“I went by his house and spent an hour talking to his wife,” I whisper back.

“What did she say about the hotel?”

I shrug. “She said she’d have to talk to Ed about it. But she ate all the scones I brought.”

“Good enough.”

Dad sits back as the meeting gets underway. I expected to dive right into the development debate, but instead, there’s a bunch of other town business on the agenda. Mrs. Finnigan is proposing a no-littering fine increase, they have to vote on funds to repair the streetlights, and there’s a heated debate over whether to impose fines for dog-poop littering in the park. Just when I’m wondering if we’ll ever get around to the hotel, the mayor looks up from his paperwork.

“Now, onto the matter of permits. We have an application here requiring our approval. The plans appear to be in order, so now I ask if anyone would like to comment on the issue.”

This is it.

My heart racing, I get to my feet. “Noelle Olsen,” I say, my voice catching in my throat. “I’d like to oppose the plans.”

“Speak up, dear,” Albus urges me. “Let them hear you in the back.”

I turn to face the room, and my stomach twists even tighter. There must be a hundred people here!

Deep breaths, Noelle. Just speak from the heart.

I start again. “A lot of you I’ve already met, and if I haven’t, then I’m sure you’ve heard the stories from my grandmother.” There’s smiles and laughter. “I’m here because the proposed development will affect a lot of people and businesses here in town, including my own. I hope you’ll take the time to think about the impact of a big development like this, and consider all the arguments before you decide.”

My voice comes stronger now, and I find myself relaxing as I begin to outline all the potential problems Ash’s big project would bring. I talk about the influx of tourists, the damage of pollution and noise, and how it would separate out the beach from public land. My voice rings with passion as I talk about the changes such a huge development would bring.

“Right now, Beachwood Bay is made up of small, family-run businesses,” I finish. “It’s part of what makes this town so special, and brings back people for generations to make new memories here. My grandmother saw that, and I do now. Thank you for listening, and I hope you will consider rejecting these plans and keeping Beachwood Bay the small, peaceful escape that it’s always been.”

I sit down with a thump, my heart pounding. Oh God, I hope it was good enough to make them reconsider. I’m lost in a whirl of panic, then I hear applause. I look around, surprised, and find many people nodding with agreement and smiling at me.

My speech went OK!

“Good job, sweetie.” Dad pats me on the back. “An excellent case.”

I can only hope he’s right. The mayor waits for noise to die down, then looks to Ash. “Do you have any response to Miss Olsen’s concerns?” he asks.

“I sure do.” Ash gets to his feet, smiling. “I understand everyone’s concerned about keeping the character of this town. But let me assure you, my plans will only change Beachwood Bay for the better…”

He launches into his speech, going point-by-point against everything I’ve just said. I don’t know what I expected, but it isn’t this: instead of being stiff and angry, Ash seems totally relaxed. He flashes his charming grin around the room, even joking at times as he highlights all the new tourists and business the hotel will bring to town. I should have known he’d take this in stride: he wouldn’t have gotten to where he is in business without being able to charm and convince meetings just like this one to let his developments go ahead.

“I don’t think there’s a person in this room who won’t see a benefit somehow,” he finishes. “And hey, if you tell me otherwise, I’ll fix a couple of pool passes for you all to enjoy the facilities.”

There’s laughter. To my dismay, a lot of the people who were nodding in agreement during my speech now look like they’re on his side again!

I have to do something.

“But what about the environmental impact?” I ask, getting to my feet again. “That stretch of land is home to all kinds of birds and water fowl. The building work is going to destroy their natural habitats.”

Ash gives me a measured look. “I can assure you, all Callahan Group projects are designed to work with nature, not against it. And our surveys show no endangered species along that coast.”

“But you can’t be sure, can you?” I hone in on my last chance to stop him. Or, at least, delay. “There hasn’t been an official environmental report, or any independent survey. We don’t know what’s out there.”

“That’s a good point,” the mayor speaks up.

“And even just construction can be damaging,” I add. “All those trucks, the pollution and noise. Shouldn’t we play it safe and get those surveys done before anything is decided?”

“Like I said, we’ve had reports written—” Ash looks seriously pissed now, but I can’t back off, even for a second.

This is my last shot.

“You’ve had surveys done,” I interrupt him. “By your contractors from out of town. But I think the town would rather trust an independent survey. Isn’t that right?” I turn to the audience. There are sounds of agreement.

“If you’ll look at our research—” Ash tries again, but this time, it’s Albus who cuts him off.