Page 52 of Happily Ever After

“Call me Jerry,” he said. “Have a seat.”

“Thank you.” She settled into the chair across from his desk, crossing her ankles neatly to one side. The room smelled faintly of coffee and aftershave, the walls lined with framed notices and a large map of the Colony in full color behind glass. It showed every homesite, all of the amenities locations, and the beach.

Jerry took his seat and folded his hands. “I understand you have some concerns about a recent topic of discussion.”

“I do,” Paige said evenly. “And I want to be clear, I’m not here to cause trouble. I’m here because something’s been floated that could affect a lot of people, and I want to understand what’s actually in the rules.”

Jerry nodded once. “Fair enough.”

“There’s been talk,” Paige continued. “That private clubs that meet regularly and aren’t open to all residents are prohibited. The woman who brought this up, for reasons unknown to me, seems determined to destroy what my friends and I have started.”

“Which is?”

“Specifically, our little book club. I’ve heard that she framed this as a bylaws issue, and I’d like to know whether that’s accurate.” She kept her hands folded loosely in her lap, her back straight, and her smile constant. She didn’t want to give him a single reason to dislike her.

Jerry didn’t answer right away. He leaned back slightly, fingers steepled, eyes on the legal pad in front of him instead of on Paige.

“That language,” he said finally. “Is where things get…complicated.”

That didn’t sound good, but Paige kept her expression neutral, doing her best to convey innocent curiosity. “How so?”

“In principle,” Jerry said, gesturing with his hands. “The bylaws were intended to apply to Colony-sponsored activities. Events funded by the association. Things that were official programming.”

“In principle,” Paige repeated, more to herself. “I can see where those things certainly shouldn’t be restricted to any resident.”

Jerry nodded, a bit of weariness in his eyes. “The problem is, the wording doesn’t actually say that as clearly as it should.”

Something switched on inside Paige immediately. Not panic. Well, maybe a little panic. But also a keen sense of awareness. This definitely wasn’t good.

“So, you’re saying it doesn’t specify sponsored versus private,” she said. “But it means sponsored?”

“Correct,” Jerry admitted. “It refers to ‘organized groups that meet on a recurring basis and limit participation.’ That language hasn’t ever been challenged, so it’s never been clarified. I suppose it should have been.”

Paige took a moment to absorb that. “But historically⁠—”

“Historically, we’ve interpreted it narrowly,” Jerry said. “We’ve never applied it to informal resident groups. Book clubs, walking groups, poker nights. That quilting circle. The scrapbooking thing. Those types of groups have existed here for years.”

“Because no one made an issue of it,” Paige said. Until Darcy. Leave it to her to find a loophole.

Jerry met her gaze then. “That’s right. We’ve generally had a pretty easygoing bunch of residents here.”

Paige tried not to let the new knot of anger in her stomach get the best of her. “So if someone were to push it?”

Jerry exhaled. “Then we’d be in a gray area. It wouldn’t be an automatic shutdown, but it would likely trigger a review. Probably a board discussion. Maybe even legal counsel, depending on how far it went.”

Paige nodded slowly. “Which means this could turn into a real…fight.” She hadn’t wanted to use that word, but how else could she describe it?

Jerry’s mouth tightened. “Maybe. It’s just not a settled matter,” he said carefully. “And I wouldn’t want anyone claiming it is.”

Silence fell between them, heavy but professional.

“I’m not asking for special treatment,” Paige said. “I just need to know whether this is something that can actually be used as leverage.”

Jerry didn’t hesitate this time. “It can be used to raise questions,” he said. “Whether it ultimately turns into more than that is another matter.”

Paige didn’t want to take up too much of his time and have him think her a nuisance. She stood, smoothing her hands over her jeans. “Thank you for being honest with me and giving me that information.”

“That’s my job,” Jerry said, also getting to his feet. “And for what it’s worth, this would not be resolved quickly. These things rarely are. It might end up that all clubs and groups would have to either change their rules or cease gathering until the issue was decided.”