“Of course, I’m just waiting for the right time to pull it out.”
She held her hand palm up.“Let’s have it.”
With some hesitation, I pulled the clipboard with the thousands of signatures I’d already collected from my bag.
Nora took it from me, standing, and spoke over the sounds around us.“Excuse me”—she extended the clipboard over her head—“you all know why Alicia’s here, right?”
Most everyone nodded.
“Good.”She scanned the room, looking like a war commander about to rally the troops for battle.“Ladies, we’ve got some wrongs to right.”
Havin’.A.Bitch’s.Back.
By the time I left Ginny’s, I had a few more signatures.But more importantly a few more people committed to my cause.And hope, a little more fucking hope.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Remi
Benji’swaspacked,butmellow.It was more of a gathering of people who were just bored of being inside this late in the winter, but they were bored together.Brooks, Hazel, and I sat at a table waiting for Nora and Alicia to join us after euchre club.
Hazel and I had talked about the night of the party where she couldn’t even pretend to be polite to Alicia, and how I did not fucking like that.I understood Hazel feeling protective, I had felt the same way when her boyfriend had blindsided her with a breakup a couple of months ago.When Hazel had gotten back together with Elijah, I’d been skeptical, and I wouldn’t have described myself as warm toward him.But I wasn’t an asshole.
Obviously, I wanted my friend, and boss, to be decent to ...whatever Alicia and I were to each other—we were avoiding conversations about relationship labels and the future.The stress of it was not making me better at being patient with Hazel’s attitude.
The conversation had goneokay.
I kept the details of me and Alicia vague, which was easy to do since they were vague.
“It’s not your job to decide who deserves to be around me and what can or cannot be forgiven,” I pointed out.
“That’s not what I’m doing?”Hazel replied.
“Then what are you doing?”
“I don’t have to like her.”
“Of course not, but that’s not what I’m asking of you.”
She sighed and nodded.
She had apologized, but I was still skeptical of her sincerity.
Which I would tolerate as long as she wasn’t mean.
I was also a bit on edge because it would be the first time Alicia and I were hanging out in public, and I wasn’t sure how we could act.Being alone with her, touching her, it would be really hard to pretend that I hadn’t relearned the paths of her body.
Then she walked through the door, and I knew without a doubt I wouldn’t be able to.Her clothes were appropriate for a casual hangout with the grandmas of the area—loose sweater that ended just above her hips, and wide legged jeans.But the hints of her body underneath was enough to drive me crazy.Her hair was in a high ponytail—all girl next door and sporty.
She scanned the room until her eyes met mine.My heart almost beat out of my chest at the triumphant smile that filled her face.I shifted in my seat, placing my elbows on the table, my own smile absolutely conquering my face.
“Yeah?”I asked as soon as she was in hearing distance.
She nodded.“I got ’em!”
“You did?!”A shiver ran through my entire body, a mixture of joy, and pride, and love for this woman who wanted nothing more than to make the world a better place.
“I did,” she practically squealed.
