LOVE in a Small Town

by Janet Eaves

  Small gasps went up in the crowd.

  Jim countered. “But our downtown is booming. My wife recently opened a store that outdid itself this past month. Business is getting better all the time. She just hired a new part-time worker yesterday.”

  The consultant stepped around the podium and looked toward Lilly. “Yes, I understand. I’ve spoken at length with your wife, Mr. Hood. The fact of the matter is, as successful as her new business appears to be today, she’ll likely close shop within two years. I predict she won’t make it.”

  He paused to glance about the room. Suzie registered the scowl on Lilly’s face. Uh-oh. That was not a happy face.

  “In fact,” he continued, “as I look out into this crowd, I see a number of small business owners here. I’ve interviewed most of you. Each of you will be hard-pressed to make a profit in the next three-to-five years.” The consultant’s gaze landed on her.

  “That’s ridiculous!” Suzie jumped up and shouted the words before she’d realized it.

  “How dare you come in here and tell us we are doomed!” she continued. “We Legendarians aren’t like that, Mr…Consultant. We persevere. We work hard. We live our dreams. And we don’t give up!”

  Slow and sporadic applause erupted throughout the town hall. Suzie jerked her shoulders back and stood a little taller. It felt darn good to stand up for something she believed in.

  “That may be well and good; however, perseverance doesn’t pay the bills….”

  “Wait a minute.” Suzie glanced around the room. “Most of us are small business owners. We’re not struggling, are we?”

  A cone of silence fell over the crowd as realization set in.

  “My daughter went off to college and never came back.” The response edged up from someone to her right.

  “Tired of living from check-to-check, wondering each month which bill I might have to wait to pay,” squeaked out another.

  “The kids say there is nothing here for them,” came one more.

  Suzie crossed her arms. “I don’t get it.” She set her gaze on several faces. “Legend is beautiful! We have so much to offer. Nothing for the kids? We have a beautiful mountain and a lake and….”

  “That’s great for recreation, Suzie,” Jack interjected. “The kids want real jobs. He’s right. They go away to college and get their degrees, see the world, and don’t want to come back and work in a craft shop, stock shelves at the Piggly Wiggly, or wait tables at Soda Jerk’s.”

  Suddenly, a cacophony burst forth in the room. Heads all around bobbed back and forth discussing the situation with their neighbors.

  “We don’t need a damn factory to ruin our beautiful landscape!”

  “My kid wants a job at Valu-Mart. Why can’t we have a Valu-Mart?”

  Jane Smith shot to her feet. “Because those of us who love downtown Legend will lose our businesses. That is why we don’t need a Valu-Mart! My bookstore would be doomed with a Valu-Mart.”

  “But we’ve worked so hard to rebuild our downtown. We got that grant money. And people shop here. It’s on the tourist route. Why…didn’t we have a bus load of senior citizens here last week from Ohio?”

  Oh, hell. What was happening?

  Suzie searched the room. Where was her friend, Midnight? “Midnight!” she pointed to the owner of the Emporium. “Tell them about Market Legend. What a success that was this past winter. The website. The marketing strategy. We are not doomed.”

  Midnight stood halfway up when Jack Crenshaw cracked his gavel on the podium. She sat back down with a frown.

  He pounded the gavel again with a rat-a-tat-tat. “If I could have your attention. Attention please!”

  The rampant discord in the crowd abruptly stopped and everyone turned the mayor’s way. How was old Jack going to handle this one? The primary was around the corner and if he stepped too much one way or the other, he could either lose his job or be set for another term.

  “Folks, let’s be reasonable here,” he said slowly. “There may be a solution, so let’s hear some alternatives. We’re not finished yet. Martin?”

  The crowd turned to Martin McClain. Brad shifted in the seat beside her. She’d been so caught up in all of the action she’d almost forgotten he was there. Nooo… How could she forget the smell of his after-shave wafting toward her and the heat of his thigh searing hers?

  Leaning over, she resisted the urge to lay her hand on his thigh. She whispered, “Wonder what this is all about?”

