Page 49 of Enemies in Paradise

“Are you talking about Bear’s proposal?” Britta asks Georgia, before pivoting to set my chicken pot pie in front of me. “Trust me, we’ve talked through every option to get our team a place to play. The pond is the best solution. Tearing down the shop provides the green space the city wants. Without green space, the city won’t put up the money to keep the pond. Lynette will sell it with the rest of her property and it will get developed into condos.”

“So basically, no park, no pond?” I ask.

“Exactly,” Britta says firmly, but not unkindly.

I figured Britta was on Bear’s side in all this, but now I know for sure. At the same time, I don’t know how to take what she’s said with the way she said it. Almost as if she’s sorry it has to be the way it is.

Which only makes me want to try harder to find some way Bear and I can both win. “Why doesn’t the city build a rink? Wouldn’t that cost as much as building a park? And wouldn’t that be a lot better ice to play on? It seems as though you’d have more control over keeping it frozen than depending on the weather.”

“Exactly, but the city won’t spend the money to buy a rink or build a park, so it’s a moot point,” Zach says with visible frustration. “Bear is fighting a losing battle.”

I take one of my own fries and chew slowly, determined not to look at Bear. “I guess it makes sense why he hates me if he feels like I’m impeding his one option.”

“He doesn’t hate you,” Georgia says in an unconvincing tone.

“I don’t know.” Britta steals one of Zach’s fries. “Especially after the cats…not to be rude or anything.”

She flashes me a quick smile, but I don’t know if she’s offering an apology or trying to scare me. She and Bear could be plotting together to get me out of town.

“That was an accident. I swear.” An uncomfortable warmth spreads through my whole body.

“Don’t you mean a cat-astrophe.” Britta doesn’t break a smile or blink.

I let out an awkward laugh, hoping she’s making a joke. Because if she likes a good pun, we can definitely be friends. But if she’s throwing out puns as a weapon, I’m in trouble.

“Been saving that for a few days, Britt?” Georgia asks.

Zach blocks Britta from taking another fry. “I already made a funnier joke about Bear going into anaphy-cat-lic shock.”

Britta’s face cracks into a wide smile, and she laughs. “That is good.” Then she glances at the empty dining room and slides into the seat next to me. “If your bookstore were in any other spot in Paradise, I’d be rooting for you. But this team is too important to both Bear and me.”

I nod and take a sip of water while I consider everything they’ve said. I arrive back at getting an indoor rink built. “What about finding a donor or sponsor for the rink? Someone who wants their name on an ice rink? Has Bear tried that?”

Britta purses her lips and shakes her head with a tiny pulsing. “Mom tried years ago when I wanted to play hockey. She had fundraisers, pursued donors, begged…” Her mouth ticks into a sad grin. “Nothing worked.”

Our table goes silent, but Georgia tips her chin up and scans the ceiling, which means an idea is brewing. “Maybe we could try again, but outside of Paradise. I know people in LA who are always looking for causes to donate to.”

She drops her chin. Her gaze and wide smile land on me. I know exactly what she’s thinking.

“Dexter?” I ask her.

“He’s worth a try, right?”

“Who’s Dexter?” Britta asks.

“Our neighbor in LA,” Georgia answers. “He’s a pro surfer, but he’s got connections. He could help us find a donor.”

“Pro surfer?” Britta’s next words get swallowed by the sound of something crashing in the kitchen, and Adam’s cursing that follows. “That’s my cue to get back to work, but I want to hear more about this guy,” she says as she slides out of the chair and heads toward the kitchen.

As soon as Britta is gone, Zach turns to Georgia. “Donotset my sister up with a pro surfer, no matter how much she begs.”

I laugh, but when Zach doesn’t and Georgia gives him her don’t-tell-me-what-to-do look, I change the subject.

“So why has your grandpa held onto the building for so long? He could have sold it or torn it down years ago, right?” My question comes out more critical than I intend. “I mean, in California, property taxes are too high to let anything sit empty for even a few months, let alone decades.”

“Grandpa owned the building free and clear, and the taxes weren’t high, so it was worth it for him to basically keep it as a storage unit. He kept his boat in there for a long time and a lot of extra stuff Grandma didn’t want at their house,” Zach explains around bites of his specialty hamburger.

Georgia glances at him, then with a micro eye-roll, faces me. “The truth is, Grandpa Sparks is a lot more sentimental about that place than he lets on. He wants to help Bear, but he’d have a really hard time with it being torn down.”

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