5. Power Struggles and Pretzels
Chapter five
Power Struggles and Pretzels
Brody
The look on Chloe’s face makes the trip into town totally worth it.
Best free entertainment I’ve had in years.
As soon as I caught wind of her ad hoc community meeting at Lakeside Café, I knew I had to be here.
Who knew small-town gossip would be so efficient?
The plan was to fade into the background and eavesdrop on what exactly her motives are, but Plan B won out in the end .
Seeing her again, especially after our close encounter yesterday, made it impossible to resist.
She looks beautiful. Her hair is down, spilling over her bare shoulders, marked by barely-there pink straps from the dress she’s wearing.
I swear the straps are mocking me. Her tan runs the length of her arms and up her neck.
My gaze drags down her body, pleased to find that same golden hue painting the smooth skin of her legs, all the way down to her delicate ankles and that little gold anklet.
Flip-flops. Not exactly yesterday’s put-together look, but I’m not complaining.
I’d be lying if I said the glare she’s throwing across the café didn’t do something to me. She has no idea who she’s dealing with. Lucky me—I get to be the one to teach her.
“This is a closed community meeting.” Her voice is tight, her shoulders tighter. That look? It could freeze fire. I get it. I’m the monster.
I raise both my hands, showing I’m not looking for a fight. “By all means, continue. I’m not here…” I add, dragging out the last part with a teasing edge. “ Invisible .”
She fixes me with a look of pure disgust. No blinking, no mercy.
Her stare doesn’t waiver as I make my way to a quiet, empty corner of the café.
I nod for her to continue, hands tucked safely in my pockets.
I let a smirk slip. I’ve sat through enough boardrooms to know step one to winning is pissing people off.
“Well, if you’re staying, I’ll get you a coffee.” An older woman slides off a stool at the counter and makes her way behind it. She’s wearing a sky-blue blouse, dotted with tiny lemon prints, and a lemon-colored collar with cuffs turned up to match. The name tag on her chest reads “Sylvie”.
She doesn’t need to say she runs the place. It’s obvious in the way she moves—confident, steady, like every inch of this café belongs to her. I step up to the counter and take the coffee without a fuss.
“Might as well make yourself comfortable,” Sylvie says, motioning to an open stool at the counter. There’s nothing hostile about her demeanor. If anything, she seems welcoming.
Nothing like what I’m getting from the woman planted center of the room.
“Let the man stand if he wants.” Chloe mutters. The tension in her jaw says more than her words.
I flash a grin and wink at Sylvie as I take my seat. Might be the most comfortable stool I’ve ever been on, and that’s entirely thanks to Chloe’s unguarded frustration.
“Thank you, ma’am. I always say there’s no better way to start a day than with a strong coffee and a beautiful smile.” A little charm can go a long way in these situations. Cheesy? Sure. Powerful? Always.
The effect is immediate. Sylvie tries to hide the scarlet flush climbing her cheeks as she turns away.
When I glance back at the meeting’s chairperson, my satisfaction grows. She’s furious. I lied—there’s no better way to start a day than annoying the shit out of Chloe.
“You were saying…” the old guy near Chloe prompts her. I recognize him as the man who was on stage with her yesterday.
One sip of coffee and holy shit, the dots connect. Obvious family resemblance. He must be her dad.
Chloe takes a breath and gives a stiff nod, trying to pull herself back on track. It’s written all over her face. She wants to look over at me, but she’s fighting it—hard.
This fuels me. She’s hanging on by a thread, and I’m holding the scissors.
“I was saying before that Mayor Dawson would’ve been here, I’m sure, but the notice went out late last night.”
“Miles, stand-up guy.” I can’t help myself. She’s making this so easy. “Had him on an early call before I came down here. He mentioned you all meeting here today, but got so excited about our expansion plans, he rushed off to talk to someone on the zoning board. ”
All heads swing my way, but I’m only watching one. I’ve gone from corporate bad guy to someone their mayor’s making plans with. If they trust him, they should trust me. I mean, that’s how I’d make sense of it, too bad small-town logic doesn’t always come with instructions.
