Breath of Scandal(102)
There were several faces in the crowd that were vaguely familiar to Jade. She could put names with others. She hadn't spotted Myrajane Griffith, but then Myrajane wouldn't he one to fraternize with the general public, believing most to be riffraff. And, of course, Lamar wasn't there. Jade had heard from him only once after seeing him in Morgantown. As before, he had pleaded for her understanding. She regretted that his death had been so tragic, but her resolve hadn't diminished-he had died unforgiven.
The mayor approached her again. He checked his wristwatch and importantly tugged on the hem of his coat. "Well, whenever you're ready, Ms. Sperry, I reckon we can start.
Feeling a rush of energy, she said, "I'm ready."
284
Sandra Brown
Breath of Scandal
285
The mayor waxed poetic at the microphone until everyone in the audience was either torpid with boredom or fidgeting restlessly. At last, he introduced Jade.
The applause from the audience was polite but reserved. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming this morning. Your number indicates to me that GSS has made an excellent choice for the site of their TexTile plant. Palmetto was chosen for several reasons. Among them were its availability of raw building materials and its accessibility to the shipyards, which will make the transportation of goods feasible and relatively inexpensive to domestic and foreign markets.
"The overwhelming reason for the selection of this location, however, was the duality of the benefit to be derived from this enterprise. The TexTile plant will provide hundreds of jobs. It will resuscitate a flagging economy. And TexTile will prosper because of a strong, willing, and resourceful labor force-in other words, you. "
Jade held her breath. As she had hoped, there was a smattering of applause, then a groundswell of it, until it was deafening in the crowded room. She smiled inwardly, knowing that she had them. Strategically, she hadn't begun by trying to impress them with the wealth and might of GSS. That would have spawned only resentment. Rather, she had flattered the region and its people.
The mood shift was palpable. The crowd assumed a more cordial personality. Her audience was no longer suspicious of the Yankee company that was going to muscle its way in and inundate their county with outsiders. She talked them through the plant's procedure, from the time the ginned cotton arrived until it left in the form of ready-made garments, destined for any number of world markets.
"This plant will belong to the community," Jade stressed. "The more you put into it, the greater the payoffs will be. It will generate thousands of dollars each year in local taxes alone, which can be channeled into making much-needed improvements for the community. On an individual basis, it will mean better job opportunities for workers in numerous and diverse fields of endeavor."
"What kind of jobs?" someone shouted from the back of the room.
"Assembly line, shipping and freight, maintenance and engineering, clerical. The list of opportunities is virtually endless. To begin with, we'll need construction workers. At this time, I'd like to introduce Mr. Dillon Burke. He's our general contractor. "
She turned to Dillon and motioned him forward. He approached the lectern. His appearance was daunting, if for no other reason than his exceptional physique. That, coupled with his thick, curving mustache and compelling eyes, caused a silence to fall over the murmuring crowd. Jade gave him an encouraging smile as she relinquished the microphone to him.
After a brief speech, he excused himself, returning moments later carrying an architectural drawing of the completed plant. A gasp went up from the audience when they saw it.
. "This is what the facility will look like when we're finished," Dillon explained. "As you can see, it will be a state-of-the-art operation that will take years to build. I'll be encouraging the subcontractors to hire regional workers."
He propped the drawing against the lectern and promptly returned to his seat. "Thank you, Mr. Burke." Jade addressed the crowd again. "I'm willing to take questions from the-"
The back door of the room was flung open with such force that it crashed against the inside wall. Every head turned to see what the commotion was about. An expectant hush fell over the room as two men entered.
Looking neither right nor left, they came down the center aisle between the rows of folding chairs until they reached the edge of the stage. Jade's heart was in her throat, but she ignored the rude interruption. "I'll take your questions now." Several hands were raised, but she wasn't given a chance to acknowledge them.
"I have a question for you, Ms. Sperry," a voice from her past announced. "Where in hell did you get the nerve to show your face in this town?"
286
Sandra Brown
Breath of Scandal
287
Jade retained her composure, although her expression turned glacial as she lowered her gaze to the man in front of the lectern.
Ivan Patchettglared up at her from his wheelchair.
CHAPTER Twewty-One
The flustered mayor intervened. He didn't want to risk having the town's number-one citizen offended. He didn't want Jade to be insulted, either. No matter how one looked at it, it was an explosive situation. The only way to avoid catastrophe was to call the meeting to an abrupt conclusion.