“With what?” I asked automatically.
He smiled at me. “Everything.”
Lydia reached for a pen. “I think we should start by deciding the order of performances.”
“We don’t know who is performing yet or what their performance will be about,” I pointed out.
Marjorie waved a hand. “Oh, people will sign up. They always do.”
“That’s not a plan,” I said, and then immediately winced at my own tone.
Marjorie blinked, then smiled indulgently. “You must be the practical one.”
Lydia laughed. “She is.”
The words hit harder than I expected.
I took a breath and forced myself to look back down at the papers instead of inward, where panic was beginning to curl and stretch. This was not theoretical. Flyers were already out. The town was expecting something. I could not quietly opt out without making it worse.
“Okay,” I said slowly. “Let’s back up.”
Marjorie paused, pen hovering. Mr. Hemsley leaned forward slightly, alert for the first time since we arrived.
“We need to know what’s already been decided,” I continued. “And what hasn’t.”
Marjorie looked relieved. “Of course.”
She flipped through her binder, listing things off quickly. The stage was reserved and permits pending for the show. We had volunteers but they needed direction on what to do. The budget was unclear.
“Unclear how?” I massaged my temple.
“Well,” she said delicately, “we don’t yet know how much money we have.”
My stomach dipped. “Where is the money?”
Mr. Hemsley raised a finger. “I had it.”
Lydia leaned forward. “Had it?”
He frowned thoughtfully. “Or perhaps I moved it.”
I closed my eyes for half a second and then reopened them.
“All right,” I said. “We’re not approving anything until we know what resources we actually have.”
Marjorie nodded quickly. “That makes sense.”
Lydia blinked. “It does?”
“Yes,” I said. “It does.”
Something shifted then. Not dramatically. Just enough that the room felt a little quieter, a little more focused.
I pulled a notepad toward me and began writing headings of the things we needed to know. I wrote carefully, deliberately, even though my hand shook slightly.
“We need deadlines,” I said. “And responsibilities.”
Marjorie leaned in eagerly. “I can coordinate volunteers.”
