Chapter 9: A Change of Plans

"Taylor, can you come over here sometime soon? I want you to meet Jon Agnew. He's done some lobbying on council and may have smoothed the waters considerably."

"Can do, Donald. That's encouraging news. I'll bring the preliminary concepts with me so he can see what we are talking about."

"Great. Let me know when. Any day but Tuesday would be good. Jon has his weekly council meeting that day."

"I'll do that. I should be able to get over next week, possibly Monday. Why don't you see if that will work with Councillor Agnew?"

"I will. Talk to you soon, Taylor," Donald said, hanging up.

Mary had overheard the call and looked questioningly at her husband.

"Do you think the project might go ahead?" she asked.

"It's starting to look like it. Jon is a very accomplished politician. He'll have covered the key people that we have to satisfy. One thing we have going for us is that everyone wants something done with the site."

Mary sighed. "I hope this doesn't hurt Gus too badly. They are so close and so much in love. I wonder how he will react to having her leave for a while."

"I'm thinking he'll do what's best for her," Donald said. "This isn't the end of the world. It's an opportunity for Tatya that she's earned. I doubt he'd try to talk her out of it."

"No, I think you're right. But it will hurt. At least he'll be able to go over there are see her now and then."

"Yes, it's not like she'd be out of touch. Maybe he can get a commuter discount on the flights," he chuckled.

"I've been able to get the main members of council onside for this project, Taylor," Jon Agnew said. It's enough to insure passage if all is as you said it would be."

"Yes," Taylor Erskine agreed, "It's just the way we presented it to you. We aren't aware of any engineering or architectural obstacles that would change our plan."

"Regardless of the support of council," Jon Agnew continued, "you can count on one or more groups banding together to try and stop the project. There is a bunch still trying to get the Vancouver Island Health Authority to cancel the hospital plans and they've already cleared the ground. However, the criteria you've presented meets the objections of the local residents head on, and that, to me, is the critical objective."

"Well, that's good news," Taylor Erskine said. "The option on the property will lapse in three weeks, so if we can keep things quiet for that long, we should be able to pick it up and put a formal presentation together. So you know, we are calling this project Windchime. Any correspondence should refer to that name only."

"Keep in mind the demographics of this area," Jon reminded Donald and Taylor. "The average age is way up there and most family units are small. You want to think in terms of people who have some difficulty getting around and climbing stairs. Your designs should reflect the kind of people who will want to buy these units. The retail side is a no-brainer. The pub, the new facilities for the float planes and the boutique hotel are all pretty much guaranteed winners."

"That's very encouraging, Jon. I really appreciate all your help on this," Taylor said.

"I see it as a big benefit to the town, Taylor," Jon spoke. "We need the facilities. We want them to blend into the community and we want something the people will be proud of. If your concept is any indication, it looks to fulfill those needs."

The meeting at the McLaren home broke up after Jon left for his home. Taylor and Donald returned to the study and relaxed.

"I'll prepare to pick up the option on Tidewater as soon as I can," Donald said. "I've already alerted our bank and they're onside. When that happens, what will you do?"

"I'll want to have Tatya return to Vancouver to start working with me on the technical side of the project. I'll have to pick a suitable replacement for her, of course. He'll be placed here within a week, I suspect."

"When will you talk to Tatya?" Donald asked.

"As soon as you exercise the option. You might as well wait to see how she reacts before talking to Gus."

"Yes. I'm not looking forward to that conversation. I feel sorry for whomever you assign to this job. He's going to have big shoes to fill. I don't envy him."

"If I thought it would help, I would send another woman, but I don't have one with any experience. Besides, that might just make things worse," Taylor chuckled.

"Well, we've still some time to prepare," Donald said. "Let's keep our fingers crossed that Beaufort doesn't get wind of what we're planning."

"The property is ours, Taylor. Beaufort gave up the fight even before the option lapsed according to Jon. The opposition just wore them out, I guess."

"Great news, Donald. Don't you love it when a plan comes together?" he laughed.

"Well, this is just the start. We still have to get council's approval. I hope that's just a formality," Donald said.

"If I read Jon right, I think it will pass," Taylor said confidently. "We've addressed every issue they had with Beaufort. Unless there is something new that comes along, it should go through."

"When do you plan to talk to Tatya?" Donald asked.

