Violet looked up from arranging a display of potted daffodils as Norah strode in. “Praise Jesus, you’re finally back. Nobody’s had had any peace. He’s been in a Mood since you left. I had to banish him to the propagation house to keep him away from customers.”
“That bad, huh?” Norah winced. “Hopefully I’ll be able to improve his mood. Which one is the propagation house?”
Following Violet’s directions, Norah made her way around the back side of the nursery to the farthest of three green houses, outside the public space. The thump of bass greeted her even before she tugged open the door and stepped into the damp heat. She stood just inside, feeling her hair frizz and her skin prickle as the driving drumbeat seemed to reach out and resync her heart. Cam was working at the far end of the space, the gentle motions of his hands as he transplanted tiny seedlings into larger pots a strange counterpoint to the angry music. Five Fingered Death Punch. “Bad Company.”
It felt like an omen or a wall. So she didn’t run to him and slide her arms around him from behind as she wanted.
Hush saw her first, leaping up from where she’d been contentedly chewing on a rawhide to barrel down the aisle. At least one of them was happy to see her. Norah crouched and braced for the impact of Hush’s greeting, burying her nose in the big dog’s soft fur. By the time she came up from the hug, Cam was looking her way. Looking, but not moving.
Okay, this was a damn sight worse than weird. Norah felt the pleasure at her homecoming leeching away, replaced by wariness.
His expression was shuttered as she approached. Other than using a remote to turn down the music, he didn’t move, didn’t even put down the pot in his hands, as if he needed a physical barrier to keep her from touching him.
“You’re back.” Could he sound any less enthused?
“Yeah.”
Cue awkward silence. Norah could no more spew her news into that than she could fly. She drank him in, taking in the t-shirt that stretched across his broad chest, the well-worn jeans with stress points faded almost white, and the dirt smudge on his cheek she wanted to reach out and brush away. She was hungry to touch him, to taste him. To tear down whatever this wall was between them. She curled her hands to fists instead.
I’m happy to be home. I missed you. She ached to say it. But not when he stood here like a stranger.
So she defaulted to business. “What’s going on with GrandGoods? Tucker said there’s been a development?”
He lifted a brow, the biggest shift in his expression since she’d arrived. “You’ve already seen Tucker?”
“He’s taking care of some business for me. I needed to sign some time-sensitive paperwork.”
Cam grunted at that.
“So the development?”
He sighed and finally set the pot aside, immediately crossing his arms, as if she hadn’t already gotten the message of hands off.
“Ed Falk came to see me a week ago. He’s old as dirt and is the closest thing we’ve got to a walking law book for city government in this town. There’s a statute on the books that says if we can gather signatures from a majority of registered voters within a month of the passage of a law, the issue becomes a popular vote and can be overturned.”
A week. They’d had this development a whole week ago, and he hadn’t even emailed her about it. Norah absorbed the sting of that and tried to focus on the news itself. She did the math. “So you’ve got a little over two weeks left to gather petition signatures?”
He nodded. “Molly’s been coordinating teams, getting the coalition out on the streets.”
“That’s great.”
“If we can get enough signatures for a ballot referendum, we’re not only seeking to overturn the special use permit but also to implement a store size cap. There is absolutely no reason for any business in a town this size to be bigger than 40,000 square feet. That’s less than a third of the size of the store GrandGoods proposes. We think they’d pull out rather than scale down. And a store cap would protect the town from future incursions.”
“That’s brilliant! What recourse does GrandGoods have while the petition is going around? Is it something they can try to stop?”
“While the issue is up for vote, no action can be taken. GrandGoods can try to influence voters against the idea of a size cap but they can’t move forward even with the purchase of the land until this is settled.”
Did GrandGoods even know that the land was off the table entirely? Probably not since she’d literally just finalized the purchase. This was as good an opening as any for her to tell Cam about it, at least.
Norah took a breath. “I have something to tell you.”
The tension in the space between them ratcheted palpably higher. “I already know.”
“You…what?” Tucker had sworn to keep his mouth shut. Had Abe said something? If Cam knew, why did he seem so pissed?
“I know about Denver and Peyton Consolidated and the job.”
It was the last thing she’d expected him to say, and it took her a moment to recover. She hadn’t told anyone here about that. Not even Miranda. Unless someone had overheard Gerald’s offer. “How did you—”