Chapter Fifteen

Cherry, Robbie, and River were already halfway through their Sunday morning breakfast when Gray waltzed through the door, wearing the same clothes as the day before, freshly laundered.

"Did you just get home?" Cherry asked, her eyes wide.

Gray smiled sheepishly. "Yeah."

"Nice!" Robbie said.

Cherry jumped up, squealing with joy. She grabbed Gray's hands and pulled her in a dance around the kitchen. Even River got in on the excitement, clapping his tiny hands to celebrate an occasion he didn't understand.

"Let's go out on the back patio so you can tell me all the lurid details," Cherry suggested. "Do you want some food?"

"I had a bagel and coffee at Skylar's," Gray said.

Robbie passed Cherry her plate and took over feeding River. "Y'all go talk about your grown-up stuff. I'll clean up in here."

Cherry and Gray found a sunny spot on the patio and settled into two Adirondack chairs. Gray walked Cherry through the date, including the steamy shower sex, the surprisingly restful sleep snuggled up next to Skylar, and another round of fun when they woke in the morning.

"Oh my god, look at you," Cherry said. "You're literally glowing. It must have been that good, huh?"

"Yeah, it really was," Gray said.

"And you slept with an air sign! That's three of the four elements."

Interestingly, Gray hadn't even thought about the astrology challenge once they'd arrived at Skylar's apartment. It was as if removing their clothes had also removed any other motives, anything distracting Gray from enjoying the experience. It was the most relaxed she'd been during a sexual encounter since McKenzie. "I guess so," she said, remembering Cherry's comment. "Only a water sign left."

Cherry waved a hand. "Easy. You've still got Scorpio and Pisces, so solid chance you'll be interested in one of them. So is Skylar going on the short list?" Gray stared at Cherry blankly. "You know, the list of people who you might ask out again once you're done with the dating sprint."

"Right, the list," Gray said. "I don't know that we're really at the same place in our lives. They kept talking about how much they want to travel the world and explore new cultures and stuff, and I'm trying to settle down. But we were definitely compatible in other ways, so yeah, I'd put Skylar on the short list. Or at least Libras more broadly."

"Who else?"

"Jackson, definitely," Gray said. "The Gemini."

Cherry nodded sagely. "Makes sense. Air signs balance fire signs the best. We've known that since the beginning. So Gemini and Libra make the cut. Who else?"

Gray stared off toward the trees in Cherry's backyard, watching the Spanish moss shift in the wind as she thought back through her dates so far. "Carmen was fun—the Aries—but I should have probably learned by now that Aries isn't my one true match."

"She can go on the ‘maybe' list," Cherry suggested.

"And I really liked Aisha," Gray continued, "but she's even more out of my league than I realized. Apparently she's an Olympian?"

"Shut the fuck up," Cherry said, clearly living for the gossip.

Gray told Cherry what Skylar had said about Aisha, then googled "AJ Carson" to find it was true. An image popped up immediately of Aisha posing with a gold medal between her teeth.

Once she and Cherry recovered from the realization, Gray reviewed her short list of potential matches. As much as Gray didn't want to dismiss any sign based on a single date, she felt fairly confident that Taurus, Cancer, and Virgo weren't her destiny. Gemini and Libra were at the top of the list, with Leo and Aries right behind. Aisha was amazing, but Gray wasn't sure she could play second fiddle for life to a superstar Leo. Her relationship with McKenzie had been on more equal ground, but every day had still felt like a battle over who was the coolest or hottest or most talented. That wasn't what Gray wanted in the long term. She wanted a love where both partners could shine.

"Next up is Scorpio," said Cherry.

"Yep, and no prospects yet," Gray said. "Any advice for the search?"

"Scorpios are…" Cherry paused, weighing her words. "Well, some people say they're the villains of the zodiac. But as another unfairly villainized sign myself, I'd say that's not a fair assessment. They're water signs, so they're fiercely loyal to their loved ones and are emotionally intelligent. But you also don't want to get on their bad side. That's all I'll say about that."

Gray thought that sounded mildly terrifying, but what was she going to do now? Give up? Certainly not. "Any idea for an icebreaker?" she asked.

