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one of Shakespeare’s plays.”
    She was right. Ashland has often been called the Disneyland for theater lovers.
    Murmurs spread through the stuffy room.
    â€œOur town has gone through a rough stretch,” Rosalind continued. “Many of you in this very room have lost businesses or struggled to make ends meet. We’ve rallied around each other and supported each other through the tough times. As the economy continues to rebound, this is a time of great opportunity for our town.” She paused for effect. “I know you all care as deeply for our downtown community as I do, and that’s why I’ve called you here tonight. We need to preserve Ashland’s charm. We cannot let businesses like ShakesBurgers come in and destroy what we’ve worked so hard for.”
    â€œDestroy?” Mindy got to her feet. “Are you kidding me? How has ShakesBurgers destroyed anything?” She turned her back on Rosalind and addressed the crowd. “I’ve modernized the building and given it a much-needed face-lift. That old, crumbling façade was going to come crashing down and kill a pedestrian.”
    Alan who was still standing, shouted, “That was façade was historic! You destroyed a piece of history, man. A piece of history.”
    Mindy studied her nails. She rolled her eyes. “About as historic as your idea of a restaurant. Maybe you should have spent more time on your wacky menu. You’re complaining about burgers and shakes. Should we talk about cotton candy? How authentic was that? And if you want to get into it here, let’s talk about how many health codes you were violating. This town should be grateful that ShakesBurgers has cleaned up that eyesore inside and out.”
    Alan lunged forward.
    â€œThis is taking an ugly turn,” I said to Lance.
    â€œI know, isn’t it divine?” He grinned and took another sip from his flask. He noticed my frown. “Kidding, of course. You know I’m on Alan’s side.”
    Rosalind tapped on the mic, trying to gain control of the room. “Alan, I know you’re angry, but please take your seat. I’m going to open the meeting to questions and comments from business owners in a minute.”
    â€œToo bad he doesn’t own a business downtown anymore,” Mindy said, staring Alan down.
    The guy sitting next to Alan put his arm around his shoulder, trying to hold him back. Alan yanked him away. “You’re going to regret what you’ve done,” he said to Mindy. I’d never seen Alan so aggressive. He was usually one of the most laid-back people in town.
    Rosalind motioned to the side of the stage. A teenager brought her a clipboard and a stack of pens. “I’ve made a formal petition and I’m asking for all of your signatures tonight. We need to protect our town and businesses from developers like Mindy who don’t understand—or don’t care—about preserving our Shakespearean old-world charm.”
    Mindy shook her head. “What? Protection from a multimillion-dollar chain that is going to bring much-needed revenue to a disorganized and outdated downtown. Is this a joke?”
    Rosalind ignored her. She held up the clipboard. “This petition will tighten and redefine the specific guidelines for businesses in the downtown plaza. As most of you already know, Ashland has an established set of regulations when it comes to businesses. These include design esthetics and shop names that keep in the spirit of Shakespeare. I’ve pulled some examples of other towns that have created similar rules for businesses in a particular corridor. One example is our neighbor to the north—Leavenworth, Washington. The town banded together in the 1970s and transformed from an old run-down mill town into a Bavarian village. They have very clear rules about what storefronts can look like. We need to make sure that our design standards reflect this same level of