“I’ll sponsor it.” Julie Hall leaned forward, blatantly looking away from her father-in-law’s seat. She was the youngest member of the council, having inherited the seat from her mom when a car accident took her last year.
“That’s my girl!” Gideon shouted from the second row, causing a few sputtered laughs.
“What is this plan?” Walter asked before any other objections could be raised.
Camden leaned over me to raise the microphone, and I scooted to the left, giving him the podium. When I moved to retreat, Dorothy put her hand on my back, effectively stopping me.
“I’d like to offer the Rose Rowan Mine up for tours.”
There was that collective gasp again, and this time it included mine. The Rose Rowan Mine was the one property this council had always salivated over, but Art and Cal had kept it closed for decades.
“I’m sorry, son?” Walter asked for clarification, his eyes wide.
“I would like to open the mine to tours. I’ll get started on it right away, but I can’t guarantee it will see visitors this summer. Next is probably a more accurate opening.”
“How?” Dad barked, clearly torn between his hatred for Cam and his longing for the mine to reopen.
“I figure a giant sign that says ‘open’ should do the trick.”
Great. He’d come this far only to let his mouth ruin the whole darn plan. Go figure, Camden Daniels losing his cool at the last second and letting everything turn to crap.
“Not what I was asking,” Dad retorted. “That mine is a mess and in no shape for visitors. We all want it to open, that’s no secret, but have you thought this through? Engaged an engineer?”
Funny how the tone changed when something he wanted was on the table.
“Well, I’m a civil engineer, so it’s not like I don’t have the expertise myself. I’ve worked on far bigger projects from Afghanistan to Somalia. College degree and everything, since résumés seem to be the order of the day. Figure if the United States government trusts me to design and construct dams, bridges, and buildings, you should, too.”
“But the money…?” John Royal questioned.
“The State Historical Fund has offered us a two-hundred-thousand-dollar grant to use as we see fit,” Dorothy added. “I confirmed today that we’d be getting it, though I’m jumping about three places ahead on the agenda.”
“But that’s for the entire district!” Tim Hall blustered. “What about restoring the tannery?”
At least Tim was consistent. He didn’t care what Cam had. He just wanted him gone.
“Running tours through the Rose Rowan will easily add another thirty thousand visitors a year, you stubborn fool,” Dorothy snapped. “Are you telling me you don’t want that? We don’t need it? You’re willing to punish the townspeople of Alba simply because you don’t like Camden Daniels?”
This time, the crowd murmured its assent.
“I’ll help with the mine, too,” I offered, hoping to turn the tide.
“Well, now, I could certainly—” Genevieve interjected.
“I accept Willow’s offer,” Cam cut her off.
Cam turned as he looked at every single member of the council until finally reaching his brother.
“But you don’t have the authority to open the mine,” Xander said, his forehead crinkling. “Not that it’s not what the town needs, but you and I both know it’s incredibly dangerous down there, which was why it was closed in the first place. Just imagine the liability. One tourist goes wandering, and we’re not just a ghost town in name. I’m sorry, Cam, but you just can’t make it safe enough. Speaking for Dad’s half of the Rose Rowan Mining Company, I can’t in good conscience let you do this. Cal may have left you the building on Main Street, but we both own the mining company.”
Every seat on the council turned to look at Xander like he’d licked the candy bar they’d been eyeing.
“We can’t let our tourists get hurt. That will kill the town faster than anything,” he said, and other members nodded. “Cam’s only been home a couple weeks. That’s not even long enough to assess what the mine needs. I’m thrilled that he’s willing to open this avenue for us, but it’s really a matter of business to be handled after the season. Not in haste, and not now.”
Camden’s jaw flexed, and his fingers bit into the podium, turning his knuckles white. “Then, it’s a good thing I’m more than qualified to see to both the safety and mechanical restoration of the mine. It will be completely safe in the designated tour paths by the time we open and blocked off in every other area. And as for my ability to speak on behalf of the mining company, why don’t you read the first page of the Rose Rowan Mining Company documents I attached?”
All the council members flipped through the stapled pages.
“Are you kidding me?” Xander exclaimed.
“Afraid not, big brother. It was easy to skip over, seeing as the mining company hasn’t made a cent in the last seventy years.”
Xander shook his head, reading the page over and over.
“What does it say?” someone in the crowd yelled out.
“It says that Uncle Cal was the majority owner in the company. You might be able to exercise Dad’s vote, but I still own fifty-five percent of it, and I say we open the mine.” Cam didn’t smile or look away from his brother.
“Give us a moment,” Walter said, then beckoned the other council members. They covered their microphones and moved inward to talk among themselves.
“Look at you, breaking the rules and going against the town,” Cam whispered to me.
“More like bending the rules. And why didn’t you just come out and say that you wanted to open the mine?” I asked Cam quietly. “They would have rolled over immediately instead of putting you through that.”
“I need the mine for leverage, for something way bigger than getting a vote in the Historical Society.”
“Your dad?”
He nodded. “My dad. And honestly, I figured if they wouldn’t let me into their precious club because of my past, they don’t deserve what the mine could mean for their future.”
“I get that.”
“I didn’t know about your degree. Not that part, at least. Thank you for taking my side.” He inclined his head but still didn’t take his focus off the council.
“Always,” I said before I could stop my foolish mouth.
“Not always,” he countered with a wry smile.