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Authors: Mary Whitney
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complex invading Marin, but how that relates to a guy named George Jones, I don’t understand.”
Jack laughed and scratched his head. “Did she really call it the military industrial complex?”
“Yes.”
Jack almost snorted at the thought, but he composed himself. “Do you know George Jones?”
“Oh, now you’re sounding just like her,” she said with a scowl.
“I didn’t mean it that way.” Her annoyed expression told him he better apologize or the conversation would end. “I’m sorry. I meant to say do you know which George Jones she’s referring to. That will explain a lot.”
“No. There have to be ten of them in Marin alone.” Her mood didn’t seem to improve. “Or is he not from here? Is it the country music singer?”
“Not him. George Jones, the movie director.”
“The Sci Fi guy?”
“Yup. He wants to build a giant studio complex on his property up here. He’s got a thousand acres, but Ethel and her crowd don’t want any of it developed.”
“Okay,” she said. Her voice changed to a policy-setting tone. “Is it zoned for development?”
“Of course, but Ethel doesn’t care. She claims it’s too fragile of a landscape to have such an industrial use.”
“I heard that. I don’t believe conservation is her motive. She just doesn’t want to see any change.” Lily crossed her arms in thought. “What was she saying about being held hostage? She kept talking about riff-raff.”
“Ah!’ He chuckled. “Well, George has out maneuvered her. He’s now saying if the county doesn’t let him build his studio, he’s going to scale down the project to just a couple of acres and instead use the land to build fifty low-income housing units.”
Lily snorted, and Jack enjoyed seeing what appeared to be a genuine grin cross her face. She tilted her head. “Really? That’s hilarious. So now she’s against poor people? George Jones is brilliant.”
“Isn’t he though? And Ethel deserves it.”
“She really does. So is she going to be at every meeting?”
“Not every meeting, but most of them.”
“Just my luck.” She giggled.
With her pretty smile and the connection building between them, Jack had no desire to return to the auditorium. All he could think of was how he could maintain this feeling with her. A smooth line would only backfire, but if he said a friendly goodbye and walked away, he didn’t know if he’d ever catch her in a similar moment. He opted for honesty.
“Listen, Lily. If you and I hadn’t had that blow-up where you chewed me out, I would’ve helped you in there. I can’t stand Ethel.”
“Oh, yeah?” Her smile faded. “What would you have done?”
“Cracked a joke or something.”
“That would just make you look good.”
“Maybe.” He lifted up his hands as if he was helpless. “But it would also get you out of a hole and move things along. I’d have done it for anyone, but you told me to treat you differently so I did.”
“What’s your point?”
“My point is this is stupid. We should be friends.”
“Friends?” she said, arching a brow.
He didn’t know if the remark was based on their initial encounter when he’d told her how much he liked her or if it was because they were now rivals. Regardless, his answer was the same. “Come on.” He shook his head with a defeated smile. “Let’s be real. What are the odds of Charles Kingsley winning this race and us keeping our current jobs?”
She twitched her nose as if he’d said something she didn’t like. After a few seconds, she said reluctantly, “High.”
“See. There you go. We should be friends.”
When she held his gaze, Jack felt he was getting somewhere. Her lips curled into a small smile, and she extended her hand. “Friends.”
Shaking her hand, he nodded. “Friends.” He took his hand away and placed it in his pocket, not sure what to do next. With any other woman, if he had the same feelings, he’d ask her out immediately, but he
Jack laughed and scratched his head. “Did she really call it the military industrial complex?”
“Yes.”
Jack almost snorted at the thought, but he composed himself. “Do you know George Jones?”
“Oh, now you’re sounding just like her,” she said with a scowl.
“I didn’t mean it that way.” Her annoyed expression told him he better apologize or the conversation would end. “I’m sorry. I meant to say do you know which George Jones she’s referring to. That will explain a lot.”
“No. There have to be ten of them in Marin alone.” Her mood didn’t seem to improve. “Or is he not from here? Is it the country music singer?”
“Not him. George Jones, the movie director.”
“The Sci Fi guy?”
“Yup. He wants to build a giant studio complex on his property up here. He’s got a thousand acres, but Ethel and her crowd don’t want any of it developed.”
“Okay,” she said. Her voice changed to a policy-setting tone. “Is it zoned for development?”
“Of course, but Ethel doesn’t care. She claims it’s too fragile of a landscape to have such an industrial use.”
“I heard that. I don’t believe conservation is her motive. She just doesn’t want to see any change.” Lily crossed her arms in thought. “What was she saying about being held hostage? She kept talking about riff-raff.”
“Ah!’ He chuckled. “Well, George has out maneuvered her. He’s now saying if the county doesn’t let him build his studio, he’s going to scale down the project to just a couple of acres and instead use the land to build fifty low-income housing units.”
Lily snorted, and Jack enjoyed seeing what appeared to be a genuine grin cross her face. She tilted her head. “Really? That’s hilarious. So now she’s against poor people? George Jones is brilliant.”
“Isn’t he though? And Ethel deserves it.”
“She really does. So is she going to be at every meeting?”
“Not every meeting, but most of them.”
“Just my luck.” She giggled.
With her pretty smile and the connection building between them, Jack had no desire to return to the auditorium. All he could think of was how he could maintain this feeling with her. A smooth line would only backfire, but if he said a friendly goodbye and walked away, he didn’t know if he’d ever catch her in a similar moment. He opted for honesty.
“Listen, Lily. If you and I hadn’t had that blow-up where you chewed me out, I would’ve helped you in there. I can’t stand Ethel.”
“Oh, yeah?” Her smile faded. “What would you have done?”
“Cracked a joke or something.”
“That would just make you look good.”
“Maybe.” He lifted up his hands as if he was helpless. “But it would also get you out of a hole and move things along. I’d have done it for anyone, but you told me to treat you differently so I did.”
“What’s your point?”
“My point is this is stupid. We should be friends.”
“Friends?” she said, arching a brow.
He didn’t know if the remark was based on their initial encounter when he’d told her how much he liked her or if it was because they were now rivals. Regardless, his answer was the same. “Come on.” He shook his head with a defeated smile. “Let’s be real. What are the odds of Charles Kingsley winning this race and us keeping our current jobs?”
She twitched her nose as if he’d said something she didn’t like. After a few seconds, she said reluctantly, “High.”
“See. There you go. We should be friends.”
When she held his gaze, Jack felt he was getting somewhere. Her lips curled into a small smile, and she extended her hand. “Friends.”
Shaking her hand, he nodded. “Friends.” He took his hand away and placed it in his pocket, not sure what to do next. With any other woman, if he had the same feelings, he’d ask her out immediately, but he
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