Pane nods to Coleman. “My vision is to change the public’s perception of not only the Wadley Farm but also this town. To do that, I’ll need supplies, and a lot of them.”
Coleman shifts his weight. “And you’re lean on cash,” he says, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “So how am I supposed to get paid? You don’t have money. As far as I’m concerned, maybe I’ll pay you for half a day’s work and that’s it.”
The entire crowd gasps. Except for Sally and Luke, that is. From their direction, the sound of snickering wafts through the air. They think they’ve won.
And from the satisfied smirk on Coleman’s face, it appears they have.
Even though I believed in the billionaire, what he needs seems as flimsy as paper in the face of reality. How can he ask Coleman for supplies when he literally has nothing to offer other than his name—one he’s trying to keep a secret? Even if Coleman knows who he is, people around here don’t care about the clout of a name. It’s what’s inside you that matters.
Pane slowly nods, and when he speaks, we all watch with bated breath, leaning in to catch every word.
“Mystic Meadows is less than two hours from Atlanta. My vision for the Wadley Farm will have everyone in the city clambering to come here, to fill every bed-and-breakfast in the area. They won’t be staying for the day. They’ll be coming for the weekend. To house all of those people, hotels will need to go up. Contractors will need lumber. Mystic Meadows Hardware will supply that.”
There’s a definite shift in Coleman. He’s listening with interest, but his body’s still stiff with disbelief. He shakes his head. “And what canpossibilitiesdo? What does all that conjecture and fantasy have to do with me?”
Pane smiles confidently. “When I’m finished, my phone will be ringing off the hook. I have friends in this business.”
He places both hands on his hips. “Why don’t you get them to help you?”
I cringe. Coleman has Pane. What will he say?
But the billionaire doesn’t miss a beat. “What I’m doing here needs to stay quiet until it’s ready. But I have a lot of connections, wealthy men and women whose expertise is in development will be calling, wanting a point man. That point man will be you.” He shrugs. “If you want the job, that is. But if you don’t think it’ll be worth it, then I’ll keep looking until I find a hardware store owner whoiswilling to take a small risk up front in order to reap benefits that will last ...years.”
My jaw is on the ground from watching Pane suavely outmaneuver the arrogant Coleman Barrier. It’s funny—Coleman walked up thinking he held all the cards, but Pane has quickly shown that he possesses the power in this dynamic, and even Coleman seems to feel it.
The owner of Mystic Meadows Hardware sees the carrot Pane’s dangling in front of him, and he seems to want to take the bait, but his pride stops him.
He sinks back on his hip and shakes his head once more. “I need more than that.”
“What do you mean, you need more than that?” Hilary shouts. She runs up and grabs Coleman by the sleeve. “The man just said that you’ll be rich and famous! What more do you want?”
“Dammit, woman, I’m trying to negotiate here.”
Hilary points to Pane. “He’s done all the negotiatin’. What else you expecting?”
Yeah? What else is he expecting?
But Pane, who hasn’t even broken a sweat through this whole thing, leans in to Hilary and whispers something only she and Coleman can hear.
“Really?” she says to Pane, excitement filling her voice.
He nods. “Really.”
Half a beat later, she throws her arms up and yells loud enough for all downtown to hear, “You’ve got a deal!”
