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“You were spying on us?”
He laughs. “I was right there in the open, bringing bread out. You just didn’t notice because you were fixated on her.”
My cheeks burn. “I wasn’t fixated on her.”
I’m lying, though. Everything about Erin, from her glossy hair to her perfume to her sharp gaze, had me hooked.
We had a good start, too. I didn’t put my foot in my mouth, like the last time I saw her.
But then it all blew apart. Which I guess is just the way things are meant to be between us. I don’t know if I did something wrong or if it’s just that she hates me or what, but clearly we go together like oil and water.
“How is she?” Sam asks.
“Callous.”
“What?”
“Yeah.” I don’t look at him. “She made some comment about me never traveling the world or going to college.”
He frowns. “Why?”
I shake my head. “I guess she hasn’t gotten over that night at the party.”
“Did you apologize for that night?”
“I tried to, but she cut me off. She didn’t want to hear it.”
“Hm. Maybe that’s it, then. You two should just avoid each other.”
My chest tightens. I was hoping for another response, like that he would encourage me to go after Erin. Sam’s a logical guy, though, and he’s telling it to me like it is.
I should avoid her.
Too bad I can’t avoid thinking about her.
We walk into the rec center, where a good two hundred people mill about. The official meeting doesn’t seem to have started yet, and Sam and I weave our way into the crowd.
I spot some other guys from high school and head that way, greeting them with manly handshakes. “So, how’s it going, man?”
“Good. Can’t complain. You?”
“Fine. You?”
“Fine. How’s the family?”
And this is how it goes. We all ask the same questions. None of us are really interested in someone else’s life or how their jobs are going or any of that. But it’s a safe way of breaking the ice, of saying hello.
“Do you know who’s leading this meeting?” I ask David, one of the guys from high school.
I nod, not really paying attention to what he’s saying. My mind is still on Erin, on her mean comment and that sharp gaze that had me hooked. I can’t help but wonder what it would be like to have her look at me with anything but coldness.
The meeting begins with Amanda Rodriquez, a local farmer in her early fifties, taking the stage.
“Good evening, everyone.” She doesn’t have a mic, but Amanda is a powerful personality and her voice booms across the room. “Thank you for coming tonight. It makes me thrilled to see all of you here, and since I don’t want to waste your time, let’s get right into it.”
I scan the room for Erin, but she’s not here. And why should I expect her to be? She doesn’t live here. It doesn’t matter one bit to her what happens in this town.
Amanda continues. “As you’ve all probably heard, the town has authorized the sale of Fletcher’s Pond to a private company.”
