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Chapter Three

BY MIDAFTERNOON Aaron had located a small company that specialized in replacement parts for equipment no longer used by most manufacturers. It was a niche business that probably got most of their profits from outdated places such as Cooper Industries.

“We’ll send your order by overnight courier,” the representative assured. “But I’m surprised we have these parts in stock. Did you know they stopped making this model way back in the nineteen—”

“I know,” Aaron interrupted in a dour tone. “Thank you.”

He hung up and called the tortilla-chip division, letting them know they’d soon be back to full working order. Hiring someone to handle this sort of problem was becoming a priority; it still boggled his mind that his grandfather had gotten involved with the nitty-gritty of daily operations. The company needed midlevel managers to take responsibility and make decisions.

They also needed a whole new factory.

An email message came in from Peggy, telling him the next city council meeting was in a couple of days. Surprisingly, Peggy was willing to use the computer system he’d put into the executive office. The only other area where she’d shown support was his attempt to watch after Melanie. Thinking of which....

He stepped to the outer office.

“Peggy, are there any known problems with drugs or anything at the Nibble Nook? Some of the customers I’ve seen there look questionable, and I’ve heard that in small towns, a local hamburger stand can be a center for drug pushers and gang activity.”

Her perpetual frown deepened. “I’ve heard that, too, but the Gibson family built the Nibble Nook over thirty-five years ago, and their regular clientele largely come from Cooper Industries and other businesses. You wouldn’t have known Jimmie Gibson when you were a boy here—he was four or five years older and living in Trident by then. He’s gone now, killed in a car accident last year.”

So, Skylar was a widow.

While Aaron had noticed she wore a wedding ring, he hadn’t given it much thought. Mostly he had worried that being around Skylar and a busy, roadside hamburger stand were a bad idea for a shy, sheltered girl like Melanie. The issue of his employees eating there was valid, as well—they weren’t happy about his new rules and could take it out on her.

“You seem to know something about the Gibsons.”

“I should hope so. I’ve lived in Cooperton my whole life.”

Somehow, Peggy’s reply sounded critical, though Aaron didn’t know why. Did she think he should have returned to the company after college and graduate school, working as second fiddle to his grandfather for the past seven or eight years? It would have made him crazy, and he wouldn’t have learned anything about effective management.

“I... Yeah,” he muttered. “Does Mrs. Gibson have any boyfriends who hang out at the Nibble Nook?”

The thought of tattooed bikers or knife-toting gang members had kept him awake more than once after discovering where Melanie was spending so much time. Honestly, it was hard to see Skylar Naples as a solid, upstanding member of the community.... Skylar Gibson, he reminded himself. She’d made so much trouble as a teenager, even his grandparents had been aware of her, partly because she’d get drunk and do insane things like balancing on the roof of a moving car and flashing her breasts at city hall as one of her hoodlum buddies sped past.

She’ll end up dead. Or in prison, Sarah Cooper had grimly pronounced on more than one occasion. Then she’d shaken her finger at Aaron, We’re not letting it happen to you.

Honestly, they had acted as if he was the devil’s spawn. He understood they’d wanted him to turn out like them, rather than their flighty daughter, but why treat him as if he was one step away from reform school?

“Boyfriends?” Peggy sniffed, dragging Aaron’s attention back to the present. “Skylar had quite a reputation once, but I wouldn’t know about it now. I don’t gossip about my neighbors.”

“Of course.” It wasn’t the definitive answer Aaron would have preferred. “Your email said the city council is meeting on Thursday. Do you know how I get on their agenda?”

She shrugged. “Call city hall and ask, probably.”

Plainly, she wasn’t in a helpful mood. He hadn’t confided in her—it might be different if he’d hired Peggy himself, but he hadn’t; she had started in potato chips and moved up from there. Ironically, she could have been a valuable resource for him; instead she was a pain in the ass.

“Thank you,” Aaron muttered, returning to his office.

He found the listing for city hall in the small Cooperton phone book and dialed it.

“Mayor’s office,” a woman answered. “Micki Jo speaking.”

“This is Aaron Hollister, of Cooper Industries. I want to get on the agenda for the next city council meeting.”

“Oh. Mr. Hollister.” Micki Jo’s youthful voice suddenly went ten degrees south of freezing. “What is this regarding?”

Aaron hesitated. He didn’t want to discuss the matter with a secretary, especially since no one in Cooperton knew about his expansion plans yet. It would be best if he could speak to the council without them having any preconceptions.