Cherry thought for a moment, then said, "Let's lean into the villain thing. Ask, ‘What famous villain do you think is most misunderstood?' At least you'll get an early warning if they're deeply evil, right?"

"I'll give it a try," Gray said. "But I really don't want to leave this date with a sworn nemesis."

Cherry pulled a pair of sunglasses from her pocket and slid them on. "I would never lead you astray, bestie."

First, Gray had another plan to carry out before she could focus on finding a Scorpio date. She didn't quite have all her ducks in a row for Project Win Back Veronica's Trust in time for their weekly Monday morning meeting. But clearly Veronica wasn't ready to give Gray another chance yet either. Gray awoke to a calendar cancellation. The email from Veronica said only, "Conflicting meeting. -VT."

While it might have been true that she had a conflict, Gray suspected Veronica was avoiding her. No matter; now she had time to make her apology extravaganza just right. After calculating what details she needed to wrap up, Gray shot the principal a text.

I have something important to show you. Can I meet you in the school library tomorrow after 5?

Gray frequently checked her phone for a reply as she got ready to head to her office, but she received nothing from Veronica. She did see three dots appear a few times, a sign that Veronica had seen her message and was trying to craft a response. But it wasn't until hours later, as Gray was grabbing a catfish po' boy from a food truck during her lunch break, that she finally received a text.

Tomorrow, 6 PM.

Gray grinned at Veronica's cold reply. She was clearly still displeased with Gray, but she'd given her a chance. That was all Gray needed.

Gray arrived a couple of hours before their meeting the next day. That way the security guard could let her in before leaving for the day, and it gave her plenty of time to set up. The principal, however, didn't arrive until twenty minutes after six, her high heels tapping brusquely against the linoleum.

"This better actually be important," she said as she rounded the door into the library. "I have a very busy week and—is that Brown Girl Dreaming?"

Gray looked up from the child-sized armchair she'd wedged herself into, one ankle crossed over the other knee, book in hand. "Yeah, it is. It's amazing."

"I know it is. That's why I put it on my list of—" Veronica froze, looking over Gray's shoulder at two shelves full of gleaming new books. "Oh," she said, her tone completely changing from irritation to surprise.

Gray stood, the armchair momentarily lifting with her before clattering back to the ground. "Surprise!" she said, gesturing grandly to the shelves Veronica was already inspecting. "I thought about streamers and glitter cannons, but I didn't want to get on the janitorial staff's bad side."

Her mouth hanging open in awe, Veronica ran a finger along the spine of a copy of The Prince and the Dressmaker. "This is…Is it everything on our library wish list?"

"Plus a few extras recommended by that Diversifying Middle Schools Consortium you're a member of," Gray said.

Veronica slid out one book, Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds, and thumbed through it. "There's no way you got the board to approve buying them."

"Hell has not frozen over, no," Gray said. "Besides, I wouldn't go over your head like that."

"Then how did you do this?" Veronica said, her hair hanging around her face, making it hard for Gray to gauge her reaction. "Did you buy them yourself? That's thousands of dollars. Not to mention the board could still find a way to pull them from the shelves."

Gray rocked on her heels, nervous as a middle schooler trying to impress the principal. "I would have spent thousands of dollars on this if I had it to spare. But I thought of that too. So I came up with something better. You know Gina Byers Kane?"

For the first time, Veronica actually made eye contact with Gray. "The paranormal mystery author?"

"That's the one." Gray stepped closer and put the book she'd been reading back on the shelf by the other copies. "You know we just announced she's the keynote speaker at the high school graduation this year?"

Veronica gave a single nod, clearly waiting for Gray to get to the point.

"After a chat with Dr. Donovan, I convinced him to reach out to Gina and explain the situation—that we were having trouble getting approval for the books you hoped to buy. She's pretty into free speech and access to books, you know. On the board of trustees at PEN America and everything."

"Huh," Veronica said. "That makes me love her books even more."

"Me too," Gray said. "Well, at least it makes me want to read them more. But the TV series is fantastic."

Veronica all but rolled her eyes and gestured for Gray to continue with her story.

