Obviously, the town didn’t have any problem with granting development permits. So what was the hold up with Liam’s project? And how was she supposed to help, exactly?
The Town Problem.
She was definitely hooked, but she couldn’t figure it out from the clues in front of her. Liam stopped his SUV in front of the lane that led to the winery. He rolled down his window and gestured across the road and down a bit, where Jess realized there was a large sign announcing the new development.
Waving back, she urged him to move on. She drove past the entrance to check out the empty plot of land, then doubled back, pulling into the gravel parking lot just as Evan West stepped through the main doors of the impressive glass and wood structure that made up the main building of Go West Winery.
“Nobody has any right to look that sexy this early in the morning,” she muttered to herself before getting out of her car with a bright smile.
Evie did the re-introductions, and Evan said nice things about remembering their dance at the wedding. From the way he pinned his gaze on her face, she believed him.
If she were a wine buyer, he’d have hooked her before she’d even tasted a sip.
His charm skills were on point, that was for damn sure. But once they were settled in his office, he cut to the chase: those skills didn’t work on the town council.
“Did Liam explain how they’re blocking our development across the way?”
“He mentioned it, but didn’t go into detail.”
“They make it a moving target,” Evan said. “Every rejection we get is for a different and often conflicting reason. Basically, the project is dead in the water until there’s external demand for it. Then we’ll be sitting pretty with a ready-to-go project that can be completed ahead of anyone else.”
“You want to create the demand, and force their hand?” Jess nodded. “That works.”
A knock at the door interrupted them, and all four heads swivelled. A tall, curvy woman strode in, all business. “Sorry to interrupt. This just came in from the Japanese contacts.”
“Remember when they would only deal with me? And now they’re sending everything to you,” Evan chuckled. “Jessica Doran, meet Beth Howard, our operations director. Beth, Jessica is a friend of Liam’s, and he’s pulled her in to consult on the Town Problem.”
“Oh,” Beth said, her eyes wide and her lips pursed. “Welcome. We need all the help we can get.”
Jess grinned. “Nice to meet you, Beth.”
“Same. Are you sticking around? I’ll be at Evie’s Pilates class at five this afternoon if you want to join in.”
Jess was about to refuse, but maybe spending some time on Main Street Activities would help her sort out the mysterious Town Problem.
And now she was even starting tothinkin all caps. “Count me in,” she said. “I’ll be the one in black pyjama bottoms at the back of the room because I’m not properly prepared.”
“You’ll fit right in,” Beth promised over Evie’s mutters of protest. “And now I’m taking my leave!”
Jess didn’t miss that Evan was fighting back a smirk as he got back to the background details on his problem. “So whileIhave a developmental roadblock on a housing complex, there are others are who facing similar problems. There are a couple of elite athletes who want to open a camp for teens just outside of town, and are getting told no, for example. And word spreads. So we’ve got a small, informal committee of people who want change in this town. The problem is, we only have one friendly seat on town council. Carrie Nixon, who owns the bakery in town, is willing to do whatever it takes to reinvigorate our tourism pitch. Obviously, I’m in. I’m all the way in. The wineries around here are doing great things, but technically Go West is the only one inside the town limits of Wardham. We run the risk of being outstripped by the county around us and the other towns along the lake, because our council is stuck in the mud.”
The obvious answer was the change the town council by running more progressive candidates. Jess frowned. “When are elections?”
“Not for another two years.”
“Mmm.”
“So we’re looking for other ways to make change happen.” Evan stood and went to the wall, where he slid a panel out of the way and revealed a whiteboard covered in notes.
Jess let out a low whistle, impressed.
He walked her through the various businesses, and the way town council operated. What was surging, and what was stagnating. It kept coming back to a lack of a cohesive push for growth—and growth in new and interesting ways was consistently being blocked.
He sighed. “Business is booming. But the overall messaging of the town lets us down.”
Liam and Evie nodded along. Clearly they agreed with the assessment.
Jess got up and walked toward the whiteboard. At the org chart for the town, and which councillor was responsible for what portfolio. Carrie Nixon’s name popped out. A friendly ally.
