“Have a good day with Mammy and Pappy,” Ford whispered. He kissed the top of Callum’s head after handing him over while Sawyer stood there waiting for his turn. Once Ford backed away, Sawyer stepped up and kissed him too.
He grabbed Ford’s hand, and they turned to the Ericksons. “If you need anything, Barbara, be sure to give us a call.”
She nodded. “I will, sweetheart. You two have a good day at work. And don’t worry.”
They had already given his parents a brief rundown of all that had transpired the previous night without going into too much detail, of course his mom fussed over the bruising on his face, almost crying when she saw it. Ford didn’t want to worry his parents when all was said and done and told her he was fine and that his cheek and jaw barely even hurt anymore.
They waved to them one last time as they made their way to the car, then got in and headed off to handle what was scheduled for the day. Ford dialed Drake’s number, and he answered right away.
“Perfect timing!” he said when he answered the phone. “I just got to the site.”
“How’s it looking there?” Ford asked.
“Well, the town did a good job getting the water and sand mess removed, but we’re having a restoration team come in and filter the rest out. When they get here, we’ll know more about what kind of delay there will be.”
“Okay… sounds good,” Ford said. “We have a meeting we’re on our way to now and then we’ll head over to the site. It should be no later than eleven a.m.”
“Okay. See you then!”
“Thanks, Drake.” He hung up the call and turned to Sawyer. “It’s going to be a busy day,” he said.
Sawyer nodded. “We’ll take it one step at a time.”
They drove to the address Sawyer had been given for the historical society, which was located in a beautiful Victorian structure that had been painstakingly restored. Neither one knew what to expect when they entered the building, but they were greeted by a friendly older man, probably in his mid-fifties, who took them into a large office.
“I‘ve already done the research for that portion of your site in question,” he said as he pulled out a large map of the town that dated back two hundred years, and Ford was a bit overwhelmed as he took it all in. “In that area, there’s a small portion up in this corner bordering your property that has been designated as a historical landmark,” he informed them as he pointed to the spot. “Then, when you get over to this section where the foundation was discovered”—he used his fingers to trace the section— “my research shows that it’s been vacant for the past fifty years. The previous building that stood there was demolished and nothing replaced it. Apparently, they just filled in the hole left behind, and everyone forgot about it.”
“So, in other words… we’re good?” Ford heard the relief in Sawyer’s voice, and it matched the knot that had just loosened in his belly.
The man nodded. “You’re good. And I apologize for any undue stress this has caused.”
Ford closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath through his nose. Something had finally worked out in their favor. Sawyer turned to Ford, the relief written on his face, too, this was definitely a great weight off his shoulders as well.
“There’s something else I’d like to add,” the man said.
Ford and Sawyer turned back to him. Ford was almost waiting for the ball to drop and hear a ‘but’ added, ruining the moment.
“What’s that?” Sawyer had tensed, he didn’t need to look at his boyfriend, Ford heard it in his voice.
“You two should be proud of the work you’re doing to better the town. There’s going to be thousands of jobs brought into the community. And what’s more, tourism is going to increase. We are all very excited for the new resort. Thank you.” He held out his hand, and Sawyer’s eyes lit up as he shook the man’s hand.
Ford felt even happier than when they initially got the news they could continue as planned. Having the support of at least some in the town let him know they were doing the right thing for Amber Falls.
“Thank you!” Ford took the offered hand as well.
They all stood up, and the man walked them to the front door.
“Thanks again.” Sawyer said as they made their way down from the veranda.
“Anytime. Have a great day!” The man gave them another brief wave from the door as they got in the car, then turned around and went back inside.
Now, they just needed to see what was what at the construction site. Thus far, everything was working out quite nicely today.
Gosh they’d needed a win, badly.
22
Sawyer
They arrived at the construction site but had to stop and wait for a truck blocking the entrance labeled ‘Water Removal and Restoration’ that was entering the parking lot.
“Do you think it’s possible Larry didn’t do this?” When Sawyer glanced over at Ford after he heard the question, he saw that Ford was biting his lips.
Sawyer turned to him while they were waiting for the other vehicle to move. “Because there’s no clear evidence pointing to him, right?”
Ford nodded. “But who else could it be?”
Sawyer shrugged. “I know you don’t want to hear this, babe, but with no way of proving Larry is involved, we have to be open to the possibility that there could be other people out there not happy with the resort or are just homophobic asshole. We’ll just have to keep our guard up in the meantime and see what the police come up with after their investigation.”
Ford stared out the window, his body tense. “It just seems to be too much of a coincidence,” Ford muttered. “That’s all I
