Hank nodded. “She told us we might’ve stepped on somebody’s business plan. I’d like to make sure my shop isn’t an easy target.”
Bree felt tension slide under her skin. “I don’t want to live in a fortress,” she said before she could swallow it.
Three pairs of eyes swung to her.
“I mean,” she said, forcing herself to stay steady, “I spent the last year feeling like my life was made of caution tape. If we turn the studio into a bunker, I’m going to feel like I never left.”
“I’m not talking about sandbags and razor wire,” Hank said, tone calm. “I’m talking about smart locks, camera coverage on entry points, solid glass instead of the ‘a stiff breeze could punch through it’ that’s in there now.”
“The glass upstairs is the only reason the light’s decent,” she said. “If we start slapping bars over it, I might as well paint in a closet.”
Jason leaned forward. “There are options between closet and fortress,” he said. “Tempered glass with security film. Roll-down shutters you only deploy at night. Discreet cameras. From the street, it looks like any other cool mixed-use space. From a would-be thief’s perspective, it’s more trouble than it’s worth.”
Bree considered that. “You’re sure it doesn’t have to look like a prison?”
“Promise,” Jason said. “My wife would divorce me if I started turning half the town into bunkers. She runs the bookstore; she has opinions.”
The mayor smiled. “She also sits on the arts council, which would be thrilled to have a working studio downtown.”
Hank looked at Bree. “I’m not trying to cage you,” he said quietly. “I just don’t like leaving doors open for people who mean us harm. That’s all.”
She heard the echo of Diaz’s words yesterday. You stepped into somebody’s income stream. That puts you, and anyone close to you, on their radar.
“I know,” she said. “I just spent a year being scared of everything. Of crossing the street, of getting in the car, of answering the phone. I don’t want this to become another thing fear takes from me.”
He reached across the table and rested his hand over hers. The mayor and Jason politely examined their notes.
“What if,” he said, “we design the space so your studio is light and open and very Bree, and the security sits underneath that. Like a frame. You won’t see it day to day, but it’ll be there if we need it.”
She exhaled slowly. “So long as we’re not talking about metal detectors at the door.”
“Only for Brian,” he said. “He sets off alarms just on principle.”
Her mouth twitched. “Okay. I can live with that.”
Jason nodded. “I can draw up some options,” he said. “We’ll prioritize natural light upstairs. Downstairs, we can keep it more utilitarian without making it look like a chop shop.”
“I don’t own any neon underbody kits,” Hank said.
“Let’s keep it that way,” the mayor replied.
They moved through more details. Fire code. Parking allocation. Loading access. The mayor mentioned potential small-business grants. Jason offered to walk the building with them that afternoon and flag immediate concerns.
At the end, the mayor folded her hands. “No pressure,” she said. “You take this with you. Talk to your team. Talk to your families. If you decide it’s too much, I’d rather lose you now than halfway through construction.”
Hank glanced at Bree. “We plan on doing both,” he said. “Talking and staying.”
Bree lifted her chin. “We’re not signing on the dotted line today,” she said. “But we are serious. This isn’t just a post-win sugar high.”
“Good,” the mayor said, satisfaction flickering. “Copper Moon could use a few more people who stick. Lord knows we’ve had enough passersby.”
She stood and offered her hand again. “Whatever you decide, you’ve already made this weekend one for the books. Thank you.”
They shook, thanked Jason, and stepped back into the hallway.
As they walked toward the front doors, Hank’s phone buzzed. He checked it, thumb skimming the screen.
“Diaz,” he said. “She wants us to know they picked up chatter about a guy asking questions at one of the smaller regional races. Same description as Einstein’s contact. She’s sharing data with other departments. Her exact words are ‘stay aware, not paranoid.’”
