Chapter 21: The Board

Lacey's POV

The Angell Orchards boardroom was on the fourth floor, with a glass table long enough for twelve.

Seven directors sat along the sides.

Eleanor sat at the head in cream silk, with a folder squared in front of her.

On her right sat a heavy gray-haired man with a gold pen, and I knew him from a lake house wedding I'd only seen on my phone.

Daphne's father.

Daphne sat behind him on a side chair, in a loose blue dress, with her hands in her lap.

Brady sat on the other side of the table, alone.

The silver-haired woman from the club sat halfway down on the left, with her handbag on her knees.

She did not look at me when I came in.

I carried Poppy in the sling, and Byron walked a half step behind me.

"You came," said Eleanor warmly. "And you brought her. Everyone, this is my granddaughter."

"This is Lacey Mercer," I said. "And her daughter."

The board secretary cleared her throat and slid an agenda toward the empty chairs.

I stayed standing.

"I won't take long," I said. "I was invited, so I'd like to say why."

"Item four is the sale," said Eleanor. "Mr. Lippitt's signature. We can hear Mrs. Mercer after."

"I'd rather before," I said. "He signs once."

Mr. Lippitt looked up from his pen.

I took a stack of stapled pages from my bag and passed them down the table, one to each director.

"These are texts from Daphne's phone, to and from your chair," I said. "Daphne saved her as Mrs. W. Read the August ones first."

Seven directors turned the page at once.

"Wedding the same day as the induction," Mr. Lippitt read aloud, slowly. "She will be too busy to object."

He read the next one.

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