important to retain the culture of this beautiful town. We at Cranbury Resorts are committed to providing an authentic Fair Oaks experience—”
“We fucking hate tourists!” Gage stands, his face red as he gestures toward the screen. “Rental campsites? Are you fucking kidding me?”
It’s a travesty. They’ll turn this gem into another Disneyland.
She seizes the microphone. “There will also be a kayak rental at Lake Cranbury—”
A woman with long, blond hair who I’ve never spoken to screams at Evelyn. “Stop calling it Lake Cranberry! It’s Lake Fulton.”
“You’re not turning our home into a resort!”
“Stand back!” Chris launches himself across the room as George rushes the stage. Evelyn lets out a high-pitched, girlish scream as he snatches the microphone from her hands. Everyone winces at the sound of it hitting the ground.
Chris’ thick arm pulls at George’s waist. He raises the microphone to his lips, his glasses askew. “They’re the Illuminati! I’ve been telling you for years this would happen. We need to chain ourselves to our ho—”
Cries of outrage roar through the small room as the Cranburys escape, and then Chris pries the microphone from George, who’s still screaming about his conspiracy theories.
“Everybody needs to calm down. Hey! Don’t trash this room. If you want to fight them, contact your state representatives.”
“Fuck that!” someone says to widespread cheers.
A hand grabs my shoulder, and I jump two feet in the air as his words graze my skin. “We should get the hell out of here.”
I turn into Gage’s arms, burying my face into his chest. Happiness bursts inside me with a small sob. “I’m sorry, Gage. I didn’t mean it—I didn’t mean any of it.”
He plants a brief kiss on my head, his hands soothing me. “We need to get outside.”
I don’t argue as Gage pulls me through the irate crowd of people, my heart leaping with joy as I take another look at the stage. They’re gone. The map flickers on the wall before someone smashes the projector.
The horde spills out from the town hall, gathering in the middle of the road to glance anxiously at the bulldozers. Hysterical voices echo around me, questions demanding for the same answer: What do we do? Men sob openly at the thought of losing their homes. Trudy hobbles on her walking stick, screaming insults I’ve never heard of at the construction workers setting up Do Not Cross yellow tape.
Gage’s expression tightens, his arms still wrapped around me. I look at him, pleading. “Gage, I tried to stop them! I’m so sorry!”
He pulls me into his chest. “Stop apologizing. It’s not your fault.”
“They promised they’d leave if I signed divorce papers their lawyer drew up. A—and I did.” I can’t believe how stupid I was. “The whole time she was planning to go through with it anyway.”
“It doesn’t matter,” he says in a low voice. “They can put a gun to my head. I won’t sign them. I don’t care what they do to me.”
“But what about the rest of them? All these people will lose their homes.”
“I think I have an idea that’ll buy us some time.” With his arm wrapped around me, he walks into the crowd of desperate people shouting at each other. Then he makes a circle with his thumb and forefinger, and blows a fierce whistle. People whirl around, looking at him, and they finally fall silent.
“We’ve got to make a human chain around town hall, and we need to do it fast. We’ll need volunteers to bring everyone sleeping bags, food, water, and people to stay home to switch out when folks get arrested. If we want to save our town, we’ve got to make a huge effort. Someone should contact news stations, twitter, whatever the fuck. Our only hope is to drag these bastards through the mud and hold out for as long as we can.”
People murmur to each other, and I link my hand with Gage’s, pressing against his side. “He’s right. I’ve lived in San Francisco my whole life. Public outcry is the only thing that can stop evictions like this.” They still look suspicious. “I’m sorry about all this. It’s my fault they’re trying to destroy your town. Everything I tried didn’t make a difference. They’re still going through with it.”
He squeezes my hand as my voice thickens with emotion, and then George pipes up from the center of the crowd. “I knew it. I told you guys she was just playing an act to appease them!” People glance at each other guiltily as he