To Get Me to You

by Kait Nolan

  A door burst open. “The word you’re looking for there is loyalty,” Christoff said from off camera. “Show’s over.”

  Braced above Cecily, Pierce froze.

  “Thanks so much for your cooperation,” she said with an innocent smile, and drove her knee into Pierce’s groin.

  He collapsed to the floor with a series of wheezing curses as she stepped away and began calmly buttoning her shirt. “You bitch. I’ll have your job for this. Both of you.” Pierce continued to spew threats and invective as he clutched his crotch and tried to get to his feet.

  “Oh no.” Christoff moved into the line of sight and put an arm around Cecily. “If you or your father lay a hand on either of us, physical or otherwise, the video of that confession is set to go live on every video hosting site, SEO optimized for maximum impact. Pretty sure you don’t want any of those clients getting wind of your shenanigans. Now, you’re going to issue a retraction countering every single email or phone call your father sent, denying Norah's involvement and clearing her good name, and you will convince your father to settle the lawsuit with a generous severance package for the shit you put her through. You have forty-eight hours.”

  Pierce stared at him, murder in his eye. “Norah would never condone blackmail.”

  Christoff’s grin was just a little feral. “Of course she wouldn’t. But thanks to you and your father, she’s not here to stop us, now is she? Believe me, honey, nobody has a finer-tuned sense of revenge than a gay man. You’ll find our resignations on my desk outside. C’mon Cecily.”

  The video stopped.

  “And sadly, I will not win the Tony Award I so richly deserve for that performance.”

  “Maggie the Cat ain’t got nothing on you,” Christoff assured her.

  For a few moments, Norah couldn’t speak. “Well, I see that your TaeBo classes paid off.” She loosed a shuddering breath trying to shake off the skeevy sensation along her skin. “That was… I can’t believe…Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” Norah started around the table to check Cecily over, as if it had just happened.

  “I’m fine. He didn’t do a thing to me that four scalding showers didn’t cure. He didn’t lay a hand on me that you didn’t see.”

  “We saw enough,” Norah said.

  “The point is, so did he. He did what we asked. Here are copies of the retractions.” Christoff handed over a file.

  Norah just set it on the table without looking.

  “I’m pretty sure what you did was highly illegal,” Cam observed.

  “Our ass is covered. They won’t risk the reputation of the whole firm over this. They’ll settle out of court.”

  Cecily took Norah’s hands. “Say something.”

  “What you did was reckless, dangerous, unethical…and if it had gone another way, you could’ve faced criminal charges. You shouldn’t have risked that for me. Not to mention that you both lost your jobs over it.”

  “Correction, we both quit our jobs over it,” Christoff said. “We figure you were our supervisor and will give us amazing recs when we need them. And that aside, we couldn’t just stand by and let them keep trying to ruin you. You’re worth so much more than that.”

  Norah felt her eyes prick with tears. “Y’all, I just can’t even…”

  “You should call your attorney,” Cam said.

  “I’m afraid to. If any of this comes out, I should probably maintain plausible deniability.”

  Christoff checked his watch. “Well we’re closing in on forty-two hours now, so you ought to be hearing from your attorney soon anyway.”

  As if conjured by his words, a phone began to ring. She looked to Christoff. “You’re performing voodoo, aren’t you. Making deals with sketchy deities. Crossroads demons?”

  Christoff only grinned.

  But it was Cam’s phone. “Avery, what’s the update?” He listened for a minute, then nodded. “We’re on it.”

  “Problem?” Norah asked.

  “Nope.” He broke into a wide grin. “We did it. Forty-eight signatures over our threshold. It’s time to validate.”

  Chapter 24

  Speakeasy should’ve been closing. After nine on a weeknight, downtown Wishful should’ve been deserted.

  It wasn’t.

  Cars lined the streets and lights blazed, cheerful beacons in the dark as Norah climbed out of Cam’s truck. Exhaustion would set in soon, but for the moment, hunger and anticipation were keeping her going. Cam, Avery, and Sandra joined her and strode toward the pizzeria, where the vast majority of the coalition was waiting for the final ruling on the petition. Judge Carpenter had been kind enough to make it after business hours.