  Brad shifted again, angling toward her. Good. If he hadn’t moved she would have gotten a stupid crook in her neck. What was it that turned her on about him? That he just spilled over with decadent sex appeal? So much so that she was drawn to him like flies on cider whether she wanted to be or not?

  None of it was good. Neither the attraction she was feeling nor the fact that he had definitely staked his claim on her last night. She was having difficulty reconciling all of it.

  Martin cleared his throat and rose. Reluctantly, she skid her gaze away from Brad.

  “I know all of this is a touchy subject,” Martin said, “but I think there are alternatives. I’ve been working with our consultant and others, and perhaps we can come to an agreement about the kind of development that could benefit Legend’s economy. Suzie is right about one thing, our natural resources are a draw. The lake. The mountains. The tourists do come to buy local crafts and the like.”

  An angry male voice bubbled up from the back of the room. “Ah, hell, Martin. You just want to sell land. You don’t care about the economy.”

  Martin’s face turned all but purple. “I want what is good for our town and the people who live in it. I think we can invest in projects that can do just that. For example, we have done a great job revitalizing downtown and I differ slightly in opinion from what our consultant says.” He glanced to his right at Midnight Shelby.

  Suzie smiled. She’d known when Midnight had stayed at the B&B while she was finding a home in Legend that something was up between her and Martin. The way he looked at her now confirmed that. Midnight’s Emporium was taking off; business was good. And Suzie would bet nickels that Midnight would be hard-pressed to admit her new business wasn’t a good thing.

  “So, I’d like to introduce someone to you who can explain a new project. I think you will like this. It will bring jobs and support the local economy, as well as revitalize a bit of our past. Mr. Matthews has a plan. Legendarians, meet Brad Matthews.”

  Suzie’s breath caught in her throat. What the hell?

  “Thanks, Martin.” Brad rose and shoved his hands in his tight jean pockets, then tossed a nervous glance at Suzie. He looked…uncertain. And that was an anomaly for Brad Matthews, the most self-assured man she’d ever met. He turned and faced the crowd.

  “I’ll be brief. One solution, it appears to me, is to capitalize on what you already have. The downtown is great. Tourists ride in here every week on buses. They stay for a couple of hours, buy lunch, a few souvenirs, and then leave. I think one way to boost the economy is to provide quality lodging services so tourists will stay longer.”

  Suzie sat straighter in her chair, her back ramrod stiff. Her attention was definitely at high-pique with his statement. Legend has quality lodging services. Her!

  He didn’t look at her. Coward.

  “Old Lake Lodge was a boon in its heyday. People came in droves to experience the mountains, stay the week, and unwind. Since the bankruptcy of its owners more than thirty-five years ago, and the subsequent condemnation of the Lodge itself, it has sat abandoned, empty and virtually unused.”

  Suzie scooted to the edge of her seat, her face growing warm. What-in-the-hell was he proposing? The room was silent.

  “I know I am an outsider, you don’t know me from Adam, but I’ve been studying your town for a while and I’ve decided to move here.”

  Abruptly, Suzie broke into a choking fit, casting most all eyes in the room her way. Someone in the row behind her reached over to pat her hard on the back. She gl
anced to her rear through watery eyes and nodded her thanks to old Geraldine and then swung her gaze around to Brad.

  “Sorry, please go on. I find this extremely, uh…interesting.” She glared at him, not entirely certain she understood the look that he shot back.

  Brad returned to the crowd. “I’ve purchased Old Lake Lodge,” a twitter of conversation broke in the room then, “…and the surrounding sixty-two acres. I’ve been meeting with local contractors, zoning, utilities, and the town council. I am prepared to put a lot of money into the local economy in two ways. One, by providing jobs for locals in the construction of a new mega-hotel, restaurant and spa on the old Lake Lodge site. Two, once it is finished, providing a hefty number of jobs required to run the business, in the areas of hotel management, culinary arts, recreation and relaxation, housekeeping, maintenance and such. I believe, and your Town Council agrees, that this is a viable compromise to the situation. The ‘kick in the butt’ as the consultant so eloquently put it.”

