Baby Bombshell

by Lisa Ruff

  Near a pair of wide-open double doors, a cardboard placard on an easel announced Planning Commission, 6:30 p.m. Following her parents inside, Anna looked around. It seemed much like every other city meeting room she had been in over the years. There were neat rows of chairs, an aisle down the middle, a podium off to the left. A long table with a navy blue skirt and microphones on it stretched across the front. Flags of the United States and Maryland flanked a clock on the wall behind. She had to smile a little. The size of these rooms changed, but the immutable ambiance of bureaucracy remained the same.

  Antonio and Elaine led the way to seats facing the main table. Seating herself next to her father, Anna smoothed her skirt under her. The zipper at her waistband, hidden by her suit jacket, slipped down a couple of notches. Surreptitiously, she reached back and slid it into place and squirmed in her chair. The small safety pin, no match for her expanding waistline, must have popped off.

  “You need a pillow?” he asked. “I have one in the car.”

  “No, Pop. I’m fine.”

  “Do you have everything for your speech?”

  It was the eighty-seventh time he had asked that particular question—or at least it seemed like it. Holding on to her patience with both hands, Anna opened her briefcase and pulled out a thick manila file folder, then set the case under her chair. She flipped through her notes to show her father they were in order. She also had a copy of the paperwork each of the commissioners had been sent: scale drawings of the building, elevations and perspectives showing the finished site, complete with happy pedestrians walking around.

  “See? It’s all here, Pop,” she assured him.

  “Good.” He nodded once, then turned to face the front, his arms crossed over his chest.

  Other people began to fill the chairs around them. A tall man stepped behind the table and fiddled with a microphone. Bending over he said, “Good evening, everyone. If you’ll all take a seat, we’ll get tonight’s meeting started.”

  There was a general shuffle and scrape of chairs. Four other people joined the man behind the table: three men and a woman. Anna perused the faces of the five commissioners. They would make or break her project. Someone slipped into the seat next to her, jostling her elbow. Glancing over, the polite smile on her face shattered like glass when she saw Evan McKenzie.

  “What are you doing here?” she whispered angrily.

  “Pop called and—”

  “I don’t care what he said!” Her voice was nearly a growl. “I told you not to show up tonight.”

  Antonio reached across her and the two men shook hands. Anna was furious. She had specifically told Evan to stay away; this meeting would be stressful enough without his presence. Before she could tell Evan to get lost, the chairman rustled through his papers and cleared his throat.

  “Thank you for joining us tonight. We have a full agenda, so we’re going to have to move right along to get through it all before eight-thirty. First, I’ll call attendance for the meeting.”

  Anna lost the rest of his words, too unsettled by Evan. Their chairs were set close together. One broad shoulder pressed against hers, his long legs just inches away. The crisp scent of his cologne enveloped her senses. It aggravated her, reminded her of a night she did not want to remember. She cursed her father and Evan both: one for demanding attendance and the other for dutifully obeying the summons.

  Everyone rose for the Pledge of Allegiance. The minutes of the previous meeting were approved and the chairman got down to business. “The first item on the agenda is the proposed liquor license change for Crabby Cal’s at Seventh and Main. Is Cal Sandler here tonight?”

  A portly man in a baggy brown suit went to the podium. Anna listened with half an ear as the commissioners asked a few routine questions. She slid a glance at Evan, but his eyes were fixed on the proceedings. Against her will, her gaze traveled along the clean line of his profile, pausing on the thick blond lashes screening those incredible green eyes. His hair was brushed neatly, just touching the collar of his white shirt. A pale yellow tie was knotted at his throat.

  Suddenly, Anna remembered tugging at a similar tie—this one green—then his hands pushing hers aside to dispense with the impediment to passion. A wash of heat sped through her veins that had nothing to do with anger. The memory made her even more irritated with Evan—and with herself. Why did he have to be here?

