If You Come Back

by Alexis Leia

  Now, he was almost thankful for the bastard, because if he hadn’t been so protective over Selene, Emmet would never have gotten such an amazing friend. To be specific, he saw her as a friend only, more like a sister than like a woman.

  However, Emmet felt a strong case of antagonism towards Ledford. His presence in Mountainview hurt Selene, he could see that behind her rage. He could connect to that; there were some people in your past that you could never forget, people that hurt you and the consequences lingered for the rest of your life, no matter how young you were when shit hit the fan. And if it came to that, he would gladly beat the shit out of Chris for Selene. He deserved it.

  “Do you want me to act like your boyfriend?” Emmet asked her awkwardly and felt a surge of relief when she laughed and shook her head.

  “Don’t get me wrong, pretty boy, but guys I see as brothers aren’t exactly my type. Besides, what would you do if you had to kiss me? Like French kiss me? You’d mess it all up and force me to lie that you’ve had a seizure”, she said.

  “I would never leave you to deal with shit alone. I’d just say I have herpes or something”, Emmet said, acting offended.

  “Yeah, I think I like my plan better”, Selene said and winked. “But thanks for the offer, Sheriff.”

  “Why don’t you just go with the flow?” Emmet asked, an idea popping inside his mind.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Instead of acting all pissy and furious, don’t give him the satisfaction of a challenge. Just act neutral, like you don’t care he’s here, and you going out with him as a simple formality. The way I remember him and the way you described him, he thrives on challenge, and you’ve just become one”, he explained his logic. He saw the wheels turning inside Selene’s mind and she tilted her head in approval.

  “You know what, you’re more than just a pretty face, Emmy-boy”, she used the nickname his grandma had given him when he was a kid. He decided to ignore that jab.

  “Are you absolutely positive that he sees you as a long-lost sister? Because, dude, the way he looked at you during the party and the auction is everything but friendly. I’m a man and I know how I look at a woman I want”, he added.

  “I’ve told you already, he was always like that. The fourteen-year-old Selene would’ve believed your words and thought the same, that her first great love felt the same, but the twenty-seven-year-old Selene who feels nothing for him knows better. He was always an egocentric, always loved being needed. Back then I did need him, felt like I depend on him, and he enjoyed it. So, he behaved accordingly, acted like an overprotective big brother who missed his deceased sister”, she explained.

  Emmet knew that Ledford had had a sister and a family before he became a foster kid, but nobody in this town ever spoke about the exact story. He suspected that Selene knew, but she absolutely never shared details about Chris’s past. She was way too loyal to share another person’s tragedies.

  “He told you he wants you, though”, Emmet pointed out, still convinced in his own theory.

  “You can want a person in many different ways, Emmet. He wants me to be the girl I was thirteen years ago, a replacement for his little sister who would jump in his arms and expect him to protect her from the entire world. He has a different mindset, believe me”, she said in a grim voice.

  Emmet could see the logic behind her words, but his instincts – that were well developed due to his profession – told him otherwise. But instead of arguing with her some more, he only warned her to be careful. He knew better than anyone that suppressed emotions could get the best of you, that they could choke you. Selene might claim she felt nothing for Chris, but it’s a thin line between love and hate. And looking at her, she only emanated anger, but not sadness and a storm of other emotions that he knew were buried deep inside her.

  ***

  Selene blew Emmet a kiss and went outside his office. For a town of four thousand residents, the police station employed a lot of officers. Living in a smaller town like Mountainview, you’d never usually say that so many personnel were needed, but the Department consisted of four divisions that employed a total of forty people who most often dealt with assault and burglary crimes.

  There were also tourist incidents, when town’s visitors decided to explore the mountain by themselves, leaving the marked trails in search for adventures, and ended up being reported as missing. Selene planned on expanding the number of officers during her mandate, not only to make the town as safe as possible, but because her new project would require a significant level of surveillance. She greeted the officers who she more or less knew, and made her way down to the Town Hall.

  As Emmet kindly put it, most of the eleven members of Council were older Mountainviewers, mostly grandparents and retirees. The only younger members included her and her ex opponent Mike Waltz, who was a forty-year-old businessman, and his thirty-year-old wife. As the mayor, her duty was to bring some new suggestions for the town’s benefit and the Council either approved or rejected the ideas.

  She already had a vague idea of who would back her up and was surely going to try and undermine her on every step of the way; Waltz told her pretty publicly that he thought of her as a too young, inexperienced, and incapable brat. Obviously, her answer that age meant nothing, which could be seen from his marriage, didn’t really sit well with him. Well, too bad for him. She had a killer project in mind and not even his antics could stop her. She only had to win over the majority in her favor.

  She climbed the stairs to the conference room, where the members were already seated around the oval mahogany table.

  “Good morning, everyone”, she said happily, and eight cheerful faces greeted her in delight. Of course, Mike and his wife remained serious and hostile. Surprise, surprise.

  “Morning, sugar. How are you on this fine Monday morning?” Wilson asked her, being the newest member of the Council instead of sitting on the mayor’s chair.

