Page 81 of The Glass Dolphin

She only had to say a couple of words to him to get him to stay, and she closed her eyes and imagined herself saying them. The electricity between them sizzled as his breath drifted over her shoulder, and Julia whispered, “Don’t go.”

ChapterThirty

Eloise stood in the back of the crowded room, knowing full-well that the City Council meeting would go late. Aaron already looked exhausted, but he stayed alert through every question. He didn’t have to answer very often, because everyone who’d gathered for this May meeting wanted to know if the tourist season was going to be as easy as it had been in past years.

Those business owners and others who made the bulk of their money in the summer months—like Eloise—had organized and congregated tonight. The Council had already listened to their presentation, and they’d been able to put in their proposal to hire more workers, employ more ferries and cars while the islands were full, and expand outdoor seating at restaurants.

The Mayor’s Safer, Cleaner Beach Initiative would go into full effect this year, and Aaron had been hiring as many men and women as he could. Even those without complete police training, simply to wear a special polo and be on the watch for dangerous situations. “Almost like a neighborhood watch,” he’d told her.

Eloise was booked at Cliffside, and she had the employees she needed for now. But she wanted more RideShare vehicles in the pool, because her guests couldn’t fly straight to Sanctuary. They had to come to Diamond, and then they needed rides from the airport to the ferry terminal, and then from there to the inn.

She’d even thought of hiring her own driver to go to the ferry terminal and back to the inn on Sanctuary, to eliminate waiting for one leg of the trip. She’d brought a car with her from Boston; she could get it to the inn, put a sticker with the inn’s logo on the side, and then find someone to make the ten-minute drive.

She’d listened to the presentation. She heard the protestor’s side, and the woman currently at the mic asked something that had already been answered. Eloise marveled at the patience of the City Council members, many of whom she knew and had known for a while now.

Aaron spoke highly of all of them except one woman, and even then, he didn’t say anything negative.

Councilman Hayes answered the woman’s question and then held up his hand. “Folks, we could go on and on about this. We have.” He gestured to the Council members to his left and to his right. “We’ve been out in the community. We’ve seen all of the discussions online. We bring our own experiences and opinions to the Council.”

The man only had hair on the sides and back of his head, but he wore a full beard. He’d obviously not been sleeping as much as he should, if the exhaustion lines around his eyes told Eloise anything. He cleared his throat, and she stood up straight. This was it. The moment everyone in the cove had been waiting to hear.

She feared there might be protests no matter which way the Council went. They’d already suspended the approval of building permits for the past couple of months, and they’d been discussing the growth and how to handle it for the past five months’ of meetings.

“Five Island Cove is a premier vacation destination in the summer,” Councilman Hayes said. “Many of us rely on this season to pay our bills and feed our families for the rest of the year. Our City Manager and the City Planner have been working hard to improve roads and walkways so there are ways for everyone to get around the cove as the population of it expands this summer.” He looked down the line. “Shad?”

“We’ve pooled all the budget we have, and the roads will be done in two weeks,” he said. “We do have the capability to have the tourists here, with the cars on the road. We have invested in two hundred new e-bikes for the walkways we’ve been improving over the past two or three years. That project is done too.” He stood and leaned into the table in front of him, and Eloise smiled. Kelli sure did love Shad, and Eloise had never known him to handle things with anything but grace and professionalism.

“We can handle the traffic coming to the cove this year,” he said. “Chief Sherman says we have the police force. We have the support staff, some of whom come to the cove to work only in the summer.”

“Those people need housing,” someone yelled from the crowd.

“They have housing,” Councilman Hayes said. “It’s almost eleven o’clock. It’s time to vote.”

Eloise stifled a yawn, the proceedings in front of her interesting enough to keep her awake long past her bedtime. She quickly pulled out her phone and sent a couple of messages as Councilman Hayes read through the proposal of seasonal expansion in the cove.

Almost done, she sent to Billie.

Full report tomorrow at lunch, she sent to her friends’ group. Then she focused up front, ready for this to be behind them, at least for a little while.

* * *

Eloise pressed forwardto get on the ferry, because she couldn’t take the next one. She’d stand for the twenty-minute ride to Diamond if she had to, but she was going on this ferry. Everyone would be waiting at The Glass Dolphin as it was, because Eloise should’ve been on the previous ferry.

Sure enough, about the time the ferry pulled in at Diamond, her phone started chiming.We’re here, Alice had said.

I put us in the Sands, Maddy said.I’ll be there in ten.

Mom and I are five minutes out, Clara said.

The ferry is just pulling in, Eloise said.I’m ten minutes out.

They hadn’t all gotten together for a Wednesday lunch in a while, because schedules made getting a dozen women together somewhat difficult. She silenced her phone as the others updated where they were and when they’d arrive. Eloise knew she’d be one of the last there, and she was used to running late and showing up last.

She had found more balance in the past six months, and the fact that she could attend a Wednesday lunch spoke of that. She smiled to herself and then up into the sunshine as the ferry bumped against the dock and got secured.

She’d parked at the terminal this morning, so she didn’t have to wait for a ride. She’d have to find parking at the Dolphin, but she put the worry out of her mind. Her fingers squeezed around the steering wheel as she drove, mimicking the tension in her stomach.

Yes, they’d all be talking about the City Council’s decision from last night. Only she and Aaron had attended it, though Matt Hymas had been there for the first hour or so. Of course, everyone could read about the whole meeting online, as Eloise had seen the headlines that morning as she rode the ferry to work.

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