“You cause a ridiculous amount of disruption for someone who’s invisible. You know that?” Chloe spits out.
“My apologies.” I drag my fingers across my lips, as if zipping them shut. The corner of my mouth lifts. Subtle, but she catches it. Keeps her on edge.
A few snickers float around, and I catch the glint of amused eyes thrown my way. No surprise, everyone’s enjoying the show. But I’m not here to entertain them.
This performance is for her. And I’ve got the best seat in the house for her slow-burn meltdown.
I walked in thinking I’d flash some plans, shake a few hands, and boom—parade in my honor. “Yes, please, Mr. Stirling! Take our town and make it rain cash!” That was the fantasy.
Reality? I have a bigger obstacle than zoning boards and the entire Bluepeak population.
Her name is Chloe.
“Stirling Tech is pulling the wool over our eyes.” She squares her shoulders and keeps her focus ahead, refusing to look at me. Voice loud, passion escalating.
Perfect. Showtime, sweetheart. Let’s see how this small-town savior routine plays out.
She continues, her voice growing louder.
“You’ve only been told one side of the story—more jobs, increased tourism…
What you do n’t see is how this development is going to strip Bluepeak of the very thing that makes it special.
Stirling Tech is going to pillage the heart of this place.
We’re going to watch acres of untouched wilderness disappear.
Native wildlife, gone. People come here to escape the neon lights and concrete jungles, not for a cookie-cutter version of the same thing. ”
The classic “evil corporate overlord” speech. Soon she’ll be passing out No Brody Allowed flyers . Someone get me a cape, I’m officially the villain.
“It’s not that easy to just shove them off, though,” a guy pipes up from the far end of the room.
I turn my attention to him. The deep tan, healed-up cuts, and callouses on his hands tell me he spends most of his time outdoors, probably in the forests Chloe keeps mentioning.
“What’s not easy about it, Jack?” Chloe asks, folding her arms across her chest. “Enough of us say no, and they’ll have no choice but to move on to the next unsuspecting victim.”
Jack considers her point for a moment, then shakes his head. "What I’m saying is you’re at the lodge. They turn it into a big hotel and bam, your job gets a hundred times better. Pay too, probably."
“If you think I’m going to keep working there—”
“Which is my point,” Jack interrupts, standing now, everyone’s eyes glued to their interaction. “Most of us don’t have the luxury of walking away from a job—”
“Some of us don’t have jobs to walk away from,” a middle-aged woman chimes in.
“Exactly,” Jack says, pointing to her. “What about those of us who worry more about making ends meet than a bunch of birds who have to move to another set of trees? Things have been slow in Bluepeak for a while, and they’ve been getting slower.
If we don’t take this chance, then you’ll keep your birds, but a lot of us will have to move instead. ”
A hum of agreement circles. Chloe’s trying to hold her ground, but it's clear her job’s gonna be a lot harder than she thought. Not that it’s my problem. The longer she’s stuck here, distracted with this uphill battle, the better for me.
“I need you all to hear me out,” Chloe says, raising her hands, trying to calm the crowd.
It works for the most part. Everyone turns their attention back to her.
“I know things aren’t perfect, but these are our problems. Problems we can fix by ourselves.
We don’t need some high-and-mighty corporate suit with a huge ego and daddy’s wallet telling us how to live. ”
The ‘spoiled rich kid’ card. Honestly? Predictable as hell, but I can’t even be mad. It’s almost charming.
“Excuse me?” My stool rattles as I stand too fast. I make a grab for it as it’s about to topple over. That looked smoother than I expected. “I’d be careful about how you frame someone else’s business, if I were you.”
“If you were me, you’d have a heart and put an end to this development today,” Chloe snaps back. “You’re playing with people’s emotions to get what you want, which is profit, nothing else. You’re a rich, entitled jerk trying to get his way.”