"I'll fly over on Friday morning. I'll take her to lunch and give her the outline of her new opportunity."

"Gus will know about it within thirty seconds of your leaving, I'm guessing," Donald said.

"I don't know. She may want to think over how she wants to present this to him. If they're as close as you say, she will be careful how she goes about telling him, regardless of her decision. I'm going to try like hell to talk her into it, so I won't be on Gus's Christmas list, I'm sure."

"Do what you think is right, Taylor. Gus is a big boy. He can handle it."

Gus sat in stunned silence as Tatya outlined her new assignment. It was the last thing he expected. He had purchased a ring and was going to give it to her this weekend. Now ... what? He could see the sparkle in her eyes as she talked about this opportunity. There wasn't any doubt in his mind that she wanted it. He also knew he would never stand in her way when it came to her career. This was a promotion and another step in her professional future.

"When will you be leaving?" he asked quietly when she finally wound down.

"Oh ... uhhm ... next week ... Monday," she answered haltingly.

Whatever air remained in Gus left at that moment. There would be no time for them to prepare. Saturday and maybe part of Sunday would be the last for a while.

"This is hard, isn't it," she stated, recognizing how much it had affected Gus.

"Yeah ... it is. I hadn't even thought about us being apart for any length of time."

"We can get together on weekends now and then," she said with a note of hope. "I can come over here, or you can come to Vancouver."

He nodded. At least there would be some contact.

They went fishing with his parents on Saturday. It helped lift Gus's spirits somewhat, but Monday morning was looming and he couldn't help wonder what he would do without her nearby every day. A year, she said. A year apart. He had chosen not to give her the ring. He wasn't sure why, but he put it in his night table drawer, hoping there would be a time when he could take it out and present it to her.

"You're going to be a great success, love," he told her before she boarded the plane on Monday morning. "You're going to knock them dead in that office. They're going to write this project up in the architectural magazines and make you famous," he smiled.

"I love you, Gus. We'll find a way to be together ... you'll see," she promised, tears now evident. They hugged and kissed one more time before she climbed into the aircraft and the pilot closed the door.

He watched the float plane taxi out into the harbour, gun the engine, and move swiftly eastward before lifting off. Within a couple of minutes the plane was out of sight and Gus was walking slowly to his truck. He felt completely drained of any energy. He had no ambition to do anything and wondered what he would do when he got to the office.

It was Wednesday when Tatya's replacement showed up. Brent Piers was young and very fresh-faced, belying his twenty-five years. He looked barely out of high school. Someone had schooled him on what to wear. He had a heavy flannel shirt, jeans, work boots and his own hardhat. He was polite and made it known that he had a lot to learn and would be happy for any assistance Gus could give him.

Gus tried hard not to like the guy, but failed. He was bright, had some helpful ideas, was all in favour of the morning meetings and listened carefully to Gus. By the end of the week, he invited Brent to the local pub for a beer and got to know the young guy a little better. Turned out he loved to fish, played lousy golf, liked ale rather than lager or pilsner, and played rec hockey. All in all, Gus figured they could coexist.

He had already planned his trips to Vancouver. They would pick a weekend in November, then of course, the week of Christmas and New Year's. After that, Tatya had talked about a vacation, her first since she had moved to Courtenay last February. Gus had visions of two weeks in Hawaii. That alone would help him make the time pass.

November came and went. They were unable to get a weekend when one or the other of them was available. Gus had winter preparations to put in place. The construction site would be active throughout the months of December through February. It was his busiest time. Tatya was only getting started on the Windchime project and didn't want to interrupt her early development work. It would have to be December.

Taylor Erskine would close the architectural offices between Christmas and New Year's and that gave Gus and Tatya eight days to reconnect. They talked almost daily and couldn't make up their minds if they would spend the time in Vancouver or Courtenay. In the end, they decided to split the week between the two. Tatya would come to Courtenay for Christmas while Gus would take her back to Vancouver for New Year's. Elena Helgesen would be spending Christmas with her parents in Calgary, returning the day before Tatya and Gus left for the island.

Their reunion was explosive. Gus picked her up in the Cadillac at the float plane dock on Christmas Eve day. They were wrapped in each other's arms for more than a minute as they waited for her bag.

"Oh, God, it feels so good to hold you again," he murmured.

The put her bag in the back seat and he held the door for her. She slid across the wide bench to get as close to him as she could.