Yours in solidarity and hope,
Between the Lines
I sit in my car on the beach and press the letter against my chest like it might absorb into my skin.
She’s telling me I’m worth it.
And she has no idea she’s talking about herself. That she’s the “her” I’m trying to be brave enough to tell. That every word of encouragement she’s giving me is permission to love her the way I already do.
My phone buzzes.
Grayson:Where are you? Board meeting in 20 minutes. Harold is already here looking murderous.
Oh no.
I completely forgot about the quarterly board meeting.
On my way,I text back.Traffic.
You’re sitting in a beach parking lot. I can see your car from the office window.
Shoot.
Me:Deep thoughts. Very important. CEO stuff.
Grayson:Get your rear up here. Wear your armor. This is going to be ugly.
Twenty minutes later,I’m sitting in our conference room with Grayson, Harold, Patricia, and three other board members.
Harold gets right to it.
"The boardwalk property," he says, pulling up a spreadsheet that makes my chest tight. "We've received an offer from Coastal Commercial Group. They want to convert it into a mixed-use space—retail on the bottom, vacation rentals on top. It's a strong offer."
"The building has a tenant," I say carefully. "With a signed lease."
"Leases can be bought out,” Patricia says. "We're not in the business of running a charity for struggling bookstores. This offer represents a twenty percent premium over market value."
"There are other considerations?—"
"What considerations?" Harold interrupts. "Community impact? That's not how real estate investment works. We're not a charity."
Grayson shifts beside me. I can feel him wanting to intervene, but he doesn't know the full story. Doesn't know that the "community impact" is Jessica. That saving her bookstore means protecting the woman I love.
"The Fiction Nook is a community anchor," I try. "It drives foot traffic. Creates value for surrounding properties. Selling to a developer who'll gut it for vacation rentals hurts the whole boardwalk."
"That's sentimental thinking," Patricia says. "Not business strategy."
"What if we took the property off the table?" Grayson suggests. "Kept it as a long-term hold."
Harold shakes his head. "Unacceptable. We're consolidating our retail portfolio. Coastal Commercial's offer is on the table. Her lease expires in eighteen months. After that, she's out regardless. You have until the next quarterly meeting to give us a reason not to sell."
The meeting continues for another brutal thirty minutes before ending.
Grayson waits until we’re alone before turning to me.
“Okay. What’s really going on?”
“What do you mean?”
