Considering all that had happened and all I'd learned in the past twenty-four hours, I hadn't actually had a lot of time to think about how I would present my plans for the Merlyn grounds to the family if I was given another chance. The fact that Thea, Reggie, and Tommy were willing to accompany me around the acreage was more than I'd ever expected, however, and I intended to take full advantage of their interest, coerced or not.
We were just leaving the house when a giant, muscular black man I recognized as the bartender from the other night emerged from the woods. He wasn't alone, a young, good-looking white guy with sandy brown hair beside him. Tommy and Reggie both tensed, but Oliver stepped forward quickly.
"Dig, Roy, thanks for coming." He turned to me. "I hope you don't mind, but I invited a couple of friends to join the tour."
The men stepped forward, both looking every bit as leery as Tommy and Reggie. Thea, on the other hand, looked more than happy for the company.
"No, that's good...I guess," I said, though I couldn't keep the uncertainty from my voice. "The more the merrier, right?"
"John Diggle, I think you and Felicity met the other night."
The man stepped forward with his hand extended. He was even bigger than I'd remembered him from the bar, but his dark eyes had a kindness to them that I'd missed in the insanity of our first meeting. I shook reluctantly, and before I could pull back images flashed through my head with the same clarity I'd experienced earlier. This time I saw Mara Merlyn, who had been the older sister of my mother and Reggie. In the vision, she was a teenager, mounted on a horse alongside her siblings and Malcolm.
"Not under the best circumstances, but yeah," the man said. "Nice to see you again, Felicity."
"You too, Mr. Diggle," I said blinking past the vision as I reclaimed my hand.
"Please - everyone calls me Dig," he said.
"And this is Roy Harper," Oliver said, introducing the younger man. "Roy's part of one of the oldest fishing families on the island."
I withheld my hand this time, thinking immediately of the men who had attacked me in the bar. Roy frowned, regret in his eyes.
"I heard about what happened at the Legion the other night," he said. "Some of the guys out here aren't exactly what you'd call civilized; others just kind of got caught up in the fight. Either way, I'm sorry for the way things went down - it's inexcusable, so I won't bother trying to make an excuse. I'm just glad you're all right."
"Thank you," I said.
"What's he talking about?" Reggie asked. "What fight?"
"It wasn't a big deal," I said. "Oliver and Dig took care of it."
Before they could ask more questions, which they clearly intended, Oliver interrupted.
"Roy just graduated from College of the Atlantic, with a focus on sustainability in commercial fishing," he explained to me. "If you're going to make all these ideas you have for the island work, I figured you'd need some allies."
I flashed a smile at Oliver, surprised. "I didn't realize you were paying attention to any of that."
"I was," he said simply, that hint of a smile still in place, blue eyes intent on mine.
"I'm Thea Merlyn," Thea said, cutting the moment short as she stepped forward to take Roy's hand. "It's nice to meet you, Roy."
She batted her eyelashes at him, but Roy barely spared her a glance before he reclaimed his hand.
"Yeah, you too," he said absently, then shifted focus back to me. "We didn't mean to interrupt, but I really would love to hear what you're thinking. Malcolm has the whole island running scared since you got back, telling them you're shutting down the fishery."
"I don't know anything about the fishery," I said, "so I definitely have no intention of shutting it down at this point. I would like to learn more, though - I think there's a lot of potential to do something important for both the residents on the island and the planet as a whole. That's my objective, anyway."
"Can we get started?" Tommy interrupted impatiently. He glanced at his phone. "The boat heads back to the mainland in an hour, and I for one intend to be on it."
"Of course," I said, forcing brightness to my voice. "Please. Follow me."
It was a gorgeous day to be on the island, the spring sun warm enough that I quickly shed my jacket in favor of the pink sweater I wore underneath. Melting snow ran in rivers in the path ahead of us, and every glimpse of unfrozen ground beneath made my heart happy. Tender new daffodil shoots poked their heads through the remnants of crusted snow, and I could have stooped to kiss them. Spring really would come eventually, even out here.
It didn't take long for the others to fall under the same spell I had. I pointed out native plants, migratory birds, and signs of the few deer who had resettled out here. Thea especially seemed taken with the island, and I recalled that unlike Reggie and probably Tommy, she had no experience with life out here.
"This is where I plan to plant the butterfly meadow I mentioned last night," I said as we approached a tract of open land not far from Merlyn Manor.
"The family used to play croquet here," Reggie said. There was no argument in the words, but his sadness was impossible to miss.
"It will still be a gathering place," I said. "We'll make paths through the meadow, and people can bring their families – it will be a great place for kids. And, it should encourage a level of biodiversity that could be huge for the area. For the whole state, really."
Reggie looked out at the barren field, now just empty space and half-melted snow, and nodded. "Moira would have loved that," he mused. "And God knows our ancestors were invested in preserving this place. I think they would approve."