"Right. Anyway, Dr. Donovan and Gina had a nice chat over the weekend, and she agreed to donate all the books on your list. It's a win-win. You don't have to fight the board for approval. And if they try to argue the books should be removed from the shelves, they look like jerks for refusing a gift from one of the school's most notable alums. Who will also be mentioning her opposition to book banning in an interview I arranged with The Times-Picayune about her commencement speech in May."

Gray could see that Veronica was racking her brain for a downside. "That's…a workable solution, actually," she admitted.

"Dr. Donovan called it ‘brilliant,' but I'll take ‘workable.'?"

Stepping back to take in the wall of books in front of her, Veronica said, "You know, the librarian is going to be mad at you for moving around her organized collection for all of this. And while she'll love all these new additions, it's going to be a lot of work on her end."

Gray waved away the concern. "Ms. Nole and I are tight. She helped me clear out this space for the grand reveal. And besides, I told her I'd come in on Friday to help her catalog them and put on all the protective covers and whatnot."

The principal raised an impressed eyebrow. If she was looking for a critical retort, she came up dry.

Catching sight of her briefcase on a computer table, Gray drew in a sharp breath. "I almost forgot, there's more!" She grabbed her bag and slid out a glossy sheet of paper. "I commissioned my friend Cherry to make these posters with a quote from one of Gina Byers Kane's books."

She held up the page for Veronica to examine the colorful design. At the center was the text While reading a hundred books, she walked in a hundred pairs of shoes, saw a hundred different views, and learned a hundred unforgettable lessons. Cherry had worked in a variety of illustrated shoes on the poster. Cowboy boots, high heels, ballerina slippers, soccer cleats, and more tucked between letters and bursts of color.

"Cool, right?" Gray said. "Cherry's really talented. We told Gina that we'd like to hang some of these around the school to thank her for her donation. She absolutely loved it, even wanted a copy to hang in her writing room. And she agreed to sign a poster, along with a full set of her Crescent City Seer series, for the silent auction at the SCCA parent gala in May."

Veronica plucked the poster from Gray's hand and paced the room, then collapsed into a chair behind the librarian's desk. "This is…I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything," Gray said. She followed Veronica's path and perched on the edge of the desk. "You dreamed it. You worked incredibly hard to create a plan for this school. You made the list of books, not to mention a strong argument for why they were needed. I just helped you cross the finish line."

"This is a huge weight off my shoulders, Gray," Veronica said, fully dropping the guarded expression she'd worn all evening.

"I'm glad." Gray straightened a stack of lesson plans beside her while gathering her nerve to say what she'd been meaning to convey with this whole shebang. "I know I messed up by not telling you about River. I wish I could take it back. Betraying your trust is the last thing I want to do. All of this—"

"Is enough," Veronica interrupted quietly.

"It…It is?"

"I hate apologies," she said, leaning back in the desk chair. "You made a big mistake. And I trust you'll never lie to me like that again. But words never mean as much as actions. And this…" Veronica waved a hand toward the full shelves. "I know this wasn't easy to pull off. I've been working toward it for months. This is a win, one you somehow accomplished in under a week. And it gives me hope that maybe there are more wins ahead."

With Veronica's forgiveness, Gray felt like she could finally breathe again for the first time in days. "There are so many more wins ahead for us. I know it," she said, her voice low and earnest.

Veronica examined Gray for a moment, then stood. "I've got to run. I meant what I said about having a busy week. But Gray?" She grabbed Gray's hand where it rested on the desk. "Thank you."

Gray grinned at Veronica. "For you? My pleasure."

With one last look at the donated books, Veronica turned to the library exit. She stopped just in front of the door and turned back. "Are we still on for our cooking lesson on Thursday?"

Any remaining concern about Veronica holding a grudge faded from Gray's mind. There was no way she would invite Gray into her home if there was an ounce of mistrust. "Absolutely," she said.

Veronica knocked her knuckles against the doorframe twice, then disappeared into the hallway. Gray thought about following her, but decided instead to grab that copy of Brown Girl Dreaming and settle back down in the tiny armchair. She'd almost reached the end earlier, and it really was amazing.