“I thought you two had already discussed the financial part.”
Maeve stared at the floor.
That silence hurt more than I expected.
Because Maeve had built a version of me for these people too. A supportive husband somewhere offstage who had already agreed.
That silence hurt more than I expected.
Rachel stared at her. “You’ve been telling us for months how lucky you were that he supported this.”
Maeve wiped at her cheek. “I thought he would.”
“That’s not the same thing,” Rachel said.
Nobody raised their voice. Somehow that made it worse.
Priya glanced at me. “For what it’s worth, I believe in this place. I still do. But believing in it doesn’t make this okay.”
“That’s not the same thing,”
Rachel looked at the shelves, then at Maeve.
“We can’t keep planning an opening until the finances and ownership are sorted out.”
Priya nodded. “And I’m not asking another person for a donation until everyone knows the truth.”
