We went to Saundra Waverly's office first thing Monday morning. The time after our meeting up to the following Wednesday was torturous. Jordan did all he could to keep his hands busy, and I distracted myself with getting work done for my job back in the city. I may have been hoping to put my two weeks' notice in, but until we voided the contract, I wasn't going to be closing the doors on my previous life. And so we waited until Wednesday arrived and Mr. Myers was back in town.

"I'm glad cooler heads have prevailed and we can work out an agreement about my contractor." Devon's voice was a bit more strained than usual, but he still maintained a professional smile.

Mr. Myers and I both sat before Saundra, who resembled a judge sitting behind her desk. Jordan tagged along to offer support, but only so many chairs could fit into Saundra's small office. He instead stood behind my seat and kept a steady grip on one of my shoulders. His fingers gave me a squeeze whenever my muscles tensed and his touch reminded me I wasn't going through this alone.

"I'm not sure you understand why I asked you here," I said. "We're here to discuss your contractor, but I have no intention of agreeing to anything regarding his being allowed on my property." My voice was firm and deep. It was a talent I picked up after years of working in an unforgiving business. Whether or not my hands were shaking, my voice needed to be as strong and cool as concrete if I wanted to be taken seriously.

"Discuss in what way then?" he asked, his brow raising.

"Ms. Creeke has informed me you wish to have a contractor on the property to begin assessments for a major project." Saundra rested her elbows on the edge of her desk and her fingers interlaced upon a stack of papers—a stack of papers that held all the hope I had in ending this contract.

"Yes." He straightened up and approached Saundra with the air of a salesman. "Well, I suppose it depends on what you consider a major project..."

"An expansion," she said with a curt clip to her voice. "Do you know what these are?" She pulled out the packet she had been resting her hands on and set it before Mr. Myers.

"Uh." His eyes made a quick scan of the paper. "The town's bylaws?"

"Correct," she replied with a nod. "Did you or anyone at your company read these before signing the contract?"

"Well," he said with a dismissive laugh, "I'm sure someone..."

"It would be easy to pass the buck off on an intern when we came knocking down your door after we realized too late what you were up to." Saundra's voice remained even, and somehow the disdain in her words was all the more severe because of it. She reached over and turned to the second page. "Now there's some finer points here, but I'll paraphrase this particular bylaw for you. Expansions, additions, or any major cosmetic changes to any properties within the designated tourist districts are subject to the approval of the town council." She looked at him from over the top of her glasses. "All our livelihoods depend upon the appearance of the more prominent areas of our town, and that includes the Hound and Sparrow. So Mr. Myers, I'm certain a company as large as yours has someone capable of reading legalese. So, I must ask, when exactly did you plan on approaching our council about your changes? Or were you really hoping that if you knocked out the entire backside of the inn before we could catch you, that you could get away with everything because it would be too late for us to put up a fight?"

"We certainly wouldn't try to do anything..."

"Mr. Myers," said Saundra, leaning back in her chair, "I am a member of our council and I can tell you the entire board is full of incredibly stubborn know-it-alls who can never agree on what's right for the town. Approval is a long and difficult process, one that you will sit through now that we know you plan on changing the landscape of our town."

"Yes, of course." He wore a sheepish smile that failed to hide the angry glance he tossed my way.

"To make matters more difficult for you," Saundra continued, "you should appreciate that the townsfolk have a lot of sentimental value stashed away in the Hound and Sparrow. The previous owner, Ms. Georgina Creeke, was a beloved citizen and some here may take it as a personal insult if you try to gut her house."

"If you think we've never dealt with displeased citizens before..."

"Not displeased, Mr. Myers. Angry. And our council is composed of elected officials, so you can probably guess how their votes might be swayed."

"Mrs. Waverly, if you think we haven't seen this dog and pony show before, you are mistaken. We are more than ready to sit out a few disputes."

"What about the money?" I asked. "We're not so foolish to think compassion would be a motivator for you, but perhaps you also neglected to read the portion of the bylaws that listed the fees and penalties should you break one of the rules. Including leaving a property vacant."

"Pardon?" There was a noticeable growl in his voice.

"Mr. Myers," said Saundra, "we know your company would ignore the protests of our citizens, just as we know you'd be willing to buy off their concerns. However, that all adds up, doesn't it? I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that the deliberation over your case will take far longer than your scheduled closing at the start of the year. In fact, we won't even be meeting again until the end of January. You'd have to gamble on this property, hoping we'll pass it. During the years—and it will take years—you wait for our approval, you will either have to staff it and run it as it is, or you'll have to pay a fee for leaving the property vacant. This fee increases over time as an empty building is unsightly and unsafe. If you throw in property taxes and any investments you make in swaying the public to your favor, it adds up."

"Well, then," he said with a shrug, "perhaps we should discuss a lower price for the property. Since it comes with all this financial baggage, I think it's fair to..."

"It may be fair," I interrupted, "but that doesn't mean I'd accept it. If you don't like the price it's at, then you can withdraw from the contract."

"Why," he asked, turning to face me, "are you suddenly so keen on keeping this house?"

I hesitated, uncertain how to answer. Jordan gave my shoulder a squeeze, and I took a breath. "I underestimated the value of the property and no amount of money you can offer me will reach how much it is worth."