In a blink, I covered the distance between us in a few long strides. She inhales sharply as I invade her personal space, so close I can feel the heat from her body. It’s kind of electric, frankly.
“What did you call me?” My gaze pours into those deep green eyes. And those eyes… Fuck me. I’m a glutton for punishment.
Chloe swallows hard, her stubborn streak faltering a little. Not so tough when I’m this close, huh? I savor the moment, watching her confidence flicker.
“You heard me.”
Her chin lifts, mouth a stubborn line. “Now if you don’t mind, I’m in the middle of a community meeting. One that you weren’t invited to, but crashed anyway. One that you’ve been disrupting since it started.”
I don’t know what it is about her, but no one’s ever gotten under my skin the way she does. I’m suddenly feeling like I need to prove myself to her, like I have to convince her I’m not the bad guy she seems to think I am.
“By all means, carry on with your community meeting.” I back up, motioning to the room at large. “But if this place and its people mean as much to you as you say they do, then they deserve the whole truth. Not the exaggerated doom-and-gloom you’ve been pushing to fit your narrative.”
“ Exaggerated ?” Chloe’s feathers are more than ruffled. “Tell me, Mr. Stirling, exactly how many acres of land will your company be bulldozing for this project of yours?”
“Land that isn’t earning anyone anything,” I shoot back without hesitation. “That’ll change once we’re finished.” I’m not playing around, sweetheart. Not everything survives on good vibes and pretty trees.
She shakes her head, clearly unimpressed.
“What about the wildlife you’ll be disrupting?” she asks, hands on her hips. “Or the complex, delicate ecosystems you’ll be annihilating?”
The ‘think of the squirrels’ speech. Let’s not pretend this is a rainforest.
I know where this is going. She wants me to admit something to make me seem like the big bad wolf. Not going to happen. I’ve negotiated with people far more ruthless and terrifying. It’ll take more than a beautiful woman’s scowl to get me to cave.
“Just because it’s not cash in the bank doesn’t mean it’s worthless,” she goes on. “There’s endless value in the unspoiled nature of this town, and that’s something we all agree on.”
She scans the room, waiting for backup. A few nods. A few mumbles. Chloe turns back to me with a smug look on her face, obviously convinced she’s winning. Poor thing.
“The scope of this project means that everyone—and I mean everyone—will benefit.” The place is so quiet I can hear the clock on the wall ticking. “And I’m not only talking about jobs. Education, infrastructure, you name it… for the entire community.”
“Money isn’t everything,” she hisses.
Says the girl who’s clearly never been close to selling her stuff to pay rent.
I step closer to her, keeping my tone level.
“I agree, but it sure as hell helps. Ask Sylvie if she’d mind doubling the tourist traffic through her café, not only during high season, but all year round.
Or this lovely lady over here—” I point to the middle-aged woman who’d mentioned not having a job.
“Ask her if she’d mind a job that pays more than minimum wage.
Stirling Tech isn’t the enemy here. It’s about improving lives through progress. ”
Shit, it’s beginning to sound like an elevator pitch, but I don’t care. She’s stubborn. Stubborn, sexy, and possibly plotting my murder.
Hell, her mouth might be one of Bluepeak’s natural wonders.
Stop it. I shake my head and force the thoughts back where they belong. Of all times to be distracted, this is the worst of them. Her stern expression shifts. Less fury. More hesitation.
Good. I’m getting to her.
I take another step closer, until my face is mere inches from hers. I can feel the heat radiating off her, her stubborn streak crackling between us. Rich entitled jerk. This woman has a spine of steel—to say that to my face? Ballsy.
“You can say what you want…” Chloe clears her throat, and when she speaks, her voice steadies. “But you can’t deny that you’ve been ignorant to the effects this project will have on our town’s natural resources and wildlife.”
Ignorant and entitled. Wow, she’s going for the jugular. I’ve never wanted to kiss someone to shut them up so badly.
Without thinking, the words leave my mouth, hot and daring.
“ Have dinner with me. ”