Chapter 4 #3
Sheila went around the table. Representing Henry Adams were Bernadine, Lily, Trent, Barrett, Reg, Luis, Rocky, Marie, and Gary, then she introduced Mayor Proctor.
Sheila also explained the roles her people held in town, while Paige and her group took notes.
Done, Sheila was about to start the PowerPoint when Tamar entered.
“Sorry I’m late. I’m Tamar July, town matriarch.”
And she looked the part with her silver hair flowing down her back, her red-and-black caftan resembling a robe for royalty, and the ton of silver bangles adorning her wrists.
Paige appeared pleasantly surprised and a bit caught off guard. “Pleased to meet you, Ms. July.”
Felicia and Abby took her in from head to toe. Looking somewhat wary, they greeted her as well.
Tamar replied in turn, “Pleased to meet you all as well.”
While Bernadine wondered what they thought of Tamar’s towering presence, Trent stood and pulled out an empty chair. “You can sit here, Tamar.”
“Thank you.” She walked over.
“Can I get you something to eat or drink?”
“No. I’m good for now. Go ahead with the meeting.”
Sheila nodded, but before she could begin, a Hollywood-handsome, brown-skinned young man rushed into the room. Bernadine guessed him to be in his late twenties. “Sorry to be late. I’m Jermaine French. What have I missed? Not much, I hope.”
Although he was a stranger to the Henry Adams people, he was apparently not a stranger to the Dark Horse group. Paige stared coolly at him over her purple glasses and asked tersely, “What are you doing here, Jermaine?”
He’d already placed his coat and laptop case near an empty place at the conference table and was helping himself to the food. “I told you I was coming.”
“And I told you, you weren’t needed.”
“True, but as member of the Finance department, I’m still on the fence as to the costs and the feasibility of Dark Horse building in this location. Especially since it’s out in the middle of nowhere.”
Bernadine saw Felicia and Abby share a look so full of daggers it should’ve set off metal detectors county wide.
He added, “With that in mind, I felt it was my duty to evaluate the location personally.”
Tamar asked, “Are you in charge here?”
Her tone resonated with so much power, the room went silent. He turned to see who the voice belonged to. The intensity in her gaze startled him so badly, he almost dropped his plate.
Tamar asked again. “Are you?”
“Uhm, well—”
“Yes, or no?”
The Henry Adams people waited to see if he had the testicular fortitude to lie. He didn’t. “No ma’am.”
“Then get your plate, take a seat, and speak only if asked to.”
Paige tried to hide her smile.
Felicia crowed, “That’s it. I’m all in. Paige, I vote we break ground this afternoon.”
Laughing, Abby gave her a high five. “Hell, yeah!”
Jermaine had nothing further to say.
Welcome to Henry Adams, Jermaine, Bernadine thought to herself.
After Sheila’s PowerPoint on Henry Adams’s history, infrastructure, Bernadine’s purchase of the town, and its commitment to its children, she asked if they’d like to take a tour.
“We’d love one,” Paige replied on behalf of her group.
It was decided that she and her people would ride with Sheila in her jeep and they’d make stops around town at the workplaces of everyone at the table.
They’d then drive to take a quick look at Franklin and then out to the parcel of land where their building would tentatively be built.
Once that was accomplished, they’d reconvene at the Power Plant to answer any questions or concerns the women might have.
Tamar announced, “Jermaine will ride with me over to the rec center.”
His eyes widened.
She gave him a smile that didn’t meet her eyes. “Since you aren’t needed on the tour, but expressed your concerns about this place, maybe you’ll feel better knowing how we prepare for tornado season. I’m doing an inventory of our supplies. I’m sure you’d love to assist me.”
He looked to Paige for help.
“I think that’s a wonderful idea, Jermaine. Thank you, Ms. July.”
“Call me Tamar.”
“Yes ma’am.”
Bernadine almost felt sorry for him, but not really.
She did wonder how long he’d been with the firm and if his showing up at the meeting today was his first act of insubordination or just one in a series of many.
If it was the latter, why was he still employed?
The answers would come eventually, she supposed, but only if he survived his time with Tamar first. Sheila’s voice refocused her attention.
“We’ll begin here at the Power Plant. I’ll text the rest of you when we’re on our way to your offices.”
The plan set, the Henry Adams contingent and Mayor Proctor offered their see-you-laters and exited the conference room.
After a tour of the Power Plant and explaining its function, Sheila and Bernadine drove to the firehouse where Luis showed off the spanking-new fire truck and gave a short talk on the mutual-aid partnerships Henry Adams had with some of the nearby municipalities.
