Beyond Hope's Ridge Read online

  “He’s likely to be in the Ridge a lot more over the coming months,” Asha said. “You might want to think about talking to him, so you’re not running away every time you see him.”

  Steph’s breathing quickened. “Why is he going to be here more?”

  Asha’s lips turned up at the edges. She was trying to suppress a smile.

  “Ash, what’s going on?”

  Steph listened as Asha explained Charlie’s plan to build the pavilion on the lakefront and Buster’s involvement as far as preparing the architectural and engineering plans.

  “That’s amazing.” Zane put an arm around Asha and pulled her to him. “What an opportunity!”

  Steph forced a smile. She was happy for Asha, but dread settled in the pit of her stomach. Even if she did talk to Buster, how would she cope with seeing him regularly? She knew running from him was ridiculous, but the moment she saw him, it was as if instinct took over, and she had to flee. She’d watched his little girl drown and had been utterly useless in doing anything to stop it happening. It was bad enough getting through each day with that playing on her mind, but seeing Buster increased the weight she carried around tenfold. This man woke up every day missing his daughter, and she was partially responsible. How could he ever forgive her when she would never be able to forgive herself?

  “I don’t think Matt’s going to be too happy,” Asha said, breaking into Steph’s thoughts.

  She glanced at her sister. “Do you think he’ll try to ruin the opportunity for you?”

  “I’m sure he’ll do his best. He’s got his development happening along Lake Drive, but we know he wanted that to be bigger and wants Charlie’s lakefront land.”

  “Hopefully, he’ll have another project on the go and be too busy to stir up trouble for you,” Zane said.

  Asha rolled her eyes. “That, I doubt. I think one of his life ambitions is to stir up trouble for me. And anyway, what other developments does he even have?”

  Steph smiled. “Funny you should ask that.” She told them of Bodhi’s news and that Matt could be a possible target for the sale of the land, properties, and business.

  Asha’s face clouded over immediately. “Oh, Steph. I’m so sorry. Matt’s the last person you’d want to be involved in Heat Wave.”

  Steph shrugged. “Bodhi needs a sale, and he’s an obvious buyer as he’s expressed interest in doing a wellness center or retreat. There’s nothing to say I have to stay on. It might be time for me to open something of my own. I guess for now I’ll just wait and see what happens. It’s unlikely anything will happen quickly, so I’m assuming I’ll have a couple of months to make my plans.” That was one good thing about living in a small town. Finding a buyer, even if Matt was interested, was unlikely to be a quick process.

  ❖

  Nerves spiraled in the pit of Buster’s stomach as he pushed open the door of the construction office the next morning. Jodi, the office manager, and Travis’ wife greeted him.

  “Hey, Buster, coffee?”

  Buster smiled, Jodi’s standard morning greeting quashing his nerves. He’d never felt nervous entering the office before, but today, the day he needed to tell Travis his plans, had left him feeling uncomfortable. He hated letting people down, although according to his ex-wife, he was a master at doing that. He stopped. Where had that thought come from? He did his best not to think of Eve and certainly not to invest any energy in raking over the accusations she’d spat at him.

  “Buster? Coffee?” Jodi repeated the question.

  He pulled a small tray from behind his back, holding three takeout coffees.

  Jodi’s eyes widened. “You didn’t have to do that.”

  Buster handed Jodi her coffee. “Why not? It’s not part of your job description to make me coffee every morning. I wanted you to know I appreciate that you do. You’re an amazing team player.”

  Jodi blushed, unused to praise from Buster. He probably should have acknowledged her more often, he realized, also realizing it was a bit late to start now. “Travis in?”

  Jodi nodded toward her husband’s office as she took a sip from her cup.

  Buster smiled and strode into his partner’s office. Travis looked up from his computer and pushed his dark hair out of his eyes. Buster held out a coffee to him, which he accepted gratefully.

  “You need a haircut.”

  Travis laughed. “And you need a facelift, but I don’t hassle you about it.”

  Buster sat down across from his business partner, realizing he would miss their good-natured ribbing.

