Page 45 of The Library of Second Chances
“Hey, y’all. Go ahead and take any seat you’d like. Thank you for coming tonight.” Turning back to him, she said coolly, “We’ll finish discussing this later. Stick to the agenda and we’ll be just fine.” She reached around him to grab the papers, folding them, and shoving them inside her bag before waving at more people coming in.
He watched as she walked to the door and greeted people as they entered. She was shaking hands, complimenting outfits, and asking several of them how their businesses were doing. She’d stolen the move he’d tried to use that first night after the town council meeting where he was introduced.
He could tell she was setting the stage for an evening of us versus them with him as the “them,” even though the town council and mayor were due to attend as well. If she could successfully paint him as the bad guy, even the council members and the mayor would hang him out to dry to save face. After all, they had to continue to live in the community and some of them would be up for re-election soon.
The room was near capacity by the time Lucy joined him at the front to open the forum. She stood as far as she could from him, as if she might catch something. She smiled broadlyanytime she addressed the crowd, but she refused to make eye contact with him.
When she turned it over to Logan, he explained they’d be using the giant white board behind them to brainstorm ideas.
“If you’d like to add an idea to the list, all you have to do is raise your hand. Lucy”—he turned toward her, but she still wouldn’t meet his eyes—“I’ll let you call on people since you know everyone better.” Normally, he would have taken charge and tried to control the flow of the meeting to his advantage, but he thought better of it after Lucy’s attack.
She locked eyes with him briefly then, her mouth a tight line. “Yes, I do.” Turning back to the crowd, she smiled. “While you all are thinking on ideas, I’m going to share one Helen sent me. She sends her regrets, but she’s engaged in some very important research right now. She’d like us to explore the idea of adding an aquarium experience to help our visitors learn more about the fish, water mammals, flora, and fauna in our area. I know many of us don’t want to see a large building blocking the view of the water from downtown, so she said to make sure I told you that she’s been researching a concept she saw in Seattle where visitors actually descend into an underwater room for viewing.”
Logan considered the idea as he watched Lucy write it on the board. The city could own and operate the aquarium and charge an admission fee. Construction of that sort of attraction sounded expensive, though, especially since it probably required special care so as not to disrupt the natural underwater environment. He was all for being environmentally conscious, but it also meant the project was probably cost prohibitive.
“I also wanted to add the idea of renting out stand-up paddle boards and small two-person watercrafts, that sort of thing.” Lucy directed the idea toward the crowd, not acknowledging that those had been his ideas. “We could rent them right fromthe marina and direct people toward the back side of the island where the water is calmer.”
He let Lucy claim the idea. It wasn’t important who put what up on the board. He certainly wasn’t going to call her on it in front of everyone.
Hands started raising in the audience.
Lucy pointed at a weathered-looking man. “Wayne.”
“What about a maritime or shrimping museum? Pay homage to all the men and women who trawled the waters before us.” The heads of several similarly dressed men around him bobbed up and down.
Lucy continued to write ideas from the crowd on the board: a shrimping museum, an old-school arcade, and an open-air market, which seemed to have the most support.
The next woman Lucy called on suggested an amphitheater, which Logan had on his list. It was relatively easy and inexpensive—at least as far as development projects went—to build an amphitheater that blended in with the natural surroundings. It could be rented out to bands and acting groups, host seminars and more.
When everyone with a hand up had been heard, Logan cleared his throat. “I’ve got a couple more ideas I’d like to add to the board as well.”
Lucy scowled at him, anticipating his additions, but waved a hand toward the board to give him the floor.
“I’ll preface this by saying I know these won’t necessarily be popular options, but they are potentially lucrative ones that don’t require building anything new on the waterfront.” He scanned the audience. Normally he did enough work before a meeting like this to curb any real opposition. He knew better than to come into a room full of potential opponents and throw a grenade into the crowd, but Lucy hadn’t left him much choiceafter she’d gotten him to agree to the ceasefire. He took a deep breath and pulled the pin.
“I’d like us to consider allowingsmallcruise ships like the ones that go into Savannah and Charleston.”
When members of the crowd started expressing their discontent, Lucy did nothing to silence them. She just stood there with her arms crossed, an eyebrow raised in his direction as if saying she didn’t know why he was even bothering. Clearly, she was confident he wouldn’t get the support he needed for his ideas.
Logan decided it was best to let people vent for a few moments before he tried to go on. When the din of conversation began to lull, he took the opportunity to jump back in.
“I simply ask that you all come to the next forum and listen to the representative from the cruise company. We’re not talking about those big, towering ships that go to the Bahamas. These ships hold fewer than one hundred people. The rep can explain how much the downtown business owners would benefit as passengers disembark to shop and eat, and the upside is that it won’t put any pressure on the infrastructure here to add hotel rooms or parking.”
As he spoke, faces softened. Some people even nodded, as if now that they understood a little more, they thought it might be something they could stomach.
Lucy glared at him. “Let’s not forget that we have a limit on the length of boats that come into our marina for a reason. Also, I’ll have an environmental expert here at the next meeting to tell us about the fish and plant life the cruise ships would destroy. Then we can discuss the idea once we’ve heard both sides.”
Heads bobbed as people agreed with her.
“Anything else you’d like to add?” she asked him, a challenge in her tone.
Glancing out at the crowd and back at her, he coughed to clear his throat. “I do have one more thought that we’ll discuss at the next meeting while the water expert is here. I’d like you to consider bringing back the casino boat”—he held up his hand as the crowd began to murmur—“from adifferentoperating company than last time. I know you weren’t thrilled with the previous owners. I’ve spoken with people in several other cities here in Florida about the company I’m recommending, and they can vouch for them.”
He’d lost the crowd. He could see it on their faces. It was going to take a lot to turn the tide at the next forum. It was his job to ensure both a profitable waterfront project and that the backlash from it didn’t create problems in the voting booth when it came time to re-elect the council.
Examining the sea of unhappy faces, his eyes finally landed on Lucy. He had his work cut out for him. With the townspeople, but most of all with Lucy.
Seventeen
