Page 48 of A Better World

Rachel sipped more mead. “The hissing. They do it to show disapproval. So weird.”

“Where does it come from?”

“The birds? Damned if I know. Real fights hardly ever happen around here. They’re just worked up about that fire. It’ll die down once everything’s resolved.”

“They seemed bad at it—fighting. I thought the mom was going to apologize while also swinging. Or cry while swinging.”

Rachel grinned sidelong.

“I’m going to hell for making fun of people for being bad at fighting.”

“Take me with you.”

“But are people allowed to punch during festivals?”

“What?” Rachel asked. “Oh, no. I doubt it. If it happens, it’s in some kink room at the Winter Festival. Oh! Yeah, there’s also boxing as one of the competitions at Beltane. But that’s strictly volunteer and practically nobody volunteers. Keith Parson has held the title since he was fifteen and nobody wants to fight him.”

“Is it me, or is he an odd duck?”

“He’s a lot of passionate intensity and fucked-up conviction,” Rachel said.

“That’s spot on,” Linda agreed, and they both chuckled as she pressed her hands over the papers. She already felt proprietary. “Here’s a weird question. Did my house used to be Gal’s house?”

Rachel thought. “No. She was in your neighborhood, but I think next door.”

Linda made a sound of relief. “She told me my house was her house. She told me Russell has her ex-wife’s old job.”

“What? No. Same department, but different. Trish wasn’t numbers. She was a biochemist.”

“Oh, wow. That’s a real mindfuck. I felt so bad. Like I was replacing her.”

“I told you. She bites.”

“I’ll stay away, then. But ouch, the whole thing’s awful.”

Rachel nodded, her ponytail swishing. “The crazy part is, she used to be sweet. When she first got here, she was like clay. Whatever you told her, she did. Whatever anybody wore or said, she wore, she believed. I’ve always thought this place was wrong for her. She couldn’t handle it. She worshipped Trish and those kids. They were her baby ducks. She used to sew all their clothes and she was better at it than the weird-ass people who run the Fabric Collective. Her kids were the smartest-dressed babies in town. But then Trish screwed her over, her kids got sick, and everybody dropped her. She lost herself.”

“That makes me sad,” Linda said.

“Yeah. Me too. But enough about Gal. I can’t take on any more people’s problems.” Rachel tapped the pile of papers. “It’s all there. The applications for use, the budget, the schedules, the volunteers, the inventory, everything. Does Friday work for a tour? I might be out of town but Daniella and Anouk can do it.”

Linda’s heart double-beat. “So soon! That’s great! I’m so glad!”

“When you find out what a heavy lift this is going to be, you might change your mind.”

“No. I like work. I’m happy.”

Rachel finished the last of her mead, looked around like she wanted to get up and pour more, but Linda’s presence prevented her. “Listen, I don’t invite just anyone over. In this town, houses are private spaces.”

Linda waited.

“I think I might like you. You’re kind of a clown, but you’re real. So, here’s some advice. Everything here’s on a trial basis until you get your golden ticket. You might not like this job. It might not be a fit. We might not think you’re right for it. My advice is to be open to that. Daniella or Anouk might move you around to a different responsibility.If that happens, you’ll smile and say thank you. Even if you wind up manager, this isn’t your show, it belongs to ActHollow.

“If you don’t know the right people, your husband won’t get past his first review. They don’t take spouses seriously, either. Chernin’ll string you along at that hospital with one shift a week, but it would take a hundred years before you got a golden ticket on your own. He’s notoriously bad about helping people get in. If you’re with ActHollow, that changes. ActHollow’ll be inconvenienced if your husband’s review goes badly because his department sabotaged him. People get in trouble when we’re inconvenienced.”

Linda nodded to show she understood.

“You know there’s a board, right? Parson’s chairman, but it’s also Jack Lust and Lloyd Bennett, a bunch of other guys you probably won’t ever meet, and me. I think we told you the other night that I’m up for a job with more responsibility. I intend to make substantial changes. This place will be better than it’s ever been.

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