“I’d like to make a presentation about Cooper Industries.”

“With that and four bucks I can get a macchiato latte,” she said drily. “The council has a full agenda this month, Mr. Hollister. I’ll need more details before adjustments can be made to the schedule.”

“I...uh, have some plans to discuss.”

“What kind of plans?”

Aaron kept his temper with an effort. “For modifications at the company.”

“What type of modifications?”

Great. He’d have to tell her—sounding too secretive would just make things worse. “Expansion plans. And there’s a property-use rezoning issue that needs approval.”

“Very well, I’ll let the mayor know. You’ll be notified if you’ve been added to the agenda.”

If he’d been added?

“But I—”

The phone clicked off before Aaron could say anything else and he stared at the receiver in disbelief. What had changed in Cooperton in the past fourteen years? The town used to fall all over themselves to make his grandfather happy.

* * *

ON THURSDAY AFTERNOON Skylar pushed a large box of burgers and fries across the counter, followed by a half dozen milk shakes. “Here you go, Fernando.”

“Gracias, Skylar. I promised my crew a meal and nothing would satisfy them except the Nibble Nook.”

“That’s a real compliment.”

Fernando Rodriguez leased farmland that grew a variety of organic produce, and he’d brought a truckload of his workers over for a late lunch. Although Skylar had closed for the day by the time they’d driven up, she hadn’t been able to turn him away.

She began counting out the cash registers while her remaining three employees cleared the counters.

“Greg, don’t you need to go?” she asked the fry cook, who also managed the Nibble Nook every Saturday for her. Greg was a single father with chronic child-care issues and couldn’t stay late as a rule, while his coworkers loved overtime.

“I’m okay for once. My sister doesn’t work this afternoon, so she can watch the twins a while longer.”

Skylar nodded, grateful she wouldn’t have to empty the oil from the fryers herself. Delays always seemed to happen on the days she had something to do in the evening—not that she had a social life aside from Karin’s school, church or city events.

Karin and Melanie arrived as she finished tallying the day’s receipts. They sat at a table near the farmworkers, and Skylar hoped that Aaron wouldn’t see them and stop. Fernando’s employees were a great bunch of guys, but she was sure their rough appearance would appall Mr. Big Shot Hollister.

Skylar tucked the deposit into a bank envelope and locked it in the sturdy safe they had installed several years before.

“Hey, girls,” she said, stepping outside. “How was school?”

Melanie smiled shyly. “It was okay, Mrs. Gibson, but we have a bunch of homework.”

“Every day they load it on,” Karin muttered. “The teachers don’t care about the baseball play-offs.”

“Your team isn’t playing tonight,” Skylar reminded her. “It’s a travel day for them.”

Her daughter stuck her nose in her book. She was in one of her moods. Living with her would be a challenge until the World Series was over, along with the constant reminders that her dad wasn’t there to share it with her.

Skylar went back to work, hurrying through her routine so she could get to her meeting on time. Melanie’s presence troubled her. The teen had continued to show up every day, despite her brother’s disapproval of the Nibble Nook, and the girls did their homework together. Of course, a fair amount of giggling and whispering accompanied the studying, but Skylar periodically checked their progress to be sure they were getting enough done. They also had plans for the weekend—something Aaron was certain to refuse to give his permission for.

Her employees left and she finished by scrubbing the picnic tables and watering the whiskey half barrels she used as planters. She and Jimmie had always taken pride in keeping the Nook clean, and she wasn’t going to let it slide.

“Melanie, do you need a ride home?” she called as she stowed the hose in an outside storage cabinet.

“If you’re not too busy, ma’am.”

“No problem. Hop in the truck.”

Skylar dropped Melanie off and got Karin settled at the house with dinner before racing to the bank, and then to City Hall. Jimmie had become a member of the city council years before and the mayor had “named” her as his replacement...without even asking. She’d wanted to strangle Chester, yet in a way it had been good for her. Still, she wouldn’t mind if she didn’t win the position in the next election.

“Did you hear?” twenty-four-year-old Micki Jo said as Skylar got a cup of coffee. It was hideous, but better than nothing at the end of a long day.

“Hear what?”

“Aaron Hollister is coming tonight to discuss expanding Cooper Industries.”

“He’ll probably increase mechanization so he can cut jobs,” Chester chimed in before Skylar could say anything. “And he’s going to stop buying local products. His purchasing agent told one of the farmers that Hollister claims it’s more efficient to purchase from large producers. I know because Mr. Okishida told Doctor McWilliams’s receptionist who told the pharmaceutical rep, and she mentioned it to our pastor.”

