Page 60 of The Glass Dolphin

“AJ,” she said. “It’s not that simple. For anyone. Not even for you.”

“It is,” AJ insisted.

“I read your piece,” Robin said. “It was really good, AJ. You’re an amazing writer, but you addressed the middle ground over and over. You thought you were making a point for yes, or even no, but there’ssomuch middle ground.”

“Duke would literally not have a job if people didn’t need fish,” AJ said. “He sells to the restaurants here. What if there weren’t restaurants here?”

“What if we overfish the oceans?” Robin countered. “Why does it have to be all or nothing?”

A pause filled the waiting room, and then Alice said, “I agree…with Robin.”

AJ pulled in a breath, but Julia said, “I wouldn’t be here if the cove didn’t allow expansion. Maddy either.”

“See?” AJ gestured to her. “One of our friends. You’d kick her out?”

Robin shook her head, a sigh moving through her whole body. “Come on, AJ. You’re making things so black and white.” She knew that was never the case. She’d lived a lot of her life trying to fit into the black box or the white box. Her mother insisted there was one right way to do things.

But even she’d started to change. Even she’d started to admit there were an infinite number of gray boxes between the black one and the white one.

“I think the City Council needs to slow the heck down,” Alice said. “There’s a lot to consider, and that’s literally their job to consider it. So I actually think I’m in favor of moving slower than Robin is.”

“I’m about where Robin is,” Laurel said.

“I’d love to see our small-town atmosphere preserved,” Kristen said.

“You live in a new development,” AJ pointed out.

Kristen didn’t cower away from her, despite the disgust in AJ’s voice. “I’m aware of where I live, AvaJane. I know what I see washing up on the beaches where I walk. I know about the traffic I encounter just to go to the grocery store. I think there need to be some measures to preserve our way of life.”

Jean nodded and nodded, and that told Robin where she stood. “Kelli doesn’t want a ton of growth either,” she said without actually vocalizing her own opinion.

“I agree with you, AJ,” Julia said.

Clara, who’d said nothing, met Robin’s eye. They hadn’t always been the best of friends, nor had they hit everything off right at the beginning. But Robin loved Clara, and she’d come to understand more about how she operated.

Several seconds of silence filled the waiting room, and Robin played nervously with the hem of her blouse.

“I think I’m in the middle,” Clara said. “I see both sides—and AJ, you have to admit there are a lot of sides.”

“Sides to what?” Eloise asked, and Robin startled at the introduction of her voice to the conversation. She hadn’t seen or heard her approach. Her face had been washed and all evidence of distress and tears scrubbed away.

“El and Aaron agree with me,” AJ said.

El looked at her, then glanced to Robin, her eyebrows raised. Robin didn’t see a way out of this conversation, because AJ had forced it on them. “You want the growth to continue in the cove,” Robin supplied for her.

“Oh,” El said. “Yeah. I do. We do. Aaron needs good cops to come here, and it’s hard to get them here without amenities. Parks, shops, things to do for them and their families.”

“And some of you work with locals,” AJ said. “But you have to see our side.”

“I said I did,” Robin said at the same time Clara said, “I literally just said I see both sides.” They both glared at AJ, who apparently could only hear what she wanted to hear.

“Robin’s right,” Alice said above a couple of other voices. “There’s so much more to this thanyesorno.”

“I have to go.” AJ scooped her son and started away from the group without waiting for a hug or a good-bye. She had long legs and pure determination and she’d put quite a bit of distance between herself and the group in only a few seconds.

“You left your bag,” Jean said, but AJ obviously didn’t hear her.

Awkward silence descended on the group, and then El said, “I don’t want to be here either.” She left as quickly as she’d come, and Robin had no idea what to make of that. She’d been very close with Eloise since she’d come back to the cove, and she blinked in surprise at the sudden departure.

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