  Travis glanced at his watch. “I just had a call from Matt Law. He’s dropping in soon. I’d like you in on the meeting as he sounded pretty upset about the shoreline development.”

  Buster put his coffee down on Travis’ desk. “Word spreads quickly. I only met with Asha and Charlie yesterday. How did he find out about it?”

  Travis’ eyes twinkled. “I gather Charlie decided to fill him in. Went out of his way, according to Matt, to rile him up.”

  Buster laughed. That must have been who Charlie had hurried off to see following their meeting. “Good old Charlie. Matt probably deserves it after the way he treated him. Trying to get an old man declared unfit to look after himself was pretty harsh.”

  “Well, keep that opinion to yourself, okay? We need to remember that Matt’s our client and whether we approve of the way he chooses to operate or not, right now we can’t afford to lose his business. Other than the regular council jobs, there’s not a lot happening here in the Landing or Hope’s Ridge. If we lose Matt, we’ll need to tender for jobs in Tall Oaks, and I don’t relish the drive.”

  Buster cleared his throat. He needed to tell Travis of his decision.

  Travis raised an eyebrow. “Everything okay?”

  “No, not really.” Buster went on to tell Travis how difficult he was finding the constant reminders of Holly in Drayson’s Landing and Hope’s Ridge.

  Travis nodded, in the compassionate and considerate way he always did, as Buster told him of his need for a fresh start.

  “I hate to think that me leaving might cause problems for the business, and you and Jodi,” Buster said. “But I also know that there’s nothing for me here now. My marriage exploded, my daughter died, and while I have loved working with you both, it isn’t enough to keep me here.”

  Travis leaned back in his chair. “Jodi was right. She’s been saying for ages that she’s surprised you’ve been able to keep going as well as you have. Would you consider opening a branch of the company somewhere else?”

  Buster nodded slowly. “Maybe. I think I need a complete break to start with. A few months to maybe travel, or head to the beach and surf. Ski even. Something different to give me a chance to reset.”

  “Have you thought about whether you want to stay an owner in the business?”

  Buster hesitated. “To be honest, I haven’t decided on that one. I guess if we considered opening another branch, then it would make sense to remain an owner. I just wasn’t sure whether you’d want me to do that. I thought it might suit you to have someone else buy in and have a partnership like we have.”

  “I’ll need to give it more thought,” Travis said. “When did you want to finish up?”

  “I’ll see my current projects through,” Buster said.

  Travis raised an eyebrow. “Through the construction phase as well?”

  “No, I was thinking up to the stage of plan approval. I can draw up the project plans for construction and go over them with you. But with Matt’s Lake Drive development, I’d be here for months if I agreed to see that project through. You usually take over at the construction part anyway, so the timing makes sense.”

  An instant message pinged on Travis’ computer. He glanced at it and typed something before returning his focus to Buster. “Jodi says Matt’s here.”

  Both men stood. “Let’s both think about your situation and discuss it again further. I’ll be sad to see you go, but I do understand.”

 
Buster swallowed the lump that formed in his throat as Matt’s wide frame filled the doorway.

  His cheeks were flushed, and he looked agitated as he stepped inside Travis’ office.

  “Matt, grab a seat.” Travis pointed to the empty chair next to Buster. “Coffee?”

  Matt shook his head. “No thanks. Jodi already offered. I just wanted to speak to you both, see what we can do to stop Charlie Li’s development from going ahead.”

  Travis shot a glance at Buster, one telling Buster to be careful with what he said.

  “I’m not sure there is anything,” Travis said. “It’s his land, and the zoning of the area does allow for development.”

  “You’d be the first to develop the site if it was yours,” Buster added.

  Matt’s cheek twitched as he looked at Buster. “And that’s the whole point. It’s not my site, so what can we do about it? Surely there must be a way to get it caught up in red tape if nothing else. I will be lodging objections, but I thought you two would have a few ideas on how to slow it right down or stop it.”

  Buster bit the inside of his cheek, trying to work out the best way to approach this discussion. “Matt, are you aware that Charlie’s given us the contract to design the pavilion?”

