“Sure.” I smile. “We’ll have a lot more luck working together than we could alone.”
I’m not trying to be the boss of the block, but I’m also not afraid to take charge when needed. If my neighbors see me as a leader, I’m even more motivated to confront this head-on. I’ve built The Scoop into the shop that I wanted, based in a neighborhood that I love. It’s time to defend that and make sure that I still have the future I’ve always dreamed of, too.
If that means causing some collateral damage to Riley’s garage, that’s simply the way it must be. Like NotAnOgre told me, nice fighting isn’t exactly a thing.
After Leon and Grace take off, a knock at the window gets my attention. Kavya is standing outside with a cart of cardboard boxes, and I smile as I walk out to greet her with a “Hi!”
“You have your meeting with the other business already?”
“We did. The neighbors helped come up with some ideas, but we all decided to start with my proposition of sending a letter first.”
“Smart place to start.”
I turn my eyes from my friend to the load she’s pulling. “That doesn’t look like flowers.”
“It’s not. These are old prints from the basement of the community center. I’m relocating them to the craft building so Zooey and I can sort and look for any important local artists that the show might have missed.”
“Sounds fun, although time-consuming.”
“It is both. But speaking of our busy schedules, I came with an invitation. Zooey and I are hitting NiagaraCon on Saturday. Mainly for fun, but also to scope out any local comic artists. There’s not really pop art in the show yet. Care to join, if you aren’t too swamped organizing the rest of the block?”
My eyes light up. She and I haven’t been to our local comic con in a few years. “Amazing! Remember the year we went together and met all those side characters fromTrue Blood?”
“It really felt like some of them were vampires. We’ve arranged for Nicholas to cover the booth at the farmer’s market. Now all we need is my geekiest friend to join for the con.”
“That’s me!” I say with a grin. There’s so much to think about with The Scoop right now, but I remember what NotAnOgre said about needing a release, some way to exorcise my problems as I deal with this stressful challenge. A day at NiagaraCon with Kavya and Zooey could be the perfect, fun distraction.
After a moment’s thought, I nod. “Count me in. Sounds like the ideal way to spend a Saturday.”
If nothing else, away from Buffalo, I’ll be able to enjoy an afternoon without risk of running into Riley.
