Page 15 of Loving Decker

He snorted. “Not buying it.”

Her mouth dropped, and then she narrowed her eyes. “I said I’m fine.”

“Ooooh! Did I just hear Faith say she’s fine?” Dylan widened his eyes.

Mav whistled. “She said she’s fine, oh boy. Deck, I’m sorry, dude.”

Faith turned red at his side, and he wanted to protect her from whatever this was. “I don’t think…”

But Mav interrupted. “Let us give you a rundown of what a woman means when she says she’s fine.”

Bailey and Kate seemed perfectly cheerful, almost enjoying this whole thing. Faith seemed embarrassed but nothing more. Maybe it was going to be okay. Decker kind of laughed uncomfortably but watched Faith.

“When a woman says she is fine, that means you better start running for the door.”

Everyone laughed, but Bailey shook her head. “Oh stop. What it really means is—”

“Start groveling!” Dylan laughed.

Kate put a hand on her husband’s arm. “No, it might really mean she’s fine.”

Then everyone burst out laughing together.

Decker looked from one to the other, more and more confused. Then he leaned closer to Faith. “You really are fine, aren’t you?”

She opened her mouth and then closed it again. Then she shook her head.

But before she could say anything else, Mama came to the rescue. “I think it’s time to talk about developing Willow Creek.”

Everyone grew quiet.

“Mav doesn’t need our answers yet.” Deck really didn’t want to talk about it.

“That’s all fine, but I think there are issues to discuss. And we always get way more accomplished when we work together, that includes brainstorming. So let’s talk it through. What are the pros and cons?”

For a minute, everyone was really quiet.

Faith spoke up first. “Well, we can’t ignore the money.”

Deck tensed up, but then Bailey interjected. “I know Mav’s the one suggesting the sale, but I don’t want to see Willow Creek change. This town saved me. They took me in. They’re perfect just the way they are.”

Nash nodded. “Now, I’m not arguing any of that, but it’s changing already no matter what we do.”

“That’s true,” Deck heard himself saying. “We were walking through town, and all the stores are original owners, getting older. None of their kids seem interested in keeping it going.”

Everyone started to give their thoughts. And at the end of the meal, they all agreed. No one wanted Willow Creek to change, but it might be impossible to prevent.

Decker cleared his throat during a lull in conversation. “Faith and I think we should have this kind of conversation as a town hall meeting.”

The level of noise picked up again while everyone debated that idea.

“The truth is, I’m not sure I want their opinion.” Nash put his cup down. “Why should I consult them about our land?” He held up his hands. “I know that’s not going to sit right with some. But our great-grandpa worked hard for this land, and I don’t think he would be too keen on the idea that we just threw it away because some town hall meeting had thoughts on it.”

“Or if they want the land to stay because they enjoy the view, but they’re not paying for it or working it or helping us to keep it,” Decker pointed out. The more he talked, the more he sounded like he wanted to sell, which he did not. Did he?

Dylan nodded. “I agree with Deck. I think it’s much more likely the smaller landholders will be wanting us to keep their view intact. If we put a bunch of houses up on the hill, they’re gonna have to look at those.” He toyed with his fork. “But I do think it would be a good idea to open up the conversation. That weasel Randall will win if we are all afraid to talk to each other.”

“He’s not exactly a weasel.” Faith pressed her hand into the table. “He’s actually quite nice and has the town’s best interests in mind just like everyone else.” Her cheeks colored.

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