Page 60 of The Neighborly Thing To Do
“Are you coming to the meeting?” I ask.
“There’s an important vote today,” Mrs. Delaney says, nodding her head. “And I will not be letting them do anything to hurt my daughter-in-law.”
Daughter-in-law.I intellectually knew it was the right word, but it’s so weird to hear her say it. She’s so calm, so accepting about everything that’s gone down.
I’m a little choked up again. I swallow so I can tell her, “Thank you, Mrs. Delaney.”
She clucks her tongue. “You’re family now, dear. You and Georgia both. So it’s Sarah. And that’s Pat. And we’re so happy to have you.”
“We need to get moving,” Finn warns. “We’ll meet you there?”
Pat waves us off. “Don’t let us stop you,” he says. The man really does look like his son, just with hair gone gray. It’s like looking at Finn in thirty years.
I want that. I want thirty years—more—with Finn. I want to tease him as his hair turns gray and watch what he creates. I want to fight about who’s doing the chores and fly together. I want it all.
And it starts right now. Tonight. Once this is all behind us, then we can start for real.
Finn beats his wings again, taking off. There are no detours today, no taking the long way to see the sights. We arrive at the school within minutes, and Finn sets me on my feet, taking my face in his hands.
“You got this,” he says carefully. “Don’t let anyone in there, not Saunders or Davies or anyone else, make you feel like you don’t belong.”
I nod, hard to do while he’s holding my face. “Stay with me,” I ask, acutely aware of his parents landing behind us.
His thumb rubs my cheekbone. “Not going anywhere,” he promises, and then he drops my face so he can take my hand.
I square my shoulders. This is it.
The cafeteria holds everyone who wants to attend if we all accept that most people have to stand. The place is crowded tonight, more crowded than the typical town meeting. Is that a good sign or a bad sign, I wonder?
Finn drops my hand so he can put a hand on the small of my back, steering me toward the front of the group. Mayor Davies is already settled at the little podium someone drags in every time we do this, and Hugh is sitting in one of the few chairs in the front.
“Alright young man, give a seat to the lady,” Pat says, deep voice a rumble as he looms over Hugh.
Hugh’s mouth falls open. “What?”
“I’m elderly,” Sarah says sharply. “You should give up chairs to the elderly. Or didn’t your parents teach you any manners?”
Finn rolls his eyes, but I snort. Yes, Sarah and Pat are older. And yes, Hugh should absolutely be giving her that chair. But the fact that she’s weaponizing it against him—well. If I wasn’t already sure that I liked my mother-in-law, this would have cemented it.
“Alright, I think it’s about that time. Should we get started?” Mayor Davies calls, and the voices die out.
I’m not the first thing on the docket, and I don’t know if I should be offended by that or not. We have to shout out everyone who participated in last night’s event, then discuss the upcoming school dance and its budget, and then vote on spending town money on re-doing the brickwork of some of the old buildings in town. I’m practically vibrating with nerves, and only Finn’s hand on my back, warm and steady through my shirt, keeps me from losing my mind.
At long last, the mayor turns his eyes to me. “And our last order of business is the house at 32 Maple Drive, currently occupied by Cassidy Delaney.”
Sarah gives me a raised eyebrow look. “I think her name is still Prylor until she tells you otherwise,” she calls. “And as far as I know, she owns it, not occupies it.” Pat puts his hand on the back of her chair, and if gargoyles could set fire with their eyes, the mayor would be dead all over again.
Mayor Davies starts, surprised to be interrupted. “Alright, Sarah. Add it to the notes, please,” he says to the harpy taking minutes. “Cassidy Prylor, then. And her husband, Finn Delaney.”
“And Georgia Wright,” Finn interjects, deep voice making heads turn. “She still lives there legally.” His thumb presses a little harder into the small of my back, stroking up and down. I take a steadying breath. He’s here. He and his family are here for me, and I’m not doing this alone.
“And Georgia,” he agrees, bobbing his head while he looks around. “However, Georgia is primarily living out of state at college right now.”
“Still her house,” I say, feeling brave now.
“Mr. Hugh Saunders, a long-time former resident of Hearthstone, son of Bill and Madeline Saunders, is looking to claim the house. He argues that, as the last remaining relative who is both in-town and supernatural, the house should rightfully pass to him. He is willing to buy Cassidy out with a generous offer.”
The silence is so thick you could cut it with a knife. Everyone in this room is tense now, waiting for what he says next.
