Chapter 35 #2
“Yeah, she’s apparently made some changes to her initial offer, and she didn’t want to wait to talk them over. She asked for you to be there too, if you’re free.”
“Me?”
“That’s right. Come on. Let’s hear her out.” He tugged on their arm impatiently, but Maddox didn’t blame him for being curious.
When they made it to the conference room, Denise was standing behind the conference table in front of the large TV screen. She smiled as Maddox and Oliver entered, but her eyes lingered on Maddox for a few seconds.
She was definitely the only thing Maddox could focus on too at the moment.
Despite the almost impromptu feel of this meeting, Denise had dressed like she would have for any important work event.
Once, Maddox might have found the gesture stuffy and uptight, but now they took it as a sign that this discussion mattered to Denise.
That she was putting her best foot forward.
It didn’t hurt that she looked so damn delicious in business clothes.
She had on a coffee-colored blazer over a white blouse that dipped into a V-shape, showing off a glimpse of her glorious chest. The skirt, which matched the blazer, was mid-length and flared out at the hem, drawing the eye to her smooth legs.
Well, it drew Maddox’s eye anyway.
They gave themself a hard mental kick and redirected their attention to the screen behind Denise, which was blank.
Oh, that must be why she wanted me to be here.
Maddox’s stomach took a ridiculous dip at the realization. So what? They had helped last time too. It was literally their job to ensure things around here moved smoothly. Why should tonight be any different?
As Oliver sat, Maddox took a step toward the TV. “Do you need help connecting to the big screen for your slideshow?”
“No, thanks. You can just sit and relax,” Denise answered cheerily. “I don’t have a slideshow.”
“O-oh.” So…she’d only wanted Maddox here to listen? Or maybe she thought they would help convince Oliver to take the deal. There was no way to know yet, and no point in speculating, so Maddox sat as directed.
Denise took a deep breath, a light dusting of pink on her cheeks the only sign of any nerves, and launched into her presentation.
If it was possible, Denise’s words left Maddox even more breathless than her appearance.
“Oliver, I’ve been talking with the team back in OKC, and we’ve significantly reworked the projected plans for the Farrington Park that we’d like to build here.
To start with, we no longer want to tear down Middle Waters.
Instead, we will do some internal remodeling and modernizing to ensure the resort meets Farrington property standards while still keeping the structure and aesthetic the same.
The resort will be part of the accommodation offerings for the new park.
It can also stay open and continue to serve guests during the park’s construction.
That way, visiting contractors and managers will have a place to stay while overseeing the project and, more importantly, there shouldn’t be a need to lay off current employees for an extended time. ”
Denise reached beneath the table and presented a large posterboard with a sketch of a sprawling amusement park. “This is a little rough, so I apologize. We worked out this computer model late last night, and then I did a rush print today.”
Maddox and Oliver both leaned in to study the image.
Well, Oliver looked at the image. Maddox split their attention between the poster and Denise.
Not only were her flushed cheeks, excited gestures, and confident, intelligent delivery signs of her growing enthusiasm, they were also distractingly sexy.
“This is different from any of our other parks or properties,” Denise said.
“The intent is for the new park to work with the beautiful surrounding Ozark landscape, instead of against. The architecture will minimize deforestation, and we will use eco-friendly construction where possible. In addition, we’d like to designate the area on the west side as a nature preserve. ”
Denise exchanged the poster board for another one with a closeup of one section of the park.
“Besides more traditional theme park attractions, this central pavilion here will host weekend open-air markets for local vendors and artisans, and right outside it is a bandstand for musical acts. I know my dad has already done a lot of the groundwork for zoning and other approvals from local leadership, but at this stage, we would also like to have dialogue with the wider community to ensure this aspect of the park is as beneficial as possible.”
Oliver looked from the images and papers Denise had shown to her and shook his head.
“This is really unbelievable, Denise. It’s beyond my expectations.
What you presented the first time was pretty much everything I’d feared would happen here.
I mean, I could hardly see the benefits apart from some jobs for locals down the road. ”
Denise nodded gravely. “And the jobs will still be a benefit, for sure. Although many positions will be seasonal, of course, we are working on an off-season internship program geared toward high school students to help prepare them for potential careers while they finish their studies. The program won’t have capacity for a lot of students at the outset, but we can give priority to motivated young people who need or want to enter the workforce sooner than their peers. ”
Maddox stared at Denise. She meant kids like Lenny and the others with challenging home lives that Maddox had talked about at Prism Youth the day before.
My gosh. She’d basically taken to heart everything she’d seen and talked about with Maddox over the past several days and shaped an entire business plan around it.
It felt so enormous.
Oliver must have agreed with the enormous part, because his practical nature soon showed up.
“Denise, I don’t want to be rude or to stick my nose where it doesn’t belong, but are you sure your entire leadership—well, your father—is onboard with these massive changes to the plan?
And will you be the one in charge of making all this happen since it’s essentially your vision now? ”
Maddox bit their lip and scooted even closer to the table.
Denise brought her hands to rest on the table and leaned forward, looking every bit the powerful businesswoman in that moment.
“I don’t blame you for asking that. You’ve seen a lot of back and forth about who was handling what with my family company even in the short time we’ve known each other.
But my dad believes in giving his managers and executives as much independence as possible in decision-making.
Today, I gave him a rough outline of what I’ve just presented to you, and he’s given his approval with the expectation that I oversee the execution. ”
Oliver sank back in his chair and clapped his hands. “That’s excellent! I actually have some faith this could all really work out, now that you say that.”
He elbowed Maddox as if asking for agreement, but Maddox was completely speechless. In shock, practically, at the serene, confident way Denise had just announced she would be the one to handle this project…something that could take years.
Oliver and Denise continued to talk, hashing out details about timeframe and finances, but Maddox was no longer listening. Their head was spinning too fast over everything they’d just heard. But their brain managed to come back online when Oliver stood to leave.
“I’ll have my attorney go over the details before I make a final decision, Denise. But I have to say, I can’t get over the amount of thought and energy you’re putting into all of this. It means a lot to me.”
Denise shook Oliver’s extended hand. “I know it does. But I didn’t understand that at first.”
“Understand what, exactly?” Oliver asked.
“How much you care. About your employees and the land and the people of Blueville. I…had to be shown.”
She released his hand and looked directly into Maddox’s eyes. “And once that happened, I cared too.”