AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"What in the world is going on over there?" she muttered to herself.
Miles came up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders. “What is Stanton doing over there?” he asked, echoing her question.
“I’m going to find out,” Ariel said, the last words that Mayor Stanton had said to her—mocking, taunting—ringing through her mind.
I plan to demolish the existing house and level the land to make room for a big, luxury, bluff-side hotel.Well, he’d leveled the land and cleared the house. She’d had her doubts about his plans for a hotel right next to her B and B—and even if he had been serious, didn’t these things takes months and months to approve?
“I’m with you,” Miles said, but this time, Ariel shook her head.
“Can you hang out here? He hasn’t set his sights on you yet, and I’m worried that if you come with me, he’ll startinconveniencingyou like he has me ever since I got to town.”
Ariel almost laughed, as if constant meddling with her business and using his influence to throw up enough red tape to hinder her opening was mereinconvenience.
Miles looked uncertain. “I don’t know.”
At just that moment, Darcy stuck his head out the front door. “Hey! Miles, thank goodness. Do you have your tool box in the truck?”
Miles nodded at the younger man—and Ariel was almost afraid to ask why Darcy needed Miles and his tools. Darcy grinned easily at Ariel. “No need to worry, Boss. Just going to borrow your prince and a pipe wrench.”
Miles looked back at Ariel and sighed. “Okay. I’ll go help Darcy. You go do a little spying. But don’t try to tangle with that heavy machinery.”
Ariel was off the porch in a flash, curiosity getting the better of her. As she approached the clearing, she could see that it wasn’t just a survey or construction team onsite. Mayor Richard Stanton himself stood there, talking with a taller man who Ariel assumed was some sort of foreman.
The rest of the team were setting up tripods and measuring distances, shouting instructions to one another. They were surveying the land to start the foundation dig. But, even if Stanton had bought Doris’s land months and months ago, they shouldn’t be scheduled to break ground for a few more months—why did it seem like they were already starting to do some early construction work?
Ariel couldn't help but feel annoyed—how was it that he could be so far along? It had to be yetmoreabuse of his position of power. And he owned other parcels of land around town, so the fact that he had chosen right next to her to build was a real insult. Stanton had always been a bit of a thorn in her side, but she had never expected him to go this far.
As she watched them work, she could feel her anger start to rise. She had no intention of letting the mayor walk all over her. She marched across the field, her heels sinking into the newly tilled earth, and approached the group of men.
"Excuse me," she said loudly. "What's going on here?"
The mayor turned around, a smug grin on his face. "Ah, Ms. Hawthorne," he said, his voice dripping with condescension. "We're just doing a little surveying for the new hotel we're building—it looks like we’ll be breaking ground soon and working on construction all summer long. I hope we're not disturbing you too much."
Ariel clenched her jaw. "Actually, you are," she said. "You're making alotof noise, and I have a house full of guests. That thing”—she pointed to the crane—“sounds like the wails of the undead. I can’t even hear myself think in my own house!"
The mayor chuckled, though the man standing next to him looked a bit uneasy. "Oh, I'm so sorry about that. But I'm afraid we have a job to do. And we’ll be sure to keep quiet once it gets dark out."
"A job that cannot wait until after summer—when most projects the size and scale of yours would be starting if there wasn’t something fishy going on with permits and permissions? It’s funny how many roadblocks I’ve faced with my renovations in comparison to how fast this huge endeavor got under way," Ariel shot back. "What's the rush?"
The mayor's expression darkened. "I'm afraid that's none of your business, Ms. Hawthorne."
Ariel's eyes narrowed. "Actually, it is. This is my property, and you're causing a disturbance. I'd appreciate it if you'd stop."
The mayor sighed. "Look, Ms. Hawthorne, I understand that you might be upset. But we have a deadline to meet, and we can’t afford to waste any time. I’m sure you can appreciate that, when one is opening a business, time is money."
Ariel wasn't buying it—and how dare he slide in that last snide comment as though he hadn’t been the source of the delays in her business opening. "I think you're just trying to mess with me, Mayor Stanton. You've always had it out for me, ever since I refused to sell you this property. I won't stand for it."
"I'm not trying tomess with you, Ms. Hawthorne. I'm just trying to get my job done. And if you don't like it, tough luck." The mayor's face was turning red with anger. The men in the survey crew had stopped, and Ariel could feel everyone’s eyes on them. She supposed it was quite the picture—her facing off against the taller, burlier, older mayor.
Ariel didn't back down. "We'll see aboutthat. I won't let you bully me into submission. We’ll see ifyourproject is obeying all the rules and regulations. You might have friends in high places here in Endless Harbor, Richard, but there arehigherplaces that will take action where no one even knows who you are."
The mayor scoffed. "And what action would that be? You can’t just shut down a major construction project because a few guests are unhappy."
Ariel's jaw clenched. "I'm not asking you to shut down your project. I'm asking you to be more considerate of the people who are staying at my place. They're paying for a peaceful and relaxing weekend, and hopefully more guests will be doing so through the summer. And your noise is making that impossible right now. If you cannot find a way to work around them, then I'll have to find a way to work around you."
"You do what you have to do, Ariel. But don't think for a second that I'll let you stand in the way of progress." The mayor's expression had turned cold.
With that, he turned and walked away, leaving Ariel seething with anger and the man who had been standing beside him, silent, scurrying behind.
