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“The new owner is willing to give us some financial compe
nsation if we move out.”
“So, you find another building, right?” Lanie said.
“It’s not that simple,” Lauren said. “We’ve been looking but there isn’t anything in town big enough that doesn’t require some substantial renovation. As it is now, the building needs an overhaul, but it’s doable. And the location is so good. But I guess we have no choice but to look for something in Destin or Panama City.”
“Damn. And here I was looking forward to being neighbors for a long time,” Frida said, clearly disappointed. “Does it say who bought the place?”
“Some company called South Side Ventures,” Lauren said.
Frida’s mouth opened, then shut again. “No shit,” she muttered vehemently.
“What? Is that bad?” Lauren asked.
“South Side Ventures is one of the many little companies owned by none other than Ted Ferguson.”
“Oh, yeah,” Lauren agreed. “That’s definitely bad.”
Two hours later, an emergency meeting of the Bunco Babes was called to order. Everyone who wasn’t working or involved in some sort of critical situation was present. “Okay, everyone, calm down!” Pilar said. The group immediately went quiet. Since Kitty had just had a baby, the meeting was being held at her house so that she’d be available to nurse Amanda. The rest of the group sat in her living room, waiting to hear what Pilar had to say.
“So,” Pilar began. “This is what we know.” She pointed to a flat screen TV mounted on the wall where a power point presentation was in progress. An image of Can Buy Me Love popped up. “This structure, along with about two acres of prime gulf side real estate currently belongs to Earl Handy. Well, all the undeveloped beach property actually belongs to him, too, but for now, this is the property we’re worried about. For the past twenty years, Waterbury Real Estate has managed the lease on this property for Earl. Most recently, it’s been leased to our very own Lauren Donalan.” The group began to clap and wolf whistle.
Pilar rolled her eyes and waited for them to quiet down again. “Okay, next.” That was Shea’s cue, acting as her assistant, to push the button for the next slide. A picture of a middle-aged bald man popped up. “It looks like Tony Soprano,” Kitty said.
“Close enough,” Pilar said. “This is Vince Palermo, Earl’s son-in-law and unfortunately, the man behind the man. Earl has given Vince his power of attorney, and you know what that means.”
“Whispering Bay is in big trouble,” Mimi said.
“Yep. Next,” Pilar said to Shea. The next slide showed a picture of Ted Ferguson. The room began to boo. “Yes, yes, we all know how everyone feels about Ted. Now, Ted’s Miami based company is operating under a corporation named South Side Ventures. Their goal: to buy up as much land as they can to build condos.”
The next slide was a picture of Jessica. Lauren squirmed in her seat. Damn. It was one of those professional shots that were touched up to make her look even better than she did, which was pretty good already. She had on a dark blue power suit and black stiletto heels and she looked mean and in charge. It must be her professional lawyer picture.
Pilar continued. “This is Jessica Hart, attorney. Jessica works for Simon and Simon, a Miami based corporate firm that represents South Side Ventures. Simon and Simon is in the process of opening a branch office in Panama City. I have it on good authority, that Jessica will be leading the team for Ted and his minions.”
Lauren raised her hand. “Um, may I ask a question?”
“You may,” Pilar said. “But make it quick.”
“As an attorney yourself, and knowing what you know about the business, would Jessica’s being sent down to open the branch be a demotion of some kind?”
“Hardly. This kind of deal requires a shark. More than likely, Jessica will stand to see a very nice bonus once this deal goes through.”
“I knew she was up to no good,” Lauren muttered.
“You mean, if this deal goes through,” Mimi said.
“Exactly. Our mission, should we decide to accept it, is to stop Ted, save Baby Got Bump, the shop formerly known as Can Buy Me Love, and keep our beaches for the people of Whispering Bay.” All Pilar needed to complete the image was the theme music from Mission Impossible in the background.
Mimi stood. “Exactly. While I’m not crazy about the idea of condos, it should be up to the people of Whispering Bay, not Ted Ferguson.”
“But how are we going to stop him?” Shea asked.
“I’ve taken the liberty to organize a protest,” Pilar said. “The Gray Flamingoes, naturally, are on our side. We can also recruit other groups around town. It’ll be like when we protested the demolition on the senior center.”
“But, that’s just temporary,” Frida said. “Let’s say Ted doesn’t get this one piece of property, what’s to stop him from trying to buy up the rest of Earl’s land and build on that?”
“True,” said Pilar. “But we have to try. Saving one little parcel of land might not seem like much, but maybe if we keep putting obstacles in Ted’s way, he’ll eventually give up.”
