Page 25 of Holding Ground

Everyone in the room seems to relax a bit.

But I don’t because I realize how good she is. She managed to turn my questions into proof that the developer’s process is working as intended—that by engaging the community, everyone’s voices are being heard.

It’s not as if they can just come and take my property, and God knows I’d never sell it to them. But if their intent is to expand beyond what’s being presented here, and they start approaching other people on the lakefront, someone will cave, whether out of desperation because taxes go up or just because they see dollar signs. And pretty soon, my camp, my house, will all be swallowed up by new development.

I narrow my eyes at Emelia, and a flicker of something passes over her face before she turns to address someone else’s question. It looks like anger, but I don’t get the sense that it’s directed my way. No, I think she’s mad at herself. Because she hadn’t caught it. She hadn’t thought about my point until I thought to ask it.

No, she’s not pissed at me. She’s pissed at herself. Maybe even at her employer.

Jimmy leans across Roy and whispers to me, “She’s sharp.”

I don’t bother responding.

Emelia Greene might be sharp, but she’s hiding something that she’s not telling us, and it’s my job to find out what.

CHAPTER

NINE

Elliott

The next night, I close the door to Baylor’s bedroom, knowing she’ll be passed out in the next thirty seconds.

We had a big day. She helped me do some things over at the camp, then I took her fishing on the lake.

I make my way back to the kitchen. “Anyone need a beer?”

I open the fridge and look over at my brothers, Ansel and Hollis, Roy, Jimmy, Clyde, and Sam, all sitting at the table, waiting to start the poker game.

In my teens and early twenties, the weekly poker games were always at my uncle’s place. My siblings and I grew up having the Thermos Crew at our place every Saturday night. When Baylor was young, that tradition continued. It was easy to cart a baby around or put a toddler down in a Pack ’n Play. But now that she’s older, we have the poker games at my place. It’s just easier for Baylor to go to bed in her own room. Since she sleeps like the dead, there’s never been a problem with us keeping her up.

“I’ll take one,” Ansel says.

I grab two from the fridge and hand Ansel his before sitting beside him.

Roy picks up the cards to deal because Roy always deals. He holds the same worn cards he’s used for decades, shuffles them quickly, then hands them out methodically. My uncle raised four kids, ran a hardware store, and singlehandedly held this family together through shit that would buckle most people, but I’ve never seen him rush anything.

Clyde frowns when he looks at his hand. “Gonna have to figure out my strategy with this.”

“You’ve never had a strategy,” Jimmy says, not bothering to lift his gaze from his own cards.

“Do too. It’s just fluid.” Clyde rearranges his cards in his hand.

“It’s losing.” Sam has already adjusted his chips into several straight towers in front of him.

He brought Marlene’s famous banana bread, half of which sits on the counter, and the other half is in Ansel’s stomach from what I can tell from the crumbs in front of him. I can’t blame him. It’s the best banana bread I’ve ever eaten.

Ansel bounces his leg under the table, something that used to drive me insane when we were younger.

Hollis leans back in his chair across from me, his cards flat on the table. I’m not sure if it’s all the youngest brothers who have a quiet arrogance to them, or it’s just mine. We can’t fault him. He’s the best poker player at this table.

If my sister still lived in Echo Lake, tonight would feel like every Saturday night growing up. Except we’re all adults now, I’m a dad, and Roy and the Thermos Crew discuss their ailments more than their sex lives. I’d rather hear about their bunions than when we went through that stage where they openly talked about needing assistance to get it up. Ansel is still paranoid it’s going to happen with him.

I’m minding my own business when Jimmy lifts his gaze to me. “Heard about your new tenant.”

I really didn’t want to get into this tonight. “Roy rented the place to her, not me.”

My uncle leans back in his seat. “Elliott is acting like it’s a capital offense.”