Page 112 of Happily Ever After

Paige leaned back, letting the weight of everyone’s updates settle. So much had happened in one week, and then these sudden bursts of good news felt like sunlight through storm clouds. It made Paige feel almost dizzy.

She looked around the room at the women she’d invited into her life deliberately, the ones who’d become family in a way Paige hadn’t expected at this stage of her life. Something filled her, pride, maybe. Gratitude, for sure. A sense of responsibility.

She cleared her throat and all eyes turned to her. “Okay, I guess it’s my turn.”

Blaise grinned. “Finally.”

Paige smiled, but there was a seriousness underneath it. She clasped her hands loosely in her lap. “As you all know, I took the signatures to the Colony office this morning.”

Blaise leaned over and gave Gigi a quick explanation of what they’d done.

Maude nodded. “How did that go?”

Paige let out a small laugh. “Better than I expected, honestly. They were impressed.”

Althea sniffed. “They should be.”

“They said they’ve never had that many signatures gathered about any topic,” Paige continued. “They made copies immediately, logged them, and told me they’d be placed on the agenda for review. They pretty much said this will tip things in our favor.”

Cece clapped. “That’s great news.” A few others joined her in the applause.

“It is,” Paige agreed. “But that’s not all I did.”

The room settled down.

Paige took a breath. “After I left the office,” she said. “I went to see Darcy.”

Blaise’s eyebrows shot up. “You did what?”

“I went to her house,” Paige said calmly. “And knocked on her door. When she answered, I told her exactly how many signatures we collected.”

Maude’s mouth parted slightly. “Paige…”

“I wasn’t aggressive,” Paige said, anticipating the concern. “I wasn’t emotional. I just made it clear we weren’t backing down.”

Gigi watched her closely. “What did you say?”

“I told her that the Colony was reviewing the bylaws because of the petition. And then I told her that if she chose to push the issue further in the hopes of dismantling every club in this community, I would take her to court.”

Mouths opened and silence fell.

“I told her,” Paige went on, “that we were prepared to fight it legally. That I’d already spoken to counsel, which is Joe, of course. I said we wouldn’t be intimidated into backing down.”

Cece’s eyes gleamed. “Because we won’t be. Good for you.”

Blaise let out a low whistle. “That must have been satisfying.”

Paige shook her head slightly. “It wasn’t just satisfying. It needed to happen.” She paused, letting the moment breathe. Then her mouth curved into a little smile.

“What is it?” Maude asked. “You haven’t told us everything.”

“Well,” Paige said. “Something else happened about a half an hour before you all showed up.”

“Tell us,” Essie insisted.

Paige reached for her glass, took a small sip, and set it back down. “This afternoon, I got a call from a Realtor. She lives here in the Colony,” Paige said. “I know her casually from the fitness center. Anyway, she wanted to give me a heads-up.”

Cece’s posture changed. “About what?”