  Travis dropped his head and muttered something under his breath.

  Matt nodded. “I am, which is another reason I’m here. Surely you realize it’s a conflict of interest? We’re competition, and you’re working with both of us.”

  “I don’t think Charlie would consider you competition, Matt. He’s doing something nice for Asha, nothing more. He has money to invest, and I think it’s giving him great pleasure to do it.”

  Matt managed a wry smile. “It certainly gave him great pleasure to come and tell me all about it yesterday. He suggested Asha might invest in a larger food truck and expand her menu. Make it more of a cafe and create more competition for the Sandstone Cafe.”

  “I’m not sure that’s in Asha’s plans,” Buster said. “She only learned of the development plans yesterday, so I doubt she’s had the time to decide. She might, of course, but right now, I imagine Charlie’s going to enjoy winding you up.”

  Matt sighed. “And I imagine there’s a good argument that I deserve anything he dishes out.”

  Buster chose not to respond to that comment. “I can reassure you that the development won’t affect the view from the Sandstone Cafe,” he said.

  “But it will affect the views from the apartments. The food truck already does. What if I make you choose? You either work with me or you work with them.”

  “That would be disappointing,” Travis said before Buster had a chance to answer. “There are benefits for both parties involved—and the town—of us working on both projects. It means all development will be done to a similar standard and in keeping with the look and feel the town wants to maintain. If Charlie was to use someone else, we can’t guarantee what the result would be. We’ll be advising wherever possible that the design be developed to enhance what you’re doing and also to make sure neither project impacts the other negatively.”

  Matt nodded slowly. “Good answer.” He sighed again. “Fine, well, keep working for both of us, but if they do anything foolish, I want to be the first to hear. Now, where are we at with the rooftop bar for the cafe? It looks like I might have a tenant ready to go in, and I want to update them on what to expect as far as interruptions.”

  “That’s great news,” Buster said. “Anyone we know?”

  “Do you remember Ryan Williams? Artist guy who grew up in Hope’s Ridge? He was a bit older than me.”

  Buster nodded. “I met him a few times. He was a good guy. And an amazing talent. The last I heard, he was working as a gallery director in some fancy New York gallery. I think he even had exhibitions of his work.”

  “That was a few years ago,” Matt said. “He’s had a bit of a change of pace since then. Anyway, he and his sister, Margie, are moving back to Hope’s Ridge to run the cafe. They arrive tomorrow and will be opening the cafe at the end of next week.”

  “That’s great, Matt.”

  Matt stood. “It is. You should both come out with us on Saturday. Ryan’s an adventure junkie. We’re meeting up at the Bluff around eleven to do some free solo climbing. We’ll take some equipment too in case free soloing is too scary for anyone planning to join us. You up for it?”

  A shot of adrenaline rushed through Buster at the thought. He hadn’t done any climbing for years. He used to love it and the thrill the danger element of free soloing provided. He’d had a couple of slips but no major accidents. It was an activity that made you live in the moment. There was no time to think of anything other than precisely what it was you were supposed to be doing. An image of Holly appeared in his mind as he had this thought. He pushed it away, aware that Matt was waiting for his answer. He spent most Saturdays avoiding his thoughts, particularly thoughts about Holly. Climbing sounded like the perfect way to escape.

  “Love to.”

  “Me too,” Travis added.

  Matt grinned. “Good, I’ll meet you both out there. I’ll find out the time from Ryan and let you know. And in the meantime, if you do have any golden ideas of how to get rid of Charlie Li’s development, feel free to act on them. There’d be a hefty bonus from me if you made that happen.”

  ❖

  Steph waited for the red Range Rover Sport to pass before crossing Main Street. She was surprised any tourist would visit Hope’s Ridge at this time of the year, but the kayak on top of the vehicle suggested someone was mad enough to. She shivered at the thought of paddling out across the icy lake. She stepped inside the bakery to pick up a sourdough loaf to accompany the pumpkin soup Zane had promised to make for dinner.

