Page 35 of Holding Ground

My finger shakes over the Return key until I push it.

I stare at my post on the screen, debating whether to delete it. I really hope my parents don’t find out about this.

“Emelia?” Dottie’s voice breaks through my thoughts, and I get the sense that she may have been trying to get my attention for a while.

“Sorry, deep in thought.”

“Emelia, this is Lilith Nyland.” She gestures toward a woman in her sixties with gray hair pulled back into a taut bun. “Her family owns a blueberry farm just out of town.”

“Pleasure to meet you.”

Lilith gives me a small smile and nods. “Heard you’re shaking up with Elliott. That ought to be interesting.”

For some unknown reason, my cheeks heat. “I’m starting to feel like I’m at a disadvantage, with everyone knowing who I am before I know them.”

“That’s the way of things around here. It’s one of our charms. I’d like to keep it.”

“I take it you have some thoughts on my presence here in town.”

“I’ll leave you ladies to it. Gonna go check on Doug.” Dottie winks at us, and I know that “check on” is code for flirt.

Lilith moves a stool closer to me. “I don’t want to see this town turned into something it’s not, if that’s what you’re asking. My family has had our farm for four generations. My ancestors would be turning over in their graves if we lost the farm.”

“I can assure you we’re not looking to buy up a bunch of land.”

She hesitates. “You say that, but developers tend to get greedy. It only takes a handful of people to decide to cash in and sell for things to start the snowball effect. Before you know it, things look different around here, more people don’t like it, so they decide to sell too in order to move on from here.”

I think back to what Elliott pointed out at the town hall meeting—the vagueness of the development proposal that the firm came up with.

This is the first small-town development I’ve worked on. Normally, in urban centers, most of the surrounding blocks are already being utilized for the highest and best use. The parcels have already been assembled when you start a development project. But it’s different here.

“For many years, a long time ago, our farm was one of the largest employers. We’ve seen great years and lean years, and we’ve employed different generations of the same family. Our blueberries are used in some of the state’s fanciest restaurants, and Moira Wilson has won the state fair pie-baking contest seven times using our blueberries. Things like that matter, at least to the community that exists here today.”

A pull of recognition tugs in my gut when I listen to her words. It’s hard not to think of my upbringing in Sunrise Bay and relate it to what she’s saying. Small towns have their own heartbeat, and what helps them survive is exactly the kind of thing she’s talking about. Without it, you lose what’s special about a place like this.

Looking right into her eyes, I say, “I don’t want you to lose what’s special about this place either. You can trust me on that. I’m going to do everything in my power to ensure that if the council votes yes on this project, you won’t regret it. You have my word.”

Her aged eyes lock onto mine, and I hold her gaze so that she knows I mean what I say. Finally, after what feels like a long moment, she gives me a quick nod.

Dottie returns behind the counter. “Lilith, your usual to go?”

The older woman looks away from me. “If you don’t mind.”

The two of them hold their own conversation, and I think about what she said.

Later that morning, after I’ve devoured the crepes Dottie forced on me, I begin the report for my boss. It isn’t until I read it over before I leave that I realize it sounds as though I’m on the side of the townspeople and not on the developer’s side. I’ll have to give it another once-over before I hit Send.

CHAPTER

FOURTEEN

Elliott

“Is Emelia here?” Baylor asks the minute I park in the driveway after picking her up from school.

“Doesn’t look like it. Her car’s not here.” I glance in the rearview mirror and see she’s pouting. “Listen, kiddo, I know you’re excited that Emelia is staying with us, but it’s only temporary, okay?”

“I know.” She crosses her arms and looks out the window.