My heart sinks. She doesn’t get it.
“Are you two coming or what?” Sylvie asks, hands on hips as she taps a foot on the sidewalk.
I look at Hope, unable to force a smile. “Just give me a minute, will you?”
Hope nods. “My mother and sister are inside waiting, anyway. If I keep them waiting any longer, my mother will start breathing fire.”
She walks past Sylvie, making her way toward the building.
“Is she giving you a hard time about rolling up with Mr. Tall-dark-and-handsome?” Sylvie jokes.
“You could say that.” I shrug. “Let’s just ignore it. I need all my strength to get through this meeting.”
Sylvie motions to the front entrance. “I suspect Hope’s mom is still gunning for you.”
“She thinks she can push me around because my mom’s not here,” I reply. “But my mother is constantly calling me about not letting that happen.”
Sylvie sniggers. “I bet a phone call fromyourmother is a lot scarier than a snarky remark from Hope’s mom.”
“It’s pretty obvious my mother’s unwilling to give up her hold on this town. Mrs. Fisher needs to wave the white flag already.”
“Like that’ll happen,” Sylvie replies. “Both women are too stubborn for their own good.”
“Never was a truer word spoken.” I click my tongue. “Speaking of which, my mother asked me about volunteer sign-ups this morning. Any chance you could sign-up so I can get her off my back?”
A sour grimace twists Sylvie’s lips. “I thought we went through this last night.”
“Oh, I know,” I say softly. “It’s just…”
She pats my arm. “If I had the time, I would.”
The only word that correctly describes her smile would be condescending.
I nod, not in the mood for defeat. “Sure, I understand. Just know I’ll be asking again inside. It’d be nice if a friend stood by me.”
Sylvie looks around the foyer as we enter the country club. “Yeah, sure. Why does your mom even care? Wasn’t volunteering just your idea?”
“You know what my mother is like,” I say dryly as we make our way into the meeting room. “It’s not impressive if I do something on my own. I have to be the driving force behind an entire team. And if I fail, she sees it as her failure.”
“Excuse me, ladies,” Mrs. Fisher calls from the front of the meeting room. “Will you be joining us? Or will I need to start the meeting without you?”
My stomach flips, but I don’t dare show it on my face. “No, I’m here to start the meeting.”
I make my way to the front, where all the chairs face. Mrs. Fisher gives me a curt smile and takes a seat at the front next to her daughters, Hope and Meghan.
“Good evening, everyone,” I say to the impeccably well-styled audience of women. “Thanks for coming together again as we get ready for the upcominggala. We’ll cover everyone’s roles again in the second half of the meeting. First, I just wanted to speak to you all about the current state of St. Mark’s Hospital and what I’ve witnessed first-hand.” I pause for effect. “I watched a woman gasping for breath, alone in her hospital bed.” The room responds in gasps. “The hospital is so understaffed that I had to sound the alarm for help. If I hadn’t been there, who knows what would’ve happened.”
Mrs. Fisher elbows Hope in the ribs. “You should be there.”
“Ugh. I don’t want to see a dying woman,” Hope complains.
Mrs. Fisher fake laughs, turning to the group. “She was just kidding, of course.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Fisher,” I say, returning attention back to me. “Yes, if we did have more volunteers, it would help ease the burden in the short term.”
Mrs. Saxon raises her hand, and I nod, letting her speak. “But what about the long term? How will we guarantee that the money we raise will help with the staff shortages?”
I clasp my hands in front, taking a scan of the hesitant faces before me. “It’s proven that a well-equipped hospital entices more staff to the area. When we upgrade the equipment or, let’s face it, provide it in the first place, I do believe more medical staff will come to Logan’s Point.”
