“But, the land was once where an oil refinery used to be located. Another developer managed to get the building and everything demolished and cleared. When they did the testing, it was found the ground was potentially toxic, and they feared removing any soil from the site might contaminate more. Then a NDF or Natural Defense Fund stepped in, saying that the contamination might be leaking into the ocean,” I shared, laying out the whole matter as it stood now.
Astin tapped her chin with her pen as she frowned down at her tablet. “Has a third-party group done their own investigation into the land or the claim about the water issue?”
“No, I tried to get the city to add it to the ballot, but they said what’s on there is fixed, and they can’t change it,” I answered. “We even tried to offer a whole campaign to prove the project was going to give the plot of land new life. Everything would be paved over so there wouldn’t be a risk to the people at the park. They didn’t go for it, saying it didn’t look good to ignore the problems and just cover them up.”
“They’re right,” she stated. “What needs to happen is we hire a third-party group that has no ties to any government program or activist group. I mean, the science people who only care about getting the truth and telling it like it is. Once we have an answer from them on how bad the problem is, we can decide if it’s worth the fight. If it is, then we have the report to hand in and have our client pitch the new life bit, leaving the mayor out of it. Once we have the people’s backing, they’ll have to cave and switch the zoning.”
The room fell silent as she finished explaining her plan. Somehow, she’d seen what we’d all overlooked without needing to use the Caprioni name or funds, keeping us clean of any backlash. Everything would be handled by the client, and all we’d need to do is estimate the cost of things into the loan they were asking for.
“That’s rather brilliant,” I offered. “I know just the team to have investigate the land. They’re the best and aren’t tied to anything that would bring their findings into question.”
“Good, my job on the surface might be to keep things running day to day when it’s really all about protecting the business,” Astin explained. “While these might be big clients, if this project is too risky, then it will fail, and they’ll never pay back their money. Better to have the information in our hands and be fully informed before we give up any cash, risking our asses. Idiots who want a cheap piece of land aren’t the clients we want. Besides, that shit might give all people six toes or create some deadly disease that could turn them into zombies.” Astin pointed out, keeping a completely straight face as she spoke.
“Miss Astin,” Atticus cut in. “You do know that zombies are a work of fiction. There has never been a case of modern medicine reviving tissue in such a manner.”
Astin let out a heavy sigh. “Thanks for crushing my dreams, Ace.”
“You must have me confused with someone else, I’m Atticus. Are you feeling unwell?” Atticus questioned, his concern for her health fascinating to me. “We have been covering a vast amount of information… is it possible you’ve acquired a headache?”
Astin laughed as she reached over and took Atticus’s hand. “I’m just fine, but thank you for being worried. When I called you Ace, it was my attempt at a nickname. If you don’t like it, I can try something else.”
“Why would you want to give me a nickname? I believe this is something only people who are close friends do,” Atticus challenged.
Astin tugged on his hand, bringing it closer to her, and clasped it in both of hers. “Remember I told you I hoped we could be friends? Well, in an effort to speed along the inevitable nature of our friendship, I wanted to give you a nickname. Are you okay with that?”
Atticus actually took a moment to think her request over before giving one sharp nod of his head. “I’ve never had a female friend before, but I think it would be nice. As for the nickname, I’m not sure I enjoy being called Ace. My mother used to call me Atty. I think I’d be more comfortable with that option.”
“All right then, Atty it is,” she announced. “Would you do me the honor as my friend just to call me by my name without the miss?”
“Since we are friends, that sounds reasonable to me,” Atticus agreed.
Astin’s face lit up as she released his hand and stood up. “Well, I believe that should cover things, don’t you?”
“Astin,” Ryker commented, clearly having been skipped over.
“See you all at dinner?” she asked, ignoring Ryker entirely. When we answered, she gave us a wave and left the room.
Braxton burst out laughing and slapped his friend on the back. “Oh, man, you’re so in the dog house. How the fuck are you going to get yourself out of this situation?”
“She forgets, I know her better than anyone,” Ryker muttered. “Looks like I’m going to have to pull out the big guns for this situation. I’m not going to let up until we hash this shit out. She’s going to have to talk to me at some point. There’s no way she can ignore me forever.”
“This I can’t wait to see,” Braxton said, leaning back in his chair, snickering. “She’s going to eat you alive.”
nine
Themeetingwiththeguys had been an enlightening view into their skills. While I knew all the issues they brought up already, it was nice to finally have someone to share my ideas with. The one I’d been thinking about the most was the issue of getting our inventory in and out of the country. Having to deal with our fucking nosy neighbors getting all up in our shit was becoming a problem.
Luca had been more than willing to let me share, and when he hadn’t shot it down right away, I was thrilled. Having all the knowledge and keeping up with the changes in a business wasn’t the same as working with the team firsthand. Then when Gunner brought up the whole zoning issue, I wasn’t sure if this project was actually something we wanted in the first place. Yes, the people wanting the money were a safe group to take a risk on since their track record was stellar, but I still didn’t see this happening. Times like this I’d always wished for more information, and now I could make that happen.
Still deep in thought, I headed up the two flights of stairs assuming Daddy wanted to talk with me in his private office. Without thinking, I knocked on his door and stepped into his study, making me pause. When I was little, this had been Mother’s room, where she spent her day drawing or working on her poetry. She was the next Shel Silverstein, Daddy used to tell me when he talked about her. From the vague memories I still have of her, I remember her always loving to read to me in this room. Now it has been changed into something that was clearly Daddy’s domain.
When I didn’t see him, I took a wild guess and assumed our room setup was similar, and I walked over to the door that should lead to his office and knocked. When I didn’t hear an answer, I opened it just in case he was on his phone or something, but instead of finding my father, I found Casimira coming out of Daddy’s bedroom. Both of us paused at the sight of each other, and a smile bloomed on her face.
Casimira was a stunning woman, even at her age, with long silver hair that hung down in thick waves. She was wearing a button-down blouse with a forest green skirt that had a little flare to it so it swished around her long legs.
“Astin, oh darling, it’s so good to see you,” Casimira gushed as she reached out to take my hands, kissing me on both cheeks in greeting. “Here, I thought I was going to have to wait until after dinner to be able to see you.”
“Ah yes, I was looking for my father. He said he’d be in his office. I suppose I assumed it would be this one,” I stated, trying to work past the shock of seeing her so at home in this space.