Skylar tried to sort out who had been told what on the rumor mill and decided it didn’t matter. “Maybe somebody heard the story wrong.”

“Hah. Do you know how many farmers it will affect? Not to mention their employees. Mr. Cooper would never do something like this, but Hollister is one of those big city CEOs who will do anything to turn a buck.”

“At least the organic farmers won’t be affected since Cooper Industries doesn’t buy from them, anyhow,” Micki Jo contributed.

The reminder didn’t appear to encourage the mayor. Chester lacked real skills to lead a town, but he was honest and kept trying. Most of the council were second-or third-generation members—Chester “Chet” Vittorino’s father had retired from the mayor’s job when he turned seventy, and since a Vittorino had been mayor in Cooperton for the past forty years, Chet had practically gotten the position by default. His real talent was making Italian food at his restaurant; his chicken cacciatore and brick-oven-baked pizza were the best in Northern California.

“The whole thing is a disaster,” Chet declared.

“That’s our mayor,” Hector Rodriguez murmured in Skylar’s ear. “A real source of optimism.”

Chet glared. His management skills sucked, but his hearing was excellent.

Doug Nakama rubbed the side of his face. “My wife works at Cooper. She used to love her job, and now she’s looking for something else. It’s not the pay—she says the whole atmosphere has changed.”

“I’ve heard how unpopular Aaron’s policies are,” Skylar admitted. “My customers are always complaining.”

The mayor perked up. “You call him Aaron? Then you know Mr. Hollister.”

“We went to school together, that’s all.”

“Yeah, but my daughter told me that his sister pals around with your Karin.”

Skylar tensed. She couldn’t afford to have anyone start speculating about her and Aaron...or Karin. “That doesn’t mean I’m friends with Melanie’s brother. In fact, he—”

“But you know him,” Hector interrupted. “That’s a stroke of luck. I admit this news about the local farmers is a worry.”

“I’m worried, too,” Skylar agreed. “But surely the whole thing is a misunderstanding. Cooper Industries has always needed producers from outside our area, in addition to the local farmers, because they don’t grow everything the factory needs.”

“Misunderstanding?” Chet made a disgusted sound. “Want to bet?”

No, Skylar didn’t want to bet. However hopeful she was trying to sound, it seemed exactly like Aaron to abandon the growers around Cooperton—he’d just call it good business.

The mayor called the meeting to order; his perpetually gloomy expression even gloomier than usual.

Aaron’s presentation had been tacked on to the end of the meeting agenda, and he arrived during their midsession break wearing a crisp business suit and carrying two large cases.

“Er...Skylar,” he said, looking startled. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m a member of the city council.” She was pleased to see vague alarm in his brown eyes.

“They elected you?” He made it sound as if the town had elected a common prostitute.

“My husband was a member of the council. When he... Well, the mayor appointed me to fill his slot until the next regular election.”

“I see.” He looked around. “What’s going on? I was told to arrive at seven since you had a full agenda and that I would come last. Surely the meeting didn’t end early.”

“Nope, we’re on a break. Have some coffee. It’s okay, it won’t poison you—I didn’t make it,” she said innocently.

* * *

THERE WAS SOMETHING in Skylar’s tone that made Aaron suspicious, and when he tasted the coffee, he knew why. It was god-awful. Dishwater would have tasted better. Nevertheless, he pretended to enjoy the evil brew; he wouldn’t make friends by complaining about something so trivial.

The meeting was called to order again, and Aaron waited, surreptitiously looking around—the room was in good condition, but there were no signs of audio-visual equipment. Fortunately, he’d brought a computer and equipment of his own for the presentation. All he needed was an electrical outlet and a blank wall to project images onto.

The mayor droned on about various issues. Comments were invited and votes were taken. Over half the seats were filled with “interested” citizens, most of whom seemed bored by the business being handled. More drifted in until the room was full, though the chairs on either side of him remained empty.

Aaron mentally ran through his speech. He’d considered using a folksy approach, but had realized he would be lousy at it. Straightforward was best, though he didn’t want to paint too bleak a picture of how Cooper Industries was doing. That wouldn’t help the situation, either.

“Mr. Hollister is the final item on the agenda, Mr. Mayor,” announced Micki Jo. Apparently she acted as secretary for the city council, as well as the mayor’s office, though she didn’t look old enough to be out of high school.

A rumble came from the assembly, and there was a general shifting of chairs as people sat forward. An ominous sensation went through Aaron.

