Page 11 of The Runaway Billionaire's Inconvenient Baby
“Then help us call a town meeting,” says Willow, getting to the point of us being here. She’s always been so much more levelheaded than me, so much more willing to listen to the other side and debate it rationally.
“What if this man’s already set his mind on Havenridge?” Briggs asks, like he’s trying to paint a portrait of him as a helpless buffoon, someone with his hands tied. “What if he’s already signed the paperwork and he’s here for PR?”
“Then we’ll stop him,” I say, clenching my fists.
Briggs looks at me sadly and I know what he’s thinking:Look at this poor, deluded girl who thinks she knows how the world works.He’s always thought I’m naive. I know this. Maybe I am, but I’ve always cared about this town. I’ve always worked like hell to make it a good place. It’s who I am. I’m not giving it up as easily as this.
For a long moment, nobody says anything.
The old clock in the corner ticks ominously, like a countdown, like we’re all waiting for something.
Eventually, it’s Willow who breaks the silence. “Mayor Briggs,” she says, giving him a gentle smile. It’s the smile that’s won me over a hundred million times.
Willow has this magic power about her. She’s persuasive and charming and impossible to say no to in the end. “What Billie is trying to say is that we want to talk with him. We want to knowwhat he’s going to do with our island. We don’t want to see this place turn into yet another resort for rich people. We don’t want the island’s nature to be ruined, our houses to be demolished. We care about the people here. And we know you do too.”
Briggs nods slowly, the information sinking in. Willow said exactly the same things that I did, but trust her to say it in a way that he could understand. She’s so much more articulate than me.
That’s why we’re a great team.
We often joke that I’m the muscle and she’s the brains, though that’s not really true for either of us. We both do our parts, and we know each other so well that we can lean on and support each other without even needing to say a word. She’s a one-of-a-kind best friend.
I take a deep breath and say, “Do you remember two years ago, the fishing commission? How hard we had to fight to stop those big trawlers ruining our seas.”
Briggs nods again, and Willow shoots me a look that says,Good job, we’ve got him.
I keep pushing. “We protested for days, remember? Weeks. We read every report, argued every case. We showed up again and again, and eventually we were listened to. It’s not easy, but we can resist change. Maybe we can make some deal with this guy. I don’t know what he wants, but we can’t let him evict us all. He can’t throw us all in the trash like we’re wet paper towels. We can’t let him win without trying.”
Briggs takes a deep breath, the crease between his eyebrows deepening as he thinks. “I suppose you’re right,” he mutters. “Though I don’t think talking to him will make a difference. Inall of the messages he sent to me so far, he has seemed adamant that the island will be his and his alone.”
“We’ll talk to him. We’ll compromise,” says Willow. I bite my tongue to stop myself from sayingWe’ll do anything it takes to stop him.Idon’t want Briggs to get a vision of me launching for this billionaire’s throat, even if I really, really want to. I can hold myself back. Usually.
For a heartbeat, Briggs hesitates, and I think he’s going to say no.
Then he sags back in his chair, buttons straining on his jacket, and sighs. “Okay, I’ll have my meeting with the man. Then I’ll tell him that we’ve requested an emergency town meeting to discuss his proposal. I’ll tell him that the deal’s off unless he attends.”
“Good,” says Willow. “Everyone will be with us.”
“Of course they will,” I add. “Nothing good can come from us losing everything. Nothing good for anyone except for those with the power.”
Briggs swallows hard, but I can see his resolve cracking. He is a good man. He always has been. Sometimes he needs a little bit of persuading.
And I know that he loves this town as much as we do.
We will make this right. I know we will. There isn’t any other option.
CHAPTER 6
JACOB
Mayor Briggs gives me a sad, pitiful look, making him look like a bedraggled cat. Only bald.
When he agreed to meet me, I thought it would be as simple as putting the deal together and getting him to sign it. I thought maybe I would have to persuade him, push him a little. That was okay. But a town meeting? Asking every single other person in this stupid town what they think about my plan? Irritating.
I’ll do it, of course. It’s as good a chance as any to speak to them all at once, but I was planning on having a nice, calm day today, not one filled with angry townspeople.
I suck in a breath through my teeth. This is going to test my patience.
“You sure they won’t be convinced without it?”
