My phone buzzes. A text from Darius.
Emergency meeting tomorrow morning. 8am. Don't be late.
I show Lacy.
"Go," she says. "Find out what we're dealing with."
"What about you?"
"I'll call the grant committee. See if I can get ahead of this." She kisses me once more, slow and deep. Heavy with promise and fear and stubborn hope. "We're not letting them win."
"No." I kiss her back. "We're not."
But as I leave her apartment an hour later, dressed in my own clothes with the stupid suit balled up in my arms, I can't shake the feeling that winning might require sacrifices neither of us is ready to make.
8
LACY
The email arrives at six in the morning, three lines of bureaucratic courtesy that might as well be a summons.
Ms. Ellis, your presence is requested at the City Council hearing regarding Cultural Exchange Program Review. Wednesday, 2pm. Your testimony as a program beneficiary would be valuable.
Valuable. Like I'm evidence in a trial instead of a person trying to keep her business alive.
I forward it to Tess before my coffee finishes brewing.
Her response is immediate.Don't panic. We prep today.
Too late for the first part.
The apartment feels too quiet without Stone. He left hours ago for his meeting with Darius, and the space still smells like him. Woodsmoke and something earthy I can't name. My sheets are a disaster. My body aches in places that make me flush thinking about last night.
Worth it. All of it.
Even if the city's about to use us as ammunition.
I shower, dress in clothes that feel like armor. Gray slacks, white blouse, cardigan that says "responsible small businessowner who makes sensible choices." The kind of outfit Evan would approve of.
The thought makes me want to burn it.
My phone dings. Stone.
Meeting ran long. Blair's pushing hard. Call you after?
Yes. Be careful.
Always.
The lie is sweet enough that I almost believe it.
The bookstore opens at nine.I'm there by eight, sorting inventory that doesn't need sorting, rearranging displays that were fine yesterday. Nervous energy with nowhere useful to go.
Tess arrives with pastries and a manila folder thick enough to be threatening.
"Okay." She drops everything on the table. "Let's talk strategy."
"There's strategy for being publicly examined about who I'm sleeping with?"