  Tucker shoved open the door as soon as they approached. “Well?”

  “Let us get in the door,” Cam said.

  By tacit agreement, the others hung back, letting Norah inside first at the head of their little group. She wasn’t about to complain about the spotlight. At their appearance, Tyler let out a two-finger whistle that silenced the crowd and drew every eye to the front. Expression sober, Norah scanned each face, absolutely playing the room, drawing out the tension until she could’ve heard a pin drop. These were her troops, the people who’d made this happen, so it was pure pleasure to drop the mask and shoot up a fist of triumph. “We got it!”

  Cheers nearly blew off the roof.

  “The vote is officially set for a week from today!”

  A stampede of well-wishers crowded around, shaking hands, slapping backs, giving hugs. Norah’s heart swelled at the praise and compliments. In the wake of the nasty from Chicago, she needed that.

  As they made their way through the impromptu receiving line, she saw Cam make a face as he got a gander at his own brand of nasty in the form of a smirking Vick Burgess. This was the last place Norah expected to see Cam’s nemesis, and she braced herself for some kind of ugliness.

  “Coming over to the Good Side or did you just have a hankering for pepperoni pizza tonight?” Cam asked.

  “Oh, I’m just enjoying the party. It’s the last one y’all will have. This is a delay tactic, like everything else you’ve pulled. The popular vote will come down exactly the way the City Council decision did. And all this time and effort will have been wasted when GrandGoods moves forward exactly as planned.”

  Norah joined them, curling her hand through Cam’s. “There’s something y’all evidently didn’t factor into that assumption, Mr. Burgess.”

  “And what is that?”

  “That the land GrandGoods planned to buy, the parcel tied to the special use permit, is no longer for sale.”

  “If Mr. Costello is holding out for more money, I’m sure GrandGoods is open to negotiation”

  Norah offered her most patronizing smile. “Mr. Costello is no longer the owner. I am. And I can assure you, I’m not open to negotiation.”

  Watching that blow hit home was almost as satisfying as seeing Judge Carpenter sign off on the referendum.

  “This is our town, Vick,” Cam told him.

  No longer smirking, Vick shrugged. “It’s no matter. The size cap won’t pass. People here want more options and GrandGoods is going to give that to them.” Without another word, he shouldered his way through the crowd.

  “I’d love to be a fly on the wall when he breaks that news to Bill Sutto.” Their in-house marketing guru couldn’t fix this.

  “You and me both.”

  Molly appeared and slipped an arm through Norah’s. “Well, it is a delightful thing to see him lose his swagger. Now, tell me what you have planned to kick his ass from here into next century.”

  Norah opened her mouth to expound on exactly that, but Cam interrupted. “Nope. Not tonight. If you get her started, she’ll go past midnight. War council can wait until tomorrow. Tonight is for much deserved celebration. And pizza.”

  “There should always be pizza.” Her stomach growled, underscoring the point. “Go grab a slice. I want to go talk to Christoff and Cecily.”

  Cam brushed a kiss across her
brow and wove toward the buffet.

  “I’m glad you worked it out,” Molly said.

  “So am I. He’s totally worth the fight.”

  “You suit each other down to the ground. You need someone who can appreciate and support your strengths without being intimidated or feeling the need to compete. And he needs someone to push him.”

  “We balance each other.”

  “Partners.” Molly patted her on the shoulder and disappeared in the crowd.

  Norah’s friends were perched at a high top table observing the proceedings with a mixture of amusement and fascination. “Feel like you’re on an alien planet yet?”

  “I think it’s marvelous,” Cecily said. “Everybody here knows who you are. How cool is that?”

  “I’m pretty sure I dropped into an episode of Hart of Dixie and Dr. Zoe Hart is going to be sashaying through the door any minute now,” said Christoff.

  “That’s Alabama, sugar.”

  “Sugar! We all know I’m anything but sweet.”

  “That is entirely a matter of perspective. What y’all did for me was pretty damned sweet.”

