“Do you have offers or proposals from places in the US?”
“I’m sure we do. I haven’t gone over them all since leaving Nepal.” He glanced down, then back to her. “I haven’t really focused on the States. Yes, there are very rural places here without a mouthpiece, but this is such a developed country, and there are so many that aren’t. That have no means to get what is needed to save what needs saving.”
“So, how does your Reed Planet work, in terms of helping? Crowd-sourcing, crowd-funding?”
“Both of those things. As I said at the meeting, oftentimes by getting the word out that there is a critical need, the right people step up. Then I can connect those who are willing to donate their time, expertise, technology, whatever is needed, to the people who can help. Other times a financial investment is the fastest way to solve a problem, which can come through crowd-funding or donations from businesses or philanthropic entities, or all three.” He grinned. “It’s not just kids like Jake who watch Reed Planet. It’s scientists and CEOs, inventors and doctors, investment bankers, lawyers, researchers, vets. Whether it’s to save a certain species by preserving their habitat, or bringing attention to a specific plant that is threatened, either by climate or habitat encroachment, or a whole fishing village that might lose its only source of revenue because the waters have grown too warm to attract the fish they catch and sell. Somebody will have a solution or know somebody who does. We don’t need to be experts in any of these things. We just need to let the world know what the problem is and connect the people to make the solution happen.”
“That’s . . . incredible. In every sense of the word.”
“It amazes me every day that it works like it does. It didn’t start out the way it is now. We tried to help more than we actually did help. It took a while to really build the global community that pays attention to us now. We learned we had to go back and show people our successes, show we were making a difference. It was hard because we didn’t have the resources we have now, the clout or the knowledge about how to get in to the places we needed to get to, with the equipment needed to broadcast. Back then it was me and Dom, and some locals with a camera and an old laptop we could use to upload the grainy footage we shot. These days we have satellite links and can broadcast live from some pretty amazing locations that are otherwise completely cut off. I’ve got Jon manning the computer part and Peli making the camera magic happen.”
“So, I’ve seen,” she said. “You make even an endangered fern seem exciting.”
“What do you mean?” he deadpanned. “They are exciting.”
She laughed.
“I’m really glad you’ll have a chance to meet my crew. We’re family in a different way from yours, but they’re like my Hannah, Vivi, and Avery.”
Chey smiled. “I’m glad, too.” And she was. The more she understood his world, the more she wanted to know. “In all honesty, what do you think our chances are? Of swaying the council to our side?”
“Your town is tight knit in the best of ways. Folks coming together like they did today will be a big part of this situation getting resolved in a way that helps everyone.”
“Everyone except Hammond and the council members who are apparently looking to enhance their personal bottom line separate and apart from what the town gets out of it,” she said. “Frankly, that’s the part that worries me most. Vivi didn’t reveal what Hammond said to her, but if she forced him off that boat, it had to have been pretty bad. He’s not striking me as someone who will be easily thwarted, and that humiliation had to have doubled his determination. Tripled it.”
Wyatt nodded. “Most likely, but the way I see it, if we push hard enough, they’ll cave. They’ll be just fine without more money. They have plenty. And they’ll make more, no doubt. Just not selling out Blue Hollow Falls to do it. If Vivi’s lead pans out as she seems to think it will, we’ll really hit the ground running. That helps, too.”
Chey looked down into her mug, thinking about her talk with Vivi earlier.
“What is it?”
She let out a short sigh. “I’m still not so sure about Vivi’s contact. I mean, I trust that if she says he’ll come through, he will. Whether he’s a developer, or a money guy, I don’t know. I do know that she never makes blind promises. She has a long list of interesting connections from her colorful and amazing life. She’s pretty well-off herself, and has been for decades, so her social circles could include virtually anybody. I’m just—”
“Worried she’s biting off more than she can chew? Or biting off something she shouldn’t?”
“Exactly.”
“She definitely wasn’t one hundred percent thrilled to be putting this plan into motion, or any percent. That much was clear.”
Chey agreed. “She’s doing it for us, and it’s clearly requiring some kind of sacrifice on her part, which I hate. I talked with her a bit about it earlier while you were out in the stables with Bailey and Tory, but she’s keeping it close to the vest. I get the impression that he’s someone from her past. Someone who meant more to her than a casual acquaintance or business contact.” She smiled at him, but it was bittersweet. “Maybe something along the lines of what happened with us, only my guess is a lot more complicated.”
“Maybe we should go ahead and get a backup in place. Dom has a few names on a tentative list. We haven’t reached out, but we could. Not only because this seems to be an emotionally charged situation for her but, given the tight time frame, you may not want the whole caboodle riding on a tenuous personal situation.”
“That too. I mean, mostly I’m worried for her, but yes, given the timetable, there’s no room for a do-over.”
“Let me talk to Dom first thing in the morning. Early morning here will be early afternoon where he is, so he’ll have had some time to make calls.”
“I really appreciate that. I honestly don’t know what else to do with the Vivi situation. I mean, she’s an adult, making her own choices, and I know how I’d feel if someone tried to step in and tell me what I should or shouldn’t do.”
“Do you think she’s putting herself in danger?”
