"I want to do this right," he said roughly. “Make it special.”
"Me too," Joy said, her voice croaking. “This probably isn’t the time or place.”
They gathered up the remains of the picnic and walked back to her truck as twilight settled over the lake. Their hands brushed with each step, not quite holding but maintaining connection. At her vehicle, Andre caught her fingers in his.
“When can I see you again?” he asked. “When can we…”
“Soon…”
One more kiss, soft and sweet with promise, before Joy climbed into her truck. She drove home with her lips still tingling from Andre's kiss.
Chapter
Ten
Andre arrivedat the Fate Mountain Community Center forty minutes early. The parking lot stretched empty before him, gravel crunching beneath his truck tires. Morning light filtered through the tall windows as he pushed through the double doors. The familiar scent of old wood and lemon polish filled his lungs.
The main hall waited in silence. Metal folding chairs stood stacked against the walls, their surfaces cold when he grabbed the first set. Each chair opened with a sharp snap that echoed through the space. He worked steadily, creating neat rows while his mind wandered to last night at Lake Fate. Joy's soft intake of breath when their lips met. The gentle pressure of her fingers curling into his shirt…
Chief Heath Reynolds shouldered through the doors, carrying a box of files. "Morning," Andre said.
"Big crowd expected." Heath set the box of files on the floor, then started arranging chairs at the front of the room. "The whole town's spooked."
Andre helped Heath set up a long table at the front, positioning chairs behind it for the leadership team. When Andre wasn’t patrolling Joy’s property, he’d been interviewing victims, compiling reports, and looking for patterns. Now they'd share those findings with the community. People began arriving before they finished setting up. Rollo Morris entered first, his weathered face set in grim lines. Heath waved him to the front table. "Rollo, you'll sit up here with us."
Gage Stockwell followed, then Damien Fellows and Knox Carter. The veterans took their places at the leadership table, folders and notepads appearing from their weathered hands. Heath’s son, Detective Gabriel Reynolds, nodded to Andre as he walked in.
Business owners filled the rows quickly. Andre recognized faces from his security rounds. Ellen Cooper from the pottery shop claimed a front seat. The Muellers sat behind her, their general store the heart of Main Street for forty years. Ranchers drove in from outlying properties, their boots tracking mud across the polished floor.
The recent victims clustered together. Ash and Eliana Bright found seats in the second row. Andre had spent hours in their orchard, walking the burn sites, documenting evidence. Theo and Serena Keenan sat behind them. The interview at the academy had taken most of yesterday morning. Max and Laney Bock sat near the aisle. He'd met them at the brewery, Laney's scientific precision impressive as she'd walked him through the contamination timeline. Henry and Ivy Kincaid slipped in as the room filled. The quiet forest ranger had been harder to interview, but Ivy's enthusiasm for the nature center had filled the gaps.
Rookie cop, Valeria Reynolds, was helping with crowd control. She held herself with the same quiet authority as her father and brother. Then Joy walked in and hugged Valeria before taking a seat.
Joy wore jeans and a burgundy blouse, her hair catching the overhead lights. Their eyes met across the crowded room. Andre's hands stilled on the stack of agendas he'd been counting. The small smile she gave him sent heat through his chest.“Soon…”the word echoed in his mind.
The papers slipped from his grip, scattering across the floor. He crouched to gather them, face burning. "Let me help." Rollo left the front table, and he helped Andre scoop up the papers. "Public speaking jitters?"
"Something like that." Andre straightened, forcing his attention back to the task.
More people poured in. The hall designed for fifty now held over sixty, with latecomers standing along the walls. Andre took his seat at the head table next to Rollo. Joy sat in the front row, close enough that he caught hints of her scent when the air moved.
Heath stood at the front table, raising his hand for quiet. The nervous chatter died slowly.
"Thank you all for coming." Heath’s voice carried to the back corners. "Our community faces a threat unlike anything we've seen. The attacks aren't random. They're coordinated. Planned. We’ll be hearing from our coordinator this morning.” Heath motioned for Andre to stand.
Worried murmurs rippled through the crowd. Ellen Cooper gripped her neighbor's arm. The Muellers exchanged dark looks. Andre cleared his throat.
"The Fate Mountain Security Initiative brings together active patrol and our veteran volunteers." Andre gestured to the men beside him. "Rollo Morris served as Police Chief for twenty-three years. Gage Stockwell, Damien Fellows, and Knox Carter protected this town for decades. They've volunteered their expertise. And it’s been my great honor to work with them and serve as coordinator for this initiative.”
The room settled slightly. These weren't outsiders like Andre. These were neighbors who'd proven themselves.
"Chief Reynolds brought me in as a pair of fresh eyes. I’ve spent the past three days interviewing those who've been attacked," Andre continued. "We've asked them to share their experiences publicly, so everyone understands the pattern."
Fire Chief Ash Bright stood first. During their interview, he'd been controlled, professional. Now, with Eliana's hand in his, emotion crept into his voice. "Hampton Orchard’s troubles started small. A brushfire that could have been natural. Tools moved around. Easy to write off as pranks."
His jaw tightened. "Then they burned a quarter of the heritage trees. Trees my wife's grandparents planted. When that didn't break her spirit, they took her apprentice Mateo.”
Theo rose next. In their interview, he'd laid out the sabotage with careful detail. Now his voice carried the weight of betrayal. "The Wilderness Academy faced systematic attacks all summer. Cut ropes that could have killed trainees. Equipment failures during crucial moments. They turned our instructor Kai against us. Paid him to plant evidence, make it look like I was responsible."
