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Chapter Six
It was Monday, and Derek had a town council meeting the next night. The agenda was set to discuss the clean-up and preparation of the beach for the upcoming cottage season. Derek had asked that the issue of the water treatment plant be added to the agenda, which was met with some resistance as most of the council already considered the matter closed. He was meeting with a few townsfolk who were sympathetic to his cause at Harrington’s Bookstore Café to try to drum up ideas for Mission: Block the Water Treatment Plant.
After helping Mr. Thomas locate a rogue long-haired cow, he was running a bit late. When he arrived at the café, Pete was sitting with four other people. There was Bob Williams who owned the drugstore, Samara and Linda Schneider, and Steve Travers who owned The Burger Hut. They all had coffee mugs in front of them and heads bent over a note pad Pete was scribbling on.
“Hey everyone. Sorry I’m late.” Derek slid a chair over from an empty table to sit beside Pete.
“Glad you made it.” Bob, who was a few decades his senior, nodded.
“Derek, good timing.” Pete clapped him on the back. “We’re starting to formulate a plan.”
“Great. What have we got so far?”
Linda spoke up. “We figure the only way to sway other council members is for their constituents to put pressure on them.”
“Yes, but most people don’t understand the issue.” Derek sighed.
“Exactly,” Bob said. “The first thing we need to do is help people understand.”
“Okay, what’s the plan?”
“Well, that’s where we’re stuck.” Samara splayed her hands on the table. “Do we have flyers printed? Hold a town meeting? People throw flyers into the bins and don’t like interrupting their weeknights to attend extra meetings.
Plus, Bette has too much sway over people here. They listen to her just because they’re afraid not to.”
“We could take a page out in the newspaper,” Pete said.
“Would that attract any more attention than a flyer would?” Bob asked.
Linda chimed in. “What if we canvassed?”
“We don’t have the people-power to reach everyone in time.” Dismissing the suggestion, Samara patted her wife on the arm.
They were going back and forth when a shadow fell over the table.
“Can I get you anything?” an all too familiar voice said.
Derek turned to see Kylie standing there wearing jeans, a thin pink sweater, and black apron that readHarrington’s Bookstore Café. How could he have forgotten she got a job there?
“Oh,” he said. She seemed a bit flustered herself, but to her credit she controlled her customer service smile. “Black coffee please.”
“Sure thing.” She went to the serving counter. Derek watched as she poured his coffee into a white ceramic mug and brought it to him before moving on. At another table, she chatted with the customers while she cleared their dishes. She looked perfectly at ease talking to them and even flashed them a warm grin while they laughed at something she said.
“Derek?”
The group around his table were all staring at him. Pete had his eyebrows raised in a question, and both Samara and Linda had smirks on their faces.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Oh nothing,” Bob said. “We were all admiring young Miss Martin as well.”
Linda elbowed him in the ribs.
Derek’s cheeks burned.
“We’re at a loss for how to get the word out,” Pete said. “Do you have any other ideas?”
“What if we brought your scientist, Dr. Aphra back and asked her to explain to the town what she explained to us? She did a good job of making us understand,” Linda said.
