“We’ve recently acquired a property in Springdale which we’ve determined is an ideal location for the library.”
“Springdale?” April said. It was a couple of suburbs away from West Heights. “Isn’t that a bit out of the way?”
“It’s not Oakmont Street. But with property in West Heights at a premium, there aren’t any alternatives in West Heights itself. I assure you, the site is more than suitable. It’s on Earlwood Street.”
April knew the area. Not only was it nowhere near central West Heights, it was in one of the most crime-ridden parts of the whole city. Most people would never go there alone. And the library’s most vulnerable patrons—the elderly, children—wouldn’t dare venture there at all. Even if they wanted to, it was miles from the subway and bus stops. Most people in West Heights didn’t own cars.
Not only that, but the funding that the library received from the city was dependent on how many customers used the library. If people stopped coming to the library, it wouldn’t receive enough funding to stay open. The library would be as good as dead.
“So,” Vicki said. “What are your thoughts?” Vicki looked pointedly at April.
The eyes of everyone at the table followed. They were looking to April for guidance. But her disappointment weighed so heavy on her that she found she couldn’t speak. Vicki had promised to come up with a solution. This wasn’t a solution.
Lexi swooped in to save her. “It’s something,” she said. “Do you have any more information about the site?”
Vicki flicked through the folder before her and pulled out some glossy printouts. “I’ve prepared some material for you to take a look at. Here.” Vicki passed them around. “As you’ll see, the site isn’t as big as this one, but Oasis is willing to help out with some improvements.”
April took a printout and flipped through it, trying to maintain her composure. But as she looked at the photo of the tiny, ramshackle building, her disappointment turned to anger. April didn’t know much about real estate, but she was certain a property like this in such an undesirable location was useless to Oasis. It was no wonder they were offering to lease it to the city.
Vicki spent the next ten minutes explaining Oasis’ offer in detail. After a while, the others began to ask questions. Were they actually on board with this?
“April,” Vicki said. “I haven’t heard from you yet. Do you have anything to add?”
“No,” April said flatly.
“Then we’re done here. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.” Vicki’s eyes landed on April’s. “I’m committed to working with you on this.”
April kept her eyes locked with Vicki’s but said nothing.
Vicki stood up and straightened her jacket. “If you’ll excuse me, I have another meeting-”
“Wait,” April said.
“Yes?”
“Before you leave, I’d like to speak with you.”
Chapter Ten
Once the room had cleared, Vicki walked over to April’s end of the table. “So? What do you think?”
“What do I think?” April stood up and dropped the printout onto the table before Vicki. “What is this, Vicki? You said you’d work with us!”
“I am. I don’t understand what the problem is.”
“The problem is that your solution isn’t a solution at all. Do you really think the library can operate in some rundown shack in Springdale? We might as well just shut our doors now.”
Vicki pulled out a chair and sat down. “I don’t know what you were expecting. Oasis is being very generous. We don’t normally do things like this.”
“What, so we should be grateful for your charity?” April asked.
“My charity?” Vicki asked. “Is it Oasis that you’re angry at? Or me?”
April threw her hands up. “You’re leading the project, aren’t you? You’re the Vice President of the company. As far as I’m concerned, this is all you.”
“I’m VP of Project Development. I can only control what happens in my department. I still answer to the CEO and the board. I couldn’t change what’s going to happen to the library even if I wanted to. The gears are already in motion. The library’s fate was sealed when Oasis bought the building.”
“Then why did you tell me you’d see what you could do?” April asked, her voice rising. The room was soundproof, but the walls were glass. Anyone could walk by and see the two of them arguing, but professionalism was the last thing on April’s mind. “Why did you tell me you would work with me?”