30. Theo
30
THEO
It’s Steve. I told Steve about the meeting with the community a couple of weeks ago, and he was enthusiastic about the idea. He approved of my gung-ho way of going after things, but he has no reason to be calling me now.
His tone of voice as soon as I answer tells me something else too—he’s not happy. “Theo, it’s been a few days since we’ve spoken.”
A few peaceful days, I think. Steve and I usually get along, but ever since he came over here to shove an offer at Mia, I haven’t been able to trust him the same way again. “Hey, Steve. Yeah, it has. What’s up?”
“I’ve been reviewing the numbers, Theo. The new plan… It’s not going to cut it. We need to go back to the original proposal.”
My heart sinks. “Steve, we’ve been over this. The community is on board with the new plan. You should have seen the enthusiasm at the meeting last Tuesday.” I take a few more steps away from Mia, aware that she may be able to figure out who I’m talking to and the topic of our conversation.
“So, you’re saying this is what’s best for everyone?” Steve’s voice rises, but I try to keep my own voice low, so Mia won’t overhear. She’s just inside, finishing dinner preparations. “Theo, what about what’s best for us? The profit margins on the new plan are nowhere near what we projected with the original. The original is the reason I got into this deal with you.”
My frustration level rises, and I argue back, “We can make it work. The resort will still be profitable, just not as much as we initially thought. But we’ll have the community’s support, and that’s invaluable. Do you think we’ll have that support if we bulldoze Mia’s newly renovated bed and breakfast?” I’m practically whispering into the phone so Mia can’t hear what I’m saying. I don’t even want to bring the topic up in front of her, and if she sees me talking about it with someone else, she might think I’ve been pretending all along.
I’m not willing to lose our relationship, even for this project. The way I’ve felt since we decided to be boyfriend and girlfriend has given each day a sense of excitement.
Steve scoffs. “Community support won’t pay the bills, Theo. We need to push forward with the original, more profitable plan. If you don’t, I’ll have to take matters into my own hands.”
A chill runs down my spine. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Steve’s voice is cold. “It means that I’ll do whatever it takes to protect our investment. If you’re not going to push for the original plan, I will. And I won’t be as…considerate as you’ve been.”
My grip tightens on the phone. “Steve, threatening me isn’t going to change my mind. We’ve already committed to the new plan.”
“You have,” he corrects. “I haven’t. And I can make things very difficult for you, Theo. Don’t forget that.”
I take a deep breath, trying to stay calm. “Steve, let’s talk about this. We can find a compromise. All the original amenities will be included. We’ll have fewer guest rooms, so we’ll just charge more per room. After the first year, anyone who wants to use the amenities will have to pay, which will generate more revenue. It won’t?—”
Steve interrupts, clearly not caring about the thought I’ve put into the new plan. “The market will only accept so much before we’ve priced out our customers. Besides, I’ve already compromised enough. I’m not going to accept what you’re doing anymore. If you don’t get the original plan back on track, then this resort is going to go up in flames.”
The line goes dead, and I’m left standing there, feeling like I’ve just been punched in the gut. Is Steve threatening to sabotage the resort? He’s worried about losing money, yet he’s going to destroy the place we’ve put so much time and effort into. I, personally, have been on site almost every day. I’ve put my heart into this project. It’s a lot bigger than anything else I’ve done, but I thought this might be my chance to really prove myself.
Steve is going to ruin everything, though. I don’t want to think about it. I don’t want to consider what Steve might do if I don’t meet his expectations.
I turn to see Mia sitting on the porch, a worried look on her face.
“Everything okay?” she asks, her eyes searching mine. I don’t know exactly what she overheard, but at the end there, I wasn’t exactly trying to be quiet.
“Yeah,” I lie, forcing a smile. “Just a work call. Nothing to worry about.”
Her concern doesn’t fade, but she nods and settles back into her rocking chair. I continue to stand in the yard for a moment, trying to figure out how to handle this situation. Part of me wants to run over to the resort and run the numbers one more time. Maybe if I can change just a few things here and there, little tweaks, the expected profit will increase enough to make Steve happy. But another part of me says he’s not going to be happy no matter what offer I give him.
I slowly trudge back up to the porch. There’s only one thing I can do right now to make myself feel better.