AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Becca couldn’t tell who, but the amazing thing was…it didn’t matter.
“The way I see it, we’re almost to the end of the meeting, so how about anybody who doesn’t want to hear what Beau has to say can leave?” Leo said, standing up from his seat in the fourth row. “Everyone else can stay. And we can figure this out together.” He gave Beau a grin. “I definitely want to hear this.”
“Great idea!” someone shouted.
“Yeah, let’s do that,” someone else agreed.
There were lots of nods and murmured agreements.
Becca didn’t know what to think. Or say. Or do. She just stared at Beau.
He looked completely…confident. Determined. Like he had a plan.
He might have walked in here not realizing how school board meetings worked, but he looked like he absolutely knew what he was about to say and do and had no reservations about any of it.
“Well, that’s fine,” Beau said with a nod. He turned and addressed the group of students who were standing at the very back of the room. “But I hope y’all will stay. I’ve got something to say that I think you’ll like.”
Toby stood beside him, looking almost…proud?
Becca wasn’t sure what that was about, but it seemed clear that Toby and Beau had been conspiring and she really loved that. Whatever the result.
The kids all shifted their feet and looked intrigued and nervous at the same time. But one of them nodded. “Yeah, we’ll stay.”
“Okay, then. How about we wrap up the school board meeting and just make this a town meeting,” Beau said. He glanced at his cousin Kennedy, who happened to be Autre’s current Mayor.
“Unofficial,” she said. “Agatheringof the town is fine. But we have a process too. Agenda, rules, that kind of thing.” She gave Beau a grin. “I’m happy to put you on our next agenda though.”
“Not sure that will be necessary,” Beau said. “Bein’ a good neighbor and supporting the people in this community shouldn’t have to require a bunch of formality like that, should it?”
He looked around. No one disagreed with him.
“I move that we table the remainder of tonight’s agenda to the next meeting,” Holly Robbins, one of the board members, said. “Nothing on the rest of the agenda needs to be addressed tonight.”
Mark nodded. “All in favor.”
Everyone voted yes, except for Jacob Morris, and the motion passed.
“I move to adjourn,” Holly said.
Again everyone voted yes, but Jacob.
“Meeting adjourned,” Mark said, banging the gavel. “Town meeting in five minutes—”
“Unofficialtown meeting!” Kennedy called out.
Mark grinned. “Unofficial town meeting. Anyone not interested can now leave.”
No one got up.
Everyone pivoted to look at Emmaline.
She crossed her arms and sat back in her chair. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Beau was still standing at the podium. He nodded. “Good. Because honestly, I really want you to hear this.” He looked around the rest of the room. “I’m glad you’re all staying. I want youallto hear this.”
“Might as well jump in,” Mark said. “No one’s even taking a bathroom break.”
Beau pulled in a long breath. Then he looked at Becca. She gave him a smile and a nod of encouragement. He wasn’t a public speaker. He was a guy who showed his strength bybeing there. By showing up. By doing the work. By supporting people with his two hands, and his strong back, and his tools and truck. He’d never been the center of attention, in any kind of spotlight, until this town had started matchmaking him and Becca.
