“Good. It’ll give me time to come up with the lecture.”
“Good. It’ll give me time to drink more wine.”
“I feel very lost.” I raise my brows at them.
“I’ll explain later. Let’s just say, Joss has a history with a certain quarterback.”
“A history? I see…” I’d gathered as much yesterday but I didn’t want to assume.
“What she’s trying to say is—”
“Joss, focus. This girl’s only got a couple of days and you’d need it all just to describe how the two of you ended up in that situation.”
“Fine. Where were we… Oh yes. Funding. We’re gonna need to get a 501(c)3 together and I’ll have to talk to your director. Think she could round up some of the other directors from the other museums? Getting the funding to support everyone’s jobs will take a little longer. Maybe we can find them interim work or at least workspaces where they could get some things done.”
“Yes, I think she can do that.”
“All right. Get her on the phone for me, will you? I’ll see what I can do.”
“Okay.”
Everything moves so quickly that within the hour, we have a decently well shaped plan for how we’re going to save the museum and its staff without needing the votes. By the time Scarlett heads home, and Joss, Violet, and I retire to our rooms I feel like some of the stress is subsiding.
* * *
When I’min bed that night though, I can’t help but feel like I still need to do more. The plan will hopefully get us the money, make it possible to save the museum regardless of how things fall, but it can’t stop Drew from enacting a revenge plan, with or without his father’s help. He could put something in the news, claim to have insider information through me, and it could do real damage to the institution’s reputation regardless.
The only thing that would truly neutralize it, is if I leave the institution. The thought rolls through my mind like a lead weight. I know it’s what I need to do, but leaving it behind makes me sick, especially with no plan to go forward. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling for an hour before I sit up, blinking as I look at the time. It’s super late, but I need air. A glass of water. Maybe a quick pace out on the deck before I can fall asleep again.
I slink out to the kitchen, at least reassured that Alex isn’t here so I won’t end up on top of a counter. When I get to the fridge though, the light’s already on and I see Joss sitting at the counter.
“Great minds think alike, apparently,” she says when she sees me, smiling as I grab a glass from the cupboard.
“Why are you awake?” I ask.
“Past mistakes.”
“That makes two of us then,” I say glancing up at her as I pour a glass of lemonade, opting for something sweet.
“Are yours six foot four with blue eyes too?”
“Not quite. I really feel like I need the back story on that.”
“Ugh. Sometime soon, just probably not in the middle of the night. Violet’s right. It’s a long one.”
“I see.”
“Or rather, I guess it’s not that long. It could be shorter, summarized by the fact that I didn’t appreciate what I had when I had it.”
“Ah. Yeah, well I’m a little familiar with regrets and decisions one wishes they could take back.”
“I got that yesterday, looking at your ex and Alex. Even the way they look at you, it’s obvious which one really loves you.”
“And which one is that?”
“You don’t need to ask that. You know, but for the sake of the argument—the one who snuck off mid-party to fuck you.”
I sputter a laugh out, trying not to choke on the lemonade.
