Embraceable You (Irish Hearts Series) (30 page)

On Monday night, Siena walked into the Town Council meeting prepared for a showdown. She was ready with Aunt Addie's old ledger, a printout of recent sales, and the mammo-van petition signatures.

She expected a small group of men around a mahogany table, like before,
eager to debate her fate. She thought the first few rows might have a few scattered, curious citizens. She didn’t expect a large auditorium with every seat filled to capacity.

Siena
spotted Claire who motioned her over. "What about this crowd? My dear, you brought out the whole town." She gave Siena a quick hug.

"This is strange
," Siena said. "Last time, I met with the men in charge, it was just me and them. Looks like everybody in town is here tonight."

Claire's eyes glowed.
"This is remarkable, to have so many people attend. As you know, they usually have their council meetings at nine in the morning when it's more difficult for the general public to attend."

"Oh yes, I know all about that." Siena rolled her eyes.

"But extraordinary circumstances call for extraordinary measures. I have a good feeling, Siena, that this is all going to work out fine. They're all here for you." Claire gave her a knowing look and squeezed her hand. "Incidentally, I love my new bra, dear. It’s so comfy. Did you say it takes years off anyone who wears it?"  She pulled herself up and stuck out her chest.

Siena released a nervous giggle. "You are one of the youngest here
."

"Oh
, young at heart, maybe."

"You're
the best way. Thanks for everything, Claire." She felt that at least Claire would be her friend and stand behind her through this. To the bitter end.

Zach stood at the podium and spoke into the microphone. "The special meeting of the Haven’s Point Town Council will come to order."

Siena thought Zach was showing the strain of the events, and she felt badly for him. His hair was rumpled and reminded her of his youthful, spiky hairstyle. A worried frown creased his brow. He avoided eye contact with her.

She watched him closely, heart in her throat. What had gone so very wrong with them? Siena felt as if she were in a movie with the action swirling around her, pulling her along, completely out of control. Maybe he was right. She was a train wreck, hopelessly lost, heading nowhere fast.

Walter Fairchild sat on the front row that was lined with his cronies, the ‘town fathers,’ as Zach had called them. They held the town’s purse strings and squeezed them tightly, doling out money when the opportunity pleased them. Siena thought it was high time for a change in the 'old boy' system, but nobody else, including Zach, was willing to challenge that system.

With astounding agility for a man of his age, Walt bounded out of his seat. At the podium, he raised a fist as he spoke.  "Everybody knows why we’re here tonight. I don’t see that we need to delay this and waste any more time on the matter. I make a motion that we close that smut-shop,
Amazing Lace Lingerie
-whatever."

A little gasp ruffled through the crowd. Siena was mortified.
Smut-shop?

Zach held up both hands to quiet the crowd. "Please have a seat, Walt. We haven’t even discussed the matter. We have to give Siena uh, Ms. Summerfield an opportunity to state her case. Then we'll discuss it."

"Do you know what those women were wearing Saturday? Almost nothing, that’s what!"

A young female voice came from the rear of the room. "Awww, Granpa Walt, I was one of those women in the style show and I was wearing plenty." All eyes turned to see Monique standing and responding to her grandfather. "Besides, how would you know if you weren't looky-looking?"

"You’re out of line, young lady." Granpa Walt was not amused with his beautiful granddaughter. He pointed a finger at his son, Rich. "Control your daughter. Teach her some manners."

At which point every
one laughed.

"I was there, too, Walt." The crowd leaned forward as
Claire stood up to the elder Fairchild. "Yes, I modeled a lovely lacy bra. And I can assure you I was covered adequately. Enough, at least, for the female customers who were in the room. But what about all those men who tried to peek in the door? Were you standing out there on the corner, looking in?"

The crowd murmured a laugh.

A male voice chimed in from the end of the row. "Enough discussion. I second – "

Zach interrupted. "Now wait a minute, gentlemen. And ladies. Thank you for your input. We need some additional discussion on this matter. Specifically what’s wrong with the shop? What laws does it violate? And we need to hear from the shop’s owner. She has a unique and somewhat different perspective. And a vested interest in the shop."

"I’ll bet she does!" Someone yelled, and everyone laughed.

"I am talking about a business perspective," Zach responded, not amused.

As Siena watched the proceedings, she couldn’t decide if Zach was the good guy, trying to protect her from the raging crowd. Or was he the villain, steering the crowd toward its inevitable conclusion? Besides, even if he wanted to help her, what could he possibly do if they decided against her? It was the democratic way.

Someone shouted, "It’s a moral outrage to put the female body on display as this young woman has done. And to create such havoc in our streets."

Claire stood again and shook her finger at the speaker. "My body wasn’t on display. But my bra was." She paused and continued with both fists on her hips, puffing out her recently uplifted chest. "Do you dare to say that our God-given human bodies are moral outrages? I always considered mine a temple."

A snicker rippled through the crowd.

"Thanks, Claire," Zach said. "But we aren’t going there. We’re here to see if Siena Summerfield’s new and improved shop,
Amazing Lace Lingerie Salon
is good for the business community of Haven’s Point. And if she deserves a business license to continue."

"Business?  This is about more than business," Walt’s son, Rich chimed in.

Siena watched Zach dealing with the powers-that-be in town. She realized that he had a fine line to walk here. These folks were his bosses. He was their public servant. They had agreed on a reasonable plan for success, long before she arrived. On the other hand, he had to accommodate his constituents, the citizens of Haven's Point. And where did she fit into his scheme of things?  How could he possibly be expected to support her when the whole town was opposed?

