“Speaking of staff…” I switched my now-empty plate with my laptop so I could get back to typing easily, “as I understand it, we’ll need a board of directors?—”
“I’ve got that covered,” my mom interrupted.
“Uh, what do you mean, you’ve got that covered?”
“I had lunch with several of the ladies I’ve volunteered with for years. People are excited about this. I’ve got six solid commitments plus two maybes for the board.”
I frowned, my gut tightening. “I hope you didn’t promise them anything, because I have friends here in town who are interested.”
“These women are experienced in nonprofits and running large events and big-city foundations, Magnolia. They’re the best.”
There was a thread of steel in her words, as if this was nonnegotiable and a done deal. For our joint project, of which, last time I’d looked, the original idea was mine, and the decisions were supposed to be agreed upon by both of us. I was all about working together, but to have her swoop in and take control of something we hadn’t agreed on?
“Hold up,” I said. “You can’t just form a board of directors without my input.”
“I didn’t set out to do that, but these women will be stellar. We couldn’t do better.”
I thought of Chloe, Presley, and Rowan. “Don’t be so sure. I’ve got three powerhouse friends who are interested.”
“I don’t think we want our board to get too big,” she said. “We might not need them.”
“It’s not a matter of needing them. It’s a matter of creating a diverse, effective board. Together. If we’re going to work together, I need to be included in decisions.”
“We need to be willing to split the workload, Magnolia. I might not know as much about operations, but I’ve been volunteering for many years. If there’s one thing I know, it’s women who’ve been involved in large, important nonprofits.”
“And I’m sure their input is valuable, but the women I’d like to present for the board are experts in business and in caretaking.”
“Well, I’m sure they’d be good, but I’ve got it handled. These women are committed.”
“You’re going to have to uncommit them until we can make the decisions together, Mother.”
“How am I supposed to do that? They volunteered, Magnolia. When someone offers to help, I know to get them locked in. This is good. It’s one thing we can check off our list. You should be happy for one less thing.”
“This is a critical thing,” I said. “A board of directors isn’t just about who volunteers. It’ll determine the direction this entire organization will take. I want our board carefully curated. It’s possibly the biggest decision we face.”
“But it doesn’t have to be a difficult one,” she insisted. “The people I promised positions are good, solid folks.”
“But you can’t promise them positions,” I said through clenched teeth. “Do you see how you basically just walked all over me by doing that?”
“I was embracing opportunity, Magnolia. What did you want me to say? No?”
“You’re going to have to call them and walk back your promise.”
She shook her head. “I can’t do that.”
“Well, I can’t work with someone who takes action behind my back. You and I agreed, Mother. We’re equals in this endeavor. We agree on everything, or it doesn’t happen.”
“And I fully intend to honor that, but I can’t go to these women and take it all back.”
“You’ll have to find a way. If you can’t, we’ll split the money from Lansford, and you can do what you want with your half.”
“There’s no need to threaten that,” she said. “Let’s not let emotions ruin this.”
“I might be emotional, but that’s not what this is about. This is about working together, about you not going behind my back and making big decisions for me. I’ve had enough of people disregarding me and making decisions for me for a lifetime. If we’re in this together, we’re making the decisions together, or I’m out.”
I didn’t want to fight with her. I wasn’t a fan of confrontation. But I wasn’t going to quietly accept someone taking away my autonomy over my life, my business, or this endeavor.
My mother gazed out the window, her jaw visibly tight. My heart pounded as I waited for her response, because I meant what I said. If she didn’t relent, I would walk.