All of these people had come for his presentation?

How had it gotten around Cooperton so quickly? Even though it was to everyone’s benefit for Cooper Industries to expand, there were bound to be a few folks who didn’t understand, or had environmental concerns, or another ax to grind. He’d hoped to convince the city council before the public heard much about it.

Aaron glanced about and saw an array of unfriendly expressions. Not an auspicious beginning. He stood up. “Mr. Mayor, I just need a moment to set up my equipment,” he said. “I have graphics and other visuals to demonstrate what I want to accomplish.”

The mayor held up a hand. “That won’t be necessary, Mr. Hollister. During the break we decided that Mrs. Gibson is the best council member to determine whether your expansion plans should be approved.”

Skylar jerked upright. “Mr. Mayor, I wasn’t part of any such discussion.”

“We had a sidebar while you were greeting Mr. Hollister.”

“Chet, I’m not—”

“You’ll have a chance to vote on the motion, Skylar.”

“But—”

“I move that Mrs. Gibson handle the matter before us, regarding the approval or rejection of plans to expand Cooper Industries,” interrupted one of the other men.

“I second the motion,” another councilman said hastily.

“Being moved and seconded, all in favor say ‘aye,’” announced the mayor.

A chorus of “ayes” followed, accompanied by an emphatic “no” from Skylar.

“The motion has passed. Mr. Hollister, Mrs. Gibson will be contacting you to discuss your proposal. All business now concluded, I adjourn this meeting.” The mayor rapidly gathered the papers in front of him and smiled genially at the assembled citizens. “Thank you to everyone for coming. It is important for the civic process to have the participation of its citizens.”

A weak round of applause went through the room.

Skylar looked as if she was in shock, and Aaron wasn’t far behind. This was even worse than having an elected council making the decision rather than a professional city planner—Skylar was that “wild Naples girl,” a high-school dropout. She didn’t have the education or background to make such a decision, and she was already pissed at him for telling Melanie he didn’t approve of her going to the hamburger stand. Granted, Skylar was running a successful business now, but that didn’t mean he wanted her having the say over his plans to restore Cooper Industries.

* * *

SKYLAR BOLTED FROM her chair and caught up with Chet and the other councilmen before they’d gotten to the exit.

“Oh, no. You’re not going anywhere,” she warned.

“It’s late, Skylar,” Hector protested. “My dog needs to be walked.”

“And I have a kid at home. Move,” she ordered, pointing toward the back chamber, a windowless room that was mostly used for storing the building’s holiday decorations.

Dragging their feet, they trudged through the door. She flipped the light switch and planted her hands on her hips, staring them down the way she’d stare down a troop of Girl Scouts who’d eaten too much sugar. “All right, I should have known something was up when you put your heads together during the break, but I never suspected this. I don’t have time to deal with Hollister’s expansion plans, or whatever they might be.”

“Whatever they might be? Then you don’t think expanding is what he really wants?” Doug asked uneasily.

“I have no idea, and I have no idea why you threw it in my lap,” Skylar snapped.

“Come on, Skylar, don’t be that way,” Chet placated. “You know him. Besides, you’re the only council member who doesn’t care about getting reelected. You saw how many people showed up to hear Hollister’s presentation—nobody attends our meetings, and look at tonight’s turnout.”

“That’s because you had Micki Jo call around with the news that Aaron Hollister was coming and what he wanted. You were trying to see if it was a political hot potato.”

Chet gave her a duh look he must have learned from his three children. “He’s really unpopular. If we give him what he wants and the town is mad about it, we’ll never get reelected.”

“And if I do it, nobody will eat at the Nibble Nook any longer,” Skylar said furiously. She didn’t actually think it was true, though she might lose a few customers.

“Nobody will stop going to the Nook,” Hector assured. “Your business largely depends on Cooper Industries, so everyone will understand what you decide is based on keeping the company healthy. The town will respect that, but they’ll think the rest of us are getting paid off, especially if jobs are lost. Come on, Skylar, everybody knows you’re not a politician.”

“Guys, surely you don’t believe anyone else will run against you?” she asked as a last-ditch effort. Aside from everything else, she believed the town’s big decisions should be made by more than one person. “Jimmie ran unopposed for his position in both elections. Nobody wants to be on the city council.”

Doug looked at her, shocked. “That isn’t true. Our families have always been on the council. It’s a...a civic duty, but we want voter support. It was when the population increased and we needed another member under the town charter that we added a slot. You have to handle Hollister for us, Skylar. Things are getting tense with what he’s been doing.”

