Winning the Teacher's Heart

That was what Jared wanted to use Bert’s land for? To build his racetrack? Here in Paradox Lake? She should have made the connection. Her breath caught. A racetrack could be almost as bad as a resort casino. In some ways, worse, considering Brendon’s current obsession with motorcycles.

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“No, but I know how much you hate Family Court.” He hung up.

Becca stared at her phone for a moment before touching the text button. She viewed the agenda Ken had photographed and texted her, the sinking feeling in her stomach bottoming out when she reached the fourth bullet point: Jared Donnelly—request for a recreational development zoning exception to construct a motocross track on parcel 87268 on Conifer Road.

“What’s wrong?” Emily had returned and was standing over her.

“It looks like I will be spending tomorrow evening with Jared after all.”

Confusion spread across Emily’s face. “You said the call was from Sheriff Norton.”

“It was. Apparently, Jared wants to build a motocross track on the land he inherited from Bert Miller. And the Sheriff wants me to stop him.”

* * *

Jared climbed from the cab of his pickup truck and stood in the newly paved parking lot, taking in the sprawling two-story, redbrick building with its white-columned entrance. The Schroon Town Hall. He slammed the door shut. The smell of the blacktop made his nose twitch. The last time he’d been here had been for court when he was eighteen, to answer his driving-while-impaired charge. The parking lot had been newly tarred that day, too.

His stomach churned. After his arrest, his dad had made a big show about how he was going to be there for Jared. He didn’t need a lawyer. Jared still had been naive enough to believe him—or at least to want to believe him. Then, when he and his brothers had gotten home from school the day of his court appearance, he’d found their father passed out in the bedroom, an empty vodka bottle on the bed stand. That was the last time he’d believed his father.

That night, Jared had made burgers and fries for his brothers and him for supper. For whatever reason, he remembered that clearly. But he hadn’t been able to choke down more than a bite or two. He’d considered chugging one of the beers his dad had in the refrigerator for courage before remembering that had been what had gotten him in trouble in the first place. Instead, he’d told Josh to help Connor with his homework, and he’d driven illegally to the town hall for court. Keeping his eyes focused forward, he’d walked to the front of the room where court was held, signed in and had taken a seat at the far side, determined to handle whatever happened like a real man. His mother had slipped in beside him just before the public defender had motioned him up to the desk to talk. The scent of the diner lingering on his mother’s uniform had somehow reassured him. She’d had no illusions about Jared’s father coming through for him.

“Jared.”

The sound of his name jerked him back to the present. A light-haired man about his age stepped from a sleek navy blue Mercedes parked near the building.

“Dan, thanks for coming.” Jared strode across the parking lot and shook hands with the Albany lawyer he’d hired. Jinx Stacey’s sister-in-law, Anne Hazard, had recommended him. Her environmental engineering firm had used Dan on several projects.

“I spoke with the town attorney this afternoon,” Dan said. “He saw no problem with your building permit being approved without a public hearing for a variance. It should fall under the recreational development exception to the residential-agriculture zoning classification.”

“Great,” Jared said with more confidence than he felt. It must have been the lingering bad memories. He glanced at the hall. Neither of them had to be here. Tonight was an ordinary meeting of the Zoning Board. He could wait and call the building inspector in the morning. “In that case, it might better be to let the board go ahead and make their decision without us. The less said the better.”

“You don’t get off that easy.” Dan pressed his key fob to lock his car. “As I told you on the phone, it’ll look good to be here to answer any questions the board members may have. The meeting is open, even though it’s not an official public hearing.”

“Let’s get it over with, then.”

The two men went inside and entered the nearly empty main meeting room. Not much had changed since the last time he’d been here. He swallowed. He hoped that wasn’t indicative of today’s outcome. No. This time he wasn’t a kid, and he wasn’t going to let anyone drive him or his project out of town.

“An empty room.” Dan nodded. “Just what I was hoping to see. You’ve done a good job of keeping your plans for building here under the local radar. These things go better when the public doesn’t get involved.”

Jared tensed. “My idea is for the track and school to be a community project, not a secret strike on the town.” He shifted his weight. Dan had come highly recommended by Anne Hazard. From working with Anne and her staff on the environmental studies for the project, he’d found her very open and up-front. He’d assumed Dan was the same.

“Right. Do you know Steve Monti, the town attorney? We went to law school together.”

If the attorney was Dan’s age, it couldn’t be the same attorney who had orchestrated the Driving While Ability Impaired resolution that had pulled his license for six months and required him to pay restitution to Sheriff Norton. His agreement to leave town quietly right after high school graduation had been unstated—at least in the actual plea bargain.

“No, the name isn’t familiar.”

“I’ll introduce you.” Dan raised his hand to catch the attention of a man in a dark suit standing at one end of the dais. He met them halfway across the room.

“Steve Monti. This is Jared Donnelly.”

He and the town attorney shook hands.

The attorney stepped away to the other side of Dan. “I may have spoken too soon this afternoon.” The town attorney said something else in a low voice that Jared didn’t catch.

“The paperwork is all in order.”

Despite Dan’s assertion, Jared’s throat tightened.

“It is, but one of the board members lives near the development site. She’s insisting on a public hearing before the building permit is approved.”

“Becca.”

The other two men looked at Jared. He hadn’t realized he’d spoken his thought. But it couldn’t be. With her job and the kids, she had more than enough to keep her busy. It must be one of the other Conifer Road residents.

“Yes, Becca Norton. She’s new to the board. You know her?” Steve asked.

He cleared his throat. “Yes, but not like we’re close friends or anything.” That sounded lame.

“It might be more to your benefit if she were. She has connections. Her father-in-law was the county Sheriff.”

“Ex-father-in-law.”

Dan silently scrutinized him.

“I know the Sheriff, too.” And he has to be behind this somehow.

“Steve, we’re ready to start.” Jared recognized the man speaking as the owner of the diner where his mother used to work. For a moment, he was eighteen again, alone against the world.

“Time to make our case.” Dan slapped him on the back, reminding him he wasn’t alone. This time, he had a team behind him. A team he’d put together. And the resources to back that team.

Jared turned to Dan. “Did you get a copy of the meeting agenda?”

Since they appeared to be the only permit applicants here, he hoped the board would get to them first. He’d just as soon get this over with and get out of here.

“Yeah.” He grinned. “You are the agenda.”

* * *

“Come on down,” Tom Hill, the chair of the Zoning Board boomed, reminiscent of The Price Is Right. “Take a seat. We’re not formal here.”

Becca kept her gaze lowered as the men approached the dais. She placed the paper she held in her hands on the flat surface in front of her and smoothed it. Anger at herself for caving in to the Sheriff’s demand warred with concern for her kids and the life she was trying to build for them. She flicked the corner of the sheet with her index finger. The uneasiness she felt about Jared’s project wasn’t limited to her. She’d run into one of her two neighbors at the gas station convenience store. When Becca had mentioned that she was on her way to the Zoning Board meeting, he’d asked her what she knew about Jared wanting to build a motocross track on their road and then shared his apprehensions about the potential noise, traffic and strangers. He’d also reminded her how the Conifer Road residents had banded together to oppose the casino if it had been proposed.

“And this is our newest board member, Rebecca Norton,” Tom said.