"Definitely," Thea said quietly, with surprising emotion in the word. "Moira loved flowers and color – she would be crazy about this whole idea." She turned to Tommy. "What do you say, brother dear?"
His nod was the most surprising of all, his eyes dark with emotion I hadn't expected. "Yeah," he said roughly. "What the hell? Who plays croquet anymore anyway?"
When we reached the pond a few minutes later, everyone in the group fell silent, swamped by the beauty of the place.
"I forgot this was even here," Tommy said quietly. He looked at Reggie. "Weren't there paddle boats…?" he asked.
"That's right," Reggie confirmed. "I used to take you and Lu—" He stopped and swallowed hard, with a glance at me.
"I know about Lucy," I said gently.
He offered a haunted smile. "Yes, well… I was the de facto babysitter when there were family gatherings. I didn't mind," he assured me, and Thea smiled at him with more warmth than I'd seen from the girl so far. "I was younger by a decade than Moira, and only ten when Tommy was born. Then Lucy came along, and we had our own little club."
"Much better than those boring parties my father used to throw," Tommy said.
"Much," Reggie agreed. He shifted focus back to me. "What do you have in mind here?"
I explained about building up habitat for nesting birds; bat houses in the trees surrounding the pond; working with local biologists to restock the pond with native fish and other marine life to keep the pond healthy.
"How exactly do fish and frogs keep the pond healthy?" Thea asked. "And do we really want bats out here? They freak me out."
"Marine life keeps the water circulating," Roy explained to her, before I could reply. "Circulation encourages oxygenation of the water, and you ideally avoid things like algae blooms that can wipe out everything living in the pond."
"And bats are just awesome," I added.
Thea didn't acknowledge my comment, too busy making googly eyes at Roy. I noticed that he didn't seem so indifferent to her now, which made my little shipper heart skip a beat. Obviously it was premature, but one day those two would have the prettiest babies on the planet.
"So, no paddle boats," Reggie surmised.
"People can still enjoy it out here," I said. "I was thinking of putting a dock in, maybe getting a kayak so people can go out when they want. Not tons of people," I added quickly. "But, you know…some."
"I love kayaking," Reggie said. "Or used to, anyway. It would be nice to go out again."
"So there you go," I said. "You could come out here any time you wanted."
From the grounds, we eventually found our way to the greenhouse. I'd actually spent very little time there since moving to the island, preferring to be outside whenever I could. I unlocked the heavy wooden door and saw the vision I'd had that first time Oliver brought me here: a little blond girl peering out from the greenery, a grin on her face.
Chase me, Uncle Reggie!
And Reggie, young and laughing, weaving in and out of blooming flowers and full-grown trees.
"Felicity?" I heard Thea say. I returned to the present to find her watching me curiously. "We can't actually get in unless you move."
"Right – sorry!" I got out of the way, holding the door open for the group. Oliver was the last to pass, and looked at me with concern.
"Everything okay?"
"It is," I assured him, and actually meant it this time. "Just another flash, no big deal."
He nodded, though concern lingered in his eyes as he passed.
There were oohs and ahhs all around as we moved deeper into the greenhouse. I looked at Roy and Dig, as the only other residents of the island besides Oliver and me.
"I actually want to establish a year-round growing program in here," I told them. "God knows we have the space, and I'm sure it's hard to get fresh produce out to the island in the winter."
"Try impossible," Dig said, clearly intrigued.
"Right," I said. "So, we could maybe create a community garden. People could sign on to help out, and we could grow enough produce to feed island residents all winter long."
"How much are we talking for membership for something like that?" Roy asked. "Most people don't have the money for much."
"There wouldn't need to be a fee—" I began.
Tommy immediately started to protest, but Dig drowned him out.
"That won't fly out here," he said. "People are poor, but they're also proud – nobody's looking for a handout. Besides which, a little financial investment increases the likelihood that people will actually stick with it after the first enthusiasm wears off."
"He has a point," Thea said. "Studies have shown that scholarship students are twice as likely to complete their course of study if they have some kind of financial investment in the program. I'm sure the same would apply here."
Everyone fell silent at that, staring openly at her. She made a face. "What? Contrary to popular belief, I'm not some airhead party girl. Just because I've flunked out of a couple of boarding schools doesn't mean I don't read."
"Six, actually," Tommy inserted. "She's flunked out of six boarding schools."
"Seven as of Friday," she said breezily, "but who's counting?" She turned on Tommy. "And no, Dad doesn't know yet. I was saving that for later, when we're off the island so he can't drown me."
"My lips are sealed," Tommy said. "I try to be as far as possible from the two of you when you go at it – it makes it less likely I'm caught in the crossfire."
"Let me know if you need me to be a buffer," Reggie said. "If he'd stop sending you to these places in the first place, it would solve the problem."
