It was tough.
She shook her head.
Nope, it had been devastating.
But Kara had survived. And she’d also discovered that she didn’t need Jamie because Mark and Mary, along with a lot of the other townspeople in Larkin Bay, Jamie’s parents included, had stepped in not only to help her with Maeve, but also to support her business and create a safe home for her and her daughter. It had all worked out fine. She’d gotten through that stressful time, and now she had a busy, fulfilling life with many friends, a nice home, the garden center, and Maeve. Kara was happy. And she knew that even if Jamie moved back to Larkin Bay, she was now strong enough to make sure nothing changed.
“It’ll be fine,” she said firmly, trying to dispel the worry from Mark’s face. “All that trouble with Jamie happened a long time ago. I’m stronger now, and things have changed for the better in so many ways. I’m sure we’ll all be fine living together in the same town if he moves back.”
Mark pursed his lips together and blew out a long stream of air before he replied, “If you say so. But I can’t easily forget how nasty he was when you were pregnant with Maeve. You wouldn’t let me beat him up back then, but I will, with or without your permission if he comes back here and does anything to hurt you or Maeve now.”
Kara smiled at the idea of her big teddy bear of a brother beating up anyone. With his size, he could intimidate them, yes, but he was a gentle giant who didn’t even like to squash bugs, so she couldn’t believe he’d beat up Jamie or anyone else no matter what they did to her or Maeve.
“Well, thank you,” she replied, reaching out to pat his hand. “I don’t think that’ll be necessary, though. Still, it’s good to know the offer is there.” She sighed and grimaced. “And thanks for the heads-up about Jamie moving back here too.”
She forced her lips upward as Mark reached over and punched her gently on the shoulder. “I know you’ll be okay,” he said. “You’re amazing. I just don’t want him to hurt you again.”
“He won’t,” promised Kara, rubbing her arm and smiling at him. “Trust me. I learned my lesson about Jamie a long time ago.” Pushing back her chair, she returned to finish cleaning her tiny kitchen and smiled with a confidence that she hoped Jamie wouldn’t be able to shake.
Scott reached for the ball and grinned when he felt its comforting weight land firmly in the pocket of his glove. It was nice to catch a good hard throw again.
Pulling the ball from the bottom of his well-worn baseball mitt, he turned when he heard his name called. He threw the ball over to Mark, who caught it cleanly and quickly tossed it to Peter, who was playing shortstop.
If someone had told Scott a year ago, or even a week ago, that he would be playing second base one day, he would’ve said that they were delusional. He was a pitcher, and aces didn’t play infield positions—that was beneath them. In his old world, pitchers considered themselves the heart of a baseball team, the elite—the most important members. In their minds, the other guys on the field were only there to back them up. Of course, this wasn’t something pitchers usually shared with the rest of the guys on the team. It was simply understood.
Scott chuckled as he remembered those smug biases. He had never truly bought into the whole superiority complex and had always recognized that the team was only as strong as its weakest player. On any given day, that could be anyone—from a young superstar position player to, yes, possibly the hurler. But the truth was, most of the pitchers he had known were at least a little egotistical. He’d even known a few who had gotten so caught up in their own self-importance that they’d become insufferable. It was funny how a botched surgery could change one’s perspective.
Well, maybe not funny but sad and uh…enlightening.
Still, since he’d been a kid, Scott had always loved playing the game, and so it wasn’t terribly surprising that it felt good to be on the diamond again. And today, somehow, the fact that he wasn’t pitching just didn’t seem all that important.
Reaching up, he smoothly caught the next ball sent to him and quickly threw it back to the woman standing at home plate. Scott hadn’t learned her name yet, but he would. Just standing there, throwing a ball around the bases made him realize how much he wanted to be part of a team again.
“So, what do you think?” asked Mark as he and Scott walked together to their cars after the practice was finished. “I realize we’re not professionals, so I completely understand if you don’t want to join us, but everyone on our team is great, and it’s nice to get out regularly for some exercise too. You can think about it for a bit if you want—you’re welcome to join us whenever you like.”
“Thanks,” Scott replied, “and I don’t need to think about it. I’m a terrible hitter, and I can’t pitch anymore, but if your team is looking for a fielder any night, let me know. I’d love to play.”
Mark grinned broadly back at him and reached out to shake his hand. “That’s great. Come by Sullivan’s Place when you get a chance, and I’ll give you a team shirt. Our next game is Thursday night at the diamond at Larkin Bay’s main park at seven p.m., and we usually practice once a week whenever we can all fit it in and get a diamond.”
“Sounds good.”
“This week we’re practicing on Sunday, but like I said, that can change depending on everyone’s schedules. Most of the guys are on the volunteer fire department, so there’s been a few weeks when they’ve had to hightail it out in the middle of the game too.”
