Never Tell Your Dreams (17 page)

She waved over her shoulder, and didn’t turn to see
if he was still surrounded by people or if he was watching her.

The street was filled with people walking or driving
back from the movie. The Thirsty Turtle was hopping like it did every weekend.
She was sure she saw Belle through the window. Belle rarely missed a big night
out on the town. The Thirsty Turtle was what constituted a big night. Maggie
would rather go home and go to bed. She only had a couple of days before the
meeting and she needed all the rest she could get to go up against Patricia Van
Meter.

Chapter 30

Without love, the rich and poor live in
the same house. ~ Unknown

The earlier the better
was Maggie’s
mantra. She repeated it every morning before arriving at Van Meter and
Associates when she lived in the city, and saving the farm was no different.

Quietly, she got ready so she wouldn’t wake Hazel or
Belle. Generally by six-thirty am, the tractors had already started up, the
roosters had crowed, and the cows were ready to eat. Maggie glanced out of the
bedroom window where she saw only one farmhand tending to the cattle.

Yes, we have to save the farm,
she thought
turning to decided what she was going to wear. Her clothes that dangled off the
wire hangers were bunched up in the tiny closet.

Sigh,
Maggie pulled the light blue silk
blouse off the hanger, noticing the bumps on the each shoulder seam. Her poor
clothes were use to the nice wooden hangers and much larger space in the
penthouse she had shared with Grady.

One by one, she pushed each hanger to see what she
could wear with the blouse. Normally, she’d pair it with a nice suit that
included a short skirt, but not here. She wanted to fit in. She wanted everyone
to take her seriously.

The black slacks and matching blazer would be
perfect. Maggie held the jacket up to the blouse.
Perfect,
she thought,
looking into the mirror and brushing her long brown hair behind her shoulders,
shaking her bangs out of her eyes.

Without making too much noise, she quickly got
dressed, was out the door, and then headed toward town.

The Fatted Pig was the only place that she
remembered that would be open this early. Mamie opened early so the farmers
could fill their bellies before work began, plus they loved meeting up with
their buddies to shoot the breeze. And you couldn’t go wrong with Mamie’s home
cooking, not to mention the biscuits and gravy.

“Where did the weekend go?” Maggie smiled when she
saw Mamie.

“I’m so glad to see you!” Mamie hurried from behind
the counter and wiped her hands on her apron. “I hear you might straighten out
this mess.”

Mamie embraced Maggie, and Maggie loved it.

“I have a feeling he’s trying to save the farm too.”
Mamie pointed towards a table where Mitch was hunched over a stack of papers.
He hadn’t noticed that Maggie even stepped into the place.

Maggie smiled.

“Poor boy.” Mamie shook her head. She took out a pad
of paper from her apron pocket and slid the pen from behind her ear. “What can
I get you, before you find a seat.”

“Biscuits and gravy, of course.” Maggie could
already taste them. She pointed over to Mitch. “And keep the coffee coming.”

“I should take a picture.” Mamie winked. “Hazel
would be so proud to see you two having breakfast.”

“It’s just business, Mamie.” Maggie glanced back
over at Mitch.

She couldn’t help but notice the fine man he’d
turned out to be. He was writing away, every muscle in his fore arm flexing
with each stroke of his pen.

He turned.

As their eyes met, she felt a shock run through her.

He stared. There was complete surprise in his face.
The beginning of a smile tipped the corners of his mouth.

That was all Maggie needed.

“Good morning.” She studied his expression as he got
up and pulled the other chair out. She put her briefcase on top of the table,
and sat down. “Thank you.”

Mitch sat down next to her and looked around. “I’ll
get Mamie to bring us a cup of coffee.”

Maggie waved her hand. “I ordered us a pot when I
came in.” She smiled.

She remembered how they always used to be in sync,
with a shiver of vivid recollection.

“I. . .I, um. . .” She rested her chin on her hand
with a bemused smile on her lips. “I completely forgot what I was going to
say.”

Mitch’s face split into a wide grin. “Well, I sure
hope you don’t do that in front of Patricia Van Meter.”

Maggie playfully smacked Mitch’s bicep.

“Now, kids.” Mamie set down a family size order of
biscuits and gravy, plus a pot of coffee. “Don’t make me separate you two like
I did when you were kids.”

“It’s all her fault.” Mitch pointed to Maggie, and
then stuffed a biscuit in his mouth.

“I plead the fifth.” Maggie threw her hands in the
air.

Mamie just shook her head, smiling as she walked away.

“I was thinking,” Maggie began, and then pulled some
papers out of her briefcase. She pointed to a map of Grandberry Falls. “Here is
the farm and here is the interstate. That’s pretty far apart.”

Mitch leaned over the map to see the distance. He
took the Van Meter proposal and showed Maggie the clause where it stated the
reasons for wanting the Greenlee property.

“The Pelt Company thinks this would be a great place
to add the four lane by-pass and plop the mall there so travelers will stop and
help the economy.” He handed her the by-pass proposal. “And that is what has
divided the community.”

They both looked around at the new faces walking in
the door. The Fatted Pig was a place where people passing through stopped to
eat. This was what kept Grandberry Falls running and the quaint city it had
become. And if they allow the eminent domain on the Greenlee farm, the town
would become a ghost town, putting more people out of work.

“This just doesn’t make sense.” Maggie pointed to
the west side of town. “Who owns this land?”

Mitch took a good look.

“You can go to the planning and zoning to see,
right?” Maggie knew that if they could find out who it belonged to, they might
be able to use that land. “It’s much closer to the interstate. They wouldn’t
have to completely by-pass all of Grandberry Falls.”

