Page 26 of Nailed

Eventually, a tall woman rose to her feet introducing herself as a key member of the historical preservation group.

“I'd like to bring the issue of the firehouse to the fore,” she said with a voice that practically echoed with authority. “That building is one of this city's oldest. I'm sure many of you are aware but it's currently under renovation for private use.”

The blood ran cold in my veins. I gripped onto Callum's arm without thinking and he let me hold onto him, moving just an inch closer.

“How can we even be sure the sale is valid?” I couldn't see who asked the question. The crowd was buzzing with disgruntlement.

“Folks, folks, let's invite the new owner up to the stage to speak for herself, why don't we?” And that slimy voice was definitely Tim.

I looked at Callum as several pairs of eyes found me where I sat.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked quietly enough for only the two of us to hear. “You don't have to. We can walk out of here right now and I'll make sure no one stops us.”

I smiled weakly, grateful for the safety I felt with him. “I appreciate the offer. But I need to do this. If I don't face this head on, the rumors will just spiral out of control and things will get worse. I need to show them that I'm not afraid of their questions because I have nothing to hide.”

His eyes flickered with what looked like admiration. “You're a very brave woman, Miss Lauren.”

“I don't feel it right now.”

“You are. And I'll be right there with you the entire time,” he said.

He stuck to his word, following me up to the stage and standing beside me. He kept his head up, something that quietly encouraged me to do the same.

I tried not to focus on the crowd, making use of an old trick I used in school and instead looking just above everyone's heads.

“Hi everyone.”

My greeting sounded so…unrefined compared to the formalities being spouted during the first half of the meeting. But I wasn't in the business of faking the way I spoke or anything else about myself. If they wanted authenticity and honesty, then this is what that looked like.

“My name is Lauren Wolfhaardt and I'm the new owner of the firehouse. I just want to clear up some things so that there's no more confusion.” Someone practically hacked up a lung in the back and I politely paused to let them finish. “Uh…yeah, so I recently began renovations on the building. I plan to turn it into an apartment and photography studio. I'm not planning on commercializing the place outside of using the ground floor as a photo studio.”

The floodgates opened.

“Was this building ever actually listed on the open market, or did you just know the right person at City Hall?” An angry voice lobbied from somewhere in the middle of the crowd.

“It actually was listed for years before I—” I began.

“We heard there was a higher bid from a local non-profit. Why was yours accepted instead?” Another accusation.

“I really have no idea why—”

Someone else cut in yet again. “Do you even know the names of the three firefighters who died responding to a call from this station in '58? Or are they just 'character' for your living room walls?"

I didn't even get a chance to respond this time before the next jab.

"You're not from here. How long until you get bored with your 'project' and sell it to a developer for a shopping mall?” Eliza yelled.

The room imploded. I couldn't keep up with all the charges being hurled at me. If I could just get a word in…

Callum seemed to have enough, putting a hand on my elbow before stepping in front of me.

“Look, everyone calm down!” His voice was deep enough to cut the din to grumbling. “I'm working on this project for Miss Wolfhaardt. I can attest first-hand that we're prioritizing the structural integrity of the building. We're definitely not bulldozing the place to put up a shopping mall.”

I groaned, immediately knowing where this was going.

“Oh, not a mall then, you say? So what is it? Tell us!” she retorted. She turned around to face the churning crowd. “You all heard that, right? They're going to break it down for something else!”

Callum tried to correct his choice of words but it was too late. The room erupted into chaos. Sensationalism drowned out all semblance of reason and eventually, when some of the members tried surging forward. Callum grabbed my elbow firmly and led me off the stage but not before we were swallowed up by an angry throng of activists.