Page 87 of Check You Out

The bell above the door twinkles as my father leaves, and my chest feels a whole lot lighter.

37

Charlotte

15 Minutes before the Council Meeting

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.