She squared her shoulders and looked Ramona in the eye. “Mayor, the members of the Trinity Falls Town Center Business Owners Association are still waiting for details regarding your plans for the center and future businesses.”
Megan ignored the murmurings around the assembly room, as well as Ramona’s cold stare. Other members of the association, including Ean, were behind her, literally and figuratively. The cause uniting them was too important. She wouldn’t back down. She wouldn’t let them back down, either.
Ramona pulled her microphone closer. “The idea for the upgrade isn’t just mine. It’s also the idea of the entire council.”
Megan doubted that. She studied the uneasy council members seated around tables arranged in a U-shape. One by one, their eyes shifted away from her.
She returned her attention to Ramona. “What’s your goal in searching for a high-end real estate broker?”
Ramona folded her arms on the table. “You don’t expect us to locate individual businesses, do you? We’re putting out an announcement for an individual broker who will attract the right busin
esses for us.”
A chunk of ice the size of a fist settled in Megan’s gut. So her cousin really was moving forward with her plan, even though it would destroy the bookstore, which had been in their family for generations.
The audience’s murmurings were a distracting buzz in Megan’s ears. “When?”
“We don’t have an exact timetable, but we’re intending to fast-track the bids.”
“Why are you doing this?” The question shot from Megan’s lips before she’d realized she was going to ask it.
Ramona smoothed her salon-styled hair. “This was a decision the council made in consideration of the best interests of the town.”
“Exactly how will this benefit Trinity Falls?”
Ramona’s gaze wavered. “Being able to offer trendier shops will raise the town’s profile and attract more tourists.”
Megan frowned her confusion. “To shop? When people plan shopping vacations, they think of New York, Chicago, Los Angeles. Not Trinity Falls, Ohio.”
Ramona looked down her nose at Megan. “They would consider the town if we had the shops.”
“You can’t be serious.” Megan shook her head. “You don’t really have a plan for bringing upscale businesses to Trinity Falls, do you?”
“Of course I do.”
“We’re waiting to hear it.” Megan gestured to include the residents in the audience.
Ramona smoothed her hair again. “The town needs to change with the times.”
“Our businesses are thriving. Obviously, the community sees a need for us.”
Ramona jerked her head toward the council members. “The community elected us to represent their interests. We’ve decided it’s in the town’s interest to bring in new, trendy stores.”
Megan felt her blood boil. “Trinity Falls isn’t a room you can redecorate on a whim. It’s a community of people. The town center businesses are vital to this community.”
She looked over her shoulder at the center’s business owners: Grady Weatherington, Belinda Curby, Vernon Fox, Tilda Maddox and Ean. She’d known these people all of her life. She’d shared their struggles and triumphs, just as they’d shared hers and her family’s.
Her gaze met Ean’s. Was that admiration in his eyes? With that look, he’d given her a much-needed boost of energy.
She faced the council and Ramona again. “We organize annual fund-raisers for school supplies and college scholarships. I benefited from one of those scholarships. You did as well, didn’t you, Councilwoman Roben?”
CeCe smiled. “Indeed, I did.”
Megan continued. “We’ve also led the charge when the elementary school needed money for renovations and computers, as well as when the local clinic needed medical equipment. Would chain businesses without ties to this community have that same commitment?”
A rumbling chorus of agreement rose behind Megan like an unstoppable wave.
Ramona banged the gavel as she glowered at the audience. “Quiet! Any more disruptions and the meeting will come to an end.”