Page 7 of Karma

Faith sighed. “You know, I’m not sure. I do know Caroline was good to me when I first opened my business. She was one of my first clients, taking a blind leap of faith. No pun intended.” She chuckled at her own joke. “And she stood by my mother when, frankly, she didn’t deserve the friendship.” Faith shrugged. “I guess I thought it was the right thing to do.”

“And Ethan? How does he feel about opening his house for such a huge gala?” Liza asked.

Faith cringed. “He hates it. But he’s doing it for me.” And suddenly the warm, dreamy look entered her eyes once more.

Watching her, goose bumps rose over Liza’s skin, making her not just envious but even a little sad at the thought that she’d never have that kind of connection with a man. She’d never have someone who’d do anything just because she’d asked. But that was a choice she’d made, and in as much as it kept her free and safe, Liza was content.

“So ready to get down to business?” Faith asked, oblivious to Liza’s thoughts.

“You bet. I don’t have enough clout with the committee to land any kind of chairmanship, but I really wanted to help with the fundraiser.” Liza spread her hands out in front of her. “I’m yours, so put me to work.”

“Well, I can’t tell you how grateful I am.” Faith pulled a notepad from her large purse and Liza did the same. Obviously, they had organization in common too.

Liza knew she’d have to broach her main idea sooner rather than later, and since she and Faith were getting along so well, she decided not to waste any time. “I have a question about the proceeds. Has there been any talk about which projects to fund this year?”

Faith clicked her pen open. “There’s been talk of putting up a new gazebo in the town square,” Faith said, sounding like she disapproved. “Why?”

“Well, I had a thought. I know for a fact nobody would take anything I said seriously—”

“Why not? When Caroline Bretton told me we’d be working together, she said you’ve been on this committee for the last couple of years. Why wouldn’t they listen to you?” Faith asked.

Liza dropped her stare to the table. And here it came. The thing she hated talking about. “The McKnight name doesn’t exactly inspire confidence unless it’s in architectural design. At least not in Serendipity.”

“Because of Brian?” Faith asked softly.

Liza met her gaze. “You’ve heard, huh?”

Faith sighed. “Well, of course I remember the party all those years ago and Stuart Rossman’s death.” She spoke low, with sympathy and no rancor.

At the mention of the teenager’s senseless passing at a party thrown by her brother, nausea rose in Liza’s throat. “Yeah. And my brother hasn’t changed or sobered much since.” If anything, he’d gotten worse and a part of Liza blamed herself. “Brian’s been pretty much in and out of jail on one minor charge or another.”

“I’m sorry.”

Liza shrugged, pulling her armor around her emotions like she always did when it came to Brian. “Thanks, but it is what it is. Anyway, that’s exactly why nobody on the committee would listen to my ideas. You know what most of those old women are like. They barely tolerate me.”

Faith sighed. “Considering they ostracized my mother and the only reason I hold this position is because they need my house? Yeah, I know. I believe it’s called guilt by association.”

Liza couldn’t help but smile. “Good thing misery loves company then.” She shook her head and laughed. “Gotta love those clichés. They’ve been around so long for good reason.”

Faith inclined her head. “So what’s your idea?”

Liza warmed her hands against her coffee cup. “Instead of using the money to beautify the already-perfect parts of town, which really makes this a committee in name only, I thought we could donate the proceeds to the youth center downtown.” She went on to explain why the center was important to her, but Faith’s eyes had already lit up and she was nodding in agreement.

“You’ve sold me without the explanation! My best friend, Kate Andrews, is a teacher who volunteers there after school and during the summers. My brother-in-law Dare works with the kids, and Tess spent some time there last summer. The center is important to my family too.”

Faith’s eyes sparkled as much as excitement pulsed inside Liza. Ignoring the mention of Dare, which wasn’t easy considering her body’s eager response to his name, Liza met Faith’s gaze. “You’re really on board!”

The other woman nodded. “Doesn’t mean the rest of the committee will be, but that will be our first order of business. Lobbying the members we know we can sway.”

Liza’s adrenaline spiked and she was unable to contain her enthusiasm. “You’re amazing! We’re amazing. We can do this. I know we can.”

“You bet we can. It’s time to change up the way this town does business and make a difference.”

“Here, here,” Liza said.

They touched their coffee cups together in a toast. “Let me do some prep work and see who I can get on board with the idea before we broach it at the next meeting. I’ll call you and we’ll get together soon to talk actual gala details, okay?”

Liza nodded. “Sounds great.”

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