want to be the one who’s part of her happiness. Leaving her in the arms of another man makes my stomach sick.

I steer the conversation in a different direction. “So, Mia, huh? You’ve been keeping in touch?”

“Sure have. Have you seen her? She’s sexy as hell, and she’s got her shit together. I’m assuming once we kick these green assholes out of Meriden and Solia stays, Mia will visit often. I have no problem entertaining her when she’s in town, if you know what I mean.”

Jay shakes his head in laughter. “Tyler, you never cease to amaze me. Good for you, man.”

“It’s genius. There won’t be any major strings attached. I’ll just make sure she’s warm at night while she’s here. But in all seriousness, I’m going to take her to dinner tomorrow.”

“Dinner?” He made plans other than to undress her? I’m shocked. “Isn’t she here to see Solia?”

“They’re hanging out tomorrow for most of the day, but I asked if she was free tomorrow night. I’m not sure what Solia is up to, but Mia agreed. I’m picking her up at six.”

My mind drifts to thoughts of Solia alone in her cabin at sunset. She’ll probably be wrapped in blankets, sitting out on the front porch watching the sky turn brilliant shades of red. I shouldn’t let myself go there, but I can’t stop the thoughts.

Wait—she needs help with the showerhead. It’d be rude to not follow up on that, right? Maybe I’ll text her later to see if I can swing by.

“Speaking of these green assholes.” Ryan pulls his chair closer to the table, and I sense the conversation is about to get a lot more serious. “What’s the latest? Have we heard anything? How is the first town council meeting going to go?”

“Well, based on the turnout from the resident meeting yesterday, it seems we’ve got a lot of people on our side.” I sip my beer and check the Sox score.

Jay pushes his pint forward and crosses his arms over the table. “We can have the whole town on our side, but it’s up to the individual property owners to decide. And unfortunately, if someone takes the deal, it’ll cause a domino effect. More will follow.”

I sit straighter, knowing my grandfather is one of those still undecided. “Out of all the owners, we know there are only two for sure who are taking the deal. I can’t even be pissed at them. It seems this company went around and sought out the most vulnerable people with the biggest land.”

“How can you even question it? Of course that’s what they did,” Tyler says, slamming his fist into the table. “Do you consider it a coincidence?”

“What are you guys talking about?” Jay asks.

I lean back and shift in my seat. “The two property owners taking the deal are a young family in which the husband recently lost his job, and they are hard up for money. I met his wife, Katie, the other day. She’s very nice, and their situation is unfortunate.

“The other property owner’s name is Mary something. She’s in her seventies and a widow. She lost her husband to cancer last year and is struggling to maintain her land. They don’t have any children, so there isn’t much family to assist her. Both of these families see this proposal as a blessing.”

“Man, that’s messed up, preying on the weak. That’s low,” Jay says, shaking his head.

“No shit. Solia’s family doesn’t vacation up here anymore, so Green Breeze is preying on a young woman who’s trying to make it on her own. They’ve got Earl and Sylvia whose grandson is leaving town and can’t possibly keep the orchard going.” Tyler turns to me. “Sorry, dude, but it’s true. And you’ve got that Ted Folger guy who lives on Bear Mountain Road who’s as old as dirt and had his blueberry fields destroyed a few years back because of insect infestation. The last family is Ryan’s, which I guess is the oddball of the group.”

“Thanks, Tyler, for your positive outlook,” Ryan says.

“For real, guys. These corporate suits aren’t idiots. They know exactly what they’re doing.” Tyler shrugs, pushes his stool back, and walks toward the bar.

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