Page 95 of Happily Ever After

Paige sank back against her chair, one hand pressed to her mouth. “Two thousand, three hundred and eighty-three.” She looked at Graham. “That’s more than double what Joe said we should aim for.”

“In one day,” Graham said. He blinked.

She let out a shaky laugh, her emotions almost bringing her to tears. “I thought we’d be lucky to get a few hundred.”

“You got far more than that,” he said.

Paige looked down at the papers spread across the table, at the names, the signatures, the proof that Darcy was wrong. People had listened. People had cared. “I wasn’t sure we’d do it,” she admitted quietly.

Graham reached across the table and took her hand. “You underestimated people.”

“I guess I did.”

She squeezed his hand back, new emotions swelling in her chest. “Darcy thought she could scare us into silence.”

“You showed her,” he said.

She stood and paced once, then turned back to the table. “We’re not done. We still have to get the bylaws changed.”

“True,” Graham agreed. “But you’re off to a smashing start.”

Paige looked at the signatures again, feeling something she hadn’t felt in days. Relief. Not because the problem was solved, but because they weren’t powerless. Darcy had no idea what was coming.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

“For what?” Graham asked.

“For driving. For joking. For helping me do all of this.”

He smiled. “Anytime. Though I draw the line at late-night envelope heists becoming a regular thing.”

She laughed and leaned in to kiss him. “Deal.”

Paige gathered the papers carefully, stacking them neatly. Tomorrow, they’d take the next step. Tomorrow, Darcy would finally realize who she was dealing with.

But tonight, Paige let herself enjoy the power of the community and of the Queen Bees. To think this had all started out as a little book club.

Now they were a force to be reckoned with.

She couldn’t wait to text them the good news.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

The air was already warm, the kind of early-morning warmth that promised a long, bright day ahead. Blaise had a good feeling about things. Or maybe she was just happy to have the work of canvassing behind her.

She walked with Beau on her left, the leash loose in her hand, while Brick kept pace on her right. Beau’s nose worked overtime, weaving along the edge of the path as if the Colony had become a brand-new place overnight and he needed to sniff everything.

Brick glanced down at him. “You’d think he’s never been here before.”

“He gets his money’s worth out of every walk,” Blaise said. “I’ll give him that.”

They walked in silence for a bit, the sound of their footsteps soft against the pavement. Golf carts hummed in the distance as other early risers headed off to wherever they had to be at this hour. Tennis? Pickleball? The fitness center? Hard to say but this was an active community.

She liked that. She also liked that yesterday’s activity hadn’t left her with any new aches or pains this morning. She was a little tired but in a satisfying way.

Nothing wrong with that. She was about to say something to Brick when her phone vibrated.

She stopped walking automatically, Beau pausing, too, ears shifting in curiosity.