Page 11 of A Class of Her Own

“Oh, well, I always walk the 3k and with all the extra snow this week I was feeling a little worried about slipping and falling. You can’t be too careful about that,” Hazel replied. “I cornered Brooks here and recruited him to keep me safe. He walked the 3k with me.”

“In those boots?” I asked. “Your feet must be dead.”

Brooks simply shrugged as Hazel turned to him and tilted her head. “I never did ask where you were going when I waylaid you. I hope I didn’t interrupt your plans for the day.”

Brooks managed somewhat of a kind look in her direction before he muttered, “I was getting supplies for . . .”

“Well, anyway,” Hazel interrupted with a breezy laugh, “I suppose that ship has sailed. He’s not much of a talker, you know. But that works fine, because I am.”

Aryn was radiating pure enjoyment over this entire interaction, and I desperately wanted to shout, “This is gold!” but instead I shot her a look I knew she’d be able to read as clearly as if I’d actually said the words. She nodded at the same time I felt Hailey reach out with one hand and pinch me lightly on the elbow. She was enjoying this too.

“It’s getting pretty cold standing here,” Brooks said. “Let’s get you home, Hazel.”

We said our goodbyes, and as soon as my neighbors were out of earshot, Aryn and Hailey descended on me.

“He doesn’t have horns,” Hailey mused.

“And he doesn’t seem to be missing nearly as many brain cells as you’d described,” Aryn teased.

“Who’s missing brain cells?” Aryn’s brother, Sean, asked as the giant trio arrived on scene.

“That guy,” Aryn pointed to Brooks’s back as he and Hazel rounded a corner of the YMCA building. “Only his brain cells aren’t missing. Meredith was telling fibs.”

“Girls do that when a guy isn’t interested in them,” Rory shrugged -- as if this was a thing I would do, as if he knew me at all.

“Rory, just . . . no,” Aryn shoved him. “Stop being such a dude. The last thing Meredith wants is to date him.”

“Then what does she want?” Sean asked.

“Only to strip him of his title and make him beg for mercy,” I replied with pinched eyes.

The others were silent for a minute until Ford said, “And that’s the opening line of every great love story.”

CHAPTER FOUR

The monthly HOA meetings were hosted in the main room at the community clubhouse, and tonight it smelled like leftover pizza and chlorine. It wasn’t a great mix. But the mood in the room, well, it stunk way more than the leftover food and pool smells. I’d been sitting in that place of stink and disappointment for a solid twenty minutes while absurd topics were raised. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore, and I raised my hand. Brooks’s eyes moved to where I was sitting in the front row of folding chairs. He immediately shook his head and mouthed the wordnoto me before looking away. I pinched my lips and raised my hand higher, wiggling my bottom slightly off the seat. Hey, my fourth graders seemed to think it worked, so why not give it a try?

Brooks—somewhat desperately, if you ask me—turned to look down the long front table at the other members of the board. None of them seemed inclined to say anything. Hazel was motioning with her eyebrows in my direction. Leland, the HOA vice president, was cleaning out his nails with a pocketknife. That just left Shayla, the treasurer. Shayla glanced at Brooks and then back at me, unsure who was the bigger threat here. Her blonde ponytail swung across her face, and I couldn’t help but sympathize with her a little. She was so young. Too young, really, to be thrown into the lions’ den this way. Her raging crush on Brooks wasn’t helping.

“I’m sorry, Brooks,” she mouthed with a shrug, her eyes immediately shifting to the paper in front of her.

“Anyone else?” Brooks looked around the crowded room, and I watched him deflate when no other hands went up.

The meeting was well attended. In fact, this was the biggest crowd we’d seen yet. I preferred to assume people were becoming civically minded rather than admitting that word was beginning to spread about the epic battles between me and the board. I wasn’t interested in providing a sideshow for everyone. What I really wanted was for people to get involved and help improve things. However, while it may not have been the reason I’d want more attendees, I could use the numbers to my advantage. I was wearing the board down, that much was obvious, but I still had a ways to go.

“Miss Atwood, I suppose,” Brooks said with a long-suffering sigh.

“Thank you.” I stood and positioned myself directly in front of the table. No one else did this, but I felt it offered up a little special something to the viewers. “Regarding the motion to prevent people from sharing towels in the pool area,” I turned to glare down Vicki Waters, who had brought it up in the first place. She lifted her chin and held my gaze. I looked back to Brooks. “It seems to me that hiring someone whose sole purpose is to monitor towel usage is a frivolous use of money. Secondly, if people want to share, who are we to care? Share or don’t share as long as you don’t increase my monthly association fees and turn this place into a police state where towel sharers are shamed.”

Vicki jumped to her feet. “Towel sharing is how germs spread. It’s a disgusting habit, and it devalues our community.”

Leland looked up from picking the dirt out from under his thumb nail. “Hear, hear, nasty business.”

“Do you have data to back up your claims?” I asked.

“Meredith,” Brooks interceded, “we aren’t here to ask for scientific back up. We’re here to discuss improvements to community living.”

My eyes grew large. “You’re disregarding science now?”

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