Chapter 30

Fisher

I'd donemy job too well. Swallowers filled The Lake House to the brim the next evening.

Despite its name, it wasn't a house at all but a meeting room at the Swallow Cove Lake Park, where we'd scheduled the community meeting. A butt sat in every folding metal chair, and a few folks stood leaning against the walls.

The only people I didn't see were Scott and Leon Wexler. They'd told me the meeting was a formality, but I hadn't expected them to fucking skip it. Then again, I'd tipped my hand to them, and they were savvy enough guys to avoid a confrontation when they didn't want one.

"Good turnout," Hudson said beside me.

"As long as they don't turn into a crowd who wants to tar and feather me," I muttered.

Cash grinned at me. "Nah. This crowd? They're more likely to go for pitchforks."

"Thanks, I feel much better."

"No problem, man." He punched me in the arm, then nodded toward the side of the room. "I'll go work the crowd. Consider me your campaign manager."

"Please don't—"

And he was gone.

Hudson chuckled. "You've got good friends."

I nodded, too nervous to make any more small talk. Hudson could read me. He squeezed my shoulder, then went to find a patch of wall next to Declan. Unsurprisingly, Cash had ended up over there too.

Sawyer and Poppy had shown up early enough to snag seats, but it probably helped that Sawyer lived so close by.

Right now, I was more interested in a different demographic, though. The Weekend Hookers, including Chester, Ansel, Hudson's mom, and Ruth Marie, clustered together on one side of the room. They'd be some of the loudest opponents to developing the resort.

That was my biggest fear. Once I exposed Scott and Leon's true plan, I'd have an uphill battle to win them over.

I swept my gaze through the room, clocking Pearl and a couple of other older ladies in the middle left row; Brooks and Skylar in the back; Grandma Rosie, Dorothy, and the twins, Mimsy and Pipsy, off to the right.

The clock ticked over to 5 p.m., and my heart sank. It was time to start, and my dad was still nowhere in sight.

I straightened my shoulders and took a big breath.

You can do this. Hudson believes, so you can.

"Hey, everyone, thanks for coming out for a community input meeting on the plans for the Golden Sands Caribbean Resort. I'm Fisher Riggins—"

"Hi, Fish!"

"We know who you are, son!"

"Let the boy finish."

The crowd tittered with laughter.

This was one of the hardest parts. Everyone in this room saw me as little Fisher Riggins. I had to step up and prove to them I was a leader, someone they could trust and follow, and considering the mistake I'd made with these dodgy developers, that would be tricky.

"Okay, yes, you all know me." I laughed. "As I was saying, we're here to discuss plans for Golden Sands, and I'm sure most of you know I was advocating for this plan. Swallow Cove could benefit from a destination resort to bring more tourists back to our end of the lake."

There was already grumbling in the audience. I lifted my hands. "Listen, I know how you all feel about the way of life we have in Swallow Cove, and I don't want that to change either. Well, maybe a little. Because let's face it, jobs and housing are a struggle for our younger residents. Until recently, I was living in the apartment over my parents' garage, and I'm one of the lucky ones, right? We need more money flowing in and more job opportunities. I don't know the answer to the housing problem, but this, this we can solve."

Chester was the first to raise his voice in dissent. "With all this supposed money comes tourists who clutter our lake, drive their boats drunk, and cause us headaches. Not worth it!"

"Easy for you to say," Cash shot back, surprising me. "You're retired. Some of us don't have two pennies to rub together."

"So go find some work. It's not like it doesn't exist—"

I raised my voice. "Okay, let's hold the comments for the end of the meeting. I promise you'll all get your say. I have some really important information to share. New information."

Bickering continued in the audience until my father's voice barked out, "Let Fisher finish his presentation."

My heart leaped, and my gaze shot to the back of the room. Dad was standing just inside the door. He must have come in late, or I'd have spotted him before.

With everyone's eyes on him, my dad gave me a nod. "I know we all have concerns. I do too. But what I know is that my son has Swallow Cove's best interests at heart, or he wouldn't be standing up there."

