Looking For You All My Life Part 71

to hope for the best."

He frowned. "Well, I agree that hope's a good thing-

most of the time. I'm just not too sure about it when it comes

to Gavin."

She smiled. "But at least you're willing to talk to him,

right?"

"He's my only flesh and blood, Maggie." His voice grew

raspy. "I guess I can't very well turn him away, now can I?"

She shook her head. "Especially if he's trying to make

amends with you."

"So, I suppose I can at least give him the time of day."

"Good for you, Clyde. I don't think you'll be sorry."

He grunted. "I wouldn't be too sure of that."

~a~~ie wished she could go incognito to Greg and

/K( ~~bc~aisy development meeting in the grade school

on Sat.u.r.day. But because that would be

fairly childish, not to mention slightly paranoid, she decided

instead to simply slip in just as the meeting was scheduled to

begin and then to sit inconspicuously in the back by the door.

She felt a little concerned about who might be in attendance

and why they'd come; she certainly didn't want to give the

impression, by her presence there, that she supported TS

Development in any way, shape, or form. And on top of

everything else, she knew it was imperative that she keep her

mouth shut-no futile debates with Greg Snider today! So

she prayed for grace and wisdom as she walked across the

parking lot. A surprising number of cars were parked

there-the majority she recognized as locals-and disap-

pointingly a number of them belonged to the same folks who

belonged to the Pine Mountain Business a.s.sociation. But

then, why shouldn't they be here? It was probably an excel-

lent opportunity for them to hear firsthand what was going

n with TS Development.

She glanced up at the sky as she walked toward the front

oor of the school. Still perfectly clear-not a single cloud in

d

113.

114Melody Carlson

sight! And the temperature had to be close to sixty, which

was downright bal my for early December in this part of the

country. Yet only days ago their hopes had been so elevated

by the snowfall. The late opening of the ski season would

probably make worried businesspeople very open to Greg

and Rick's ideas of growth and development. And who could

blame them? The livelihoods of many hung in the balance

right now. Perhaps opposing TS Development was becoming

a fool's errand. As she walked down the quiet hallway

toward the library she wondered if this was how David

might have felt when going to face the mighty Goliath. No,

she reminded herself calmly, this was not a battle. She was

confronting no one. Her only purpose today was to cover