Chey lifted a shoulder. “Physically? I’d like to think not.” She smiled. “I did tell her to take her umbrella.”
Wyatt smiled at that, but Chey could see the idea worried him, too.
“You don’t think she might be putting herself in any kind of financial danger, do you? Business, property? Doesn’t have to mean cash.”
Chey’s eyes widened briefly. “I didn’t even think about that.” She shook her head. “But no, I get the feeling it’s more an emotional minefield.”
“What time is the meeting?”
“Eleven tomorrow morning. She didn’t say where, but my guess is it won’t be here or in town. Probably down in Turtle Springs.”
“What’s the nearest actual city? Somewhere a guy on the scale of what we’d need might be more likely to do business?”
“Valley View. That’s just it, though. I doubt this is someone from around here. Vivi spent most of her adult life in New York. She retired after Harold died.”
Wyatt sent her a questioning look.
“The love of her life.” Chey lifted a hand from her mug. “Well, maybe he’s better characterized as the disappointment of her life. It’s a long story and, I’m afraid, not mine to tell. Suffice it to say it was that loss she was grieving when the four of us met.” She gestured to the house they sat in. “He’s the reason we have all of this.” She smiled, her thoughts both sad and filled with affection. “Vivi had retired from the New York Broadway scene and moved to DC, where she immediately got involved with consulting on costume design for the Folger Theater and the National Ballet Company. I don’t think she ever really planned to stop working, but she just couldn’t be in New York any longer.” Chey took a sip of coffee, shook her head. “She loves the city, but there were too many sad memories, among other things. I completely understand that. But a new town, new challenges, fresh faces, wasn’t helpi
ng. She knew he’d left her this place, but she’d never come out to see it, or deal with it. She just couldn’t. But after the four of us met and grew close, eventually, she did.”
“Fate, kismet, or a combination of the two,” he said.
“Something like that.” Chey leaned back against the pillows, the memories making her smile deepen. “It started as a joke. The fearsome foursome do lavender farming. I mean, it was funny and silly and not a little insane. But in support, we all traveled out here together when Vivi came to see the place for the first time. And, suddenly, though we pretended we were still joking . . . seeing it changed everything. We were each so drawn to this place.” She sighed. “We were all at crossroads in our lives, and it felt like the perfect escape. The perfect spot to start over. I don’t think any one of us would have done it alone. I know Vivi wouldn’t have. It was a bigger change of pace and scenery for the three of them than for me, but it was still a huge change for all of us, being in this together. Still, what did we have to lose, really?”
“Did you each invest, or is it still all Vivi’s?” He immediately lifted his hand. “Never mind. None of my business, I just—never mind.”
“No, that’s okay. Yes, we did each invest. Vivi wanted to gift portions to us, but we each wanted a financial stake. And it’s all drawn up properly. If any one of us ended up hating it, we agreed ahead of time the other three would buy her out. And if we all hated it, Vivi agreed we’d sell the farm and sail off with our share of the profits to other adventures.”
“This place seems to suit each of you in your own way,” he said, holding her gaze with a smile.
“Thank you. It really does. Fate was being exceptionally kind when our paths crossed. I’m glad we were crazy enough to all say yes.”
Wyatt continued to look at her, affection, caring, kindness, all of the things she’d always associated with him, right there to see. She couldn’t wish that the other part of him didn’t exist, because it was such a wonderful, beautiful thing, this man he’d become. Not to mention hot as hell. And if she’d loved the boy, as a friend, as something more . . . the feelings she was already having for the man were so much deeper, far more complex.
With their shared history, that tight bond and connection created a ready-made foundation, and things were moving swiftly; she didn’t know how to slow that down. Given the limited time they had, even if it was for a full summer, honestly, she didn’t want to slow it down. She wanted it all, all that she could have, all they could have.
She didn’t—couldn’t—miss the underlying sadness she saw in him, too. She understood it, felt it. Seeing her out here, working with her, talking to her, he knew she belonged to this place and these people every bit as much as she knew he belonged to his world after seeing those videos, seeing him in action, and watching him, firsthand, helping her neighbors, her town, that morning.
They were as perfect for each other as the lives they each led were perfect for themselves. Where does that leave us? How does that work?
Chapter Ten
“I cannot believe we’re doing this.”
Wyatt glanced over at Chey, who clutched her to-go cup of coffee between her fingerless-gloved hands. Unseasonably chilly weather had made a return, along with gray skies and a gloomy forecast. She’d even traded in her customary cowboy hat for a knitted headband that covered her ears. He thought it was adorable but kept that tidbit to himself.
“At least she’s not hard to follow,” he said. The light turned green and Wyatt eased his newly leased Jeep Cherokee away from the curb, a few cars back from Vivi’s red and white Chevy.
“I just hope she doesn’t spot us. I want her to be safe, but I feel awful for prying.”
“She’s never seen this vehicle,” he told her. “And you’re incognito without your hat. We could stop and get you some sunglasses.”
“Very funny,” she said, but he knew the tension in her voice had nothing to do with him.