The tone of the grumbling shifted to one of respect. The crowd quieted down.

"Thanks, Dad." I smiled crookedly. "He's biased because he's been my boss for ten years, and he knows when I get set on an idea, I won't let it go."

"That's for damn sure," he said, and the crowd laughed.

With the shift in mood, it was easier to continue. I took a breath and hit them with the bomb I had to drop.

"I did support Lakeside Holdings' plan for Golden Sands, but it turns out, Scott and Leon Wexler don't have our town's best interests at heart. I'm pulling that support."

A ripple of concerned muttering broke out.

I raised my hands. "I have an alternate plan to present. A better plan from a better man. Skylar Addison, can you please come up here?"

Skylar didn't look thrilled to be called to the front of the room, but he was the best way to sell the crowd on this. As he stood and started toward me, I continued.

"The Addison family own property in Swallow Cove, so they have a vested interest in doing right by our town. Some of you already frequent places they've invested in. The Rusty Hook, for one. Swallow Adventures is another. Brooks Riggins and Hudson Nash can provide some character references, but I've gotten to know Skylar, and I know we can trust him to do right by us."

Skylar helped me outline the bare-bones plan we'd developed over the past few days. There were a lot of details to work out, but the important bases were covered. Because Scott and Leon hadn't closed on the land deal yet, the Addisons could use their connections to scoop it up first.

"We want to turn Golden Sands into the resort it always should have been," I said. "With a focus on celebrating nature and the outdoors, not a party destination, we can draw the kind of tourists we want here. The resort would maintain a fishing area and allow it to be open to the public." It wasn't everything the Weekend Hookers wanted, but it was better than losing all access. "It would also incorporate sports rentals, as well as Swallow Adventures, under Hudson's management."

Skylar had been the one to suggest including Hudson's business in our plan. Hudson would get a steady flow of customers through the resort and could scale back expenses. It had the added benefit of getting Skylar's dad off Hudson's back because the boat tours would be folded into a new project.

But the best part of all?

Skylar would run point on the Golden Sands resort plan, not his father. I was only beginning to know Skylar, but I already trusted him a hell of a lot more than Scott and Leon.

Of course, my trust wasn't all we needed. We had to win over this skeptical crowd.

"Okay." I drew a deep breath. "You've heard our plan. It's time to open the floor to questions."

The room erupted into noisy chaos.

Hudson

Fisher stood strong as Swallowers tossed questions like grenades, one after another.

Why should we trust any developer if the first ones were so bad?

How do we know Mr. Addison won't bait-and-switch us too?

Who appointed you to determine what's best for our town? Your judgment is biased now too, isn't it?

I jumped to my feet before I'd fully processed that latest question. "No one should question Fisher's integrity or his dedication to this town. He didn't have to do any of this. He already has a job at Bait Swallow, as you well know. He's up there because he believes in a better future for Swallow Cove. A lot of you sit around and complain, but how many of you put your actions where your mouth is like Fisher?"

"And why should we listen to a word you have to say?" Ansel shot back. "You're not really one of us, and it sounds like you stand to benefit from the deal."

"Excuse me." That was my mother's voice, and every person with a mom recognized her tone and inwardly cringed.

That included Ansel as he turned her way.

She narrowed her eyes. "Are you calling my son an outsider?"

"Uh…" Ansel said eloquently, like any man under the icy glare of his…girlfriend? No, that was too weird. Partner? I hoped to hell not. Lov— No. Nope. Not going there. I gave up on labeling their relationship. I'd rather live in denialville where my mother was a sweet widower who had no interest in men.

My mother was on a roll. She bulldozed over Ansel's flustered mumble.

"Because if you're calling Hudson an outsider, then you're calling me an outsider. Are you saying I don't belong here, Ansel? Hmm?"

"N-no!" he stuttered. "Of course not."

My mother shot a scathing look to the rest of the room. "Hudson has lived here for five years. He's organized a local event for you all!"

There was some muttering about how nobody asked for that. I guess that was fair. I had thrust it upon them.

