"It's not a suggestion. Youarea part of the ecosystem," he said in a firm voice. "The plaza works because of the relationships established among the tenants on the first two floors and the professional offices above. Ochoa runs the risk of disrupting this synergy by bringing in new tenants who might not integrate well."
I nodded. "Sounds logical. Obvious."
He moved to the next slide. "Ochoa is looking at raw numbers and not considering intangible value—things like the stability of the businesses already there and how each one helps to make the building attractive to the people upstairs, as well as casual passersby."
His fingers moved quickly over the keyboard, his brow furrowed in concentration. He was in his element, problem-solving and analyzing to find a solution.
And he was doing it for me.
"Jamison." I said his name in a low voice.
He looked up, his eyes questioning.
I opened my mouth to express my appreciation and tell him how much his efforts meant to me, but I surprised myself by saying something entirely different. "What if this doesn't work?" I had voiced my fears out loud.
"The presentation? We can revise?—"
"No, I mean... what if we do everything right and put together a stellar presentation, and Mr. Ochoa doesn't care? What if he doesn't care about community value and ecosystem synergy? What if he doesn't care about the numbers and just wants us out so he can make more money the way he believes is best?"
Jamison twisted the chair to face me fully. "I'm confident we're putting together a stronger presentation, but if it doesn't work, you can find a new location."
I shook my head. "A new place won't be the same. The building has a new name, which was jarring enough, but the location is perfect. It's where I built my business from scratch."
"Tallulah, you can build again somewhere else."
He didn't understand, and I felt the familiar tightness that appeared in my chest whenever I considered the possibility of losing Simply Well. "You make starting over sound so easy."
His face turned sympathetic. "It's not easy, but it can be done."
"Can it?" The words came out with more bitterness than I intended. "Maybe this is proof I was never supposed to have a business in the first place. My ex-husband used to say I was too flighty and idealistic. He said I didn't understand how the real world worked, and now I'm wondering if he was right. I put so much into Simply Well all these years, and now a buyout could wipe out all my hard work."
Jamison's expression hardened. "He wasn't right."
"You don't know that."
"Yes, I do. You've been running a successful business for ten years, in a very precarious industry, I might add. You beat the odds by staying open. For ten years, you've helped people, built a client base, and become a meaningful part of the community. Far from flighty, your work is real and powerful."
"But if I lose it all?—"
"A setback doesn't wipe out a decade of success." He moved closer, his eyes intense. "I’m sure you've faced challenges before in this business. The change coming from the new landlord is another one, a big one, but you're not facing the situation alone. You have the other tenants behind you. You're also not unprepared. The tenants are organized, you gathered information from them, and you're putting together a strategic response through a presentation. You're not flighty, Tallulah. You're a smart businesswoman, and if by chance this doesn't work—which I'm fairly confident it will—I know you can start over and be successful again."
I desperately wanted to believe him. "When I told you that I tended to go with the flow, I wasn't exaggerating," I said quietly. "Other than my beautiful daughter, this business is my greatest accomplishment. I hate to think I might lose it because I didn't plan better, because I didn't prepare for a raise in the rent or?—"
"Stop." Jamison gripped my hands in his. "No one could have predicted this. My specialty is commercial banking, and having a business can be extremely volatile with changes all the time. Landlords shift their priorities for any number of reasons. What's happening has nothing to do with a failure to plan. It simply was outside anyone’s control."
"But I don't have a backup plan because I just go with the flow," I said, my voice shaky.
His expression softened. "We need more people like you in the world, believe me. Without you, the rest of us wouldn't have any fun, and life would be boring as hell."
Despite my worries, I smiled. "Boring is safe."
"Safe is overrated."
"You don't believe that for a second. If I had to guess, safe is your middle name. You probably have a five-year financial plan mapped out."
He released me.
"I have a ten-year plan, but that's not the point." He looked deeply into my eyes. "Your approach to life, where you depend on intuition and creativity and you're willing to take risks based on your own beliefs—that's valuable, Tallulah. That's how you built Simply Well into the place it is today."