"I’ve reviewed the city ordinances," Zach said, "And there’s nothing specifically against a lingerie business."

"Nothing against naked bodies marching around, showing more than they should?" Walt sputtered from his front row seat. "She fueled the fire, you know, by having that display of . . . lace and . . . everything."

"We’ll have to draft a new law to that effect if that’s the route you want to go," Zach confirmed. "If that’s what you’re thinking, then it will impact other businesses, too, like the
Buff Body Shoppe
. Many of them don’t wear a full suit of clothes fit for the streets."

"Well, what are we waiting for? It’s high time we did something to protect the moral base of this town."

Someone shouted from the far side of the room. "No! It’s taken years to get a gym for us. We don’t want it closed. And we don't want some stupid ruling about clothes because of someone else’s problems with the human body!"

Zach called for a report from the Chamber of Commerce. "Jones, are you the spokesman for tonight? How’s business in general?"

"Until yesterday, status quo. Marginal line profits." Jones read some numbers from a handful of papers. "But as a result of advertisements and the attraction of the shop in question’s Grand Opening Modeling Show," he bowed to Siena with a sly grin, "many other businesses claim they had an upswing in sales Saturday. I think she also has a website and… Facebook page. That helped draw attention, too."

"Facebook?" Rich Fairchild stood. "We're turning our businesses over to social media? How much of an upswing did we have? I'm sure it’s impossible to know so soon. And what's on the website? Bras?"

"Bottom line is, we all, uh, Haven's Point made more money all the way around, sir."

Siena came here tonight knowing she could either give up easily or die fighting. For her, there was no choice. Some things were just worth the fight. And this was one of them. Zach motioned for her to join him at the podium.

She squared her shoulders and stepped to the microphone. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to have a say in this. My business meets an unfilled market niche in Haven’s Point. Just because I’m not selling fishing tackle or lobster pots doesn’t mean that my products aren’t necessary and good for the community. Bras have an ancient history in the clothing and well being of women. In case you haven’t noticed, bras are here to stay. These lacy garments we provide are the most beautiful and the best comfort we can provide."

"We don’t want your underwear on display!" a man shouted.

"I’m not selling underwear." Siena smiled sweetly. "Our lingerie is a product that all women use. Better yet, we provide a market for the antique lace made right here in Haven’s Point. Our orders enable a dying clothing mill in South Carolina that otherwise might be closed to stay in business. They’re taking my designs and our locally made lace and producing a product. That’s really cool, don’t you think?"

"Yes! Bravo!"
Claire shouted and started the applause that spread throughout the crowd.

"Comments? Questions?" Zach pointing to
someone in the sea of waving hands.

"Can’t you figure out another way to make money with that little shop?"

"We did considerable market research. This is a niche that is unique around here, and commonly found in larger cities. Since this is a free country,
Amazing Lace Lingerie Salon
is my choice of businesses," Siena said stubbornly. "Isn’t choice a traditional freedom in this country? And in this town?"

"What’s wrong with lighthouses? They’re our coastal symbol. And lobsters are our staple," another man said.

Siena answered confidently. "There’s no market competition for an item when everyone in town sells it. I can prove," Siena opened the ledger, "that my Aunt Addie has not shown a profit in more than four years selling miniature lighthouses. I don’t know how she stayed in business this long. Saturday’s sales exceed last year’s income, in just one day. Now, is it fair to force someone to keep selling lobsters and lighthouses when there’s greater potential to sell something else? Something people want. And need."

"So you want to throw out everything that’s made us what we are today? What about our traditions?"

"Not at all," Siena said. "For instance, I want to bring back the mermaids. Maybe they will enhance our town and bring it
good
luck. You’ll see if you just give them a chance."

Another murmur across the crowd grew in intensity and threatened to disrupt the proceedings
as people all started talking at once.

"Hold it!" Zach held both arms up in the air to quiet them. "This isn’t about mermaids. This is about --"

"Money!" someone shouted from the back of the room.

Siena stepped to the microphone again. "Money isn’t the only thing at stake here in Haven’s Point. It’s the health and well-being of our citizens, especially the women." She looked at Zach with fire in her eyes, then turned and faced the audience with all the determination she could muster. "Ladies and gentlemen, the most important element tonight is not
Amazing Lace Lingerie Salon.
It is my request that the Town Council vote to bring a Mammo-Van to town. I have all these signatures on a petition to support it." She waved the papers in the air. "Therefore, I’d like to make a motion – "

"Don’t try to divert the attention of this council," Walter warned. "There’s already a motion on the floor!"

"No motion’s been made," Zach said. "We’re still in discussion."

"We want some action, not talk," someone else inserted.

Siena looked at Zach. She could see his misery and hear her own defeat in the tone of the audience. And in that moment, she decided that selling bras in Haven’s Point was not worth this fight.

But getting a mammo-van was.

Her bare-chested marketing was putting Zach’s integrity and position in jeopardy, and that wasn’t fair to him. There was no way to win with this unruly crowd. They were out to get her and by God, they would.

Siena cleared her throat. "Excuse me, please. I want to talk about taking care of our women’s health. Mammograms are the first line of defense against a deadly disease, breast cancer. Along with self-examination." She paused and looked around. "Can we say that in public? Well, it’s about time we do. We need to provide the health care in Haven’s Point that will save the lives of people like my Aunt Addie
, and Zach’s mother, Roberta. That’s why I make the motion to bring in a mammo-van. And if you will agree to this proposal . . ." she took a deep breath, "in exchange . . . I’ll close
Amazing Lace Lingerie Salon
."