My mother made a slicing motion with her hand and they fell silent. Damn. We should have enlisted her to run this meeting.

"That Dock Hop is going to bring in business, which I know for a fact you all need. Isn't that right, Boone?"

Fisher's father raised his hands in surrender. "Hey, don't look at me. I'm participating in the event, and that's my son up in front of the room."

The note of pride in his voice surprised me. But not as much as his next words.

"You're right about Hudson, though. It's time we all accepted he's a Swallower for good. And he makes a good point. I know Fisher is my son, but he's damn devoted to this town, and I couldn't be prouder to see the man he's become."

There were more questions, and Fisher held strong, answering every one of them he could, but in the end it was his passion that won them over.

"Some of us like our town how it is," Chester insisted. "Why are you so hellbent on changing things?"

Fisher nodded, looking contemplative. He'd maintained his composure when Skylar had long ago cracked and fled back to his seat.

Now, he stood at the front of the room like a leader of the community. Like a man you could trust. A man you'd want to follow.

He might have entered this meeting room as little Fisher Riggins, but he'd be walking out with their respect.

"You're not saying anything I didn't expect, but let me tell you why this is so important," Fisher said. "If we do nothing and let the first developers have their way, Swallow Cove will become the next party destination on the lake, and I don't want that any more than you do. I want Swallow Cove to be the best version of itself, but I still want it to be itself, you know? Now, we could try to block that plan without greenlighting the Addisons. Maybe we succeed or maybe we don't. If we continue to stick our heads in the sand and hide from change, someone else is going to come along and ram through a plan that we all regret.

"This is our chance to shape our future." Fisher held the entire room captive with the force of his passion. "We can determine our destiny, and we can make it the best one possible for Swallow Cove's younger generation. But we can't do it without your support. Even if we could put these plans in motion without the okay of Swallowers, I wouldn't want to. Because I'm one of you. And so is Skylar. We want to see Swallow Cove flourish, because it's our home, and I don't think you'll find a more trustworthy development plan. But it's in your hands now. We'll pass around a box where you can vote in favor or against this plan, leave comments, or offer suggestions. Thank you."

Fisher made a beeline for me, but Chester and Ansel intercepted him. I watched, trying to read their intentions, as a conversation ensued. My mother patted my arm. "Don't you worry about him. They're on their best behavior."

"That's not saying much."

She laughed. "Maybe not, but he's an eloquent speaker, your Fisher. He's won them over. And not just Chester and Ansel, but all of them."

I glanced around the room. Folks milled about, some of them chatting up their neighbors, while others got in line to turn in their input forms or clustered around Fisher to ask more questions.

But there were smiles, handshakes, pats to Fisher's back. Even a big hug from Grandma Rosie.

I grinned. "He did it. I mean, I'm not surprised. I told him it would work out."

My mother snorted. "Son, a little advice. Don't tell your boyfriend I told you so even if you told him so."

I dropped a kiss to the top of her head. "Great advice, Momma. Thank you."

She nudged me. "Now get on over there. I can tell you're dying to swoop in and rescue him."

"Nah, he doesn't need a rescue. But I do want to stand by him."

She sighed. "I did a damn fine job raising you right. I knew you two would find your way. Go be in love, Hudson. You deserve it."

With a chuckle at her not-so-subtle I told you so, I made my way across the room. To my surprise, the crowd parted to admit me into their inner circle. I stepped up next to Fisher and wrapped an arm around his waist, nearly falling over with shock when Pearl shot me a smile.

Fisher leaned into me, and I sensed his relief.

"You did it, babe," I whispered. "Swallow Cove will be a better place, thanks to you."

He looked up at me with shining eyes. "There's a lot more work to do before it's done."

Of course, Fisher would think of the future. That was how his mind worked.

"So we'll get it done," I said. "Together."

He smiled. "Like I've said before, you always know what to say."

"And apparently you do too. You've won them over, Fish. This town is yours."

"Ours," he corrected. "Our home. Our future. Together."