Never Tell Your Dreams (13 page)

He watched the crowd file into the Turtle. Maggie
wasn’t anywhere to be seen and Hazel’s stand had long since been closed.

Chapter 22

A friend is one of the nicest things you
can have, and one of the best things you can be.

~Douglas Pagels

“What are you going to do today?” Belle asked Maggie
the next morning, and plopped her big purse on the counter.

Maggie wiped up the splash of milk that tumbled out
of her bowl. She never understood why Belle carried such a big purse. Belle
said that she had important stuff in there. Stuff consisted of make-up and more
make-up.

“This is my favorite part.” Maggie picked the bowl
up and drank the left over milk.

“Simple pleasures in life, right?” Belle gave her
the apologetic look Maggie was getting use to from everyone she walked past.

No one said anything to her, but she could tell what
they were thinking by their tilted heads, frowning eyes, and weak smiles. Belle
re-filled Maggie’s coffee cup after she poured her a cup.

“Why don’t you come down to the Hair Pin and work
the phones for me today?” She asked.

Great,
Maggie thought. She’d spent all
those years getting her law degree. Answering the phone at the Hair Pin was not
going to pay back the massive loan she owed. A far cry from where she thought
she’d be at this point in her life.

“No thanks.” She leaned back and looked into the
family room. Hazel was already in there watching Paula’s weekly round-up and
bargains. “I might see what Paula’s deals are or go to the lake for the
matinee.”

Maggie and Mitch had spent countless hours on
Matinee Saturday. She saw where they were showing her all time favorite movie,
Back
to the Future
. There was nothing better than watching a movie on the
outside screen sitting on a blanket and eating freshly popped corn.

Belle grabbed her bag, her mouth twisted sideways
and her eyebrows dipped. “If you change your mind, come on by.”

Maggie appreciated how Belle and Hazel weren’t
pushing her to move forward, but really take the time to get her life in order.
It did scare her how little she’d thought of Grady and how much she thought of
Mitch. Wrapping her head around the fact that Wendy Owens was going to be Wendy
Dozier and picturing how cute their kids were going to be, had taken over all
of her soul.

“Granny.” Hazel was mesmerized by Paula. Maggie
gestured toward the door. “I’m going to the matinee in the park.”

Hazel nodded and shooed her away. If Paula was on,
Hazel was going to be glued to the television, which was good. Maggie always
felt guilty leaving Hazel. But when she was in her element and happy as could
be, those were the times Maggie took advantage of.

###

The crowd was much larger than Maggie remembered it
ever being. Grandberry Falls was definitely growing. A twinge of confusion
settled in her stomach. She had to question why she was yearning for the old
days when Grandberry Falls was a small town, and she knew everyone. She wasn’t
use to walking in the park and not know a soul.

There was even a line for the gondola rides. She
recognized Butch Caudill underneath the straw hat with the black ribbon hanging
down, trolling the paddle along the slick glass lake. Butch was always a nice
guy who was easy to talk to. Many high school nights, Butch joined the gang in
Maggie’s old ’66 Mustang, trying to see what kind of trouble they could get
into. He was the first one who threw his feet in the air going over the railroad
tracks near the old saw mill.

She could hear him now, “I need all the wishing I
can do.”

She smiled. No matter how hard she tried to escape
superstition, it somehow let her know it was still in her life.

“Maggie Greenlee.” Butch pushed her money away from
her. “You get a free ride.”

Charity was something Maggie didn’t take lightly.
She paid her scholarship back and she’d recover from this change in her life
plans.

“No, Butch.” She shoved it back in front of him.
“I’m not going to let anyone take pity on me.”

Butch took her by the elbow and lowered her into the
boat. He steadied the oar against the shallow depths of the lake so she could
sit down on the padded bench.

“Pity?” Butch pushed against the soil, and with a
couple swooshes of the oar, they were sliding along the lake. His right eyebrow
rose. “What are you talking about?”

