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Aunt Eileen leans in with a twinkle in her eyes. “A friend of mine, Callan Brannigan, has come to town. He owns a large development firm.” I wait, but she doesn’t add more. Anyone who develops large properties is automatically on my out list. I like things small. Big development ruins the charming appeal of places like Seaville.
I lose my smile. “What does Mr. Brannigan want with our town?”
Aunt Eileen’s smile widens. “He’s here to scope us out for a possible resort location.” She’s actually smiling about this, which shocks me. My friends feels the same, not excited about the possibility of expansion in our already perfect place.
“Auntie, we love our town. We don’t need a big resort. It would bring in a bunch of strangers we don’t want here. Why would we want to corrupt paradise?”
“I have to agree with Sasha,” Jess says. Emily nods. This is why we’re besties.
My aunt shrugs, not at all deterred by our less-than-happy reaction to her big reveal. “Business is good for our community, darling. There’s nothing wrong with adding jobs and revenue to our town.”
I shake my head, not at all convinced. “I don’t like it.”
“He needs someone to show him around. So if he’s going to build a resort, shouldn’t you be the one to influence what kind it is?”
“The best resort is one that’s not here,” I tell her, making her laugh.
“I was very good friends with Callan’s grandfather. You should remember Callan. He spent several weeks here with his gramps when he was young,” she says, as if this will change my mind.
“I don’t remember him,” I say, becoming more stubborn the longer this conversation continues.
Aunt Eileen laughs. “Oh, you’re so stubborn. You were about thirteen the last time they were here,” she says. My eyes widen as a memory tugs at me. It all comes back. Oh, no. My aunt’s smile grows. “You’re remembering.”
“No, I’m not.” But it’s clear I remember from my horrified expression.
“We always have beautiful summers here so I can see how they run together, but you and Callan were inseparable the last time he was here.”
“I wouldn’t say inseparable,” I grumble.
Aunt Eileen isn’t buying it. “You two were quite the pair. I even remember a kiss,” she points out. This makes Emily and Jess laugh as I glare at all of them while my cheeks flush.
“I was thirteen,” I say with a low growl. It takes a lot to wipe away my smile, but I don’t like how this conversation is going. “There might’ve been a peck or something, I don’t remember.” The thing is, I do remember. I might’ve been thirteen, but a girl doesn’t forget her first kiss, even if it is only a little chicken peck of the lips. He was a few years older and I thought he was the most dreamy boy in the world. I’d forgotten all about him until now though. That was many years ago.
“Callan’s a good man, dear, and you need the money. He’s paying well for his guide, and I’m asking you to do it as a favor,” Aunt Eileen says, pulling her trump card. Of course I can’t tell her no now, and she knows it.
I chew on my lip as I try to figure out some way to get out of this. I don’t see how I can. A resort will destroy this town, and I can’t let that happen. But my aunt’s right, I do need the money. I work a lot of little jobs, but I’m a free spirit and don’t want to be locked down to a forty-hour work week. I live simply, and I’ve always managed to find just enough work to live the life I want.
Hmm... it might not be a bad idea to take the job. I can get paid to discourage this man from building a resort here. I can show him the worst of the worst in our town and convince him it’s a terrible place to build. I can also drive him absolutely crazy. Businessmen are no fun at all. The ideas start spinning in my brain. I can see real possibility with this.
“Okay, Auntie, I’ll do it.” Jess and Emily look at me with suspicion. They know something’s up. I’ll share with them after my aunt’s long out of hearing range. I can’t blow my plans by having her share them with the man she seems quite fond of.
“Oh, that’s wonderful, darling. You won’t regret it.” She quickly pulls me to her for a hug. I only feel slightly guilty about my deception. “I better get going. I don’t want to cook in this heat.”
She jumps up, much more spryly than the average sixty-plus-year-old, then walks away. My friends know to wait until she’s long gone. The woman has hearing that rivals bats.
“Spill,” Jess demands.
“I’m going to drive him crazy,” I assure them.
They both laugh, then we bend our heads together as we come up with plans of how to drive this businessman out of our town. I’m sure the week ahead will be filled with unexpected twists and turns, but I’m quick on my feet. This is a battle I’m sure to win. I have no doubt about it at all.
Chapter Four
Callan
It wasn’t a bad day yesterday here in Seaville and it ended on an even better note as I ate a nice dinner on the patio of the small hotel restaurant and took in the stunning West Coast sunset. I love mornings, but nothing beats a great sunset in the summer. I don’t need a lot of sleep, so I get to enjoy sunrises and sunsets every day. One revs me up while the other soothes me and helps clear my mind of the millions of thoughts that flow through me each day.
There are times I wish I could shut my head down, but I’d rather have too much to think about than not enough. I’m not sure how people go through life without a purpose. Maybe that’s why depression is more prevalent in the world today than it ever was before.
