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Chapter 26
For the next couple of days, Mariposa Street grew busier, but Aria’s heart grew emptier. People who hadn’t been to the neighborhood in ages came to see what was still there, while others strolled through on their way to the beach.
On Saturday afternoon, several people sat eating pizza outside Nico’s, a crowd gathered at the door of the bar, and in the window of Moonbeams, Destiny was conducting palm readings for a group of young girls. It felt like the way Mariposa Street might have once been.
Several customers who’d come into the café congratulated Aria with cheerful remarks of, “You did it!”, which always made her think, “Wedid it.”
If Hunter hadn’t revealed the Venture plans, he would certainly have won the vote. Though she was immensely relieved and happy about the outcome, Hunter had given up far more than she might ever know.
Mariposa. Oceanview. His promotion. The Venture Resort. Possibly the CEO position. Maybe even his job or his entire career. Bruce Sinclair would want revenge for Hunter’s betrayal. There might even be legal repercussions.
She picked up two cups of iced tea and brought them into the Cat Lounge, where Callie and Rory were sitting at a table with a laptop, a thick, three-ringed binder, and an open bag of gummy worms. Rory had spent the past day double-checking firewalls and their network security to ensure no one had or could get into their personal data.
Aria was no longer worried that Bruce had his sights set on Rory. The Imperial Properties’ CEO now had good reason to target much bigger quarry in Hunter.
“I’ve made a spreadsheet of all federal and state grant application deadlines for historical preservation.” Callie turned the laptop screen toward Aria. “I’m sure the town hall has information on each individual building.”
“I’ll get going on a central Mariposa Street database.” Rory chewed on a gummy worm. “All of the owners can have access to the files.”
“Hey.” Callie nudged Aria with her elbow. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Aria wiped her hands on her apron and sat at the table. “I mean, thank you both for all your help. I’m…I thought of this when I was asking people to sign the petition and donate to the renovation fund, but now that it’s actually happened, I’m just wondering if I’ve screwed things up for the other building owners.”
“They voted no,” Callie reminded her. “They’ve all thanked you. Lois even sent you a bouquet of flowers.”
Aria smiled faintly. Lois and Ray planned to close the florist shop while they went on their cruise and considered other sale options for the building. The flowers told Aria they had no hard feelings about her campaign.
“If you hadn’t been the sole crusader against Imperial, they’d not only control this neighborhood, they’d be plotting like evil geniuses how to take over the entire town and coastline,” Rory added. “The more they bought, the more power they’d have. We all thought they were going to stop at Oceanview, so to find out they were like…what’s his name…Lex Luthor…well, you helped this town dodge a bullet. Everyone knows it.”
“You could have caved,” Callie added. “But you didn’t. Not everyone can say that.”
A lump formed in Aria’s throat. She felt Rory’s gaze.
“You did the right thing,” her sister said softly. “For Mariposa Street and for you.”
Aria fiddled with a wrinkled straw wrapper. Aside from her months with Steve, she’d never known life without her sisters. She’d compared herself to them so often, wishing she had Callie’s intelligence and Rory’s aptitude for data, and their constant, intense determination to get the job done.
She’d wished she had their drive, confidence, and sense of their place in the world. She’d wished so hard that she had something she was good at. She’d wanted to point to books, awards, diplomas, completed projects, prestigious jobs, and say,“That’s me. I did that.”
But as Hunter had told her, she didn’t need to compare herself to anyone. Not anymore. She alreadywaseverything she wanted to be. She was smart, caring, dedicated, loyal. She could sense instinctively what both animals and people needed. She’d learned how to stand her ground, even when the odds were against her. She liked herself.
Jumbo nudged at her leg. She picked up the cat and set him in her lap, then straightened to face her sisters. “I need to tell you both about Steve.”
* * *
“Margaret, there’s no need to cry.” Hunter put a lid on the last cardboard box and patted his assistant on the shoulder.
“I’m not crying.” She sniffed and dabbed at her eyes. “It’s just allergies. Are yousureyou want to leave?”
“Never been more sure of anything in my life.” Hunter shrugged into his suit jacket.
That wasn’t entirely true. His love for Aria wassure. The most certain thing he’d ever felt. Not until her had he realized that his lifelong plan for himself wasn’t a path, but a wall. An obstacle preventing him from seeing all the other directions he could take.
Aria had shattered that wall. She’d shown him that loyalty and friendship meant more than corporate ambition, and that having a place to callhomewas infinitely more important than building a billion-dollar complex.
Bliss Cove had proven the importance of afternoon teatime, bits of glass tossed endlessly by the sea, healing crystals, and refuges for lost cats. He no longer wanted to be multiple floors above ground level in the penthouse, the CEO’s office, the private jet.
He wanted to walk barefoot on the beach with its icy ocean water and warm sand. He wanted to live beside the boardwalk, the redwoods, Mariposa Street. He wanted artichoke soup, cold beer, and chocolate ice cream spiked with ghost peppers. He wanted to make out with Aria underneath the pier. He wanted to fall asleep with her in his arms and the sound of the ocean drifting in through the open windows.
