Chapter 5 - Madeline
It’s almost three hours from the airport over to Lang Creek. I grip the steering wheel in my rental car and navigate the winding roads, going higher and higher up through the mountains. I peer through the windscreen at the jaw-dropping scenery that spreads out around me in all directions.
It may be a long drive, but I understand why my company wants to build a hotel here. The mountains are massive and awe-inspiring. After a few hours of head-swiveling and jaw-dropping, I finally see a sign that tells me I’m entering the town of Lang Creek. I slow the car down and glance out the windows, studying the old buildings and small-town charm. I definitely understand why we’re building here.
The town is built in a valley between two mountains, with houses spilling up the lower slopes of the peaks. The main street runs directly between the mountains. I see the shop and small existing hotel just ahead.
I pull up outside the hotel and read the sign: McCoy’s Hotel. I turn off the engine and take a deep breath. Tomorrow evening, I’ll be facing the townspeople. I’ll be telling them exactly what my company wants them to hear. I’ll be trying to convince them to support the construction of a multi-million-dollar luxury hotel in the heart of their small town.
My eyes swing around to take in the small timber houses and the hand-made signs that line the shopfronts. My lips purse together. A small tendril of something starts to curl inside me.
Is it doubt? I’ve always thought that I was doing something good for the world as an environmental engineer. I’m on the side of the ‘good guys’. That’s what I always tell myself, anyway.
But now as I look at this little town, nestled between two mountains and surrounded by thick forest, I wonder if I’m doing the right thing.
I shake my head.
I can’t think like that. It’s just because I didn’t want to come here, and I thought I should be with my father instead of in this place. Of course I’m doing the right thing. We’re bringing business to the area, jobs, and cash flow. I’m here to make sure that it happens ethically and that the delicate ecosystem of these virgin forests won’t be disturbed more than necessary.
Those are all good things. I’m one of the good guys.
I finally open the door and swing my legs out, stretching my arms overhead and cracking my back before grabbing my small suitcase out of the back seat. I take a deep breath and start heading towards McCoy’s Hotel. With a big more preparation tonight and tomorrow, I should be ready for the town hall meeting. I'll be ready to convince the townspeople that they should be happy about this project.
A bell jingles as I walk into the hotel lobby and an older woman looks up from the desk. A smile spreads across her face as she looks at me.
“You must be Madeline Croft,” she says. “I’ve been expecting you. Was the drive okay?”
“The drive was great,” I respond. “It’s so beautiful over here.”
“That’s why we want to share it with the world,” she answers. She smiles at me again and I can’t help but feel like she’s smiling a bit too hard. It’s almost forced, or it’s like the smile doesn’t spread all the way to her eyes. She nods at me before shuffling some papers in front of her. The check-in process is quick, and I’m hit with a barrage of information on the area. She tells me what to do, where to go, what to avoid. I nod and try to absorb it all, taking the brochures and maps from her with a smile. She hands me a key and points towards the staircase.
“Just up the stairs to the left. Room number 206.”
“Thank you, Mrs. McCoy,” I say.
“Please,” she says with another forced smile. “Call me Karen. Ask me if you have any questions whatsoever.”
I smile and nod before turning towards the stairs. They creak as I walk up, and I glance down the bright hallway towards the numbers on the doors. Number 206 is the third door down.
It’s a clean room, with a cozy quilt and fresh flowers in the vase. I drop my suitcase and let all the air out of my lungs as I look around the room. This is my new home for the next few days. I don’t even know how long I’ll be here. The way Barry was talking it sounded like it would be a few weeks.
My phone buzzes and I glance down to see a picture message from my mother. I open it up to see the family smiling at a beach resort. My father looks tired and ill and my heart squeezes as I look at the photo. I know that my mother is trying to make me feel guilty for choosing work over this vacation, but I refuse to give in. I need to do this for myself, and I need to pursue my career the way that I want to do it.
I send her a quick message back and tuck my phone away. It’s time to get some dinner at the restaurant downstairs, and then one final practice run through my presentation. Tomorrow morning I’m visiting the construction site and meeting with Cecilia and the site team. I glance around the room one more time and take a deep breath. Whether I like it or not, this is my new home.
When I walk downstairs, I glance out the big bay windows at the front of the hotel. The mountain is lit up with the sunset and the sky is ablaze with colors. The tightness in my chest loosens slightly and a smile spreads across my lips.
It might not be a beach vacation in Miami, but it doesn’t mean this place isn’t gorgeous. Maybe my new home isn’t so bad after all.