“Yeah, city hall gets daily calls,” Chet muttered. “Everyone thinks he’s violated labor laws or some other regulation with his new policies. They don’t like it when we say another government office handles those questions or suggest they talk to the union.”

A shiver ran up Skylar’s spine. It wouldn’t be so bad if she wasn’t concerned about Karin. She might... Oh, who was she kidding? Anything to do with Aaron would be a pain. He’d gone from being a cocksure high-school jackass to an arrogant CEO jackass.

“Anyway, it’s been voted on and passed,” Chet said. “Maybe we should have spoken to you before making the motion, but it’s kind of... Well, it was something we all, that is...”

“You mean I would have been outnumbered, even if you’d talked to me ahead of time, so why talk to me?” Skylar said flatly. “The way you didn’t ask when you appointed me to Jimmie’s job?”

Chet at least had the decency to look embarrassed.

“You owe me a large Vittorino’s Italian pizza with the works,” she told him. “Bread sticks, garlic sauce, the whole thing. And that’s just to start.”

“Sure, sure. Absolutely. I’ll even deliver it myself, whenever you want.”

She eyed the rest of them. “And I’ll be thinking of how each of you can make it up to me, as well.”

With a chorus of agreement, they practically ran from the room. Skylar would have thought it was funny if she hadn’t been so annoyed. She stepped into the main room and saw Aaron. Aside from the security guard who was probably in the lobby waiting to lock the front door, he must be the only one left in the building.

“I’ll let you know when I can meet with you, Mr. Hollister,” she said. It wouldn’t hurt to be more formal with him.

“How about right now?”

“How about remembering it’s after nine o’clock and we both have teenagers at home?”

Aaron looked startled. “Oh, yes, of course.”

“I’ll have to arrange a time when I can get an extra employee to cover for me at the stand. Or we can meet after I close. Just not tomorrow.”

“What’s wrong with tomorrow?”

“It’s Friday and I have plans.” Those plans involved getting together with Grace Gibson and finalizing the arrangements for Karin’s birthday party, but Skylar didn’t want Aaron to start thinking about Karin’s birthday. She especially didn’t want him to start counting back and remember when Karin had been conceived.

“Fine,” Aaron said. His teeth were gritted. “Let me know when and where.”

“I will. But don’t expect to show me a slick PowerPoint program and get an instant approval. I’m sure we’ll have several meetings.”

If Aaron was dismayed, he hid it well. “My presentation is more than a slick PowerPoint—it has important information.”

“Oh, I’ll watch it, but even in Cooperton we’ve heard of computers—bells and whistles won’t impress me.” She smiled sweetly. “You’re going to get lots of questions.”

“Uh...yes. I’ll be at your disposal.”

Skylar found that doubtful, but she didn’t have time to think about it. Ever since Jimmie’s accident it had been emotionally challenging to leave her daughter alone for long periods. And it was worse now with Karin being so moody over the baseball play-offs.

“Fine. I’ll contact your office in a few days with a date for our first meeting. Have a good weekend.” She had almost escaped through the door when Aaron cleared his throat.

“Cooperton used to try to accommodate my grandfather,” he said. “But it seems as if everyone is opposed to the idea of Cooper Industries expanding, even though they haven’t heard my ideas. It’s the sort of thing that’s good for a town, so why is it a problem?”

She hesitated, debating what to tell him, then chose cautious honesty. “Your grandfather was concerned about both his company and Cooperton. But no one knows what your priorities are...or what you’d do to protect them.”

“That’s absurd.”

“Is it?”

* * *

AARON WAS ANNOYED as Skylar left; her reply hadn’t made any sense. Maybe he didn’t have George’s commitment to Cooper Industries, but he didn’t hate the company. And he didn’t hate Cooperton. Sure, he didn’t have the greatest childhood memories of the small town, but that didn’t mean he was out to destroy it.

Belatedly he realized he should have walked Skylar to her car and hurried outside in time to see her drive away in the old truck he’d often seen at the Nibble Nook.

Frowning, he headed for home himself. Melanie was sixteen, not six, and leaving her alone wasn’t irresponsible...yet somehow it felt irresponsible, having to be reminded that staying late for a business meeting wasn’t necessarily the best idea.

By Skylar, no less.

Skylar.

Aaron shook his head. As a teenager she’d gotten under his skin with her curvaceous body and wild nature, and now she was still bothering him in other ways.