  As she stepped back onto the sidewalk, a loaf of bread in hand, she stopped, a wide smile forming on her lips. “Ryan Williams!”

  The tall, slim, dark-haired man in front of her mirrored her smile, opening his arms and leaning forward to hug Steph around the bread awkwardly. “Steph! It’s so good to see you. It’s been years.”

  Steph pulled back, laughing. “It has. How are you? Or can I answer that for you, Mr. Famous?”

  The dimples in Ryan’s cheeks deepened as his cheeks flushed red. “Not sure about that.”

  “Really? An exhibition at The Met makes you famous.”

  Ryan raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been keeping tabs on me?”

  “Of course I have! I’ve loved your artwork since I first saw it displayed at school. I knew you’d be famous one day. I make a point of checking the arts sections of the papers every week in case you’re mentioned. I would have loved to have come to New York for your exhibition. It must have been so exciting.”

  Ryan smiled. “It was. Exciting and stressful.”

  “Are you working in a gallery too?”

  “Not anymore. Time for a change. Do you remember Margie, my sister?”

  “Of course. Didn’t she go on to become a pastry chef? She went to France to do some courses or something.”

  “Wow, you do keep informed. I don’t think Margie’s success has been in the local papers.” His eyes twinkled. “Are you a Facebook stalker by any chance?”

  Steph laughed. “I choose not to own a cell phone, let alone a computer. You won’t find me on Facebook. You should remember that I live in a small town. The same one your mom lives in. She takes quite a few yoga classes at Heat Wave, where I work, and I live on Emerald Bay Drive, so we’re neighbors.”

  Ryan slapped his forehead. “Of course. I’d forgotten how much Mom loves to gossip and brag. Sorry if she’s bored you.”

  “Of course she hasn’t. I’ve been so happy to hear about your success. Anyway, you asked if I remembered Margie. Is everything okay?”

  “Kind of. She needs a change of scenery. Her marriage recently ended, and she’s had a few other things going on. She was talking to me about slowing down, possibly coming back to the Ridge. At the same time, I had a phone call out of the blue fro
m Matt Law. You know him?”

  Steph raised an eyebrow. “Everyone knows Matt Law. He’s ruffling feathers all over the place at the moment.”

  Ryan frowned. “Really? Hopefully, that won’t cause problems for us. He’s asked Margie and me to run the old Sandstone Cafe. We take over on Monday and hope to be reopened by Friday.”

  Steph stared at him.

  “Everything okay?”

  “Did he mention what’s been going on between him and Asha?”

  Ryan shook his head. “No, he just made us an offer to run the cafe with free rein to do whatever we want. He’s going to be doing some renovations, but they won’t affect us too much. He didn’t mention Asha. What do I need to know?”

  “Asha was about to sign a five-year lease on the cafe when Matt came in under her and purchased it. He and Asha then fell out over it, and he managed to get her business shut down. She has the food truck by the lake, which she sells coffee and muffins from.”

  “But I’ve just come from there,” Ryan said. “Her coffee is fantastic as was the muffin I indulged in. She wasn’t closed down.”

  “It was only temporary. Matt forced the council to have her removed from their land, and where she’s operating now is privately owned, so he can’t touch her.”

  “Okay, problem sorted.”

  “It is, but I just thought I’d give you a heads-up. Things have worked out for Asha, but no thanks to Matt. The Sandstone Cafe was her dream, and he completely crushed it in a pretty horrible way. You might want to be a little sensitive around her.”

  Ryan nodded. “Thanks for the heads-up. I’ll pop back to see Asha now and let her know what’s going on. Try to get off on the right foot. I’d much prefer we are friendly competition rather than anything else. Margie and I are moving back to de-stress and live a more relaxed life. We don’t want any animosity surrounding us.”

  “What about your painting? Are you going to still be doing that?”

  Ryan nodded. “I’m hoping to find a house with a separate building I can turn into a studio, or I might build one. I’m also planning to run some classes from the cafe once we’re up and running. I love teaching, so I thought it might be a nice thing to do to get involved with the community again.”