“Personally, I don’t. Still, I hate to see all this drama going on between my family members.” Campbell ran his hand through his beard. “You know me. I’m not one for drama.”
Devon nodded. Even back in high school, Campbell had avoided conflict whenever he could and had been known for stepping in to break up arguments and scuffles.
“I’m not backing down. I love your sister, and I’ve already told her as much. I’m in this thing, all the way.”
Campbell’s expression was one of resignation. “Just thought I’d ask. If you love her, she’ll be worth the fight, right?”
“She already is.” He locked eyes with his friend so he could convey his seriousness. “She’s everything I want, everything I need.”
“Wow. Never heard anyone speak about Hadley that way before.” He clapped his hands together and stood. “I’m not going to take sides if the crap hits the fan, you know.”
“I know.” He didn’t expect Cam to do something that went against the core of who he was.
“I’m still cool with this relationship. Not that y’all need my permission.” He stretched, then reached for his parka. “I suggest you gird your loins to do battle with Savion and Pops. But you’ll have no trouble out of me.”
Standing, Devon extended his closed fist toward Campbell. “Thanks, man.”
Bumping fists with him, Campbell headed for the door. “No problem. I’ll let myself out.”
Devon waved as Campbell opened the door and walked out, shutting it behind him.
Chapter 16
Friday morning, Hadley sat in her usual seat at the conference room table, tapping a pen on the lacquered surface. She knew her face was scrunched into a frown, but she didn’t care. It was a few days after Christmas, and she should still be home enjoying her vacation. Instead, because the reps from Neville South couldn’t wait to make their pitch, she and her brothers were at the office.
Savion, seated at the head of the table on Hadley’s right, was busy flipping through the full-color proposal the developer had sent over. He’d been engrossed in the booklet for the last fifteen minutes.
She cut her eyes extra hard in Savion’s direction. He was the one who’d caved to the developer’s offer to hold the meeting today, taking away a full day of her vacation.
Campbell sat across from her, scrolling through something on his phone. He hadn’t been particularly happy about coming in today, either. Now he seemed to be making a show of his disinterest by refusing to look up from his phone.
Hadley, on the other hand, intended to redeem the time, as her grandmother used to say. If she had to sacrifice her hard-earned vacation time, she wasn’t going to waste the opportunity to be heard. She looked at the folder she’d brought with her, lying on the table next to where she’d been tapping her pen. Her brothers had no idea of the contents of the folder, and she planned to keep it that way until the right moment.
Campbell’s phone buzzed, loud in the quiet of the room. After a few taps on his screen, he said, “The people from Neville South are here.”
Savion smiled and stood. “I’ll go let them in.” He disappeared from the room.
Arms folded over her chest, Hadley waited for the developer’s salespeople to appear. She expected they’d come in grinning, all ready to win her over with their carefully crafted pitch.
Nope. I’m not having any of it. She’d already heard everything she needed to know she was against the proposal. Since Savion had set up the meeting, she supposed the polite thing to do would be to let them talk for a while before she made her play.
Savion entered the room again then, followed by two men in dark suits. One was fair-haired, with blue eyes. The other had skin the color of milk chocolate and brown eyes that seemed to be assessing everyone in the room—Hadley noticed the way his gaze lingered on her.
Hadley and Campbell each stood. Gesturing to the two newcomers, Savion introduced them. “This is Alvin Clark—” he motioned to the Black man “—and this is Gordon Young.”
Handshakes were exchanged, and Hadley almost had to pry her hand from Alvin’s grasp. She kept her expression even, but her eyes let him know, plainly, that she wasn’t playing games.
Once everyone was seated at the table, with Gordon sitting next to Hadley and Alvin next to Campbell, the presentation began in earnest. Gordon laid out maps and concept drawings on the table, droning on about landscaping and parking.
Campbell seemed to be paying attention, offering a nod or a short comment here and there. Savion appeared enraptured by all the concept drawings, even though he’d already seen them. Hadley closed her eyes momentarily, thinking of all the effort that had gone into the materials, yet unable to muster much interest.
Then Alvin took over, presenting his charts and graphs of expected revenue from the new development. “As you can see, both Neville South and Monroe Holdings stand to turn a tidy profit. We think this development will be immensely beneficial for both our companies.”
Savion’s eyes lit up at the phrase tidy profit.
Hadley sighed. Her brother wasn’t a greedy person, but he was fastidious in his efforts to increase revenue and decrease expenses for Monroe Holdings. This part of the presentation seemed to tap into his greatest desire: to make MHI as profitable as it had been under their father’s leadership.
As if to put a finer point on the potential financial gain, Alvin continued, “We think this development will be immensely beneficial for both our companies. The location is perfect for a venture like this, and with Gordon and his team handling the aesthetics, people will be drawn to it in droves.”
Their concerns seem to rest solely on profit, and therein lay the problem. Hadley felt the frown creeping over her face. The time had come for her to make a stand before her brother signed over the land. “Excuse me, Mr. Clark—”
He stopped her with his raised hand. “Please, call me Alvin.”