Scott smiled. “That’s incredible. But really, thanks for inviting me. I’ll try not to let you down.”
“You won’t,” Mark assured him, stopping at his car in the field’s parking lot and opening the trunk to put his equipment away. “Oh, and Scott?” he called over.
Scott stopped his walk toward his own car and turned back. “Yeah?”
“Welcome to the team.”
Chapter Ten
Kara admired the things for sale in several of Lake Street’s store front windows as she wandered toward Courtney’s office. Stopping for a moment, she looked longingly at the pretty display in Daisy’s Dresses, wiping her hands on her skirt as she contemplated how lovely the clothes were. She grimaced. She didn’t have nearly enough money in her account to consider buying anything she saw right now, but it was still nice to dream.
A moment later, she heard her name being called and looked up to see her friend heading down the street toward her. Kara waved at Courtney, who was hurrying up the street surprisingly quickly, considering the height of the heels she was wearing.
Kara forced a smile to her lips and tried to quiet the butterflies in her stomach. She was about to meet with the lawyer representing the group who wanted to purchase the garden center, and she was glad that she had Courtney with her. Not only was her friend an excellent lawyer, but she’d also been a friend of Kara’s since high school, and it was always good to have a friend at your side when you were headed into scary and unfamiliar territory.
Courtney hugged Kara when she reached her. Taking a step back, she looked at her quizzically. “You’re trembling? What are you nervous about?” she asked. “We’re just going to meet with some stuffy suit types who are going to offer you a ridiculously paltry amount of money for that huge, gorgeous plot of land you own. You’ve got nothing to worry about. They want what you have, and if you don’t want them to have it, all you have to do is say no politely and then we’ll go have a lovely lunch together.”
“I know,” Kara replied, wiping her hands on her skirt again. “I’m perfectly comfortable running my own business and dealing with this kind of stuff usually. But this just seems more personal somehow. The whole situation makes me uncomfortable.”
“Well, you don’t need to worry about anything. I’m here, and I’m very good at dealing with strangers, especially when they’re strange lawyers.”
Kara smiled. “Thank you.”
Courtney nodded. “What I suggest, however, is that we just listen to what they’re proposing today, ask them what they plan to do with the land, and then we’ll tell them you want to think about it. You don’t even have to say a word today if you don’t want to.”
Kara let out a relieved sigh. “That sounds perfect. But I still don’t like suit people. I’m a gardener. I like aprons and jeans,” Kara said, her smile coming easier now.
“Well, you don’t look like it today,” answered Courtney, admiring the smart navy blue blazer and skirt set Kara was wearing. “You look like a suit person too. In fact, you look fantastic.”
Kara blushed. “Thanks. It was actually nice putting on something different for a change. Usually I’m in stained T-shirts and pants, getting my hands dirty.”
Courtney laughed as she led the way into her law office to meet the property developers.
An hour later, the meeting was over.
“Did my jaw hit the ground when I looked at their offer?” Kara asked Courtney as she shifted her in seat behind the boardroom table in Courtney’s law office. “Did I seem as shocked as I felt? Is the garden center really worth that much money?”
Courtney stood up and crossed the room to close the door to the cozy conference room they were sitting in. “Land is worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it. And you have thirty days to let them know if you want to accept their proposal; so yes, for the next month, the garden center land is worth at least that much.”
“I’m shocked.”
Courtney sighed. “Well, I must admit, the amount is a little larger than maybe we both thought it would be, and we could even counter and ask for more. Let me take you through their offer before we have lunch, so you know exactly what it is you have to think about over the next few weeks.”
The paperwork was straightforward, and Courtney quickly explained what Kara had to consider.
“So they want my land and all the garden center buildings, and they’re going to destroy it all and put up huge condominiums? Fancy ones with security at the entrance and such? I thought there was an ordinance in Larkin Bay that we couldn’t build things like that here. How are they going to get this project past the town planners?”
“That is the interesting consideration in all this,” Courtney replied slowly. “Your parcel of land is over fifteen acres, and while much of it is in Larkin Bay, a section of it is also across the town boundary, and Ellenville doesn’t have the same strict building bylaws in place as Larkin Bay. Because of this, the developer thinks he can bypass Larkin Bay’s planning department and get the building permits they need from Ellenville. It’s a legal loophole they’ve found, and it might work. They can put a substantially taller and bigger building on your parcel of land if they can get building permits through the other town hall, and that’s why your land is worth so much.”
Kara looked at Courtney and bit down on the inside of her lower lip for a second.
“But I don’t have to sell, do I? No one can force me to?” Even as she asked, Kara’s eyes slid to the line on the document in front of her showing the amount of money being offered.