  She stiffened when Evan looked over at her, catching her staring. One of his eyebrows rose and there was a question in his eyes. For a moment, Anna forgot where she was. Her tongue came out to moisten dry lips. His gaze dropped to her mouth. It was as though time had stopped and they were alone in some faraway place.

  “Yes! She is here.” Her father said loudly, poking her sharply in the side. “Anna Maria, they are calling you.”

  Anna jerked to attention and got to her feet. A blush heated her face and she swore a silent litany at Evan as she went to the podium, though she knew her own weakness had tripped her up. “Mr. Chairman, Commissioners. My name is Anna Berzani.”

  Taking a steadying breath, Anna launched into a brief description of the project. By the third sentence she was calm again, focused on her presentation. Her voice was firm and clear as she made her case. She met the eyes of each of the commissioners, speaking to them directly. They wore various expressions of interest, boredom and, strangely, in the case of the lone woman on the panel, a scowl of irritation.

  “The project will foster neighboring business and add a number of benefits to our community. And so I ask for your approval on this plan,” Anna concluded. “Thank you for your time.”

  “Thank you, Ms. Berzani.” The chairman adjusted his microphone and turned to his colleagues. “Questions?”

  “I have several,” the scowling woman said, leaning forward into her microphone.

  Anna thought she saw the chairman roll his eyes. “All right, Ms. Shermer, you have the floor.”

  “First, I have a copy of my concerns for each commissioner.” The woman passed a stack of stapled papers down the table. The other commissioners, caught off guard, flipped through them with a rustle that echoed through the sound system. Then, eyes narrowed, the woman stared at Anna for a second.

  “Ms. Berzani, this property is zoned for marine and light manufacturing, and you have applied for a variance to change it to multiuse residential, retail and marine.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Anna agreed, uncertain where the question was leading.

  The woman smiled but there was no warmth in it. “Do you realize that this project is going to remove one of the last working boatyards in our city? If we approve your plans, a piece of our history is going to disappear, too.”

  Antonio snorted loudly. Anna glanced over and saw her parents exchanging an amused look. Evan did not look equally entertained: he was scowling.

  “The boatyard is not that old, Ms. Shermer. When my clients bought the property nearly thirty years ago, it was a derelict fish-canning plant, with equally dilapidated docks,” Anna explained. “I know we are proposing a large change, but my par—er, clients, believe it is in keeping with the trends and progress of the community. The area has become more and more gentrified, with the commensurate desire for services to provide for that new population. Plus, there is a demand for waterfront access that the yard doesn’t provide. Our project will answer both those needs.”

  “What about those people who lose their jobs when the yard closes?”

  From the corner of her eye, Anna caught sight of her father leaning over and whispering to Evan. He was not so amused now. “Any losses at the boatyard will be more than replaced by the new retail and restaurant.”

  “But at severely reduced wages, no doubt.” The woman pursed her lips. “Busboys don’t make the same as skilled boat builders.”

  “Hah!” Antonio exclaimed. “But we don’t get tips.”

  The chairman rapped his gavel.

  “We don’t build boats, anyway. We fix them,” Antonio announced. Elaine patted his
arm and shushed him.

  “Silence, please!” the chairman demanded. “Continue, Ms. Berzani.”

  “This is a family business and the employees are part of that family. My clients will ensure that all of them find jobs at other yards on the Chesapeake,” Anna said mildly. Inside she was starting to steam. “So we are actually adding jobs.”

  “Indeed.” Ms. Shermer slipped on a pair of half glasses and looked down at the paper in front of her. “Moving on. Ms. Berzani, how is your project going to affect the traffic patterns through this neighborhood?”

  “Bayshore is currently a commercial street and we don’t anticipate adding more traffic than the yard already has. The new residences should actually decrease congestion during the day.”

  “I find that hard to believe! A restaurant and several retail shops reducing congestion? As I recall—” she shuffled through some of the papers “—yes, Bayshore is the only arterial serving that area.”

  “We did a preliminary traffic study and—”

  “I saw it. But you can only extrapolate from that,” Commissioner Shermer said, looking at her over the tops of her half-glasses. “The fact is, you won’t actually know how much impact it has until after the damage is done.”

