Estelle’s head tilted as she clearly pondered that answer.
Marina felt Sheila’s gaze burning holes into the side of her head as she laid out the plan. She might be willing to go along with it, but Marina didn’t need to be able to read her energy in order to know she was raging against it.
“That’s essentially it.” Marina gave everyone her best lawyer smile. “What do you think?”
Mrs. Crabtree set her coffee cup down with a clank. “What’s in it for them?” She tilted her head to the team across the table. “Sure, you say she’s willing to invest all this money in our poor, downtrodden community.” She pressed her hand over her heart, her eyes narrowed. “But she’s not giving anything away for free, is she?”
Marina took a deep breath. This was it. The moment when she had to walk a tightrope as thin as dental floss. “My client?—”
“Patient capital.” Sam looked at Mrs. Crabtree and then the rest of the group. “She invests in our buildings and businesses. But ultimately, she owns them. The land, the shops. At some point, likely stipulated in the contract, she can sell them all out from under us. The main difference is we get to live and work there until all the news coverage about her dirty dealings dies down.”
Marina watched as River’s eyes slowly narrowed, and then she stared down at the table, frowning but silent.
“Puta.” Estelle stood and pointed at Sheila, who stared back, looking bemused. “You think you can walk all over people like this?”
Before Marina could respond, Sheila stood to face Estelle. Her expression was one of thunder about to crack through theskies. “Your choice is simple. Take the money now and build up your community. Enjoy a few years of better income, better living. Make something of yourselves and plan for the future. Do that, and when the time comes for me to change the area, you might be able to afford to stay, and you might make more money from the sale. Or…” She shrugged elegantly and sat down. “I’ll come in, buy everything now, and people can leave with the clothes on their backs and a bit of money in their pockets, but nothing else.” She looked at River, who stared back at her implacably. “It seems like a no-brainer to me, but then, I’ve always been a believer in using logic rather than emotion to get ahead in life.”
“Those sound like threats,” River said, again with no emotional tone to her voice at all.
“Not at all. They’re facts. Black Pinnacle is a real estate development company. It’s what we do, and this is the first time in our history that we’ve considered reinvestment instead of buyouts.” Sheila looked at Marina and touched her hand lightly. “Marina has a big heart, and she suggested this as a novel approach. She has even suggested that if the businesses that receive investment do well, there may be no need to sell or redevelop. I would be a beneficent landlord.”
Marina saw the way River looked at Sheila’s hand, which continued to touch hers lightly. What she couldn’t see was that Marina wanted to jerk her hand away and wipe the feeling of it on her skirt. She sat back, sliding her hand off the table, and motioned to the file in front of Sam. “Please. That paperwork is yours. Read through it and ask me as many questions as you like. If you’re amenable, we can begin drafting contracts as soon as you give the word. Me and my team will come talk to the individual business, building, and landowners we’ve identified through our research, and we’ll create a plan of investment.”
Mrs. Crabtree sighed. “You want folks to build up businesses, make them successful, so you can sell them out from under them when you’re ready. We’d be living under a ticking clock.”
“As I said,” Sheila said, and the look she gave Mrs. Crabtree actually seemed to have a modicum of respect in it. “This is business. It’s the way of the world now. I’m attempting to do something that allows a community to prove it can be saved rather than razed to the ground and made better by virtue of planning and a polished, successful strategy.”
Marina tried not to wince, but she wasn’t sure she was successful. Sheila’s frankness wasn’t a great way to play this. But then, it also meant that Marina didn’t have to fabricate or omit anything. It was all out in the open, and she wouldn’t be lying to River. That was good. Very good.
River stood slowly, her focus on Sheila. “Thank you for your brutal honesty. I didn’t expect it, truthfully. I still think you’re missing out on the fact that we don’t have to sell anything to you, at any time. One or two people might, but the rest of us can simply stand firm and not give you what you want. We don’t have to take your money either. Things can stay the way they are, regardless of what it is you want. Your entitlement doesn’t mean we need to cater to your narcissism.” She looked out at the lake beyond, then back at Sheila. “We have a community meeting tonight, and we’ll discuss the options you’ve put forward.” She glanced at Marina and gave her a short nod. “Marina.”
River helped Mrs. Crabtree to her feet and held the door for her little group to exit. Estelle threw Sheila a glare that would have punctured her soul, if she had one.
Once they were gone, Sheila actually seemed to wilt slightly. “Go away,” she said, and her team, not one of whom had said a word the entire time, and only one had been writing anything down, left. Sheila turned to Marina. “They’ll sign.”
Marina tilted her head. “I’m not sure. I would have couched some of that in more nebulous language, I think.”
Sheila shook her head. “Marina, I know people. And that little ragtag batch wanted answers. They got them. And now they know that I’ll either rip it all away now, or I’ll take it later. People rarely choose now when given the option of time. They think that somehow they’ll have a happy ending they don’t deserve, if only they scramble around enough. And the butch one from the ballet’s assertion that things can stay the way they are is nonsense. I think she knows it.” She rubbed at her temples. “All this public scrutiny makes me want to burn the world down.”
Marina wasn’t sure how to navigate this conversation without stepping into personal territory. “I assume your team is handling the news and investigation issues.”
“Obviously. It’s the pictures. The speculation and rumors about me, personally, are what I take true issue with. I don’t care what they say about the company. You and I know how the world works on that level.” She finally looked at Marina directly, and there was a humanity in her eyes that hadn’t been there before. “Those photos of my ex-wife and me could only have come from her. They were in our private drive, on our home computer.”
Marina winced. “I’m sorry. That’s a terrible betrayal.”
Sheila looked away. “Yes. Well, I suppose it’s tit for tat.” She stood. “I’ve made us lunch reservations at Giovanni’s. I’m not really hungry, but I could use the company of a beautiful woman and a glass of wine.” She turned, clearly expecting Marina to follow her.
“One moment. I just need to get my coat,” she said as Sheila headed to the elevator. She looked at Cari, who gave her a sympathetic smile. “I’m not sure how long I’ll be out.”
Cari nodded. “I’ve cleared your calendar. Let me know if you need anything.”
Marina grabbed her coat and purse and hurried when she saw Sheila impatiently holding the elevator for her, her foot tapping. The drive to the restaurant was silent, for which Marina was both grateful and uncomfortable. Sheila didn’t even look at her phone. She just stared out the window, her fingertips brushing against her eyes every so often. Should Marina feel sorry for the rich white woman who had no problem displacing entire groups of people? Probably not.
At the restaurant, they were seated at the far back, in a corner. After they’d been served their drinks, Sheila finally looked directly at her. “Entertain me. Tell me more about yourself. Not the professional facts. I know all that. Tell me something personal.”
It was the very last thing Marina wanted to do. It was already hard fending her off. Giving her personal information seemed like handing someone a bullet and then waiting while they loaded the gun they had pointed at you. “I like pickles.”
Sheila looked startled and then she laughed. “That’s a good start. More.”
