Page 22 of Already Callin’ You Mine

I shove a large forkful of green beans into my mouth to stop myself from replying. Anton’s not wrong; Otis and I bonded pretty quickly. He’s a pretty cool little guy. Too bad his mother⁠—

“We could babysit so they get alone time,” Hux offers.

And I’m done…

“Gus, start the meeting, would ya?” I say, ready for all this to stop. We can move on now.

“Sure,” he replies over his shoulder, still filling his plate. “You can go first since you’re so eager. Do you have an update on the social media series Bronwyn wants to focus on?”

Fucker…

Of course that’s what he asks first. Not about the self-defense seminar schedule, or the demo coming up next weekend, or even how many college campuses we’ll be visiting this year as part of our campus safety program. Nope, he’s going straight for the jugular.

“Actually, I do. I was just in with Bronwyn before this, pitching her an idea.”

“Which is…” He gestures for me to continue, his face relaying that he doesn’t believe me.

Fair. I’m not exactly known for being Mr. Social Media. Hell, I don’t have half the apps on my phone. Those stupid things take up too much time. Time I can spend doing other, better things. Like reading.

“A self-defense class. Owen knows the leader of the Dirty Devils, this motorcycle club, and so we thought it would be unique to put on an event in conjunction with them. We would set it up as a fundraiser for EmpowHER.”

“How does that tie in to what Bronwyn is looking to do?” Gus asks, his brow furrowed.

“We can hype it up online. Get people excited about it, bring in donations. I figured we could make it part of Rhythm and Brews, so that it brings in a big crowd, and⁠—”

“You want to add to the list of events for Rhythm and Brews?” Willa blurts out, her face incredulous. “Do you know how much work this event is already?”

I look at her, ready to defend my position, but the fire filling her eyes tells me to hold back. Willa has been a member of the Rhythm and Brews committee for years, as has Miss Belle. Because of that, each one of us ends up voluntold into some role or another every year. Plus, Southern Brothers Brewing is a major sponsor. I know this event is a lot of work, and I’m not trying to be a dick about this.

“I’m not asking to add to the committee’s plate. I would handle the planning and execution,” I tell her.

“Still going to require town council approval,” Gus notes. “And probably committee approval.”

Well, shit. That’s going to throw a wrench in things.

“Fine. Tell me what paperwork I need to submit and I’ll do it.”

“That’s still not what Bronwyn is looking for though,” Willa points out.

I should have known that if anyone was going to bring that up, it would be her. The two of them are now sisters-in-law, so of course she knows exactly what Bronwyn is trying to accomplish. She’s probably heard about the whole thing in great detail and helped conspire on some of the projects already in the works.

“But it works,” I say.

“It’s a one-time thing. She is looking for something that is a series. An idea that builds off itself and can be done perpetually. That even if you repackage the same info to reach a different audience, it has a draw. That’s the point of a social media campaign.”

Like stranger danger…

“Willa’s right,” Gus comments. He rounds the table, dodging Ewan and making his way to his normal seat, immediately to our father’s right. “I think the event is a good idea, and we should definitely pitch it to the town council, but Bronwyn is looking for more. And personal safety is a focus area—Hayes is a household name when it comes to self-defense, and we want to keep it that way.”

No shit, Sherlock…

I’ve worked hard—really fucking hard—over the last thirteen years to build this department. It was around long before me, but the reason it’s thriving is because I’ve kicked it up a notch. I was the one who started the campus safety program after watching Willa try and navigate a college campus. I’ve personally worked with different groups and manufacturers on all the devices we’ve created—the newest, upgraded version of our SafeSounds widget being my personal favorite.

“What else you got?” Gus presses.

Errr…

I know I shouldn’t. Seriously, I know better. But right now, I don’t have a better answer. Everyone at the table is looking at me, waiting on me to say something. Anything. Which means I need to come up with an answer. A good one too.