Best Laid Plans

by Martha Rogers

  “I know more than a few people who’ll be glad to hear about that.” She waved her hand toward the windows. “Sorry about the yard. I meant to have my yardman come over to mow and edge, but he didn’t have time last week. He’ll be here tomorrow and can take care of it then.”

  “Thanks. That’s one chore I really wasn’t looking forward to. I’m not even sure if the lawn mower still works.” He’d have to check the storage shed out back and see what needed repairing or replacing.

  A veiled expression covered Libby’s eyes. “You wouldn’t be here because of what Woody had in the paper today would you? I know you and he were friends in high school and college. Are you helping him?”

  “I’m not sure exactly why I’m here. Woody did ask me to come, but now that I’ve heard about what he wants to do, I’m not sure what part I’m supposed to play.” He did know, but no sense in letting Libby in on what Woody had planned. Most likely, Libby wouldn’t like what was really on Hal’s mind anyway.

  “Well, I can sure tell you that. You’re supposed to help Caroline get the mayor to change his mind or come up with another plan. I know you’re not a resident of Bloomfield right now, but since you plan to be, you need to be at the council meeting tomorrow night.”

  Just as he figured, Libby supported Caroline all the way. “Woody asked me to attend as well. Looks like I’ll be there. Maybe then I’ll know what I need to do.” Woody may be an old friend, but if it interfered with his plans to win Caroline’s heart, that friendship might end up on shaky ground.

  Libby shook her head and turned to walk out the door. Just before she closed it behind her, she left him with one last retort. “If you know what’s good for your relationship with Caroline, you’ll run away from Woody Hansen and this project as fast as your legs can carry you.” With that, she closed the door a little harder than necessary so that the leaded glass door panel shook before she stomped across the porch.

  Nothing was sacred in this town. Why in the world did he want to move back here anyway?

  He breathed deeply before exhaling. Bloomfield was his hometown with all its warts and thorns as well as beauty and friendships. He’d take the bad with the good any day, and in the next few weeks, that’s exactly what he’d have to do.

  Chapter 4

  After taking care of food preparation for the next day, Caroline dressed with care in a blue pantsuit that complimented her salt and pepper hair and blue eyes. Maybe she was up the hill to her midsixties, but that didn’t mean she shouldn’t look her best standing in front of everyone at the meeting tonight.

  When she and Selena arrived at City Hall, Caroline studied the layout of the adjacent property where Founder’s Cottage sat—the large chunk of land that had once belonged to Ed Miller, her great-grandfather. The garden club kept it landscaped, and the bright colors of the Gerbera daisies, double begonias, and yellow Knock-Out rose bushes attested to the success of their efforts.

  “Come on, Mom. We don’t want to be late.” Selena tugged at Caroline’s arm.

  “We have a few minutes to spare, sweetie. An idea is perking in my head, and I want to let it brew a while.” There had to be a way to incorporate the expansion Woody wanted while leaving the cottage where it now sat. She narrowed her eyes and an image emerged.

  Selena tugged again, and this time Caroline turned to follow her daughter into the council chambers for the meeting. Good citizens of Bloomfield greeted her as she entered and found a seat. Most of them were old-timers whose roots went deep in Bloomfield. They should be on her side since they had been around so long.

  Libby waved and indicated she’d saved seats for Caroline and Selena. Caroline waved back. “Come on, Selena. We’ll sit with Libby.”

  As she settled in the chair next to her friend, Libby leaned over and said, “I ran into Hal McKenzie at his old house. Says he’s moving back to Bloomfield.”

  Caroline jerked her head backward. He hadn’t said anything about that at lunch yesterday, but then she and Winnie hadn’t given him much chance to tell them anything.

  “He is?” She shrugged her shoulders. “It’s about time someone did something with that beautiful home before it rots off its foundation.”

