being the key word.” She looked up at Sam as he approached them. “Hey, babe.”
Sam bent over and kissed her sister’s cheek. “Full house tonight.” He looked around and nodded at several people. “I would have been here earlier, but my inspection went longer than planned with Will.”
Kelly and Megs held their collective breaths. With a soft voice, her sister asked, “And what did he say?”
Sam shrugged. “He approved all the changes.” He gave them both a wide smile. “We’re officially finished renovating.”
Kelly squealed and jumped up to hug him. “All that work and time.”
“It was worth it, right?” He let go of Kelly and put an arm around Megs’s shoulder. “You girls actually have a beautiful fully remodeled home.”
“You mean, you and Kelly do. Grammy left it to the two of you.” Megs smiled despite the sour feeling in her belly. “Congratulations, you guys.” She joined the group hug and willed herself to feel happy for the couple who seemed to have everything going right for them. Finally.
A gavel sounded on the podium onstage, so they ended their celebration and took their seats. Megs took another glance down the aisle at Adam, who still studied his note cards. She wondered what that was all about.
Rick adjusted the microphone. “Testing. Great. If we could all settle down, we’ll get the meeting started. I know there are a lot of questions and concerns about what’s been going on. If you didn’t receive an agenda for tonight, hold up your hand and I’ll make sure you get a copy.” He shielded his eyes with one hand as he looked out at them then nodded. “Good. First, let me express my regrets about the loss of property. I’m glad to say that there were no fatalities. Randy Simms remains in stable condition at the hospital, but Vicky tells me she expects to bring him home next week.”
Several people clapped at this. Rick joined in for a second or two, then continued. “Next, I’ll have our town code inspector Will Stone talk about the damage the businesses on Lincoln received and his expectations of what happens next. Will?”
Will took his place at the microphone. “Thank you, Rick. And like you, I am grateful that there was no loss of life. The businesses, on the other hand, took quite a hit. The hardware store had minimal damage, but the bakery, aquarium, bookstore and the apartment complex have suffered quite badly.” For the next several minutes he described what Megs already knew. The shell of the buildings stood, but the interiors had been wiped out. Rebuilding was now the priority for not only the business owners, but the community members, as well. “I know I’m missing my cinnamon roll fix like you are.” He looked out into the crowd and smiled at Megs.
She put her head down. Without her hands in dough, her life felt emptier and colder. She longed for the heat of the ovens and the scent of yeast and sugar. She’d tried making cookies and bread at home, but it wasn’t the same. She missed the Sweetheart. Her bakery.
“In terms of rebuilding, I’d like to introduce someone who is dedicated to bringing back the Lincoln street businesses. Our local bank manager, Adam Hawkins.”
Her jaw dropped. Will had to be mistaken. Adam was dedicated to himself and his own interests alone. Certainly not to Lake Mildred’s.
* * *
ADAM HADN’T EXPECTED applause as he took the stage, but he hadn’t expected stunned silence, either. He shook it off, reminding himself they remembered his past and not his present. He put his note cards on the podium and took a sweeping glance out over the audience. He found hazel eyes staring at him from the fifth row, but chose to ignore her for the moment.
He nodded to Will. “Thank you, Mr. Stone and Mr. Mayor. I appreciate this opportunity to present Foster Community Bank’s proposal to rebuild Lincoln Street.” He flipped the first card over. “And that’s what this is—an opportunity to come together as partners in redeeming what was lost.” He glanced out again and squelched the nerves radiating from his fingers, making his note cards tremble. He found Megan staring at him. He kept his focus on her. “Foster Community will offer low-interest-rate loans to those business owners affected by the snowstorms, whether directly or indirectly. After all, what happens to one of us touches the entire community.
“We are also proposing a community fund to raise the funds necessary to help in the rebuilding process. I have set up an account where anyone can donate a dollar, five, ten. Whatever you have. Foster has agreed to match all contributions.” He flipped the next card. “We want to be a partner during this difficult time. And I hope that together we can rebuild and revitalize Lincoln Street as well as Lake Mildred. Any questions?”
Hands shot up around the auditorium. He wanted to groan, but Eva had warned him about this. Rick approached the podium and pointed to a gentleman near the front. “Mr. Finney?”
“You said low interest rate. How low?”
Adam smiled. A question he was prepared for. “Three percent less than the current rate, which will save the business owner thousands over the life of the loan. And no application fee or closing costs.”
“Why would Foster be willing to work with us now when many of us lost our homes before because they refused?”
A hard question, but again he’d come prepared. “I regret how things were handled in the past. Those responsible are no longer with Foster Community, and we are working hard to repair those bridges we burned. I have been brought here to salvage the relationship the bank once enjoyed with you all. We want to be your source of sound advice and help you achieve your financial goals.” He stopped before he sounded anything more like a public-relations brochure. Another hand, and a familiar guy stood. Adam wanted to ask someone else, anyone else for a question, but he stood and waited. “And we should believe you why?”
His smile faltered slightly at the sight of his old friend Shane Lee. “I approached the bank president regarding these plans, and she has agreed to them all in writing. I have copies of our proposal should anyone need one.”
“I still don’t trust a word you say. We all remember what you were when you left here.” Shane took his seat.
Adam winced. He’d anticipated that something like this might come up, but he’d hoped it would come from someone else. “I grew up here, so you all know the boy that I was. But I’ve returned as a changed man. I don’t want to see us lose any of the businesses, including the aquarium store. Let’s work this out together. I’ll be in my office every day and every hour the bank is open this week and next for those who want to discuss this plan further.”
He glanced out at the audience but didn’t see any more hands. Most had gone down after the last question, which meant he had to rebuild more than the bank’s reputation. He had his own to consider.
* * *
AFTER ADAM’S PROPOSAL from Foster Community, there was another rival branch manager who stood to offer assistance. But Megs noted that it didn’t come close to what Adam had offered. There was no talk of a community fund with matching contributions. Or lower interest rates.
Maybe Adam had changed. Megs shook her head. She meant the bank had changed. The Sweetheart had been a customer for longer than she’d been alive, so it had been a no-brainer to keep the accounts there as they were before Grammy died. And though she hadn’t been affected by the foreclosures, she knew many of her customers who had been. The town’s population had shrunk by almost a quarter during that time. Slowly, it was changing for the better.
