Eye of the Storm - By Hannah Alexander Page 0,66
your pick.”
He chuckled. He was going to like living here. He only wanted to make sure Megan stayed where she was. “I’ve called the newspaper and asked for citizens to show up at the specially called zoning committee meeting Thursday night. They need to know what the committee is doing and what they could lose if they allow this to happen. I do know how to play the political game.”
“Yep. You can do that. Just don’t ram it down their throats or they’ll resent it. I still think there must be some kind of reason Alec doesn’t want the plant here.”
“It could have something to do with why he attempted to purchase a piece of Lawson’s property six years ago. It wasn’t for sale. I wonder if he still has his heart set on it. That could be why he doesn’t want our homeless here.”
“What part of the resort did he want to purchase?”
“He wanted the lodge, ballroom and restaurant portion of the resort and the unfinished sunroom.”
“But why fight you? It’s going to be yours. Lawson already put it in writing.”
Gerard loved the sound of encouragement in her voice. “We’ll have to wait and see. Sandwich or fried chicken for lunch?”
“Whatever you bring is fine.”
When Gerard picked up Megan at noon, she could smell a spicy tang of garlic and glanced at the genuine picnic hamper in the backseat. “Pizza?”
“In sandwich form.” He backed out of the parking spot. “By morning, anyone who receives a paper will know about the meeting, and if they read the letters to the editor they’ll know how I feel about it. I’m not sure if that’ll be enough, but I hope the town hall won’t be able to hold the crowd.”
“Fighting form, I see.” She reached into the backseat and lifted one side of the hamper. “Mind if I eat? I’m starved. No breakfast. I slept late.”
“Have at it. Did Carmen have any information?”
Megan pulled out half a pepperoni and cheese on a sourdough bun. “Strangely, no. Carmen was quiet for once.” She took a huge bite and savored the blend of tastes. Sourdough was her favorite bread in the world. “Who made this?” she asked with a half-full mouth.
“I did. Housekeeper was out. Is that strange?”
“What?”
“Carmen being quiet?”
Megan chewed and swallowed as he drove through town and turned right. “You’d better believe it. Carmen has an opinion about everything, and she’s not afraid to share it.”
“So you think she knows something we don’t?”
Megan took another bite and shrugged. She’d never known Carmen to be quiet about anything, so this was new to her.
By the time Gerard parked the car, Megan had finished her half sandwich and was rummaging through the hamper for more food. Banana, apples…cookies! “What are these?”
“Oatmeal, coconut, pecan and dark chocolate. Nora made them last night. That woman cooks when she’s stressed, and she’s pretty much stressed all the time.”
“I could’ve told you that.” Megan bit into the dream cookie. Okay, this was her new favorite. “Let her stay stressed. It’s good for the whole community.”
“Maybe I’ll take a batch of Nora’s cookies to the meeting tomorrow night.”
“Good idea. Serve them with coffee so everyone will stay up all night thinking about what you had to say.”
Gerard accepted the sandwich Megan handed him. “I believe I can convince most folks of the benefits my proposal can offer the town.”
“I know you can.” Megan opened the door and stepped out. The grass was calf-deep and she could possibly step on a snake, but it had stormed again last night and the scent of the air was irresistible.
“So, Gerard, are you sure this is where God wants you?” She closed the door and took another bite of her cookie while Gerard joined her. A path led through an open gate to a waterfall in a hillside that faced south to a field, and they strolled toward the splashing water.
“I have no doubt. Kirstie told me that Lawson Barnes wants his property to go to the rehab center. I think I have my answer, don’t you?”
“Even if you have to purchase outside the city limits, dig a well and do the infrastructure? It’ll cost a lot more.”
“I don’t think we’ll have to build outside the city limits. Once people know how much revenue this could bring to Jolly Mill, I feel sure a vote will swing our way.”
Megan sank onto a boulder beside the splashing waterfall. “I don’t know how you keep going,” she said quietly. “You’ve had so many setbacks, seen