“Does the shelter provide this program?” Rose pinned him with a look. In her eyes, he recognized a brilliant, capable lawyer. But would she be sympathetic to their cause?
“We offer drug and alcohol rehabilitation, in addition to job-search and some training services.” Donovan thought he saw a glint of admiration in her eyes. That was a good sign.
“How many clients do you have?” Rose returned her attention to the folder.
“That depends on the season. We average about one hundred men at Shelter West and about fifty women at Shelter East. The houses are next to each other.”
“And your primary objection to the proposed pawnshop is the nature of the business itself.” Rose’s voice lacked inflection.
“Our clients are at a vulnerable stage of recovery. Having a pawnshop a block away from the shelter would be too great of a temptation for them. It would give them easy access to a means of getting money for drugs and alcohol.”
“I see.” Rose nodded, underlining something on a document.
“Do you agree with us?” Donovan watched her closely.
“What I think doesn’t matter. I don’t have to agree with you to represent you.”
“But I want to know what you think.”
Rose hesitated. “As a member of the shelter’s board of directors, you know your clients and their needs better than the city council does.”
“But you don’t agree with us.”
“I understand your concern that the pawnshop would be a temptation to your clients.” Rose finally looked at him. “But that neighborhood is in desperate need of economic investment. Having a business move into that community could only help.”
“But we need the right business. And that’s not a pawnshop.” Donovan believed that with every fiber of his being. “We’re trying to strengthen this community. To do that, we need businesses that would attract other businesses. Pawnshops would attract more crime.”
“Most of them require valid photo identification to process transactions.” Rose gestured toward him with her silver Cross Pen. “It’s not in the best interest of pawnshop proprietors to deal in misappropriated property. Police regularly cross-check the stores’ inventory against theft reports. If the store is caught with stolen items, the owner is penalized.”
Her lawyer speak was turning him on. “It’s not a coincidence that neighborhoods with pawnshops also have high rates of property crime.”
“According to the National Pawnbrokers Association, less than one tenth of one percent of pawnshops deal in stolen goods.” She shrugged a shoulder. “I’ve done my research.”
“So have I.” Donovan sat back on his chair. “It’s not just my clients that I’m concerned about. I’m looking at the community as a whole. It’s not just about the crime rate, which studies don’t dispute, by the way. These are low-income families. The high interest rates these shops charge for their so-called loans take advantage of poor people. This community is a vulnerable population. We can’t let them be further exploited.”
Rose stared at him in silence so intently and for so long that Donovan forced himself not to squirm under her regard. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She shook her head as though waking from a daydream. “It’s just... You could make me believe in heroes.”
Donovan’s face heated. He returned his attention to his folder. “I’m not a hero.”
“Real heroes
never see themselves that way.” Rose’s response was soft and low, almost inaudible.
He wasn’t a hero. These families had fallen on hard times just as his family had when he was a child. He was just trying to pay back. That didn’t make him a hero.
But the look in Rose’s eyes made him believe he could be.
Chapter 5
“Why am I here?” Lily must have asked variations of that same question a dozen times since she’d learned she and her sisters had been invited to the celebration party for the launch of Anderson Adventures’ latest computer game, Osiris’ Journey.
Rose rolled her eyes as she entered the Columbus Convention Center with her sisters Friday night. It had been eleven days since she’d met with Donovan to work on the Hope Homeless Shelter’s submission statement to the Columbus City Council. Since that initial face-to-face consultation, Rose had worked with Donovan via email to finalize the statement. She’d submitted it to city council that morning. It hadn’t been as easy working out the details of the letter’s language via email, but it had been less distracting. His handsome features hadn’t tempted her, and his smooth baritone hadn’t seduced her.
“You’re here because you didn’t want to embarrass me by declining Anderson Adventures’ gracious invitation to the three of us.” Iris delivered her explanation as patiently this twelfth time as she had the first time Lily had grumbled.
“It’s not as though you had anything better to do.” Rose followed Iris into the large ballroom reserved for the launch party. Her baby sister looked like a queen in her figure-hugging emerald dress.