  “It was pretty damned something, but I don’t think sweet is it,” Cecily said. “Either way, we felt it was necessary, even if it meant doing a little wrong to right a bigger wrong.”

  Norah was trying not to think about the potential fallout of their actions, so she changed the subject. “So what’s next for the two of you? Are you planning to stay in Chicago?”

  “I haven’t decided yet. Chicago was fun, but I think I could do with a change of scenery,” Christoff said.

  “I’m definitely not staying in Chicago after graduation in May. But I’m not sure what’s next either.”

  “Don’t you still need internship hours?”

  “I do.” All innocence, Cecily turned to Norah. “I was hoping you could help me out with that. Pretty please?” Hands in prayer position, she batted her clear green eyes.

  “You know I’ll help however I can. But I’m not coming back to Chicago except to pack up all my stuff and finish moving here.”

  “I could help you here. Surely there’s something with this whole coalition thing I could do.”

  “I would adore having your help. But we can’t afford to pay you. I’m not getting paid on this either.”

  “So? Not everybody has paid internships to begin with. I had enough overtime with Helios since you left that I can cover my expenses for a while, and it wouldn’t be a big deal to sublet my half of the apartment. Cost of living here is bound to be a fraction of what it is in the city. What do you say? I could stay here and finish out the semester working for you.”

  To have part of her team back was an absolute dream. “We’d have to clear it with your advisor at school, make sure they’re okay with the change, but yeah. I’d absolutely love to have you.”

  “Awesome! Christoff, you should come, too.”

  “Darling, can you really imagine me here for any length of time? I mean, it’s charming, but…”

  She nudged his shoulder. “It’d give you a chance to get to know the cute barista we saw earlier today.”

  He angled his head in consideration. “Well, I could at least stick around until this vote is over. Seems like you need all the help you can get.”

  “That we can,” Norah said. “I’ve got a presentation about my rural tourism campaign for Wishful that would really benefit from y’all’s input.”

  They lost themselves in the familiar and comfortable rhythm of shoptalk as she outlined her main concepts. It felt amazing to have the give and take, other brains that knew how hers worked and sparked new ideas in an instant.

  “So are we agreed for now?” Norah asked. “The Dream Team back together again for this one last project?”

  “I’m in.” Cecily stuck her hand out over the table.

  “Oh, what the hell.” Christoff added his hand to the mix.

  Norah covered them both with her own hand and squeezed. “I’m so glad the two of you are here.”

  Her phone vibrated. Wondering who was calling so late when everyone she knew was here, she slipped it out. And promptly lost all sense of pleasure when she saw her attorney’s name on the display. Instinctively she looked for Cam. He was across the room in deep conversation with Tucker and Tyler. The phone buzzed again. She’d find him after.

  “Excuse me, I need to take this.” Norah answered, “Hang on just a sec,” and hurried outside, away from all the noise. “Sorry about that, Marcus.”

  “I’m interrupting.”

  “No, you’re not. Really. What’s up? It’s awfully late for you to be calling.” Please God, don’t let them be in trouble.

  “It is, and I’m sorry about that. But there’s been a…development.”

  “A development?”

  “One I think you definitely need to hear about.”

  Oh no. She wrapped her free hand around the back of a bench, clenched it until her knuckles turned white.

  “I heard from Helios’ attorney. It seems they’ve had a change of heart from their original position.”

  “Oh?” She hoped she didn’t squeak.

  “They’re offering a settlement. A severance package of six months’ salary, plus all your legal fees.”

  “That’s better than nothing, but six months’ salary isn’t going to help me if no one will hire me because of the damage to my reputation,” she said.

  “That’s where it gets interesting. I have, in my hands, documented retractions and a glowing letter of recommendation for you, signed by Philip Vargas himself.”

  “That’s…I don’t even know what to say. Is it legit?”

  The door opened behind her. She knew without turning that it was Cam.

  “It’s a hell of an offer. You could take it to trial and hold out for more money in damages, but I’m not sure you’d get anywhere and it might destroy whatever temporary insanity possessed him to make this offer.”

