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The two men turned and began navigating the streets of Snowy Pine Ridge as they made their way toward the bustling town hall. The standard brick building was the only one in the town he’d seen so far that hadn’t been painted or enhanced in some way. And while there were a few Christmas decorations adorning it, the decorations weren’t nearly to the level of everything surrounding it, giving the building a slightly more austere look.
“Just inside here,” Hugh grunted as they trudged up the steps.
Hugh pulled open the door to the town hall, allowing Noah to walk in first. Immediately, he was wrapped in the warmth of the building, and he tugged on his scarf to loosen it a bit.
“Ah!” the lawyer exclaimed as he filed in behind Noah. “Mayor Thornton, sorry to keep you waiting.”
Noah followed Hugh’s line of sight to a tall, statuesque woman whose gray-streaked black hair was pulled back in a graceful chignon. She smiled at the two men warmly, shaking each of their hands in turn as she greeted them.
“No need to thank me.” She nodded to Hugh. “I got down here just as you two were walking in.” Her blue eyes swept to Noah. “You must be Mr. Henderson. A pleasure to meet you. Everyone is taking their seats now, so it should be just a few moments before we can move forward with the presentation.”
“Thank you.” Noah gave her a stiff, courteous nod. “Usually, I would have arrived in town much earlier than this, giving myself time to help everyone set up and make sure everything is set, but I had a late meeting last night and wasn’t able to drive in until this morning.”
Mayor Thornton shook her head. “It’s not a problem.”
One of the large doors behind them opened, and a young clerk popped his head outside.
“I believe they’re ready for you,” the young man said, his eyes sweeping over the people standing in the atrium.
Mayor Thornton nodded to the clerk before turning her gaze back to Noah and Hugh.
“That’s our cue,” she said, gesturing with her chin to a door on their left. “There’s a coat closet there. Make yourselves comfortable, and then we can head inside.”
Noah and Hugh both shrugged their coats from their shoulders, hanging them up in the indicated closet before they followed after Mayor Thornton, who strode confidently toward the double doors that the clerk had just emerged from. When they stepped inside, Noah saw that there were about twenty seats lined up in rows in the room, each one filled with someone facing toward the raised dais and podium at the front of the room. Noah could feel the eyes of more than a few of the people tracking him as he, his lawyer, and the mayor walked toward the platform, but he didn’t shy away from the attention.
Being in business and real estate development meant that Noah had had to give many speeches and presentations in the past, and he was now so used to public speaking that it was essentially second nature.
The graphs, diagrams, and images that he’d forwarded to the mayor’s office the previous week were all set up on display boards behind the podium, and his heart gave a little thump of pride as he saw just how well they’d turned out.
Noah and Hugh stepped onto the stage after the mayor, and as she made her way to the podium, the two men walked toward the three chairs in the back, seating themselves. Mayor Thornton began speaking, thanking everyone for coming out to the public discussion on the proposal that was being brought forth for Snowy Pine Ridge.
While she was doing her introductory spiel, Noah looked out at the crowd. A few of the people were dressed similarly to him, with smart, pressed suit jackets and ties, while others were in brightly colored, festive sweaters. He began making bets in his head about which of the people present would be receptive to his proposal, and which ones were going to kick up a fuss.
“Now, without further ado,” Mayor Thornton said after another few minutes, waving one hand behind her to indicate Noah. “I’d like to welcome Noah Henderson up to the podium, so he can tell us all about the business proposal he has for his newly acquired real estate in Snowy Pine Ridge.”
A spattering of applause sounded through the room as Noah pushed himself to his feet. He paused just long enough to smooth down the front of his navy blue, pinstripe suit before striding forward. Mayor Thornton stepped away from the podium, giving him the space that he needed to approach the small microphone.
He smiled back at her, turning his head halfway so that he could grin his thanks at her while also not turning his back to the crowd.
“Thank you, Mayor Thornton,” he said as he turned his smile outward to the people in attendance. “And thank you all for allowing me to speak with you today. I bet you’re all wondering why some outsider is jabber jawing at you at nine-thirty in the morning, but I promise, I’ll make it worth your while.”
Noah then launched into his speech, explaining how his aunt Theresa, who had been a resident of Snowy Pine Ridge, had recently passed away. When he said hername, it elicited a few small gasps and nods of sympathy, and he was immediately able to mark those in the crowd who had known her.
He explained how, in her will, she had left him her property, a large parcel of land on the outskirts of Snowy Pine Ridge. While he had no use for it as it currently stood, he told the townspeople that he’d had an idea that might benefit not only him, but the town as well. When he reached that part of his pitch, Noah pointed toward one of the models on the boards behind him, showing a series of warehouses and truck yards.
“My proposal is to convert the land I’ve inherited into an industrial complex,” he explained. “It will not only bring in a wealth of jobs to this wonderful town, but it will also mean that the business owners in Snowy Pine Ridge will see an influx of customers. Everyone from workers at the warehouses to the truckers who have to come here to pick up and drop off cargo will likely venture into town to shop. There will also be plenty of employees of the industrial complex who’ll likely wish to move here so that they can be closer to their work.”
He continued on, explaining the full list of benefits that he’d compiled during his risk assessment. And as Noah looked out at the crowd, he watched their faces as he spoke. There were a handful who nodded appreciatively as they listened to him outline his proposal, but most of them didn’t seem convinced.
When he’d finally wrapped up his final point, pointing to the projected profits that the industrial complex would bring both the town and its residents, he wasn’t sure how he felt about the varying responses.
“I believe that this project will allow Snowy Pine Ridge to prosper more than ever before,” he said, keeping his tone clear and confident. “And I’m positive that the growth and the revenue that this would bring will allow all of you to flourish as well. All that I ask today is that you take this information and mull it over. I’m happy to answer any questions you may have now as well. Ask away, please.”
Noah took one final look out at the crowd, hoping to see a few more faces that looked amenable to what he had proposed. But if anything, even more of them looked unconvinced than just a few seconds before. He didn’t allow it to dampen his mood though.
He’d never met a challenge that didn’t send a thrill racing through him, especially when it came to business. His competitive nature and drive had served him well up to this point, earning him a top spot in his family’s company. In fact, his father had been the one who’d helped him develop the plan for his inherited land, and although he could tell that the residents of Snowy Pine Ridge were skeptical right now, Noah was certain he could win them over.
He’d given pitches like this at least a dozen times before, each time ending with him getting exactly what he wanted. And Noah had no doubt that was exactly what was going to happen in Snowy Pine Ridge too.