“Our firefighters are made up of mostly volunteers,” he explained. “They’re all well trained on both the equipment and the latest firefighting techniques. I make sure we stay ready and up-to-date.”
Bernadine added, “We had a terrible arson fire a few years ago, and all we had to fight back with were handheld extinguishers. Two people died, and many others were injured. It was heartbreaking. I was determined we’d never be caught like that again.
We’re not a big operation, but we’re much safer now because of Luis’s commitment and expertise. ”
“Thanks, Bernadine.”
“Just telling the truth.”
Felicia had a question for him that she asked in Spanish.
Paige and Abby turned and stared at her.
Luis appeared to blush. “No.” He continued his reply in his native language.
Felicia smiled, added to her reply in Spanish again, and ended it with, “Gracias.”
Smiling shyly, he nodded.
Back in the jeep, Abby said, “Girl, you did not ask that man if he was married.”
“I did. I wanted to know. Do you not see how fine he is? Had to shoot my shot.”
Abby chuckled. “Can’t take you anywhere, Cisneros.”
“You know me. I am not shy. Is he a nice guy, Ms. Bernadine?”
“He is.”
“My last marriage stank with abuse. I’m looking for kindness.”
“We all deserve that,” Sheila responded.
Bernadine agreed. If Felicia and Luis actually clicked, Anna was going to dance with joy.
She, her three sisters, and Luis’s own aunts and sisters had been trying to find him a new love for some time.
He’d met their good-natured attempts with amusement and respect but hadn’t followed up with any of the candidates.
Bernadine couldn’t wait to see how this played out.
He was a good man; he deserved kindness too.
The tour continued at Clark’s Grocery. Gary asked assistant manager Gemma Dahl to do the honors.
“Henry Adams is a phenomenal place,” she told them in her office after showing them around. “I grew up in Franklin but moved back here with my grandson after my daughter lost her life in Afghanistan. The way the people here embraced us . . .”
Bernadine saw the tears forming in Gemma’s eyes and whispered, “Don’t you make me cry in front of company, Gemma.”
Smiling, Gemma pulled a tissue from the box on her desk and dabbed at her tears. “I’m sorry. I know you’re all here about your business, but moving here changed my life in ways I couldn’t’ve imagined. It will change yours, too, just so you know.”
Sheila said, “Definitely changed mine. I think it might be something in the water.”
The Dark Horse women studied one another, and Bernadine wondered if they thought she and her people were oddballs. She supposed they were, in their own Henry Adams way, and she was okay with it.
AFTER LEAVING GEMMA, they walked down to Barrett Payne’s office, where he filled them in on the town’s security measures.
“If you do decide to move here,” he said, “I’d like to get with your security people so we can discuss what things we may need to cooperate on.
I won’t want access to any of your proprietary workings but, say, a tornado comes through and we all end up in the dark, we may need to be on the same page as to how recovery is handled and who you’ll need to talk to first responder–wise. ”
“Makes sense,” Paige said. “Once we make our final decision and everything is signed, sealed, and delivered, we’ll meet and talk.”
“Sounds good.”
Leaving the store, Sheila drove them on. “Any questions or comments so far?”
“The info on the town we received from you looked intriguing,” Paige replied, “but seeing it in person and meeting some of your people has been exciting.”
“I agree,” Abby said.
Felicia added, “You have a real comforting kind of vibe here. I like that. Chief Acosta is a bonus too.”
Smiles showed.
“That’s the church over there,” Sheila pointed out as they drove past. “Our priest is on vacation. We’ll stop at the rec center next. Hopefully your Jermaine is still alive.”
“Tamar’s kind of scary,” Paige confessed.
Bernadine agreed. “True, but she’s all heart. Plus, she’s a descendant of train-robbing outlaws, so we’ve learned to stay on her good side. She’s also my mother-in-law.”
Paige stared, as did Felicia and Abby.
“Really?” Abby asked.
“Yes, I’m married to her son, Malachi. You’ll meet him at some point. He co-owns our diner.”
Inside the rec they found Jermaine seated at a table. There was a mountain of flashlights stacked in front of him, and he was inserting batteries inside. His mutinous face reminded Bernadine of Amari’s, Preston’s, and Crystal’s every time Tamar put them to work during their first summer in town.
Tamar smiled at their entrance. “Welcome.”
Felicia walked over to where he sat. “How’s it going, Jermaine?”
He didn’t respond. His displeasure was evident.
Tamar said, “He’s doing important work. If we lose power during a storm, the flashlights will come in handy. He should have that last one hundred done in no time.”