“Nah,” Sadie said. “I got it.”
“Are you drunk?” Garrett asked when we walked in.
Hunter scowled at me. Meg scowled at Hunter.
“We were sampling Art’s moonshine,” I said. “It was work related.”
Sadie pulled the bottle out of her purse, along with the cheese twists, and passed them around.
“See, this is why we need Sadie back,” Ida insisted. “She’s good people.”
Meg pressed two fingers to the bridge of her nose. “Why are we doing this at seven p.m.?”
“It’s an emergency meeting,” Ida said. “Barbara is going on a trip to southern France.”
“I have several men I see there,” the stately older woman said, not cracking a smile. “We want to resolve this issue before I have my hands—and other things—full.”
“We appreciate the expediency,” I said smoothly.
“My organization is prepared to put our support behind the new Rural Trust and ThinkX location as long as Sadie is in charge of the Rural Trust,” Ida said.
“What organization?” Meg asked, exasperated. “The bridge club?”
“The Girls of Harrogate is now a registered nonprofit,” Barbara said. “I’m setting up an endowment for them.”
“We’re organized,” Ida announced proudly.
“God help me,” Meg muttered.
Sadie helpfully slid the bottle across the table to her.
“See, this is why I have to stay here,” Sadie whispered to me. “In Manhattan, I doubt anyone drinks hard liquor at official meetings.”
“You’re not just going to run roughshod through the city,” Meghan warned me. “You still have to go through the permit process and city approval for your building.”
“Understood. Thank you very much,” I said, shaking her hand.
“We should all go celebrate!” Sadie exclaimed. “What do you say, Meg, double date? You, me, Hunter, and Parker? The Svenssons aren’t that bad. You could give Hunter another chance.”
I held my breath. Could this really be happening? We now had a goat, which I had never thought was possible. Could Sadie bring Meg and Hunter back together too?
“Can’t,” Meg said, checking her phone. “I have a date tonight that I’m late for.”
* * *
Hunter seemedhell-bent on drinking the rest of the moonshine.
“Take that away from him,” Garrett said in disapproval. “He’s going to get an ulcer.”
I tried to snatch the bottle from my older brother, but he dodged my hand.
“I’ll take him home,” Garrett said. “Additionally, Sadie, since there was an official police report filed about the money your father stole and the loans and credit cards he took out in your name, I’ve negotiated on your behalf with your creditors. The debt should be removed from your credit report in fourteen business days.”
“Oh my goodness!” She started crying.
“That was uncharacteristically nice of you, Garrett,” I said.
“I started the process when I thought we were going to have to ship you off to Rhode Island. It was going to be the carrot to convince Sadie to come run that dumpster fire of a nonprofit.”