  Anna held on to her temper. Where was this attack coming from? That it was an attack, she had no doubt. Replacing an old boatyard and worn-out sheds with a well-designed building benefited nearly everyone in town. Besides, others had built much larger developments along this strip of water over the past five years with the commission’s blessing. A simple project like this did not warrant this intense grilling.

  Anna looked over at Evan. His grim expression didn’t help. The fact that he had a tight grip on her father’s arm didn’t bode well, either. Antonio’s narrow-eyed glower told her he was nearing explosion level. She rushed to the counterattack, hoping to forestall a scene.

  “The study showed that the road can handle an increase of two hundred cars with no improvements,” Anna said evenly. “The data on page thirteen clearly shows this.”

  “And what about the noise?” Ms. Shermer asked, her tone cold. “That restaurant will be open far later than a boatyard. And serving alcohol, no doubt. Families live in that neighborhood, Ms. Berzani.”

  “Who is this woman?” Antonio demanded. Evan pulled him back as the chairman used his gavel again and leveled a stern stare at the older man. Though he lowered his voice, Antonio’s whisper carried clearly. “She is the one making trouble. Not me!”

  Anna felt a throb of pain begin at one temple. Trying to ignore it—and her father—she continued, “We’ve discussed this with the liquor control board. No hard liquor will be served on-site, only beer and wine. And I can name several other full-service bars along the waterfront that thrive without late-night partying.”

  “Beer and boats have never been a good combination.” The woman shook her head and took off her glasses, tossing them on the table in front of her in a gesture of irritated disdain. “I don’t like this project one little bit, Ms. Berzani. There are too many unexplored repercussions that could spell disaster. And our waterfront has become too gentrified with too little thought about what it is doing to our maritime community. We simply cannot discard the past in blind pursuit of the future.”

  Her father growled something Anna couldn’t quite make out. She resolutely kept her eyes on the board members, hoping Evan would control Antonio.

  “I understand your concerns, Ms. Shermer,” Anna said, lying through her teeth. “However, we have studied the effects thoroughly—”

  “Really? I don’t see that exhibited here at all.” She waved a hand at the documents in front of her.

  Anna took a breath, anger rising in her throat. “We have applied for funding with the Small Community Development Fund. As I’m sure you are aware, this stage of the permits must be completed in ten days to qualify. We—”

  “Ah, so that explains your rush and this shoddy research,” Ms. Shermer said with a smirk. “You may have a deadline, Ms. Berzani, but I see no reason to disrupt the lives of several thousand people because of you and your clients’ greed.” The woman turned to the others sitting to either side of her. “What does the rest of the board think about all this? Mr. Chairman?”

  He cleared his throat. “Well, Miriam, you certainly raise some serious questions. Apparently I haven’t taken as close a look at this as I ought to have.”

  There was a general murmur of agreement from the other commissioners. Anna stared at Ms. Shermer and felt her temper begin to boil over. Why was the woman trying to crush the project?

  “This is crazy!” Anna began. “I have provided all the doc—”

  Before she could say more, Evan suddenly gripped her arm and pulled her back from the podium and the microphone.

  “Mr. Chairman, Commissioners, if I might beg your indulgence,” he said, raising the microphone to suit his height. “My name is Evan McKenzie and I am one of the applicants for this proposal. Unfortunately, we are short of time. Our goal is to bring more people and more business to the waterfront community. We need SCDF funding to do it. Is it possible to have the time to answer Ms. Shermer’s concerns and still make our deadline?”

  “Why should we accommodate—”

  “Please, sirs and ma’am,” Evan said overtop of Ms. Shermer. “Let us prove to you that the benefits of this project far outweigh the deficits. If you grant us another hearing in one week, I’m sure we can allay your concerns.”

  “That would mean a special session,” the chairman said slowly.

  “That is an unnecessary burden on this commission,” Ms. Shermer snapped.

