“You always have to win?”
Garrett smiled faintly.
“No.”
“Feels like it.”
“This wasn’t winning.”
“What was it?”
“Making the argument unnecessary.”
Victoria had no answer to that.
She put the SUV in gear.
Before leaving, she said:
“For what it’s worth, it does look good.”
Garrett glanced at the stone.
“I know.”
That almost made her smile.
Almost.
She drove away.
The board election came two months later.
Victoria ran again.
She lost.
Not overwhelmingly.
She still had supporters.
Some residents valued her efficiency.
Some thought the ranch dispute had been exaggerated.
Others believed one bad decision should not erase several years of volunteer work.
Garrett did not campaign against her.
He did not attend the candidate forum.
When someone asked whom he supported, he reminded them he was not an HOA member.
Joel Bennett became president.
His first email to Garrett contained six words.
We will stay off your road.
Garrett replied:
Appreciated.
That was the entire relationship for months.
The neighborhood did not collapse.
Property values did not fall.
Children still played.
Trash was collected.
Lawns remained green.
People survived driving seven extra minutes.