  A pregnant pause floated about the still room. Suzie didn’t know what to think or say. A thud landed in the pit of her stomach. She wanted to stand but wasn’t sure her legs worked.

  “You’re going to tear down Old Lake Lodge?” Mr. Wilson feebly raised his hand and uttered the words. “My wife and I were married there sixty years ago last month.”

  Suzie’s heart fell. The lodge was old and decrepit but it was a part of their history. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson were old and decrepit, too. Did that mean you just got rid of them?

  “Unfortunately, the lodge will have to go.” Brad took a deep breath, his face as hard as stone. “And part of the mountain. Not much, because we want to preserve what we can but we need more level land.”

  Finally, she found her land legs and rose. Her jaw was tight and her fists clenched. “You’re going to level our lodge and blow up our mountain? Do you want to suck the lake dry, too?”

  Brad fixed his questioning gaze on her.

  Yes, she was angry. Damn angry.

  Not only was Brad Matthews ruining part of Legend’s history, but he single-handedly was out to destroy her little business as well. How in the hell would Legend’s Landing Bed and Breakfast size up against the likes of a mega-hotel and spa?

  Likely, it wouldn’t. In the matter of a few minutes, he had managed to kill everything she’d worked so hard for the past year and longer.

  She wasn’t going to sit around and let that happen. Not for one moment.

  Chapter Six

  “So, I’ll ask again. Are you planning to blow up our mountain?”

  Brad took in Suzie’s frantic, wide-eyed gaze, her stiff-armed stance, and suddenly got gut-punched. He had some explaining to do. And quick.

  He turned toward her and lowered his voice.

  “What I said was that we needed to level more land. Most likely we’ll clear off a few acres of trees and yes, we will need to dynamite to make way for….”

  Suzie stepped forward, shaking her head. “So, you’re going to blow away part of the side of our mountain, kill several hundred trees, level a piece of local history, and ruin the view from my home and business? A small “mom and pop” business, I might add, that according to our consultant here,” she swept her arm toward the front of the room, “is doomed in a couple of years, anyway? Is that what you are thinking?”

  “Suzette…”

  She put up her hand. “No. Stop, Brad. Stop right where you are. I think it’s time for you to go. Time for you to cut your losses and get out of town. You are not wanted here. We don’t need your super, mega-hotel slash five-star-restaurant slash spa. We’ve survived on what we have for many, many years and we’ll do quite nicely after you and your ideas are gone.

  “So…leave, Mr. Matthews. Please.”

  That please did him in more than anything, particularly when he registered the ache in her eyes as she said it. Brad watched the woman who lambasted him—the same woman who held the key to his heart, unfortunately.

  “Suzie….”

  A male voice boomed up from across the room. The man in the cooking class. Hood, Brad thought his name was.

  “Suzie,” the man continued, “his idea is not a bad one.”

  Surprised, Brad watched her swivel toward the man. “You can’t be serious, Jim. What good would this idea do for Legend?”

  “Think about it,” he urged. “There are a lot of jobs connected to a project like this and it sounds as though he has considered what is important to our town. It’s not a discount department store or a factory. If we have to invest in something, to keep our downtown the way it is, this could be the better option.”

  “For whom?” Her nostrils flared when she glanced from face to expectant face. “What about keeping all of our businesses the same? I’m not downtown but I’m still Legend and I still count!”

  She turned, leveling her gaze firmly on him. “Mr. Matthews,” she continued through clenched teeth, “is only considering one thing…himself. And I can’t believe all of you have fallen for it.”

  In a flash, she jerked her gaze. He thought her eyes looked a little misty. With a deep scowl, she stumbled out of the back row and headed for the door. She made an ungraceful getaway by shuffling over empty, metal folding chairs as well as a few Legendarians’ feet.

  He guessed he’d pissed her off.

  No. That wasn’t a pissed look. That was hurt. Pure and simple.

  Brad released a loud, long pent up breath. Dammit.

  ****

  I am not going to lose everything I have worked so hard for.