  Another commissioner, an older gentleman who seemed to have doodled on a yellow pad throughout the discussion, suddenly spoke up. “I think this is a jim-dandy project. I talked to a few folks this week who would like that yard gone and something prettier in its place. I think we should honor the request.” He nodded at Anna and Evan.

  “What the heck. I’ll do it,” said a second man and a third shrugged his shoulders and agreed, as well.

  “Well, Ms. Shermer?” the chairman asked.

  With ill-concealed annoyance at being outvoted, she scowled. “Fine.”

  The chairman turned back to Anna and Evan. “One week, then. A special hearing at the same time, in this room. Until then, the matter is tabled. Ms. Shermer, do you have an extra copy of your objections for Mr. McKenzie and Ms. Berzani?”

  The older woman shoved one of the documents to the edge of the table in front of her. Anna walked over to pick it up, meeting Commissioner Shermer’s eyes for a moment and sharing mutual, silent hostility.

  “Thank you all,” Evan said, then stepped away from the podium.

  They resumed their seats and the next applicant came forward. Anna’s father grabbed her fingers in a bone-crushing squeeze. His dark eyes were still full of fire, but he gave her an approving nod before reaching for Evan’s hand and giving it the same treatment. Elaine leaned over, her eyes worried. Anna tried to smile reassuringly.

  Anna thumbed through Commissioner Shermer’s objections. They were mostly a detailed list of Grade A manure. But given only one week, they would be difficult to counter with solid evidence, reason and data. Evan reached over and took the document from her hands. His eyes narrowed as he read. After he had skimmed it, his gaze met hers. Anna shook her head, admitting that their project was doomed. Her hands clenched, fingers knotting together. Evan looked as discouraged as she felt. What would her parents do now?

  To her surprise, Evan reached out and put his hand over hers. His clasp was warm, offering solace—solace she wanted to take. Slowly, Anna relaxed and he insinuated his fingers around hers. Her anger toward him had faded. Instead, fury burned inside for Commissioner Shermer.

  The meeting continued while Anna’s attention wandered elsewhere. She had fought two battles tonight and lost both: Evan had regained a hold on her heart and Ms. Shermer had shot down her plans for her parents’ future. At the moment,
she could not decide which loss had done the most damage.

  THE MEETING DRONED ON through the next presentation. Those that followed Anna seemed to have better luck securing approval, but Evan hardly heard a word. He was still focused on their own loss. He knew exactly why Miriam Shermer had attacked Anna. It had nothing to do with Anna, the Berzanis or the waterfront community. It had everything to do with him and Miriam’s niece, his former girlfriend, Kippy Shermer. This was revenge, pure and simple.

  Kippy hadn’t wanted to break up, but she had been pleasant enough about it. He knew she had expected to lure him back. After his night with Anna—and the aftermath—Evan had been completely uninterested. Kippy had obviously decided to make sure he knew she didn’t like that. Anna was going to be furious when he told her. How he could fix the damage, Evan had no idea.

  Anna shifted slightly, her fingers sliding against his. Evan knew he should pull away, but he didn’t. He had impulsively linked them together to give comfort and now he was fighting the desire for something more. Sitting next to her had been torture, especially when he could feel her eyes on his skin. He wanted so much more than just her gaze to touch him.

  Her thumb brushed his and she leaned close to whisper in his ear. The warm wash of her breath sent a shiver through him. “Let’s get out of here before the next presentation.”

  Evan nodded, releasing her hand reluctantly. She turned to her father and he saw Antonio nod. Anna collected her briefcase. As soon as the commissioners cast their vote in favor of the petitioner, Anna rose to her feet. Evan followed suit, catching the victorious smirk on Miriam Shermer’s face. Before he turned up the aisle, he gave her a deliberate smile and wink. The brief flare of outrage on her face was worth whatever it had cost. They slipped out the door and Evan closed it carefully behind them.

  Antonio charged down the hall several paces, before turning. “That woman is a viper.” He shook his finger at them. “There is no other word for her.”

  “Now, Tonio, we mustn’t—”