  “Feeling pretty good and innovative”, she said cheerfully, enjoying how Mike rolled his eyes in annoyance.

  The loss of the election really grated on his nerves. It was too bad, because she thought of him as a very smart man and would love to have him on her side, but the stubborn man didn’t give her the chance to express it. Well, she was experienced enough with stubborn people, she thought to herself as her mind immediately drifted over to Chris. Oh, hell no. She wouldn’t go there again. It was business time.

  “Alright, mayor. What’s our agenda?” old, gray-haired nurse Wanda asked her with a kind smile on her face.

  “Since I don’t like stalling more than necessary, I will cut straight to the point. I have a project in mind, and I’ve taken my time over past few months to make initial drafts. I have a copy for everyone here”, she said and pulled out the stack of papers out of her briefcase.

  She stood up and handed out a copy for each member, flinching slightly when Mike roughly took his out of her hand. Apart from being an asshole by nature, he was a real misogynist. She was going to have to put an end to it, and really soon for that matter. When everyone received their copy and started to look at the files, she began explaining what she had in mind.

  “Mountainview is a gorgeous little town with a lot of potential. We don’t only have wonderful, welcoming residents, we also have this amazing part of mountain that we live on. Our intact woods, Serenity Waterfalls and challenging ski-trails have the real potential to be a true tourist attraction. Here’s the thing: the recent global crisis had a hard impact not only on the state of Colorado, but especially on our town and other neighboring cities. Our people have lost their jobs, a large number of factories got shut down, and the ones who are suffering the most are the young Mountainviewers”, she said seriously, making sure to look every member directly in the eye before continuing. They listened to her without interrupting, genuine interest displayed on their faces.

  “The situation recently got a little better; people started opening their businesses again and it seems that we’ve
finally started getting out of the tunnel. However, I believe we’re still not using our full potential. In other words, I believe we should turn Mountainview into a real tourist attraction, and by doing that, we’ll open a lot of work places, give the opportunity to the young to help their town and be a part of it on a much greater scale. It will also provide the possibilities to our senior residents who would like to help preserve our town’s well-being.”

  “What are you suggesting, exactly? All we see here are tables of numbers and possible expenses for something called The Mountainview Resort”, Linda, Mike’s wife asked in an unfriendly voice.

  “The copies I’ve provided you with show the possible expenses for the project I’m suggesting. And, yes, it’s called The Mountainview Resort, because that’s exactly what it’s about – I would like you to consider the idea of opening a winter and summer resort up on the mountain, between the Devil’s Trails and Serenity Waterfalls. There’s a large clearing between the two locations, and it is very suitable for building. I’ve already checked with our local contractors and they assured me that the location is satisfying for large building projects.”

  “A resort? What exactly does that encompass?” Wilson asked.

  “Exactly what it sounds like. Hotel rooms, a spa, souvenir shops, a restaurant. Everything tourists want – they get. Even a ski lift for the ones who want to go directly to the ski trail without having to climb”, she said, anticipation running through her veins. She looked at ten surprised and thoughtful faces, preparing for every question they might have. After all, this was a risky project, but if she didn’t believe in it so much, she would never have suggested it in the first place.

  “This is a really big investment, Selene. I’m not sure if our town could afford it, judging by these numbers”, Wanda said, although there was a spark of interest on her kind face. Selene was always for the honest, direct approach, so she spoke in a no-bullshit tone.

  “It is a huge project, in fact. And no, our town can’t afford it on its own. That’s why I’m planning to meet with the Governor of Colorado to discuss using certain funds that could contribute. Also, I plan on finding potential investors. Keep in mind that I’ll demand that the resort stays in Mountainview’s property in its major part, but there will be a certain percentage that will belong to the investor.”

  “And what about the environment? I mean, we pride ourselves on intact nature as you put it, but building something so big would surely endanger the nature”, Bernie, a war veteran with incredibly sad eyes said. She just wanted to get up and give him a big hug for being such a kind soul. He was also a keen ecologist, recycling everything from bottles to wood logs.

  “I’ve paid special attention to that, Bernie”, she winked at him and wanted to chuckle at the blush spreading across his dear face. He was right though; all would be for nothing if the one thing they prided themselves in got destroyed.

  “I’ve already contacted the Society for Ecological Restoration, and explained the project marginally. I’ve given them the locations where we’d be working and after a short research, they concluded there will be no danger for environment, or the wildlife. We’re on the side of the mountain that has more flora than fauna. Sure, the noise could be a little disturbing, but the Society assured me that it won’t be a huge problem, given that the clearing is pretty isolated. And before you ask other details, I must add that the construction will be led by our local builders and the building material will be provided by the local forestry company”, Selene finished and waited for reactions. They seemed satisfied with the answer, but Wilson had one more question.

  “What about local businesses? If tourists had all their needs satisfied up on the mountain, our locals and their stores would remain empty.”