She made a mental note to go and check out the
property. She didn’t want to put anyone out of business, but if she remembered
correctly, that was a lot of woods, not a working farm like Hazel’s.

Think
, Maggie closed her eyes. Mitch’s
cologne was wrapping around her, and she needed to keep her head straight.
There was no way she was falling for him. Or was she? She jumped when she felt
Mitch’s fingers touch her.

“Maggie, are you okay?” A faint light twinkled in
the depths of his brown eyes.

“I’m. . . I’m fine.”Maggie shook her head back and
forth, and shrugged to hide her confusion.

She’d heard about rebound relationships, and Mitch
would be the logical choice, but these were feelings that she had never had.
Not even for Grady.

Get it together
! She chalked it
up to confusion and his love for the Greenelee farm.

“Anyway, we know the new stores would help boost the
economy. Are the farm hands all of a sudden going to know what pant looks best
with the latest high-heel?”
Ridiculous.
She knew the outlet would bring
a lot of business to Grandberry Falls. But what about the workers that worked
at the Greenlee farm? Where were they going to find jobs? She had to get back
to business.

“Wait.” Mitch jumped up and looked at the map again.
He snapped his fingers. He took a set of keys out of his pocket and dropped
them on the table. “I have to go check something out. Let yourself in my
office.”

He ran out of the diner. Maggie fumbled the keys
wondering what he was up to. Her phone vibrated in the bottom of her briefcase,
but stopped. She didn’t answer it.

Grady.

Chapter 31

A man is not where he lives, but where
he loves. ~ Latin Proverb

The old truck groaned around every bend and curve in
the road as Mitch headed toward Lexington. He hadn’t visited with his family
attorney since the reading of his mother’s will. Mitch didn’t have any reason
to go to the biggest city closest to Grandberry Falls.

There was something that struck a chord in him when
Maggie pointed to the west end of town. He vaguely remembered something about
property in his mom’s will, but he was so distraught from her sudden death,
that he didn’t really listen. His family didn’t have anything more than what
was under the roof of their family home. The place that Mitch lived in.

His thoughts turned back to Maggie. Was he reading
into it, or was she turning back into the Maggie Greenlee that he knew and . .
.loved?

It was hard to keep himself from smiling when he saw
her in her ‘big girl’ suit. She looked good. Too good.

Man
, he smacked the steering wheel.
If his feelings were that transparent to Wendy, could Maggie see through his
tough guy act?

The last thing he needed or wanted was to go back to
following Maggie around like a puppy.

No way
, he repeated over and over.
There was no way he was going to allow himself to fall for her again.
Eventually, he was going to have to tell her about Wendy, but not now.

The big glass building towered up in the sky,
casting a shadow on the vast parking lot. A few cars were scattered, but not
many.

The old dash clock hands read eight o’clock, but he
was sure Bob was in the office. At least he was going to take his chances.

The elevator zipped up to the twelfth floor. It was
hard for him to imagine Maggie Greenlee going to a big building like this in
New York.

He saw Gunkel and Gunkel engraved on the plaque
outside of the double glass doors, as soon as he stepped out of the elevator.

Mitch tried to push the door open, but it was
locked. He strained to see if he could see anything. There was a light down the
hall. He tapped on the door, hoping someone was there. He tapped a little
louder.

A shadowy figure walked into the hall, and came
toward the door. It was a younger version of Bob Gunkel.

He unlocked the door and pushed it open.

“How can I help you?” He looked at Mitch.

“I was wondering if Bob was in.” Mitch wondered if
this was the other Gunkel from the sign.

“It’s a little too early for dad, unless you had an
appointment.” The guy looked at his watch.

“I didn’t.” Mitch stuck his hand out. “I’m Mitch
Dozier, the mayor of Grandberry Falls.”

“Nice to meet you, Mayor.” He shook Mitch’s hand.
“I’m Bob jr. Is there something I can help you with?”

Mitch stepped into the office when Bob Jr. opened
the door a little wider.

“Bob was my mom’s attorney and he had mentioned
something about property in her will.” Mitch ran his hands through his spiky
hair. “I . . . was so taken by surprise with my mom’s sudden death that I
really didn’t listen to the will and I have a copy of it in the safety deposit
box at the bank, unfortunately it’s closed right now too.”

That was one of Mitch’s downfalls. If he wanted
something, he got it; just not in Maggie’s case, which drove him crazy.

“There must be something really important in that
will.” Bob Jr.’s eyes narrowed.

“If it’s what I think, I really need the information
now. Is there any way you can look up the will?” Mitch asked.

Mitch followed Bob into one of the rooms off the
hallway, hoping Bob Jr. would be able to help him.

Chapter 32

A friend knows the song in my heart and
sings it to me when my memory fails. ~ Donna Roberts

There was only one thing for Maggie to do before she
headed to finish off a little paperwork at Mitch’s office, and then head to
Grandberry Falls Park. She did promise Wendy and the gals that she would help
decorate for the big Grandberry Falls Jubilee this weekend.

Just thinking about being in Grandberry Falls during
the festival sent excited butterflies in her stomach. She had so many fond
memories of not only Mitch, but also her friends.

How simple life was
, she sighed.

Traffic had picked up on Main Street. Maggie looked
both ways before crossing. She rubbed the quarter from the change Mamie had
given her after she paid the bill.

The Trembling Cup already had a small line out the
door. Maggie waved through the coffee shop window at Jenna and Liz. She admired
how her Aunt and her friend met every Friday for girl talk and coffee.