Page 49 of Her Cadillac Cowboy
“I wish I could help, Sara, but I’ve lost most of the contacts I had in the area.”
“Thanks for understanding. I’ll come up with something.”
For the second time in one month, Sara found herself sitting in an intimate booth at Delgado’s with a single man. Thank heaven it wasn’t the same single man or the town gossips would have her pregnant and married off to Josh McKinley while her father died of apoplexy. As it was, she’d merely be branded as easy, until she went out with someone else. You had to date three different men in a row before you were labeled a ho. Given the hours she worked, that was an unlikely event.
She took a swallow of wine and watched Marty put down the prospectus. “Well?”
“The changes you propose are pretty ambitious. Are you sure the situation warrants them?”
“Believe me, they’re warranted. We’ve got a huge market down here on the Texas coast, with tourists and locals combined. And there’s no other RV dealership for five hundred miles. Now is the time to act.”
“I agree. But the changes you want will cost Mega money.”
“In the short term only.
“Executives don’t always take the long view. Some of the upper ranks think Mega Motors should put in its own franchise. Others think taking Carson’s to the cleaners is the best way to get a foothold in South Texas.”
“Carson’s has a statewide reputation for honest deals and reliable, top quality service. We’ve been marketing on the internet for two years now and have established a growing return customer base there. Add those factors to the reputation of Mega’s products and you get a marketing combination that would take years and millions to establish. Not only that, but I can provide the initial marketing splash for next to nothing. We both save on that.”
“Then why the delay? Why borrow from Mega to build a new facility? And why at the industrial park outside of town? Why not use the backlot warehouse your daddy built with just this opportunity in mind?”
Sara would have preferred to keep the McKinley name out of this discussion, but given Marty’s direct question, he deserved a direct answer. “I wish I could use the backlot warehouse, but it’s being leased for the next ten years.”
Marty whistled. “You didn’t make that decision, did you?”
“No, Donny signed the papers just after Dad’s heart attack. I was still trying to get back from Alaska. The deed was done before I got here.”
“Can you get the leasing firm to break it, offer incentives?”
“Believe me, I’ve tried everything.”
“Which company is it?”
“Springboard.”
Marty gave a startled burst of laughter. “You’re kidding. Josh McKinley did business with Carson’s Cars? Did hell freeze and someone forgot to tell me?”
“Dad was out of commission, and I was out of town or it never would have happened.”
“Well, I can see now why you’ve got a problem. McKinley’s a stubborn SOB. All that bull riding taught him how to hang on to anything he wanted. The man doesn’t know how to let go. What’d he want with your warehouse?”
“He’s putting in a daycare center.”
“In downtown Luville?”
“Says his client base is in downtown.”
“He always was a risk taker.”
“I think he’ll go belly up in a year. When he does, he’ll want to break that lease, and I’ll have the income to pay Mega back for the warehouse construction costs.”
“So why not wait and do this next year? I’m sure I could talk Mega into the delay.”
“Thanks, Marty; it may come to that. But you and I both know how quickly the market can change. If I’ve seen the opportunities in East Texas, you can bet a dozen others have too.”
Marty nodded. “We’ve had some nibbles but nothing as thoroughly researched as your prospectus.”
“Now you know why I don’t want to wait. I’ve got to tell you Carson’s is in a bit of a financial bind, and that’s the main reason we need Mega’s financing on the warehouse. I’m confident that the downturn is temporary, and as a show of confidence, I’m willing to sign over some shares as collateral.”