  “I agree, but if he’s here to help Mayor Hansen with what was said in the paper yesterday, then he’s not the man I thought him to be.” Libby crossed her arms over her chest and set her lips in a firm line. “He’s sitting across the aisle and a row or two back from us.”

  No doubt whose side Libby was on. That’s what good friends were for . . . support in time of trouble. Caroline turned to glance in Hal’s direction. He spotted her then smiled and waved his fingers.

  The nerve of him coming to this meeting when he wasn’t even a citizen of Bloomfield anymore. But then Libby said he planned to move back, so it would be his town. Whether or not they’d be friends again depended on which side he took in Woody’s little caper.

  Conversation buzzed around room even as the council members and Woody headed to their chairs at the table up in front of the chambers. Only five members sat on the council, with Victoria as the one with the most prestige. She grinned and nodded in Caroline’s direction.

  George Pearson kept his head lowered and wore a scowl as he settled into the leather chair with his name in front of it. Caroline stifled a snicker. George probably still simmered about Winnie’s comments and accusations. He would vote with Woody no matter what, and Victoria would vote against widespread changes affecting Founder’s Cottage, so only the three others concerned Caroline.

  Winnie shoved her way to a chair next to Selena and set her monster handbag on the floor. “Whew, just in time. Couldn’t find a place to park. I should have walked, but my knee is aching again, so I drove.”

  If Caroline carried around that bag of Winnie’s for long, her knees would ache too. Now if only Winnie would keep her mouth shut and not stir up trouble, everything would be fine. Caroline already had her protest memorized, and it would simply ask Woody to postpone any plans until all avenues could be explored.

  Woody cast a stern look in Winnie’s direction and pounded the gavel to call the meeting to order.

  All through the agenda, Caroline itched to get to the main topic of discussion. Of course he’d have it at the end of the meeting, probably hoping it would get to be too late for much discussion. Not if she had any say-so in the matter. They’d stay until midnight if it took that long to get her point across.

  The last item on the agenda included the expansion for the city hall building and the courthouse. Woody pushed his glasses up on his nose and peered out at the group. “As you all know, our building here is in need of repairs as well as expansion. As our town grows, so does the need for better facilities for our city government and all that goes with running a town this size. The courthouse is in need of repairs and remodeling as well.”

  Before Caroline could react, another citizen jumped in with his comments. “What all will this remodeling entail, Mayor? If you try to modernize it and take away the historic beauty, then I’m agin’ it.”

  Murmurs and mumblings erupted in a wave about the room. Woody held up his hand. “Now, now, let’s not get in a hurry. I’ve asked my old friend Hal McKenzie to come up with an architect’s rendering of what we want to accomplish.”

  Caroline’s mouth dropped open and Libby punched her in the ribs. “See, I told you so.”

  A glance back at Hal showed him to be red-faced and as much in shock as the rest of them. Hadn’t Woody told Hal what was expected of him?

  The mayor continued. “I’ve given him an idea about what is needed and a preliminary draft. From that he will come up with a plan that will meet all our needs.”

  That answered her question, but before Caroline could react, Winnie jumped to her feet. “Does that include moving Founder’s Cottage? Seems to me there’s not much space to expand anywhere excep
t on the cottage grounds.”

  Woody’s face flushed red and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. “You haven’t been recognized, Mrs. Simpson, so please have a seat.”

  “No, you answer my question first.” Rumblings and voices joined in to support Winnie, and she grinned in triumph.

  Woody cleared his throat. “We’ll have to discuss that and see what kind of plan Mr. McKenzie has for us.”

  “Isn’t the cottage supposed to be registered as a national historic site? I believe Caroline Short and the committee filled out all the paperwork.”

  “Hmm, it hasn’t been approved yet.” That brought on more rumblings and shouts. Woody’s face grew redder by the second.

  Heat rose in Caroline’s face and she wished she could disappear down a rabbit hole. Bless her heart, Winnie wanted to help, but getting Woody mad didn’t seem to be the best way. She reached up to tug at Winnie’s skirt, but Winnie slapped her hand away.