"I think you seriously doubt how much we value that property," said Devon with a bow of his head. "We've been looking for an opportunity like this for a while and we will not give up so easily."

"And what part of Ms. Creeke's property is so valuable to you, Mr. Myers?"

Saundra laced her fingers again and rested them atop the next piece to our puzzle. I took a deep breath and Jordan's fingers tightened. This time I knew it was from his own sense of anxiety. As Saundra had warned us on Monday, our plan may not be enough to sway a large company like Panoramic Destinations. She did, however, say it would put some serious doubt in their heads. Thankfully, we weren't the only ones looking for a way out. Apparently, Saundra began working on a back door the moment I left her office that day we made the contract. She read me like a book before I even realized my own desires. She, however, wasn't sure her plan would be enough either, but together, our doubt and her temptation might be enough to seal the deal.

"What do you mean?" Mr. Myers reclined into his chair, his posture defensive but intrigued.

"Is it the look of the building? The number of acres it sits on? Or simply the fact that it is in this town?"

"Well, there are several reasons..."

"Personally, I would have thought a company like yours would want to be closer to the ski slopes."

"Yes, well." The rough timbre in Devon's voice seemed to indicate that Saundra had successfully hit the nerve she needed to tap. "As you know, there is no chance of that with the agreement your town settled with the Snow Stag Resort. No hotel with capacity for over ten people can be within several miles of that place..."

"So your legal team did do its homework," said Saundra with a patronizing curve to her voice. "At least when it's convenient." Devon glared at her, but did not refute her claim. "What if I were to tell you there's another slope?"

His frustrated glare vanished. Instead, his brow raised and his mouth drooped into a subtle gape. He leaned forward and placed his hands on his lap. "I'm listening."

"We have a resident, Mr. Sykes. He's a bit of a hermit, but the most skilled mountain climber in town. He makes his money hosting walks and climbs, and lives a simple life on the outskirts of town. However, the road he lives off of is the same road that leads up to Snow Stag. He is not a fan of the traffic that disrupts his view of nature."

Devon's eyes squinted, and his lips pinched. He didn't know where this was going, but he didn't stop Saundra from continuing.

"Now Snow Stag had petitioned for widening the road to ease up traffic, but that wasn't much better as far as Mr. Sykes was concerned. So instead, he sought an alternative. He began exploring the mountain and located another slope on the eastern side. We even went ahead and deliberated over his proposition for a new lodge and a new road up to this proposed slope. Such a project has already been approved, though we'd have to review the finer details before going forward. Still, the process would be significantly shorter than what you have ahead of you with the Hound and Sparrow."

"How come we've never heard of this?"

"Because there isn't enough room on the slope to put anything more than a lodge," said Saundra with a shrug. "There's no space for a proper resort with suites for guests. Mr. Sykes has been hoping to find an investor to put an access point up there and all the necessary facilities for operating a safe environment for skiers. With a new lodge in place, he hopes all the tourists who can't afford to stay at a resort, but want to ski, will take their traffic there rather than up to Snow Stag."

"Well, that sounds like a lovely plan, but we are a resort company, not a..."

"There's also Mrs. Harris," continued Saundra, who now pulled out the packet still sitting before her and handing it over to Devon, who took it with a curious curve to his brow. "You'll find information in here for both Mr. Sykes' proposal and Mrs. Harris' farm."

"Farm?"

"She's a widow looking to move in with her kids a few states over, but she's got a hefty chunk of land she needs to part with first. Unfortunately, it is some ways from town and we already have a rather competitive market for family farms and adventure parks. So no one is buying. However, if you look at where the property is located..."

"It's right by the proposed slope." Devon's voice brightened as he dawned upon Saundra's point.

"It may not have the same appeal as Snow Stag, which is right on the slope. However, it offers far more possibilities for a year round facility by being down here closer to town."

And there it was, the glint of interest sparkling in Mr. Myers' eyes as he perused the papers presented to him. Had Saundra offered him these real estate ventures alone, he may not have taken them. It's one thing to build off of an inn with an established client base and then a whole other thing to start from the ground up. They could have potentially opened in time for the summer season if they went with the Hound and Sparrow, but there was no hope of that by taking the ski resort bait. However, when you pair that with the threat of a nasty legal battle for trying to expand onto the inn... Well, it made the offer even more appetizing.

"I'll... I'll have to speak with my people." He closed up the packets and gave Saundra a nod. "I apologize about our misstep with our plans to expand without approval. I hope you can understand we were simply overly excited about finally being a part of your town."

"Of course, Mr. Myers," said Saundra with a knowing smile.

He then stood up and offered his hand to the small-town lawyer. "I hope that in the future we can have a friendship built on honesty and clarity."

"It is always good to have a friend on the council." She gave me a wink before taking his hand.

"Well, I'll get back to you as soon as we've discussed this." He then turned and gave Jordan and I a nod. "Ms. Creeke, Mr. Wells."

"Just so you know, Mr. Myers," I said, rising up and offering my hand. "Should you decide you need to break our contract, I will not penalize you for doing so."

"Right." His movement was hesitant, but he eventually took my hand. "Good to know."

With that, he left, and another torturous waiting game began. However, hope kept me going. I saw a light at the end of the tunnel and I was ready to meet it.