They were both worried about Vivi. Chey wasn’t the only one with a gut feeling about the meeting. “Once we get to wherever it is she’s going, we’ll take a picture of the guy, get his license plate. I’ll send it to my computer guy, Jon, and we’ll see what’s what.”
“Whomever she’s meeting is probably from out of town, so the license plate won’t help, I don’t think.”
“Even rental vehicles require paperwork.”
Her expression was both dubious and surprised. “Who are you?”
“Just a guy who likes to know what he’s walking into. And you’re being a good friend for wanting to know what she’s walking into. It’s not as if we’re going to be listening in, or barging in.”
“Unless we have to,” she said evenly.
He chuckled, then grinned when she shot him the Queen Vic look. “What? I just think maybe you’ve read one too many spy thrillers.”
“Says the guy who knows a guy who can run license plates and do background checks.”
“Yeah, well, like I said, sometimes it pays to know who you’re getting involved with.”
She glanced at him now, openly curious. “Meaning what?”
“Meaning, in some of the places we go, sometimes we need to use back channels to get where we need to be, with the equipment we need to have. Other times even the totally legit local or government contacts have dual agendas. More knowledge is never a bad thing. That’s all I’m saying.”
“So, could you have gotten like, a bug, or something, so we could have listened in?”
He laughed outright and glanced at her. “I thought you were upset about prying.”
She smiled sweetly at him. “I was just curious about the extent of your superpowers, that’s all.” Chey looked forward again and pointed. “She’s turning left! There, next block down.”
“I see her.”
Chey grinned then. “Yeah, she is kind of hard to miss.”
They ended up following her all the way out to Valley View, the closest thing Blue Hollow Falls had to a nearby city. Vivi pulled in to the circular drive of a posh, five-star hotel and left her keys with the valet.
Wyatt pulled in and stopped on the other side of the fountain that sat in the middle of the circular drive.
“A hotel?” Chey asked. “Now what do we do? He could have parked anywhere. Or worse, he’s staying here, and she could be going up to his room. That’s not smart. Come on, Vivi.”
They had been hoping for a restaurant where they’d see Vivi meet up with her guest before going in. As long as the two were meeting in a public spot, Wyatt wouldn’t be otherwise concerned for her safety. Not her physical safety anyway.
The hotel was still a public space, but Chey had a point. “I know this seemed like a perfectly rational plan when we were lying in bed talking it over at four this morning,” he said dryly. “Now I’m starting to think we’re overstepping.”
“And I’m starting to be glad we came. I mean, he could do anything in there and we wouldn’t even—” Chey broke off and slid down in her seat. “She’s standing out in front of the hotel,” she hissed, as if Vivi could hear them thirty yards away behind a massive, noisy fountain. From inside the Jeep.
“I see her,” Wyatt said, and popped open the center console.
“Does she have the umbrella?”
Wyatt shot her an amused look.
“Well? Does she?”
Chuckling, he got out Chey’s field glasses, which he’d snagged on their way out the door that morning, and his old camera, which went everywhere he did. “Looks like she’s waiting by the curb. Hopefully not for the valet, or that was just the shortest meeting on record.” He glanced back at Chey. “No umbrella. But I can hardly see her. The wind is picking up with the storm coming in. It’s blowing the spray around.”
Chey scooched up just enough to look over the bottom edge of the passenger side window. “Should we move closer?”
He shook his head and kept his binoculars trained on Vivi. “This is a pretty prime spot. Nowhere else gives us this va
ntage point without also being fully in the open.” He had the Jeep tucked against the curb as snug as possible to allow other vehicles to still use the circular drive. He handed Chey the camera. “Here, you’re on the side closest to the curb. Look like you’re taking photos of the fountain.”
She stared at him in confusion.
“So we look like obnoxious tourists who don’t care that we’re blocking part of the driveway. But keep it trained on Vivi and zoom in—” He showed her the zoom button, then handed her what amounted to his baby. “Be careful with it.”
She looked at the camera, at all the dents, dings, scratches, and general abuse it had taken over the years. She glanced at him. “Really? Because you’re afraid parts of it are going to fall off if I’m not?”
“Because it’s been with me every single day of my adult life.”
She looked at the camera again, only in awe this time. “This is the camera you bought when you left Iceland for Greenland?”
He smiled, liking that she’d remembered that detail among all they’d talked about since. He shook his head. “Close. That’s the one I got right after the other one. It shoots videos. The first one didn’t.”
“But you still have that one, too, right?”
He smiled, nodded. “Yeah, but it stays back at the farm. I don’t use it anymore. I don’t use this one professionally, just personally. It goes where I go.”
“Still taking photos and writing down your thoughts?” she asked, looking charmed by the possibility.
He nodded, then grinned. “Just for myself. No photojournalism aspirations these days.”
She looked at the camera again, with reverence this time. “I was just thinking if only this camera could talk.” She smiled at him. “But I guess it has. Have you taken pictures of Blue Hollow Falls? Our farm?”
He nodded. He’d taken a whole host of photos of her when she hadn’t been aware. Out in the field, in the barn. Asleep next to him.
“Can I see them, sometime? And some of the others? It’s okay if they’re just for you. I don’t want to intrude—”
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