  “Seems to me the only reason it hasn’t been approved is because the request was never filed.” Winnie pointed a chubby finger toward Woody. “If you think you can hoodwink this town and the people who’ve lived here all their lives into thinking the cottage can’t stand in the way of progress, then you have another think coming. That land belonged to the Miller family, and they graciously gave it to the city to be a landmark and museum so all our children could know the history of Bloomfield and what it took to make her the fine town she is.”

  Caroline swallowed hard and slouched lower in her chair. What Winnie said was true, but if the daggers in Woody’s eyes were real, she and Winnie would both be mortally wounded.

  “I don’t see that it’s any business of yours, Mrs. Simpson. This is a city council matter to be decided by the members seated here.”

  At that, Victoria Masters leaned toward her microphone. “Exactly right, Mayor. This discussion should come to a close now and all plans tabled until the council members can confer and go over this matter in the proper manner.”

  George’s hand popped up. “I second what Mrs. Masters is saying. We need a lot more time to go over the plans and offer our own ideas.”

  Woody clenched his teeth and the vein in his neck nearly popped in anger, but he slammed the gavel down hard. “This meeting is adjourned.”

  Caroline slumped in her seat, but Winnie sat down with her head held high as those around her congratulated her and said she was right. This was a night the town wasn’t likely to forget for while.

  Why did Woody have to drag him into the discussion at this point? Hal sat with heat in his face and tried to ignore the hard glances people gave him as they made their way to Caroline and Winnie. As harsh as Winnie had been, her words rang true and confirmed what Hal suspected in the first place. Woody didn’t want that piece of prime land designated as a historical landmark in town, and he’d made sure it hadn’t happened . . . yet.

  What could he say to Caroline to reassure her that he wanted what was best for Bloomfield even though it hadn’t been his hometown for well over two decades? Now that his name had been linked to Woody’s plan, he’d most likely receive the cold shoulder from the good citizens of Bloomfield. Quite possibly he deserved it. But he worried most about this stopping any chance he had to win Caroline’s heart before he even got started.

  He stood and turned to find Libby giving him a narrow-eyed expression that asked, “Now what are you up to?” Hal grimaced. Even he didn’t know the complete answer to that. He headed for the crowd around Winnie and Caroline.

  When he drew near, Winnie whipped around and pointed an accusing finger at his chest. “Here the traitor is now. What do you have to say for yourself, Mr. Big Shot Architect?”

  Hal swallowed his first impulse retort and said, “Nothing at the moment, Mrs. Simpson.” He glanced down at Caroline, still seated behind Winnie. “May I have a private word with you, Caroline?”

  She blinked and shook her head. “I don’t know what we’d have to talk about. Seems to me the mayor has you signed, sealed, and delivered on this project.” She grabbed her handbag and stood. “I don’t understand how you can come back here after all this time and stir up such trouble. Why didn’t you just stay in Atlanta?”

  Caroline grabbed Winnie’s arm. “It’s time to go home. I’ve heard and seen all I want tonight.” She pushed past Hal. “I take back that welcome.”

  Hal’s heart thumped in his chest, and he clenched his fists at his sides as Winnie and Caroline made their way to the back and out the door. Some way, somehow, he had to convince her that he was as much against moving the cottage as she was, and he’d do anything and everything he could to stop it.

  He marched through the doors leading to the back hallway where he hoped to find Woody. Voices reached him when he opened the door. Sounded like Woody and Victoria Masters were having a difference of opinion. Before Hal could make out the words, Woody spotted him.

  “I’ll speak with you later about this, Victoria. Good evening.” He then strode toward Hal with an outstretched hand.

  Victoria sent Woody one last glare before she turned on her heel and left. Woody wore a grin that split his face in two. “I’m so glad you showed up tonight. Now you can see what I’m up against. I must convince these people that our City Hall is outdated and maybe even dangerous.”