Hazel had mentioned something about Butch coming
around trying to court Belle, but never gave it any thought until now. She did
wonder how he wasn’t snatched up yet. His strong jawline was pronounced by the
sunlight jutting off the lake. His green eyes stood out from his olive skin and
black spiky hair, which she was sure came from Belle’s scissors. She remembered
how his body had been out of proportion, but which had now filled out to fit
his six-foot-four frame.

Yes,
she smiled. He and Belle would
make a nice couple. She would put a bug in Hazel’s ear to encourage this
pairing. It might make Hazel lay off her.

“I know you’ve been talking to Belle and I’m not
stupid.” She wanted to be upfront. There was nothing more degrading than being
treated like a child.

“I haven’t talked to Belle. She’s been so busy with
the spa part of the Hair Pin, she’s always working.” There was sincerity in his
voice. “Maggie Greenlee? Pity? I’m just glad to see you. Especially since the
eminent domain.”

Maggie jerked back. “Eminent domain?”

“I hope they give Hazel some good money. I couldn’t
imagine losing our farm to some outlet mall.” Maggie held on to the sides of
the gondola as Butch talked, but she only saw his lips move. “This is a hobby.
I still have to farm, and losing Greenlee farm is going to make me have a big
pay cut.”

Butch’s family had farmed the rows of corn for the
Greenlee’s long before Maggie was born and they were a staple on the farm along
with several other families in Grandberry Falls.

The lake whirled like a hurricane and spots danced
around her eyes.

“Are you alright?” Butch stuck the oar in the boat.

The next thing Maggie knew, Butch was sitting next
to her with a bottle of water.

“Maggie? Here take a drink.” He put the drink up to
her lips. She pushed it away, but took it once she realized she felt like she
was going to pass out.

“Eminent domain?” She gulped down the lump in her
throat before she took a drink of water. “Outlet mall?”

“I know!” He jumped up and grabbed the oar to push
them toward the dock where the line of people had gotten bigger. “What is that
company thinking putting an outlet here in Grandberry Falls?”

“I don’t know.” Maggie recalled how strange everyone
was treating her. A sneaky suspicion told her it had nothing to do with Grady,
but all to do with this eminent domain she knew nothing about. Heat was rising
up in her throat and her armpits dampened. She thought about the envelope.
“Tell me about what you heard.”

That’s one thing about Butch Caudill, he never knew
when to keep his mouth shut.

“I think it’s a shame.” He shook his head. “Poor
Hazel. Is she just sick?”

Maggie couldn’t bring herself to make eye contact.
“You could say that.” Maggie looked over Butch’s shoulder. Just a few more
feet, she’d be on land, and a few seconds after that on her way back to the
farm to confront Hazel. “If she’s not sick now, she will be.”

Butch pulled up to the dock and before he could help
Maggie out she was out of the gondola and running up the hill toward her car.
He called after her, but she didn’t have time to turn back.

Maggie’s face hurt from the virtual slap she got
from his words. Why hadn’t Hazel asked her to help?

There were many questions she needed answers to.
Hazel knew she was a lawyer with a very extensive background in eminent domain.
Why didn’t she ask her to even look at the documents? Maggie was one of the
best in the firm at these types of deals. Which would make her an asset for
Hazel.

“Excuse me.” Maggie made her way through the crowd
of people gathering to see the outdoor matinee. “Excuse me.”

She couldn’t believe how many people had gathered
there. The population of Grandberry Falls had definitely gotten bigger. That
could be one of the reasons the company wanted to put an outlet mall in. There
was more land than just Hazel’s to look at. There were plenty of other farms.
What was the purpose of Hazel’s?

She made mental notes to ask once she got there.

Chapter 23

Faith is not without worry or care, but
faith is fear that has said a prayer. ~ Unknown

“Hazel.” Frustration boiled in Mitch’s blood. He
wished he didn’t love this family so much or he would have already told Hazel
the way it was going to be instead of the other way around. “I’m telling you,
Maggie can help us. She worked for the firm that’s representing the Pelt
Company.”

