AllFreeNovel
Share Us
‘Well,’ Melanie began before clearing her throat. ‘I’m afraid there isn’t all that much to report. As you know the posters and the flyers were distributed. I’ve checked the community inbox, and it looks like there have been some erm, responses.’ Melanie’s voice trailed off. What could she say? That she had planned to do some work last week but her caring responsibilities for her nephew didn’t help, or that Connie had waylaid the next time she’d tried to focus on the project. Or maybe she should tell them that her lust had gotten the better of her and any spare time had been spent either imagining Paige naked or being with Paige naked.
The cold sense of dread trickled through her body as she looked at Councillor Houghton’s face. She could see his disappointment and her body chilled further in response. This was a familiar and unwelcome feeling, and it was one that she worked hard daily, to avoid. When the dust had settled with her ex, Laura, Melanie had made a promise to herself that this wasn’t going to happen again. She swore that she would never be made to feel little, unable, stupid. All the names that she had been called before. Yet, here she was, and for a horrifying second, Melanie thought she was about to cry. But, no not again, she’d worked hard to become someone stronger. She clutched her bag closer, trying to ground herself.
‘Well, Melanie . . . Yes . . . Well, I think we had hoped you’d be a little further on by now.’ His tone was unwaveringly polite but the reprimand clear, and the murmurs around everyone else in the room didn’t go unheard either. The one thing Melanie could not do was look at Paige.
Melanie licked her lips and hoped her voice didn’t carry the remembered pain of this feeling. ‘Yes, well I’m hoping to push forward and set up the vote, get the press involved, secure our artist. Then we can set up the rest of the stuff from there.’
‘Yes well, I have to say Melanie that when we agreed to let you take on the lease I thought we were very clear about what it meant to be part of this community. That lease very nearly went to someone else, you know?’
No, she didn’t know, but was now really the time to bring that up? She felt shitty enough as it was. She hadn’t even asked to take on this project in the first bloody place. Melanie welcomed the anger, it warmed her up, protected her from the icy shiver down her spine.
‘I’ll make some progress this week and update you,’ Melanie replied.
Councillor Houghton looked thoughtful. ‘Perhaps this is a big project in such a small timescale. Do we have any volunteers to help Melanie with this?’
‘I’ll help.’
‘That’s wonderful, thank you, Paige. And with your personal style I’m sure you’ll be a valuable asset to Melanie.’
Paige said nothing, and Melanie still couldn’t look at her.
A what? She would be a what?
‘Right then, seeing as how we have more time, is there any other business?’ Melanie let the conversation go on around her.
She was in trouble. Grabbing her iPad she added an item to her personal to-do list in capital letters.
“NO MORE SLEEPING WITH PAIGE.”
There. She could do that. Hopefully, as planned, they’d banged it out of their system. Besides it was Paige’s fault they hadn’t been able to do any work. If she hadn’t been so interesting to Alfie, if she hadn’t had such an interested gran. If they hadn’t been so interested in each other there would have been more done, and Melanie wouldn’t have to feel like this. But even as she felt out of control, she knew that wasn’t true. This was on her, and so it was up to her to turn it around.
Her iPad buzzed.
Reminder: Pick Alfie up from school.
She looked at the time. It was fine, there was time. She couldn’t just walk out. She’d make it in time. She had a look at the rest of her schedule.
Reminder: Stock check with Louisa to be done before the 10th.
Melanie already knew. She just knew that today was going to be the tenth. She knew that because tomorrow she was putting the order in with her suppliers for the following month. So of course.
She quickly shot a message to Louisa.
Melanie: I have Alfie but we need to stock check I’ll be there as soon as I can x
Louisa: Don’t worry I’ll try and sort it x
Plates smashing everywhere, Melanie was surprised everyone else couldn’t hear them.
‘Great, in that case, thank you, everyone. I’ll see you at the next meeting.’ Councillor Houghton grabbed his briefcase and quickly walked out the door, talking to Hayley the cake shop owner as he went.
Melanie tried to get her stuff together but it was hard with a broken bag. Getting her iPad that was still out, she put ‘Get a new rucksack’ higher on the list.
Melanie looked up as Paige approached her, the room having emptied now.
‘So . . .’ Paige said.
So? So?! Was that all? Melanie was fuming. Yes, she knew it wasn’t all Paige’s fault. It was as much hers, but still.