  Cam moved in behind her, grasping the bench on either side. She leaned into him but didn’t release her hold.

  “Yeah, no, I agree. Let’s take it.”

  “Okay. I’ll make it happen, get the settlement paperwork in the mail ASAP.”

  “I’ll look for it in the next few days. Thanks Marcus.” She hung up, shifting to slide the phone into her pocket.

  “You’re shaking.”

  “Shock, I think.” The long, slow exhale didn’t help. “It’s over.”

  When she said nothing else, Cam turned her to face him. He was braced for the worst, prepared to be her rock.

  “And?”

  “Helios is going to settle. Six months’ salary and attorney’s fees, plus documented retractions of all allegations. Marcus said I could hold out for more in damages, but…”

  “That’s not what this is about for you.”

  “No. It’s so much more than I’d hoped for.” Her throat tightened as all the stress and strain of the past weeks came to a head. She pressed a hand to her mouth, shoulders shaking harder as she dropped her head to his chest.

  Cam gathered her in, stroking her back in that way he had of soothing. But it wasn’t tears that spilled out between her fingers, it was laughter.

  She lifted her head and reached to frame his face. “Oh my God. Cam! Their lunatic plan worked! I’m getting my reputation back!”

  Fueled by boundless relief and joy, she cut off whatever congratulatory remark he started to make, with an enthusiastic kiss. Dropping back to her feet, she beamed. “I don’t know what to do with myself. If I wasn’t so damned tired, I’d turn cartwheels.”

  “Well,” Cam said, a trifle breathless, “as it happens we’re at a party, so I say we celebrate.”

  ~*~

  After attempting one last head count of the people lining the bleachers in the community center, Cam went in search of the lady of the hour. He found her in a huddle with Cecily and Christoff—her default position the last several days. After the last few months, he’d thought he knew wha
t Norah was like when she brought her A game. Having her team back showed him exactly how wrong he was. The three of them had a kind of synergy that was a pleasure to watch. They’d turned the Chamber of Commerce press conference about the referendum into an event that drew media—print, TV, and radio—from all over the state, even a few from neighboring Alabama, Louisiana, and Tennessee. Their David vs. Goliath fight was making regional headlines. In the few days since, the coalition had been contacted by other small Southern towns interested in learning from Wishful’s example.

  “—not coming tonight, but whenever he makes it down for the initial business meetings with the city, I want to introduce you both,” Norah said. “Gerald wants me and my skills, and you’re an extension of that in the best possible way. I think Peyton Consolidated could be a good fit for you.”

  “I certainly won’t turn down the connection,” Christoff said. “I could learn to ski.”

  “Has Peyton figured out that if he gives you an inch, you’ll take a mile?” Cam asked.

  “He hasn’t complained yet.” Norah moved toward the gymnasium doors with her team at her back. “What’s the crowd like?”

  “It’s standing room only in there. Lotta people came out.”

  “Good. We’ll need them all.” Turning to Christoff and Cecily, she put out a hand. “All in.” They layered their hands over hers. She looked at Cam, expectant, so he added his to the pile. “Let’s lock and load, people.” They broke formation, and she stepped into the roar of voices without a backward glance.

  The mob inside felt like loosely-controlled chaos to Cam. Too many bodies in one enclosed space, all of them talking. He was pretty sure this might be one of the circles of hell. As he tried to sort out the best means of calling their attention, Norah slid two fingers between her lips and let out a piercing whistle that left his ears ringing. Apparently Tyler had been giving lessons. The crowd silenced, all attention shifted to her.

  “That’s better.”

  With a friendly smile, Norah stepped up onto the low stage erected at one side of the room. After a brief glance at the podium, she kept in front of it, at ease and confident in a way Cam envied. He hated public speaking. No matter how often he did it, having to address more than half a dozen people made his skin crawl. She held no notes, no clicker to advance her slides, nothing to keep her hands occupied. Christoff was manning the laptop and projector, a feat he managed with alacrity, since the two could evidently share a mind meld at will.