37
Charlotte
The meeting room is packed when Aidan and I arrive at the Douglass County Offices.
I cling to Aidan’s hand as we weave through the gathered clusters of concerned citizens, local government employees, and representatives from other towns in the county. I recognize a few from Summerville, and when I make eye contact across the room with Mayor Harrington. She nods.
“Do you see them?” I ask Aidan, grateful to have a boyfriend who’s over six feet tall and can see over the crowd.
He points over to somewhere vaguely in the middle of a hoard of people, but I can’t see over his shoulder. “There. I see them.” He turns back to me. “Are there usually this many people at these meetings?”
“No. Mayor Harrington told me that not many people come. I hope this is a good sign,” I remark, and we shimmy our way past people to find Nicole, Xander, and Liam. “Hey guys,” I say to them.
“Howdy,” Nicole replies with a wave of her hand. “We saved you some seats.”
“Thank you.” I whirl around and study the people pouring in. “It’s gonna be standing room only in here.” We take our seats, and I take another look around. “All these people can’t be here for the library, can they?”
Aidan remarks, “Wait, are those firefighters?” He points a finger at a group of people dressed in formal firefighter uniforms. “Are we missing something?”
“It’s because the new budget cuts services from everything,” a man in front of us says, turning and talking without any introduction. “The Youngtown Fire Department will close if this get passed.” He gestures to his shirt, which says, “Fund the Fire Department” in big block letters.
“Public Works will be affected too,” the woman sitting a seat over from him swivels and turns to face us.
She has stormy blue eyes, and her wild curly brown hair is pulled back into tight ponytail.
I know her, but I can’t remember where or what her name is.
“There’s a water and sewer project that was slated to replace the major lines in Summerville this year, but with these budget cuts, the work will get canceled. ”
Xander’s face blanches and he grinds out, “I didn’t realize you still cared for Summerville. What are you doing here, Ivy?”
I blink and gawk at the now familiar woman. “Ivy? Ivy Sykes?”
She nods, ignoring Xander’s comment. “Yes, do I know you?”
I rest my hand on my chest. “Charlotte Ferguson. From high school! How have you been?”
“What are you doing here?” Xander asks again, more demanding this time and interrupting me. I glare at him.
She faces him with her lips pressed together in a pout. “My grandmother still owns property in Summerville. I’m here to represent her since the water and sewer projects affect her properties.”
He crosses his arms and his face hardens into a scowl. “Why couldn’t your grandmother come?”
“Because she’s sick and can’t travel. Believe me, I’d rather be home with her than here,” Ivy snaps and whirls around, pulling out her phone and ignoring him.
“Hi Charlotte, hi Nicole,” she calls over her shoulder, but the gesture is lacking warmth and feeling.
It’s like she’s saying it just to be polite. “It’s good to see you.”
Xander mumbles an apology, but he’s still frowning in confusion. He crosses his arms and scowls at the back of her head.
Nicole leans forward and taps Ivy in the shoulder. “Do you have my original 1989 CD?”
Ivy spins back around with a raised eyebrow. “No. I don’t. I don’t have any CDs. I listen to music on my phone, like normal people.” She turns forward and continues tapping away on her phone.
Liam lets out a huff and mutters something under his breath that sounds like “itch”.
Aidan leans over and whispers in my ear, “What happened there?”
I answer in a voice low enough for only him to hear, “Xander and Ivy were together for years, through high school and college. We all thought they were going to get married after graduation, but she moved away rather abruptly and broke up with him. She didn’t tell him or any of us why.
I think Xander still doesn’t know. He reached out a lot that first year, but she never responded.
” I scrunch my nose. “Actually, she ignored all of us. I didn’t even recognize her. ”
“And I don’t think she recognized you.” Aidan peers at me. “That explains a lot.” His eyes flit to somewhere behind me. “Dan’s here.”
I turn, and the older version of Aidan is standing in the doorway. Dan waves and points to a spot in the back of the crowded room. We both return the wave before turning toward the front of the room. “We should’ve saved a seat for him,” I remark.
Aidan lifts a shoulder. “I asked before we came here, and he said he was fine to stand in the back.” He pulls out his phone. “Mags is watching the live stream online,” he reports.
“Nice.” I let out a sigh. “I’m glad he’s here.”
A nervous smile spreads across his face. “Me too. I hope I won’t regret it.”
I loop my arm through his. “Regardless of what happens I’ll be here.” I squeeze his bicep. “Are you nervous?”
He sucks air through his teeth and grimaces. “Maybe, yes. Definitely nervous.” He pulls at his black tie. “Do I look nervous?”
“A little,” I say, and brush a piece of lint off his shoulder.