She was as calm as can be, as she sat in the mayor’s
office going over what little information Mitch had dug up.

“No. Maggie has more going on.” Lines creased her
forehead as her eyebrows arched. “First she got dumped. Then she lost her job.
Now she lost her best friend.”

Mitch didn’t have to ask who. This was beyond
friendship. It was life and death for this town. He wasn’t opposed to the mall.
He was opposed to it being there, on the Greenlee farm.

No matter how much he tried to get Hazel to see his
point, there was no pushing her. Maggie was to be protected once and for all.

“Tell me, how much longer do you think you can keep
this from her?” Mitch leaned up against the edge of his desk. Surely Hazel had
some great answer to this million dollar question. Maggie was smart and
intuitive just like Hazel, and he knew it wasn’t going to be much longer.

“As long as I can. I know she’s been snooping.”
Hazel pulled the file out of her large bag. “I have to carry all my papers with
me. Today she went to Matinee Saturday, so I’m safe being here.”

Mitch didn’t know how safe Hazel was. The entire
town was divided. The younger generation welcomed the mall, while the older
generation couldn’t stand the idea. Mitch was stuck in the middle. He wanted to
keep the entire community happy. Only he had to find the solution.

Susie brought in some of Hazel’s tea she got from
the hoedown and set it on the table with a few lemon cookies.

“Do we have any leg to stand on?” Hazel showed the
first signs of giving in. Susie sat next to Hazel and patted her hand. “If I
can keep my farm, I want to. Does Grandberry Falls need my land?”

Mitch shook his head. “You need your farm. We’ve
studied a lot of eminent domains and most the time they take the land or it’s
tied up in court for years. We just don’t have someone who is able fight it.
That’s where Maggie comes in.”

Susie jumped when the door to the office flung open
and hit the wall.

“How convenient.” Maggie shot through the door like
a bull when it’s sees a red cloak. “Did you honestly think that you could keep
something like
eminent domain
from me?”

She stood over Hazel and Susie with her hands on her
hips. Mitch was frozen.

“Maggie, please have a seat.” Mitch stood up and
pulled his chair out for her, somewhat relieved that she knew. “Maybe she can
help us now.”

“Your damn right I’m going to help.” She didn’t
budge from over top Hazel. “What about all the families that the farm
employees? What about Butch Caudill’s dad?”

“Hazel was just trying to protect you.” Susie glared
at Maggie, they were chest to chest.

This isn’t good
, Mitch thought
when Maggie straightened her back making her taller than Susie.

Like a dragon emitting fire from her mouth, Maggie
glared at Susie. “Take your two bit degree advice and stick it straight where
the sun doesn’t shine. Don’t you tell me what is best for me and my family.”

“Maggie.” Hazel put her hand on Maggie’s leg to make
her step back from Susie. “I wasn’t going to bother you with this.”

“It’s what Hazel wanted.” Susie quipped.

Maggie continued to stare at Hazel when she put her
finger in the air signaling Mitch and Susie to leave the room. Without a word,
Mitch tugged on Susie’s sleeve. It was a private matter between family members
and they needed a moment.

“I can’t imagine what you ever saw in her.” Susie
walked back and forth in the reception area of the office.

Mitch could still see it, and that was a problem. It
wasn’t his job to defend Maggie or Hazel. It was his job to do what was best
for Grandberry Falls.

“Mitch?” Susie questioned why he didn’t answer her.
“Seriously, what did you see in her.”

Mitch looked at her and turned away when he heard
Maggie yelling at Hazel. He could only recall one other time when they had
yelled at each other and it wasn’t when she accepted Grady’s proposal. It was
when Maggie decided not to come back to Grandberry Falls after college. Hazel
had a hard time understanding why Maggie didn’t want to come back and serve the
community.