  “You were somewhat premature in presenting your proposal tonight before discussing it thoroughly with the other members of the council. You should have known how the town would react.”

  Woody’s face gleamed bright red. “They had time to think about it with that article in the paper yesterday. Besides, I didn’t propose anything. It was just a statement of fact. If Winnie Simpson hadn’t butted in like she did, I could have explained it further.”

  “Maybe you could, but you didn’t need to include me in your remarks. How am I going to explain this to Caroline? I disappointed her once, and I don’t like the idea of her thinking I’ve done it again.”

  Woody said nothing, but the vein in his neck pulsed at a rapid rate. Finally, he waved his hand. “Fine. I can see you still . . . never mind. I hoped you’d be on board with me for this, but if that’s not the case, you’re free to do whatever you want.” He shoved his clipboard into his briefcase and made his way down the hall.

  A finger tapped Hal’s shoulder, and Libby cleared her throat as he glanced at her. “Seems to me like you have some explaining to do to a lot of people. Caroline may not listen to you, but I will. If I like what you have to say, then maybe I’ll relay it on to her. We’re still good friends, and she will listen if I ask her to. If I don’t like what you have to say, then let’s just say it’s time for you to go back to Atlanta.”

  “Would you really be willing to listen to me and hear what is going on?”

  “Sure I would. Come on. Let’s go to my house. I have a batch of those cream cheese brownies you always liked, and I’ll make coffee to go with them.”

  “I’ll meet you there. If those brownies are anything like your mother’s, then I can’t wait to dive into one.”

  If he could get Libby Birdwell to support him, there might still be a chance to get Caroline to believe he wanted to help her. Her influence with the garden club and townspeople hadn’t diminished over the years. No way would she let Woody destroy a town landmark.

  Chapter 5

  Caroline dreaded reading the paper the next morning and avoided it as long as she could. Winnie had done nothing but talk about last night’s council meeting all the way home. The Gazette would do a good job and present the facts, but still the whole thing had been an embarrassment.

  If Hal had anything to do with Woody’s plan and was back in Bloomfield to design additions to the courthouse and City Hall wing, Caroline might not ever speak to him again. With no guests expected until the weekend, Caroline and Selena ate alone, which would have made for a nice, quiet time together if no
t for the newspaper Selena now held.

  “Mom, it really isn’t so bad.” Selena folded the newspaper and laid it on the table.

  Caroline inched her fingers toward it. Did she really want to see what had been written? Of course she did. Good or bad, she had to know. She unfolded the paper to find a two-column-wide picture of Winnie with her finger pointed at Woody.

  After a hard swallow to absorb the image, her gaze traveled to the story itself. The paper had been fair, but it still made Winnie look like someone on a tear to discredit the mayor. The article wouldn’t faze her friend, but it didn’t help the matter at hand.

  Caroline laid the paper down. “I guess it could have been worse. Wait until Winnie gets her hands on this. I bet she’ll buy a dozen papers to show everyone how she made the news. She was doing it for us, but I do wish she’d spoken to Woody in private instead of in front of almost the whole town.”

  “She wanted to help you, Mom. She’s about the best friend you have and probably the only one who really cares about what happens to that cottage, except maybe Mrs. Birdwell.”

  “You’re right about that. Victoria cares, but only because she wasn’t consulted about the big changes Woody wants. At least she and several others think our town is good just as it is, troubles and all. Of course, if the improvements make Bloomfield a better place, Victoria might consider them.”

  A lot of people attended the meeting last night and most of them seemed to oppose the idea of expansion and remodeling. Something needed to be done for sure, but there had to be a better way to go about making changes. Caroline sighed and pushed back from the table.

  “I’d better get busy. It’s almost time for Lida Mae to arrive and start the salads for lunch. The hoopla from last night might bring in more customers today, so I want to have plenty of pies on hand.”