“You could’ve worn something a little more casual.
” I nod to his outfit of a cream-colored shirt and black slacks.
“I mean, you look very nice.” I admire his fine figure.
He blushes under my gaze. “But what if you start sweating in that thing?”
“Dan always told me to wear business casual at a minimum to events like these,” he replies with a grin.
“I don’t care what the others think. Only you.
” He presses his lips together. “And the Douglass County Council. Oh fuck, I shouldn’t have worn this shirt.
” He lifts an arm to examine his armpit, luckily the fabric is dry. For now.
I let go of his arm and grasp his hand, interlacing his fingers. “You’ll do great. How do you handle talking to a bunch of teenagers all day?”
“I’ve got my Mr. Talbot persona, remember.” But he grimaces. “Teenagers are different. They don’t have fully developed pre-frontal cortexes, and they care about different things. They judge you, but they’re easily distracted by shiny things. And I’m a funny teacher. Or so I’ve been told.”
I ponder his words for a few seconds. “What if you pretended that everyone here is a teenager? Kind of like the whole, imagine everyone naked tip? Except not as gross.”
“Teenagers are gross.” Aidan winces. “Great, now I’m imagining that people have sat here naked, and I’m grossed out that someone’s bare ass have touched this very chair.
” He turns to me with a grin. “That did distract me so thanks!” He flashes a smile that reaches his deep brown eyes, and my heart starts to beat faster as those amazing dimples pop.
I reflect on when I first met Aidan, all those months ago when he walked into my bookstore.
I remember the first time I looked into those eyes, how he quickly looked away from me and blushed with a slight version of the smile he’s giving me now.
I remember how he would come in, say very little, but that there was still some sort of warmth, or draw about him.
Like there was a tether linking the two of us.
It amazes me, seeing how close we’ve grown.
Part of me wonders if either of us would’ve taken that first step and said something other than “Hi, how are you?” if the library wasn’t under threat.
If it wasn’t for this committee and teaming up to write speeches, would either of us gathered the courage to say, “let’s go on a coffee date. ”?
A month ago, I was tired, busy, and feeling like I was swimming upriver through rapids. I’m still tired, busy, and swimming upriver. But Aidan is there alongside me in the water, holding my hand and encouraging me to keep pushing forward, keep swimming.
“What?” Aidan asks, his brows knitting. He rubs his free hand along his stubbled chin and picks his glasses off his face. “Is there something on my face?”
A soft chuckle rolls out of me. “Nothing, I just—I-I’m just happy.”
He sets his glasses back on his nose and hinges forward, pressing his lips to my forehead. “Me too.”
Three little words linger on the tip of my tongue.
I want to say them. Aidan has been so supportive.
He’s been a comforting presence throughout everything over the last month.
I am firmly in love with him. He’s kind.
He’s gentle. He’s intelligent. He takes care of me.
He makes me laugh. He makes me feel safe and appreciated.
It also doesn’t hurt that he’s hot and sexy.
It’s been so easy for me to fall in love with him.
I think, I hope there’s a strong possibility that he feels the same.
He’s certainly implied that he loves me.
From his commitment, to wanting to be near me all the time, to his constant tending to me.
He greets me every morning with a kiss and a steaming cup of tea.
My theory is he’s waiting for me to say it, because he’s nervous that I won’t say it back.
Nicole told me to grow a uterus and say it.
Ah fuck it.
I shift in my seat and bring my mouth close to his ear to whisper the words. Aidan adjusts himself so he can hear me better.
But the words die on my lips right as the meeting begins.
“Welcome to the Douglass County Council Meeting,” the chairperson remarks, banging her gavel and calling the meeting to order. She’s a plump, older woman with graying black hair and dark skin, dressed in a navy pantsuit.
I turn forward, gripping my knees. I’ll wait until after the meeting. Now is not the time to tell Aidan I love him.
The chairwoman continues with the introductions to the meeting, and a roll call of the council is conducted. The crowd sits in a hush, watching her every move.
“Before we go into the Open Comment section of this meeting, there is some news I would like to impart,” she says in a confident voice.
“Earlier this morning, I received a letter of resignation from the County Executive, Stephen Gott. Mr. Gott is currently under investigation for potential abuse of power for hiring a contractor without disclosing a conflict of interest.” She pulls out a piece of paper which I assume contains said resignation letter.
“His last act as County Executive is to request that the council reconsider his prior submitted budget, and instead pass a fiduciary resolution based on the prior fiscal year.”
I blink and turn to Aidan. His face mirrors mine in a look of happy shock. He swivels in his seat to glance back at his father, who only smiles and shrugs in response.
Stephen Gott resigned this morning.
What in the actual fuck is happening?