Page 10 of His Curvy Distraction

“Omar, you know what a huge opportunity this is for the community. What this can do for the families here.”

“We can’t afford all of that, Amelia. It’s not possible. We’re not talking some huge budget. We’re barely able to scrape by enough to pay for the required repairs to the property to make it functional for the kids. And this?” He gestured toward me, his glare following his tossed aside hand. “This isn’t realistic. It’s just not going to happen.”

“Give us a few days, Omar. A week. Natalie hasn’t even been out to the site yet. With the weather, we couldn’t get over there. We’re going right after this meeting. We’ll come back in a week with a plan.”

He shook his head before she even finished speaking.

My heart raced. My palms were soaked. Sweat pooled under my boobs and saturated my bra. My throat was tight. I wanted this. I hated how badly I wanted this, but as I sat there and listened to him take it all away, rip my dream right out from my fingers, I wanted to cry. And scream. And tell him where he could shove his expensive outfits and classic car.

Yeah, I knew all about his car. Everything about the man screamed high class and fancy. He had no idea what life was like without the privilege of money.

“I don’t see any of this happening, Amelia. I really don’t.”

“I understand, but we do. We know what it could do for this town. We know the need is there. And once we get out there and see the place and get a better idea of what we’re facing, we can come up with a more concrete plan. You said yourself we might be operating on credit. Give us a chance, Omar. Let us have another week to see what we can do in the budget you have available, and we’ll go from there.”

Mayor Knight let out a long breath, one that did not ease any of the anxiety racing through my bloodstream. He was ready to say no, and I was ready for it, but I was holding on to that tiny piece of hope I felt coming from Amelia.

She was not going to accept no.

“Fine—”

Amelia squealed.

“But!”

She fell silent, but her smile didn’t slip.

“But if you don’t have a more solid plan, one that more closely fits into this budget, we’re going to have to delay all of this. And the only way it can go into the budget for next year is if we cut other things. You know how this works, Amelia.”

“I do know, Omar. And I appreciate you giving us the chance to figure this out. We will not disappoint you.”

“I hope not.” He slid a glare in my direction, the jerk. “Talk to Jane about getting on my calendar again, and dial back your list of demands to something more realistic.”

“We will. I promise.” Amelia stood and grabbed my arm, tugging me from my chair. “Thanks, Omar.”

Amelia practically dragged me out of the office, not giving me a chance to say anything else. She kept her arm looped through mine like I was a toddler about to run off at any moment.

“Jane, Mr. Mayor agreed to meet with us again next week. Does he have an opening on his calendar?” Amelia smiled at Jane, holding me tight to her side.

Jane clicked a few buttons and stared at the computer screen. “Um, it looks like he’s available on Wednesday next week. Morning or afternoon?”

“Morning is usually better for me. No kids in the building,” Amelia said.

Jane nodded, smiling at Amelia. “How about ten?”

“Perfect. Thank you so much, Jane. We will see you then.” Amelia dragged me out of the building, only letting go when we made it to her car.

I climbed in and buckled my seatbelt, grumbling as Amelia walked around the car. When she slid behind the wheel and turned the car on, she finally turned to me.

“We have to be reasonable about what we can do. I love your ideas, but there was no way he would go for all of that.”

“I… He put me on the spot.”

“I know. And I know you were only sharing things that would be amazing, but he doesn’t see the same thing we see. He doesn’t know how hard things are for these kids.”

I nodded. Amelia wasn’t mad at me. She was capable of seeing both sides. Of understanding what everyone needed in a situation.

“Let’s go look at the place, then we can start to make a plan. Maybe get in touch with some contractors who can help out. If it’s for the summer camp, there might be companies who will do the work for free. A lot of them like to do volunteer work, and having a project for them is a benefit.”

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