“Fine, Alvin. I’ve heard a lot about how much money our two companies can make from this development. What I haven’t heard is how it will help the island’s citizens. Can you elaborate on that?” She sat back in her chair, awaiting his answer.
Savion shot her a dirty look.
Hadley didn’t care.
Alvin cleared his throat. “Well, Ms. Monroe, that’s a great question. Of course, the development will bring jobs to the island. People will be needed in the shops and restaurants, as well as to maintain the condominiums. We estimate two hundred positions will be created by the—”
“Yes, I heard that before. Two hundred jobs, most of them paying at or below minimum wage. What do you have to say about what seems like a concerted effort to keep local businesses from becoming tenants in the shopping center?”
Blinking rapidly, Alvin stammered. “I...well, we plan to allow new businesses to come and—”
“And what about existing businesses? We have plenty of skilled entrepreneurs already here, and I think shutting them out of the development is misguided and downright wrong.” She rested her elbows on the table and tented her fingers. “What do you have to say about that?”
Alvin’s eyes registered panic. He looked to Gordon, who only shrugged.
Savion raised his hand. “Okay, Hadley. I realize you’re passionate about this, but let’s not attack our guests.”
She glanced at her brothers, then at the developer’s mouthpieces. “I’m not attacking anyone. I’m simply asking pertinent questions. I don’t know why these two gentlemen would come here unprepared to answer them.”
Alvin remarked, “I wouldn’t say we’re unprepared.”
She smiled the smirk of a woman about to make a point. “Fine. Let’s just say you’re uninformed.” She opened the folder and took out the copies of her petition. “This is a petition signed by almost three hundred of the island’s citizens. All of them are opp
osed to the construction of Neville South’s development. A few have even lodged complaints with the town council.” She riffled through her papers. “I have copies of the complaints as well, if you’d like to see them.”
The four sets of male eyes around the table widened.
Hadley sat back, waiting.
Campbell chuckled. “That’s our girl. Kicking ass and taking names.”
Savion frowned. “Why didn’t you tell me about this, Hadley? And when did you even have time to start a petition?”
“I tried to tell you. You just weren’t interested in hearing anything that didn’t line up with your vision.” She turned back to Alvin and Gordon. “Would you like to see the town council complaints, gentlemen?”
Gordon shook his head. “That won’t be necessary.”
Alvin, already on his feet, gathered up his charts. “Considering what we’ve just learned, I think we’d better postpone any major moves on this project, Mr. Monroe.”
Savion nodded. “I agree. We’ll reconvene after the New Year.”
Gordon took a moment to roll up his images, and after that, he and his partner left in a hurry.
After they were gone, Savion turned to her. “Hadley, you are something else. You’re determined to stop this development, aren’t you?”
She winked. “I thought I’d made that clear, Savion.” Satisfied that her point was made, she gathered her copies back into the folder. “Now I’d like to continue my vacation, if you don’t mind.”
“Go ahead.” Savion waved her out.
The still-amused Campbell remarked, “You’re a real pistol, sis.”
Smiling as she carried her purse and folder to the conference room door, she tossed back, “Damn straight.” Then she strode out.
* * *
Devon had just parked in the MHI lot when he saw Hadley marching out of the double glass doors. Gathering the dozen blush-pink roses he’d brought with him from the passenger seat, he climbed out of the car, careful not to damage the blooms.
He took a moment to enjoy the view of the beautiful woman he called his own. She had the sexiest walk of any woman he’d ever seen. He could almost hear “Love’s Theme,” the classic instrumental by Barry White’s Love Unlimited Orchestra, playing in his head as he watched her. She was dressed in a white blouse and a pair of fitted gray trousers that hugged her bottom nicely. Her black pumps clicked on the pavement in time with her steps. Her soft curls were tucked up into a high bun, giving him a full view of the graceful lines of her face—which was scrunched into a perturbed frown. He couldn’t help but be concerned.
What’s going on with her? He adjusted the flowers, the plastic overwrap crinkling as he tucked them into the crook of his arm. He quickened his steps, aiming to meet her on the sidewalk.
She looked his way then, and her expression softened considerably and surprise lit her eyes. Slowing her steps, she stopped and waited for him until he stepped up on the curb. Leaning up, she gave him a peck on the lips. “Devon, what are you doing here?”
He handed her the flowers, which were miraculously still standing up despite the unusually high humidity. “When you texted me that you had to come in on vacation, you seemed upset. So I thought I’d try to lift your mood.”
“You’re so sweet.” She smiled, but only for a moment before the frown returned.
He asked, “What, you don’t like pink?”
She shook her head. “It’s not that. The roses are beautiful. It’s just that you just reminded me that I forgot my phone.”
“Inside the office?”
She nodded.
“That’s an easy fix. Just go back in and grab it.”
She pursed her lips. “I’ve had enough of Savion for the day. Let me borrow your phone. I’ll call Cam and ask him to bring it out.”
He shrugged, dragging his phone from his pocket and passing it to her. “Sure thing.”
