He finally moved his attention from his book to me. “What? No. I don’t want to change schools. I have friends here.”
He did have a good friend, Ian, whose family invited Declan over for dinner and overnights giving me a reprieve when I was overwhelmed.
I’d done some research online and it did say to keep things as normal as possible. Same school. Same house. But eventually we needed to move out of Julian’s house. I couldn’t continue to live among his things. I’d have to make a decision about Declan. The more time we spent together, the less I wanted to disrupt his life again. If he went to live with a different relative, it would be one more change when he’d already have enough upheaval to last a lifetime.
I’d gone from only thinking about myself to carefully considering how every move would affect Declan. It had only been six months since Julian died, but it seemed like a lifetime.
Chapter Three
Avery
Champagne Fridays became a tradition when we painted the office and celebrated the opening of the firm. Take-out containers were spread out over the table from our favorite Chinese restaurant. It was time for us to talk about the week, our cases, and touch base about Kids Speak.
Hadley placed her pen behind her ear, looking down at her agenda for the meeting. “The fundraiser is scheduled in a couple of weeks. We’re hoping to raise awareness about Kids Speak, inform the public about our services, but also spread the word that we’re looking for athletes to get involved.”
Hadley started Kids Speak in New Orleans with her father’s financial backing, but he’d recently withdrew his support, so we were looking for ways to continue to be viable and expand into Annapolis. I organized the fundraising events. Dylan drummed up publicity. Hadley was the face of the organization since she created it, but she also developed relationships with the schools, hired speech therapists, and implemented the program.
The publicity we received after our gala in New Orleans sent new clients our way. We received a lot of inquiries about obtaining services through the schools for children with individualized education plans. It wasn’t one of the areas of law we anticipated practicing, but it made sense due to our association with a speech impairment nonprofit.
Her brother, Colin’s idea was to involve athletes like himself, who also experienced speech issues, who could speak to the kids, be a mentor.
“I called the press offices for all of the local teams, minor league and professional, inviting them to attend. I started with Baltimore, but we could expand to Washington D.C. if we don’t get any takers,” Dylan said.
“Do you think it will work?” It was a great idea to bring in professional players. I wasn’t sure they’d want to partner with a small nonprofit though.
“It would be easier if we had a personal connection to a player. It doesn’t matter which sport. Once one gets involved, the others will follow. It’s like a domino effect.” Dylan pushed up her sleeves, her tone determined.
“Do you think we’ll raise enough money to get off the ground in Annapolis?” Hadley asked.
“I hope so.” I speared the last piece of chicken with my fork, biting into it. If we couldn’t generate enough interest locally, we wouldn’t be able to expand like she wanted. The firm’s success and Kids Speak were intertwined. If Kids Speak didn’t gain traction, I worried the firm wouldn’t either.
“We’ll find an investor or an organization willing to get involved. Trust me. It’s just a matter of time. Once we get one person with influence involved, others will too. They won’t want to miss out,” Dylan said.
“I hope you’re right. Sometimes I think it was a mistake to think I could run Kids Speak without an investor. I never realized how stressful and time-consuming raising money is for a nonprofit.” Hadley’s brow furrowed as she took a sip of her wine.
We’d only worked together a short time, but I respected Hadley. I didn’t want her to give up. “Maybe this one will sustain us for a while.”
“Are there any local wealthy business owners who might be interested in helping us?” Dylan picked up her phone as if to search for possibilities.
“I’m not sure I’m comfortable with that.” Hadley’s nose wrinkled.
I sympathized with Hadley’s reluctance to approach investors. I preferred people come to us, but we might not have a choice.
Dylan glanced up at Hadley. “Not everyone is your dad. Surely, someone has money to burn who thinks this is a good cause.”
“What are you searching for?” I leaned over to get a better look at her screen.
“Wealthy businessmen in the Annapolis area. Bonus if they had speech issues growing up, but it’s unlikely that would be posted online.” Dylan’s head bowed over her phone as she bit her lip in concentration.
“Thank you so much for planning the fundraiser,” Hadley said to me.
“Of course. I love organizing things.” I was happy to support Hadley in her cause. As long as I was behind the scenes and didn’t have to attend the event or speak to the media, I’d be fine.
“You’re coming, right?” Hadley’s enthusiasm was infectious, but dread spread through my stomach at her question.
I didn’t want to disappoint Hadley, but I didn’t want to go if I could avoid it. “I hadn’t planned on it. If you want me there as an organizer, I can make sure things run smoothly.”
“No. I’d like all three of us there together. Like it or not, our firm and our faces will become Kids Speak in Annapolis. It’s no longer my baby, it’s ours.” Hadley gestured at us.
A warm tingly sensation skidded over my skin, goose bumps popped up in its wake. Asked to be part of something was rare for me. I was used to being on the outskirts of things. “That’s amazing, Hadley. I thought we were more backseat contributors, not the face.”
Dylan shrugged. “The firm’s name is already associated with Kids Speak. It’s inevitable people will expect the three of us at events.”
In social situations, my heart raced, my palms were sweaty, I felt like everyone was looking at me and judging. “I think you two would be better at the public relations thing.”
“You’ll be great.” Hadley waved me off.
“No. You don’t understand. Parties aren’t my thing.” Hadley spoke at every gala Kids Speak ever had. If it made her nervous, it didn’t show. Dylan was naturally outgoing. She frequently spoke with the media to garner support for Kids Speak and Hadley’s boyfriend, Cade’s, charity Morrison Rebuilds.
“You won’t have to speak. You just have to be there,” Hadley said.
They were so confident in front of people. How could I explain to them my fear of falling, saying something wrong, or the all-encompassing I wasn’t in the right skin sensation I got. I was so uncomfortable the whole time, counting down the seconds until I could leave. Hours later, I’d analyze anything I said or did, berating myself for saying or doing something embarrassing or stupid.
I let it go, not wanting to make a big deal of it, hoping they’d forget about it or I’d get sick so I wouldn’t have to attend.
“Huh,” Dylan said.