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I was still overwhelmed by the thought of Andi standing up for me like that, but it was also true when I said that I didn’t want to be the reason her relationship failed. I had to try harder with Colt.
When we all headed for the door, I pulled him aside.
“Listen, I know I we already cleared the air about work stuff, but I just want you to know I understand how you feel about the family stuff too.”
His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”
“I know what it feels like to be attached to a family and yet not fully one of them. It’s hard. Even if you love them, and even if they love you, there’s always going to be a degree of separation between you and them.”
“Do you mean…” He glanced over to Wes, who was currently making Andi squeal as he enveloped her in a bear hug.
“Yeah. It’s complicated. Some of it’s just in my head,” I said. “But some of it, like who gets this business when Wes’s father fully retires? That’s not. I’ll never be the son who gets the business. I’ll never really be the boss.”
Colt ducked his head. “And I guess me pointing out Wes is the boss and not you didn’t help, huh?”
I chuckled. “You’re not telling me anything I don’t already know, Colt. The difference is, I respect Wes, and I know he respects me. Whatever happens with the business, with the family, he’s got my back. So I’m telling you that from now on, I’ve got yours.”
CHAPTER17
WES
“Beaver Hole is looking beautiful—”Snickers interrupted Tucker’s statement, and he rolled his eyes. “I’m surrounded by immature idiots.”
Beckett looked contrite. “Sorry, Tucker.”
The rest of us nodded like good little boys, but truth be told, we were all shamelessly grinning. I might feel worse, but one of us was over eighty years old, and if LeRoy Smalls wasn’t too old to laugh at beaver jokes, then why should I be? He was one of the happiest guys I knew, so I figured he was a role model in a way. His new boyfriend, Eugene Wright, sat at his side, shaking his head but smiling, much as Beckett was. Shit, were we going to grow up to be LeRoy and Eugene? I didn’t know how I felt about that. I mean, at least we found each other before the age of eighty. That was a plus…
Hunter Rhodes, the marketing manager for the city, cleared his throat. “Yes, Tucker, please continue,” he said, though he was smirking with amusement.
We’d met at The Diner for a late morning meeting about the city’s five-year strategic plan,Stop Granville Shrinkage, which generated plenty of snickers of its own. As the city manager, Tucker was the lead on implementing the plan, while LeRoy and Eugene were both city council members appointed to a board to help make decisions.
Beckett and I were here only as consultants, since Tucker specifically wanted to discuss plans for green spaces today. We weren’t guaranteed to get the work, but the more we participated, the better our chances. It also didn’t hurt that we ran the only local landscaping company.
“We’ve beautified downtown Main Street,” Tucker continued, “but the intersecting streets of Chestnut and Maple have a number of small businesses, and if we were to improve the green spaces there, it would give us more of a full downtown square, rather than a single corridor.”
“I don’t know, Tucker,” LeRoy said with an uncharacteristic frown. “Folks were a little upset that Beaver Hole got so much attention. They feel like Ball-Sack has been neglected.”
Oddly, when LeRoy said it, none of us laughed, despite the many innuendos he was dropping. I did shudder a little at the visuals.
“If we invest in another park, we’re done,” Tucker said bluntly. “We don’t have the funds to spread all over the city. We have to be strategic.”
“What if it wasn’t a park?” Beckett suggested.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, not a full-size neighborhood park as such. What if it was a community garden? Or even a more traditional garden that could celebrate the historic origins of the neighborhood.”
“Hmm. It’s a nice idea,” Tucker said, “but that neighborhood is far from revitalized. Is it worth the investment?”
“I’ve been working with the Historic Homes Preservation group to apply for grants to improve the neighborhood,” Hunter said. “It won’t be an overnight process though. It won’t even be a year-long process, though Laurie’s offer of matching funds will certainly help.”
Tucker blinked. “He did what?”
Hunter chuckled. “Nothing’s official, and I’m not sure we want to take him up on it, but he’s offered to match any grants we manage to win to give us a little more bang for our buck.”
Tucker heaved a sigh, though he couldn’t suppress a smile. “That man…”
“He also offered to purchase some of the uninhabited homes, rehab them, and resell them.”