While he waited, she called her brother and asked him to bring out her phone. Then she passed the phone back to him. “Thanks.”
He tucked the phone away again. “So, how did the meeting go?”
She smiled then, making his heart sing. “I think it went pretty great. Remember the petition against the development I spent last Saturday gathering signatures for?”
“You spent most of the day on it.”
“Yep. I knew most of the places downtown would have a good amount of business on a Saturday afternoon.”
“Very astute. I see why you were so insistent on leaving.”
She nodded. “It was my last chance at gathering that many signatures before we went on holiday vacation. I didn’t expect to have to put the petition to use until after the New Year, but Neville South insisted on this early meeting.”
“I see.” He remembered how she’d left that morning, after they’d made love all night and well into the wee hours. The memories of her lush nudity rose again then, and he licked his lower lip. She’s a hell of a woman.
Her lips kept moving, indicating she was saying something.
Most of what she’d said went underwater, as he struggled to focus. Visions of her beneath him, moaning as he stroked her, were making it difficult for him to keep his attention on the present. “I’m sorry, baby. What did you say?”
She laughed and gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. “Stop daydreaming and listen this time.”
He placed his hand over his heart. “I promise I will.”
“Anyway, I had said that I hadn’t told anybody in the office...until today, when I slapped it down on the table during the presentation. You should have seen the looks on those guys’ faces.” She seemed pleased with herself. “Then they packed up their stuff and got out of here quick. It was pretty epic.”
Chuckling, he gave her shoulder a squeeze. “I’m proud of you. You saw a problem and tried to fix it. And when the first try didn’t work, you didn’t give up.”
Her smile grew broader. “Thanks, Devon. You know, I owe this to you. You pushed me to keep at it, even when it looked pretty grim.”
He looked at her, amazed at her determination. “I never would have thought of the petition, but I’m glad you did it. What a way to get your point across.”
“So I have you to blame for this?” A male voice cut into their conversation.
Both Devon and Hadley swiveled toward the voice.
Savion stood on the sidewalk a couple of feet away, brow furrowed. He stuck out his hand toward his sister. “Here’s your phone.”
Rolling her eyes, she took the device and dropped it into her purse. “I thought Cam was bringing it.”
“I was on my way out,” Savion said before swinging his eyes back to Devon. “So you’re the one who’s been encouraging her in this crusade against progress?”
Devon turned toward him. “Not really. She was just following her convictions, and I’m behind her one hundred percent.”
“You’d deny the islanders this shot at hundreds of new jobs, more housing and more tourism revenue? Just to get brownie points with my sister?” He folded his arms over his chest.
“This isn’t about brownie points.”
“Oh, yeah? Then why do you care either way?” Savion walked a few steps closer. “You haven’t lived here full-time in over a decade. Why are you suddenly so concerned about what happens to the island?”
Devon rubbed his hands together. “That was a low blow, Savion.”
Savion shrugged. “Truth hurts.”
Hadley snapped, “Savion, enough of this.”
Shaking his head, Devon touched her shoulder. “Don’t worry, baby. I’ve got this.” He turned back toward Savion. “Look, I grew up here, too. Where I live now has nothing to do with the fact that I care about Sapphire Shores and the people who do live here year-round.”
“
Yeah, right.” Savion tapped his foot, as if growing impatient. “I’ve been over the numbers and statistics more than once, and I’m telling you, this development is just what the island needs.”
Rolling his eyes, Devon remarked, “There are two sides to every argument. Just because you feel a certain way, that doesn’t mean it’s right.”
“I could say the same thing to you.” Savion gave him a hard stare.
They stood there in silence for a few long moments, observing each other. Hadley looked somewhat uncomfortable, but she didn’t interfere.
Devon sensed Savion was waiting for him to back down, but it wasn’t going to happen. Placing his hand on the small of Hadley’s back, he stood his ground. “We can agree to disagree on this. But if you expect me to change sides or run away because you’re eyeballing me, you’re sadly mistaken.”
“That’s how it is, Devon?”
He cocked his head to one side. “That’s exactly how it is.” With that, he turned away from Savion, done with the conversation. He stooped to kiss Hadley on the cheek. “I’ll see you later, baby.” Then he turned and strode back to his car.
He could feel Savion’s eyes on his back, but he didn’t turn around.
Chapter 17
That night, Hadley knocked on the door of Devon’s town house. When he opened the door and stepped out onto the porch, she greeted him with a smile. “You look handsome, Devon.” She made no effort to hide the fact that she was ogling him. Dressed in brown slacks, a tan button-down shirt and tan-and-brown loafers, he had a brown sport coat tossed over his shoulder.
He leaned down, placing a soft kiss on her lips. “You look gorgeous, as always.” Holding her hand, he stepped down off the porch. “Here, do a little turn for me, baby.”
Blushing, she executed a full 360-degree turn, showing off the long-sleeved shimmering gold sweater dress she wore. “I’m glad you like it.”
As they walked toward her car, he remarked, “You know, you didn’t have to do this. I don’t expect you to apologize for Savion.”
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