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‘Oh, they’ll love that!’ James jested. Obviously, an in-house joke.
Matthew looked less sure.
‘Oh, come on. I’ve been subject to a million confidentiality agreements in my career. You’ll have to sign them if you want to continue. I guess, because the uni isn’t funding it, you’ll need their permission to continue this work?’
They nodded, also unsure, having not faced this unique situation before.
‘This is weird.’ James exclaimed. ‘But wholly exciting nonetheless. I’d be happy to work on this project outside of the uni.’
‘Matthew?’ James questioned and tugged on his arm, urging him from the table. ‘Excuse us, Ava, we have to talk about this before making any promises.’ Matthew rolled his eyes but rose and the pair walked down the stairs and stood only a short distance away in the yard.
The words were muffled but their voices were raised and it sounded like a squabble about risk to their employment and the consequences. James argued they needed to think about this carefully and of their future. Ava kept her eyes glued to them and held her breath until they returned; Matthew gave her a nod as he arrived back at the table. Noah spoke up as they sat.
‘Ava is right. This must be kept a secret.’
‘What? Hang on … what are you talking about?’
‘This is too big to advertise. The risk is too great. If we do, the town will be trawling with tourists hoping to secure their own find and traffic will increase, the infrastructure will suffer and what is now a wonderful quiet hollow, will be overrun and unpleasant.’
‘You’re worried about tourists flocking to town?’ Ava frowned.
‘Yes. Bellethorpe can’t be overrun. We don’t need to attract more tourists or people rummaging around, interfering, wanting to build their big fancy shopping centres, or drive-ins or golf courses.’
Ava was incredulous. Of all the things she expected Noah Hawthorn to say, that wasn’t it.
‘You’re anti-development?’ asked Matthew.
‘I promote the right sort of development for the town.’
‘With finds like this, employment is generated, the tourist market benefits, as does the local community through visitors who contribute to the local economy by staying at the local hotels, eating food in the restaurants and?—’
‘I understand there are benefits, but they must be carefully considered. What you’re suggesting also increases our traffic congestion so people can’t find a parking spot in town out the front of their local shop. Then they have to queue for their coffee. Supplies run low. Litter increases. They’re just the minor, local day-to-day affect. Then we’re an attractive rural hub that’s booming and suddenly out-of-towners want to build their fancy new resort to accommodate the additional visitors and the shops that goes with it and the new café. Suddenly we need additional housing for people to move here and then they don’t stay. Over-development creates additional noise, pollution, disruption…’
Was he for real? It sounded as if Noah was wanting to preserve Bellethorpe as a pre-historic town never to improve itself. For it to remain forever stuck in the past. She had so admired his interest in the find and his questions, but this form of thinking was so backward, she was flabbergasted.
And where was his desire to acknowledge the historical significance of the find?
Maybe he wasn’t so different to her husband, after all. The thought shocked her and made her doubt everything she’d believed about Noah Hawthorn. And that frightened her—a lot.
Regaining control, Ava stood. ‘I need to think this through. I’m grateful for your time today and your help. Let’s reconvene tomorrow. Come back in the morning and I’ll let you know the plan. Until then, I trust you’ll keep this to yourself. All of you.’ She included Noah in her gaze. Then she dismissed them by walking away, shutting the sliding door and turning out the light.
Chapter Twenty
Noah rubbed Otis’ head. The dog was loyal, never deviated in his emotions, both knew what to expect from the other. It was comforting, he realised. Unchanging. Static. And just the way he liked it.
From his point of view, it always seemed to be city versus country; us verse them; every situation boiled down to the same facts. Noah threw the ball and watched Otis run. Was it so wrong to crave a simple life? To live that life here in the country?
Lisa had thought she was different and that she could tame the country, make it fit her, make it work. And for a short while it had. She’d loved the novelty of the lifestyle, the sunrises and sunsets, the fresh air, slower pace.
Tracing back through his memories he tried to recall when exactly she’d become unhappy. Or had she always been miserable and he hadn’t noticed? He didn’t think so. It was a gradual thing. Lisa didn’t have the passion Ava possessed. Noah thought her enthusiasm unusual. Lisa wanted to be a mum and had been happy to give away the grind of nine-to-five. But it was different, he justified. Lisa didn’t have a career; when they’d met, she had a job as a secretary in an architectural firm that she neither loved nor hated. It was a job that paid good wages and had worthwhile perks. It was, as they’d discussed, a transportable job; one she could do anywhere, and she’d easily picked up other work here in Bellethorpe in the chamber of commerce.
He knew she’d become unsettled though. Often their arguments denigrated into the lack of life in Bellethorpe: there was nothing to do, nowhere to go and nowhere to hide from the prying eyes of locals. To her, it had begun to feel like a fishbowl.
For the first time since Lisa had left him, he felt a flicker of empathy for her. He thought creating a new family, their family would satisfy her but perhaps being far away from home, the comforts of where you’d been raised and your extended family was simply too hard? Noah didn’t want to give her too much credit though. Could she perhaps not have had this epiphany prior to their having a child together and her dragging that child away so that he never saw her? His bitterness settled in the base of his stomach once more.
The city and country didn’t mix.
Ava was different. A focused, intelligent woman with ideas. His chest deflated as he released a breath. He threw the ball again, and watched Otis fly across the ground. Ava had kept a quiet life since her arrival, barely meeting townspeople and making few ripples. But now, now with the possibility of this new venture, well, it might be huge. Or it could be nothing. Was the location of a rare old turtle fossil that important? He understood it was to people in that field, he’d gleaned that clearly last night. Sort of like him restoring an old historic building, he guessed. The three archaeologists were beside themselves with excitement. Thankfully, Ava had put the kybosh on revealing the fossil to the world. He didn’t understand why, but he was grateful. This wasn’t the city and they didn’t operate like their town folk. This was Bellethorpe and sometimes, he felt like he was the only one protecting its interests. Why did everyone think it had to develop? Progress? Get bigger and better resources? Attract more people? Honestly, he found the whole concept befuddling. And annoying.
