Page 15 of 10 Rings I Hate About You
My jaw tightened as my brain—again deeply unhelpful—supplied several detailed, unwanted images of hypothetical men smiling at her. Asking her out. Sitting across from her at Penny’s bakery. Making her laugh that real laugh instead of the fake polite one.
My hands curled into fists on my thigh.
Josh cleared his throat. “For someone who doesn’t care, you seem to be having a strong visceral reaction to her potential dating life.”
“I’m not,” I answered, my voice clipped.
Everly cleared her throat, pulling my attention back. “I’m going to pass on the singles event for now, Joel. Not because it’s a bad idea, but because our meetups are new, I want them to be inclusive to everyone.”
Josh smirked. “Saved by the mayor. That was close.”
I ignored him and forced my hands to unclench.
“Any other ideas?” Everly asked, scanning the room.
Nora, the waitress at Matt’s Diner, raised her hand tentatively. “What about a ‘Community Fix-It Cafè?’ I know there are times that I have something small that breaks, and I’d love to know how to fix it instead of buying a new one.”
My shoulders lowered instantly. This was better. Neutral territory.
Defined problems. Clear solutions. Practical applications.
I spoke before I could stop myself, the words coming out in a rush. “There could be stations. Electrical tools separated from mechanical. A sign-in sheet to track what comes in. Volunteers assigned to specific skill areas.”
Delaney glanced back at me, surprise evident in the slight widening of her eyes and the parting of her lips. I didn’t usually speak up at these things. She knew that.
I shifted my gaze and focused on the podium.
“I love that idea,” Gladys agreed enthusiastically from the front row.
“That doesn’t sound like it would need a weekly meeting though,” Kevin said, sounding smug. Probably because he didn’t want to be the only one that had an idea shot down. Little prick.
“What about a ‘Community Skill Share Night?’” Penny suggested, her voice carrying over the crowd. “And maybe once a month, pair it with ‘Fix-It Night’. I could teach baking one night, and I’m sure there are plenty of skills our community members could share. We could put a sign-up sheet in the Mercantile and start next month. It’ll give people time to prepare.”
A low murmur of approval moved through the room, heads nodding.
“That actually sounds useful,” Josh muttered beside me. “Which means someone’s about to ruin it.”
“Perfect,” Everly said quickly, seizing the moment before chaos could regroup. “Do I have a second for voting yes on the Community Skill Share Night?” Everly asked.
Nora’s hand shot up. So did Adele’s. Penny’s obviously. Grace leaned forward and raised hers with enthusiasm.
“Wonderful. All in favor.” Everly quickly counted. “Any opposed?”
Jude half-raised his hand, then lowered it when his granddaughter elbowed him hard.
“The yesses have it,” Everly announced. “I’ll put a sign-up sheet in the Mercantile tomorrow. Moving on.”
Thank God. A decision made. Clean. Contained. Easy. The kind of simple solution that should happen more often but rarely did.
“Next, I’d like to remind everyone that the annual spring Bachelor Auction is in two weeks. The money raised will be split this year. Half of the money will go toward our community programming and the other half to our animal shelter.”
A few people asked questions like what time it started and where it was going to be. I tuned them out.
“I’d like to call up Theo Patterson,” Everly continued, gesturing toward the side of the room. “He wants to talk about areas the shelter could use a little help.”
A smattering of applause followed, which made no sense. This wasn’t a performance. But people clapped anyway, the sound overlapping and uneven.
Theo stepped up to the podium, calm and steady. “Thanks for hearing me out tonight. As most of you know, the shelter runs on donations. Staff hasn’t had a raise in years, and we took in more animals than usual this winter.”
