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We glare at each other, neither of us backing down until I do, trying to appeal to him with the one connection we have. Blood. Our name. This town.
“Eddie, come on. I happen to like the Winslow name. I don’t want the town name to change. I love this place. I love the history.”
He avoids my gaze and remains silent. My earliest memory of Eddie and our father is of them arguing. I can’t remember a time when they weren’t at odds.
A year after I returned from college, my parents died in a car crash on their way back from Missoula. At the time of his death, Eddie wasn’t speaking to Dad.
Fortunately, their problems never tainted my relationship with my big brother. Eddie loves me, taught me a lot, and was always there for me. Between Eddie and Pop, I had the guidance, love, and support that my father had a hard time bestowing.
But strangely, despite the disapproval he easily heaped onto his sons, I tried endlessly to please him, to live by his rules and credos. His biggest belief was to protect the Winslow name and legacy at all costs.
Merrick Winslow would hate all of this.
“Okay, enough about that.” Eddie nears me and hooks a hand around my neck with a rough squeeze. “Where did you stay last night? I wondered if you’d changed your mind and skipped town.”
“I was at Wren’s.”
“Tyler?” he asks as if there’s another Wren in town.
I chuckle and feel my cheeks heat at the admission. “Yeah.”
“You two?”
“Yeah.” A smile tugs at my lips.
Suddenly, the memory of Pop’s command to talk to me tomorrow and then Percy hightailing it out of the Grill after Dot’s announcement smarts like a kick to the shin. Wren.
I wince, dread seeping into my bones. “Shit, Eddie, I’ve gotta go.”
Wren doesn’t know about Dot’s news. Percy most probably ran straight to the library. I should be the one to tell her. But what if I’m too late?
Chapter7
Wren
“Pretty bird, listen to me.” Reggie places her hand on top of mine and squeezes reassuringly. “You’ve done an amazing thing here, and the city council sees that. There’s no way in hell they’ll reject your proposal.”
The conviction in her voice causes a warmth to spread through my chest, but it isn’t enough to stop the doubts from mushrooming in my mind.
“I hope you’re right.” I bite my bottom lip as if it were that easy to crush the worry. “The waiting is torture. And now that Mayor Malone has postponed our meeting…” Apprehension ricochets through me, making my shaking head speed up. “It doesn’t feel good.”
Movement from outside the library entrance snags my attention. A tip of a shoe and a flash of blue. Although the longer I stare out the window, no one appears. Only a shadow is visible. Strange.
“It means nothing. Bureaucratic red tape.” Reggie tuts dismissively at my concern and slips a graying strand of hair that somehow fell from her ponytail behind her ear. “There’s no way Malone will pass up the opportunity to make Winslow Grove a shining example of a community helping their own.”
She rolls her eyes as if imagining the spectacle the mayor will make. “Trust me, he’ll gleefully boast about this program to the other towns. Although, I hope you know this also means he’ll take credit for the idea. Especially when it’s a great success and other towns want to create their own.”
An unattractive snort bursts from me. “I don’t care if he takes credit. My only concern is the kids. I don’t want Jack, Brayden, and Courtney to be overlooked. To miss out on college and a chance to have a better future.”
While I’m blessed with a loving father and home, I know what it’s like to miss out or be overlooked. When my mother died, a lot of the day-to-day responsibilities fell to me as the oldest. Some of it I willingly accepted. I looked at it as a way to stay connected to my mom. I missed her so much and wanted her to be proud of me. And some of it was thrust upon me by Pop.
To this day, I don’t think he fully realizes the heavy burden he placed upon me or how I missed out on things and felt overlooked. At seven years old and without a mom, I had to grow up quickly. Goofing off or acting out over something silly or childish was no longer acceptable.
Almost overnight, I was taking care of my three-year-old sister, tending to the house, and helping out at the Grill. Pop was grieving and overwhelmed and probably didn’t realize what he was doing. Nonetheless, it left me hollowed out and was likely why I retreated so quickly and so far when I thought Oliver liked someone else, our friendship be damned. It also heightened my need to help those who are overlooked or might miss out because of their circumstance.
Reggie pats my hand, bringing me back to our conversation. Her expression is tender and intense. “Neither do I. Little bird, what you’re doing is changing their lives. When I think about the kids I’ve had before Court, Jack, and Bray…” She presses her lips together and glances over to the three in question.
They’re walking toward us, with Courtney leading the way. “Bye, Ms. Tyler. See you later, Reggie.” She opens the door as Jack and Brayden echo her goodbyes.