"That's what I keep telling him," Thea said.
The dynamic between the three of them continued to surprise me, especially the way Reggie looked after both of them. I hadn't heard anything about a romantic partner for him, and wondered why he didn't have a family of his own. Obviously, he was crazy about kids.
We moved on, pausing again when we came to the koi pond.
"You know," Thea said, "I think I'm having a thought."
"Uh oh," Tommy said.
"Very funny," she said, rolling her eyes. "But hear me out. Felicity, you're looking for the family to get behind this, right? And you want to get the islanders to back it at the same time. So, what if we threw a party—" She glared at her brother, holding up a hand just as he was about to speak. "—and spare me the snide comments about Thea and her raves. I'm serious here."
"I don't know," I said.
"It could be amazing, though," she argued. "You spend the next couple of months getting everything the way you want it, or as close as possible at least, and then you have a big gala celebrating the opening of the Merlyn Island Preserve…or something, I don't know. We could hire some boats to bring people over from the mainland, have the whole thing catered, invite the locals. Can you think of a prettier spot to have an event than this greenhouse?"
"Yeah, but I'm not much for party planning," I said.
"Which is why it's so good that we're cousins," Thea said, with an infectious grin. "I'm incredible at party planning."
"It's true," Tommy said. "Her sweet sixteen was the party of the decade in coastal Maine."
"Exactly," Thea said. "And I'm telling you, this would be incredible publicity for Merlyn Enterprises: an island preserve, butterfly meadows, community organic gardening… The board would go crazy for this."
"Since when do you know anything about the Merlyn board?" Reggie asked.
"I pay more attention to that stuff than any of you give me credit for," Thea said. "Seriously. High school is wasted on me – just give me a freaking job."
"This isn't actually a bad idea," Roy said, stepping into the mix again. "If you hired some of the locals to help prepare for the event, it puts money directly into the local economy. That talks a lot more than words, trust me. And it gives them a chance to get to know you, figure out that you're not out to shut everything down around here."
A phone rang before I could reply, the ring tone an unexpected dance beat that totally threw me. Tommy pulled his cell from his pocket and glanced at the display.
"I need to take this, sorry. I'll catch up with you."
He stepped away from the group, while I shifted focus to Thea. Despite my trepidation, I was starting to get excited. Growing up, extravagant galas weren't exactly on the menu for me. And this really could be a way to bridge the divide between the Merlyn family and the community on Crab's Neck.
"Come on, Felicity," Thea said. "What do you think? Say Summer Solstice this year? How much can you get done by that time?"
I considered it, pausing briefly at the mention of the solstice. "That's my birthday," I said.
"What better way to celebrate, then?" she asked.
I glanced at Oliver, who had been notably quiet during this exchange. "What do you think?" I asked. I was thinking of Damian Dahrk, and the curse that may or may not be back in full effect within the next day, week, or month. I got the sense Oliver knew this, though. He paused to consider for only a few seconds before he nodded.
"I think it could be good," he said. "We can figure out the other things on your plate."
"What other things?" Thea asked immediately.
"Never mind," I said, and took a breath. I looked around the greenhouse, thinking again of all those flashes of the past that I had seen. This place could be amazing again; it could be all it was before, and more.
I could do this – I was sure of it.
And then, just as I was opening my mouth to say yes, there was a change in the air.
Everything slowed. Tightened.
I saw a flash of movement to my left, down a path that led deeper into the greenhouse. A glint of steel caught in the sunlight.
The ground shook beneath my feet as the first shot was fired, the explosion deafening.
Reggie went down.
Thea screamed.
Oliver knocked me to the ground and lay on top of me, and another shot sounded. I saw the impact of the bullet as it struck Thea just as Roy was pulling her down; heard her cry out in pain while another volley of bullets shattered the glass above us, sending it down as deadly hail on us all.
"Dig!" Oliver hissed to his friend, who was crouched behind a stone half-wall behind the koi pond. He made a few military-looking gestures that I took to mean he was about to do something stupid, and Dig nodded his understanding.
"Stay here," Oliver whispered in my ear. "Call 911. Take care of the others."
"Where are you going?"
"To get this son of a bitch."
I know - this is the worst cliffhanger of all. I'll be back tomorrow with the next installment, though, never fear. I do have a question, though, and I'd love to hear from folks on the subject. I'm actually an author in RL with a couple of published mystery series; I'm trying this out with the potential of publishing it as a paranormal romance (obviously, with different characters). What I'm wondering is how the environmental stuff is coming through in this. I don't want this to be a preachy book about sustainability, but rather a book that happens to revolve around a character for whom sustainability is a passion. I'd love your perspective on how that aspect of the plot is coming through, though. Thanks in advance for any feedback, and thank you again, so much, for reading!