  “That’s a very good question, and I’m glad you asked. I’d make sure to set up a meeting with all our business owners and see which ones are willing to move their stores up to the resort. Of course, not all of them will be keen on the idea, but I would make sure to advertise the hell out of those who choose to stay in the town.”

  “But what if the investors oppose the idea of having locals run the entire resort?”

  “We can’t know that unless we try. Besides, most investors I’ve come across are always interested in one thing: profits”, she said and pointedly looked at Mike.

  “All I’m asking is a chance to explore where this might go. Your votes today will only count as a research approval, of course.”

  The members looked at each other for a minute, and she let them decide in their minds. She was prepared for any outcome, but honestly prayed for their acceptance, because she sincerely believed in this idea, having that feeling in her stomach when something good was in front of her and she didn’t want to let it go. After a minute of silence, she decided to check their decisions.

  “Alright, now I would like to see who’s in favor and who’s against. All in favor, please raise your hands”, she said and raised her hand in the air, hoping she wouldn’t be the only one.

  Turns out, her agony didn’t last long. There were seven hands in the air out of eleven, including her own. As suspected, Mike and his wife were against and sat furiously in their chairs, fuming at the members who accepted. The other two who didn’t approve didn’t look particularly mad of disapproving, but rather neutral. She guessed they didn’t raise their hands in favor because they were too afraid of the risky project, and that was okay with her. She could understand why some people wanted to play it safe, but frankly, she wanted to wake this town up. If that meant taking some risks, then so be it.

  “This is outrageous! You’ll ruin this town; people are not prepared for this! Speaking as a businessman myself, this is too risky for an inexperienced little brat like you”, Mike exploded and his face got intensely red.

  “First of all, Waltz, if I were you, I would lower my voice”, Selene interrupted him with a steel-cutting tone, keeping a direct eye contact with him.

  “You –”, he started, but she simply raised her hand to stop him in his tracks. He shut his mouth, not used to being overpowered by a woman. His misogyny had always been evident, be it in his personal life or in the business sphere. It was pretty obvious he considered women an inferior species. Too bad for him, Selene thought, that he got his ass kicked by a woman.

  “I’ve had enough of your antagonism towards me. I have done absolutely nothing to you, except running for the position you wanted. I won the elections and I’m here to stay, at least for the next four years. Now, Mike, first I would like to tell you my honest opinion: I believe you’re a very intelligent and successful businessman and I would love to have your support and expertise on my side, but your attitude doesn’t sit well with me. Doesn’t sit well at all. Second, although there are various words in my vocabulary that I would love to describe you with, I won’t degrade myself and insult you. So I’ll simply ask you kindly to stop with your antics and start acting like an adult instead of a petulant three-year-old. This is not my tyranny, this is democracy, and people have decided for themselves. You can decide as well: do you want to be here and have some say in this Council, or do you want me to use my mayoral right and throw you out? Because, if you keep on insulting me or my intelligence, I will remove you”, she ended her monologue and watched surprise and anger cloud Mike’s face.

  He gritted his teeth and didn’t say a word, just nodded and leaned back in his chair. The other members looked everywhere except toward Mike with smiles on their faces; Mike wasn’t a favorite person in the town, but very few had the guts to stand up to him, given how he had his sticky, greedy fingers everywhere.

  “If we’ve got everything sorted out and if nobody has anything else to say, I declare this meeting over. Thank you for supporting this project, and thank you for believing in me. I will call the next meeting as soon as I have more details. I will need the help of all of you”, Selene said, concluding the meeting. She waited until everybody but Wilson left the room.

  “What do you think a
bout this?” she asked him, appreciating his opinion the most. He gave her a bear hug that emanated grandfatherly love.

  “I love it! I know this wasn’t an impulsive decision, so you must’ve planned it for a while. Why didn’t you say something sooner?” he asked.

  She did plan it for a while, toyed with the idea in her mind and made calculations even before she became mayor. Even if she hadn’t won the election, she would’ve proposed the project.

  “I did, and I wanted to tell you months ago, but you decided to retire and nothing I said could change your mind.”

  “Well, I’m glad you had the courage for this. It is risky, and you’re walking on thin ice, but I believe you and your determination can make it. I’m here for you, you know that. God, what a start! I think I’m looking at the future Governor”, Wilson beamed with pride, making Selene laugh.

  “Let’s just take it one day at a time, shall we?” she suggested as they walked out on the street.

  “What are you doing today?” he asked her as they walked arm in arm. It was a beautiful sunny day, the temperature in the high sixties, and ideal for a walk. Selene looked around her beautiful town and sighed happily.

  “I’m going over to visit the senior’s home, to talk to the manager about the new wheels and then back to the foster home. I promised the younger kids some bedtime stories”, she said.

  “You sure do love those kids”, Wilson pointed out gently, something he’d been saying for the past decade.

  “I do. I want to give them a good life here, Wilson. Something I wished I had before... everything”, Selene said, referring to the past, when the Mountainviewers saved her life. Wilson knew what she was talking about and his voice was just above whisper when he spoke.