Tormented

There was a pause, then Ben said, “If you’re in the city, I can easily meet for lunch...I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

As Ben hung up, a Porsche Panamera pulled up.

“What happened to Wong?” she asked when he opened the car door for her.

“I gave him the rest of the day off,” Ben answered.

Bataar greeted her as she entered the car and settled onto the buttery leather seat, which she could have enjoyed much better without the chastity belt.

“Maybelle’s,” Ben told Bataar after sitting down next to her.

She started. “We’re going for soul food?”

“It’s Uncle Gordon’s favorite place in the city.”

“Really?”

Maybelle’s was located on the edge of the Potrero Hill and Bayview districts. The eatery served a mean sweet potato pie, in addition to succulent ribs and perfectly fried chicken.

“He knows the owner somehow.”

“So the meeting didn’t go so well?” she ventured.

He glanced at her in surprise. “What do you mean?’

“Your meeting with Dawson. You didn’t look too happy about it.”

“I didn’t?”

“You didn’t, even though you told your uncle it went ‘fine.’”

“I didn’t want to get into it over the phone.”

“What went wrong?”

“He made a request I can’t fulfill.”

“What kind of request?”

“It’s expected that a major development like ours must include a certain amount of community space. Dawson Chang wants a childcare center. That’s going to take up too much square footage, and the use doesn’t fit the property. He knows that.”

“Dawson’s a smart guy. Why would he do that?”

Ben looked at her carefully before answering, “I don’t think he expects to get it. It’s just the starting point for negotiation, but I think it’s an unreasonable ask to begin with. I think he thinks he can push it because Uncle Gordon is running for mayor.”

“Do you know where he wants to end up?”

“He probably wants me to buy him out. Instead of building the childcare center at the waterfront property, we’d be money ahead offering to build it somewhere else.”

“Why can’t a childcare center be profitable for you? There’s great demand for childcare.”

“It’s not more profitable than condos.”

“Do more condos serve a greater good?”

“We’re taking a poorly utilized property, increasing its value and contributing to the local economy.”

“Would it really hurt the value of the development to have a childcare center? I bet you would make out comfortably either way.”