Page 70 of Do It With Me

I was reeling, so shocked that I could barely form a coherent sentence. Why the hell did I not ask where her store was located?

Then I realized that it wouldn’t have mattered. As I stared into those twinkling green eyes, taking in the smattering of freckles across the bridge of her nose, it occurred to me that by the first time I’d ever laid eyes on this beautiful face, the wheels had already been in motion.

All our plans had been drawn up with this very block in mind for the development. I swallowed hard, instinctively tightening my grip on her. She was going to leave me when she found out. And she would find out.

Maybe not today or tomorrow but eventually. Our relationship had always had a built-in detonation device. I just hadn’t realized it until now.

“Where else would I be?” I asked mildly, smiling back at her while I died inside. “I’m happy to be here, Ella. This looks great.”

I finally let go of her reluctantly and motioned toward the street. “I love what you’ve done here, bringing out the whole community for a day of fun and supporting each other.”

Her smile dimmed a notch as she reached for my hand, threading her warm, smaller fingers around my own. “Yeah, it’s great. It might be the only time we get do it, but at least we’ll have done it once.”

She dragged in a deep breath, her eyes fluttering closed for a second as she visibly composed herself. Then she reopened them and grinned at me. “Come on. I want to introduce you to everybody. You’re going to love them. They’re awesome people.”

“I’m sure they are.” My stomach slowly sank as she led me to the closest group of community members.

In their story, I was the villain, but they didn’t know it, and here I was, about to smile and make nice with them like I wasn’t the asshole responsible for wiping them all out.

Ellora stopped when we reached the group, proudly introducing me before I could say a damn thing or make up an excuse to leave. “This is Holden. He’s the friend I’ve been telling you about who helped me brainstorm this whole thing.”

The old man selling the birdhouses immediately extended his hand toward me. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, son. Thank you for inspiring our girl to do this. We needed an initiative like it around here.”

Initiative. Ha. What a fucking word.

I smiled and shook his hand, saying all the right things. I moved from him to the others. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“This is incredible work.”

“I love what you’ve done here.”

Inside, I was dying a little more with every hand I shook and every megawatt smile that was aimed at me. I was looking at people my project was going to displace—and they were thanking me for being here.

I was about to bulldoze the place they loved to make way for my vision. I’d thought the Renewal Initiative was about rebuilding something dead or dying and making it beautiful again, a real asset to the city, but I might’ve miscalculated.

This block needed some TLC, for sure. There was no denying that, but there was vibrancy here that hadn’t been apparent in any of my research.

While I kept spiraling internally, Ellora led me from one group of people to another. As we went, I bought a bit of everything from everyone. It wouldn’t make up for forcing them out, but it was the least I could do.

She watched with a faint, amused smile on her lips as I purchased a dozen hand-painted mugs, two whole boxes of scented candles, birdhouses, baked goods, artisanal sauces and spreads, some paintings, and a whole lot of other things I had no clue what I was going to do with. Monday was going to be like Christmas at Langton Development if I took all this stuff to the office and let my people take what they wanted.

I wonder what they’d think if they knew that all these businesses would soon close, all these vendors moving away to be replaced by high-end stores with sterile glass facades and artfully chipped brick.

“You’re really enjoying this, huh?” She smiled as she wrapped her arm around mine, a pile of my purchases tucked in the corner of the lobby of the building her store was in. “Just so you know, I didn’t invite you here to spend money. I mean, don’t get me wrong, everyone is super grateful for every sale, but I just wanted you to see it and be part of the experience.”

“I know, but I can’t even remember the last time I was at a market like this. All this stuff is great. If I’m going to be buying gifts and knick-knacks to give to people throughout the year for birthdays and whatnot, I might as well do it here, don’t you think?”

“Is that what you’re buying it all for?”

I shrugged. “Maybe. Right now, I’m just buying it, but I know my assistant would love a birdhouse and Jimmy is a sucker for any hot sauce.”

Now that there were faces and names, laughter and stories behind the stalls, it was all real. Not just numbers on a page. Not just square footage and return on investment.

People.

A soft, almost wistful chuckle came out of her and she wound her arm tighter around mine, pulling me closer and resting her head against my bicep. “I didn’t think so many people would come out. I hope Jimmy likes the hot sauce. If he does, I can put him in touch with Steven, the seller. He won’t be around for much longer. He owned the laundromat down the block, but he’s sold, so…”

She trailed off and inhaled a deep breath. Her head turned so she could take in a band that seemed to be made up of high-schoolers setting up across the street. “See that girl over there, the lead singer? Her name is Carol. She’s a senior this year and she has such a quirky, unique sense of style. Almost everything she wears comes out of my store. I always sneak in a few items she admired but couldn’t afford to get right away.”