  Perched in the Adirondack chair, Suzie wiped a tear from the corner of her eye, and hugged her knees a little tighter under her chin. She looked over the lake and sighed. She hated crying; didn’t do it often. And had felt damn proud that she’d held her tears in all the way home and for a full five minutes while sitting there.

  Then little by little, they started falling.

  Daylight Savings Time hadn’t kicked in yet and darkness fell early these days. The full moon sat low over the water, casting a mellow glow over the scene before her. Quiet. Peaceful. Waves gently lapped against the old dock pilings where she tied her small motor boat, soothing both her soul and her demeanor.

  Another reason why she loved this place.

  Large motors weren’t allowed on the lake but her trolling motor was great for tooling around and doing a little fishing. A few miles down the lakeshore at the park, paddleboats were the thing. Everybody loved those, kids and oldsters alike.

  Would that change? Would tourists at the hotel now want jet-skis and bass boats with loud motors to water ski?

  Sniffling, she pushed her hair away from her forehead and raised her gaze to the mountain opposite the lake from her property. If she searched real hard, she could see the silhouette of the old lodge. There were smaller cabins, too, tucked high in the mountains. All of them had been deserted for years. She wondered if Brad knew the cabins existed. She’d heard that Legend’s Lake Lodge was a sought-after summer place in the fifties and sixties, kind of like a Southern Catskills. She chuckled, imagining the setting to be like the movie Dirty Dancing.

  Would it have been like that?

  Could it be again?

  Nonsense.

  You had to have money to stay back then, she was certain. Maybe that’s why it all went away. The late sixties and seventies were different times. Priorities changed. Families didn’t, couldn’t, take off a whole summer to play golf or take Merengue and Mambo lessons. She was a small child when it all went away but she’d heard the stories from her parents and older family members.

  When she was a teenager, they’d camped on the site, braving ghost stories and mountain folklore. They’d even broken into the old lodge one evening (her parents would have killed her had they found out) and spent the night on the ballroom floor in their sleeping bags, daring ghosts and goblins to roll down the majestic stairway to haunt them.

  That didn’t happen, of course. The only heebie-jeebies they got were the
ones they brought on themselves. That and a few bottles of gawd-awful strawberry wine.

  The lodge was magnificent, however. It had made a lasting impression on her. And to this day she would sit, right where she sat at this moment, to look and wonder. She could only imagine what it had been like in its heyday. Back then she saw through the dust and cobwebs. She marveled at the rich pine plank floors, huge log beams, the incredible stairway and landing, chandeliers made from curvy wood branches and deer antlers, and a stained glass window to die for. Often, she had daydreamed of what it could someday be again.

  Gone.

  If Brad had his way, it would all be gone. And she might as well say Legend’s Landing Bed and Breakfast would be gone, too.

  “Damn him,” her whispered curse floated on a breeze. She swiped her nose. “And I was just beginning to get used to the possibility of having him around.”

  The drone of an engine came closer, moving steadily toward her home. The Harley. Unmistakable.

  Shit.

  The house was dark. She couldn’t remember whether she’d locked up or not. Had she given Brad a front door key? Honestly, she didn’t care. He was a big boy and could fend for himself.

  He could sleep on the porch glider for all she cared. And she’d gladly charge him a nightly rate for doing so.

  She slinked down in the Adirondack and remained perfectly still. She wasn’t in the mood for company, least of all his. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d spent the night in this chair overlooking the lake. She might as well enjoy the view while she had it.

  ****

  No lights illuminated the windows or the porch of the bed and breakfast. Brad glanced around while tucking his helmet onto the bike seat. Suzie’s Honda sat further up the drive. He moved toward the house, listening for any sound that indicated she was home.

  Perhaps she’d gone to the meeting with a friend and they weren’t home yet. No, couldn’t be, he reasoned. He’d seen her bronze-orange Honda Element parked on the street before he’d entered the town meeting. No one could miss that thing. But maybe she’d come home and then went out again. Wouldn’t she leave a porch light on or something?