"No, no, no. Definitely not that. All we need to do is show our faces. Mingle with very little small talk. We want to be present, but unremarkable. When we leave here, I'm hoping as few people will remember us as possible."
"Now who’s the party pooper. Let's go not make friends." She stopped in front of the entryway mirror and ran her hands through her hair.
"You look great. Let's go."
"Ah, see? You're already sounding like a husband frustrated with his wife being late. We'll play the perfect couple together."
I rolled my eyes and closed the door after us. It wasn't a long walk to the green space, and I didn't mind the exercise. Nola and I walked side by side, not speaking as we headed to the party. It was a surprisingly comfortable silence.
When we drew closer, I realized that they went all out for this meeting. Entire families were there. Kids were running around the field, weaving in between adults. The smell of barbecued hamburgers filled the air.
"Welcome!" Carol rushed to us as we reached the grassy area between the gazebo and recreation building. "How are you two? I'm so glad you both could come."
She gave Nola a pointed look.
Nola smiled at her, but I realized it wasn't her real smile. Funny how quickly you can come to know a person when you live with them, even just for a short time.
"It's good to see you, Carol," I said as I placed a hand on Nola's back, gently pushing her away from Carol. "I'm looking forward to meeting more of the neighbors."
"She makes my skin crawl," Nola whispered as we walked away, weaving our way through the small crowd gathered outside. "She looks at you like you're a piece of meat."
"Imagine how it makes me feel."
She laughed. "Trust me. Women know what that feels like."
She inclined her head toward a man who was gawking at her.
"Touché." I slipped my arm around her waist and pulled her a little closer, wondering at the sense of protectiveness I felt towards her. It was all part of the act, I reminded myself.
"Hey there!" It was Jan, the current HOA president.
"How are you?" I asked with a smile. "Have you met my wife yet? Jan, I'd like you to meet Nola."
"Hi there," Nola said as she shook the other woman's hand. "It's so great to meet you."
"You too. Now, why does your face look so familiar to me?" She continued holding Nola's hand. My heart sped up as I wondered if our charade was about to be over. "Oh, well, I'm sure it will come to me sometime. I hope you enjoy your evening. Do you mind if I steal your husband for a minute and ask a few questions about real estate?"
"Steal away," Nola replied breezily. I frowned. She didn't have to act like I was a nuisance.
For the next hour, I chatted with different neighbors while trying to keep an eye on Nola. A few times, I was asked a few personal questions about Nola and me, but I managed to steer us back to neutral ground: property values.
I spotted Nola sitting on a bench with a man and woman close to our age. It was the same man I'd met at the HOA meeting, Ian. The woman with him had bright purple hair. The three of them seemed to be laughing freely together. They looked much more interesting than the couple who were grilling me about how to get away without paying their realtor a fee. I started in their direction.
"Hello everyone!" A loud voice said. I glanced around to see Jan standing on a picnic table bench next to Carol. Of course, it was Carol getting everyone to quiet down.
"Oh, that's right, the ballots," someone said to my left.
Jan continued, "If the board members could make sure to drop their ballots off up here, we'll count the votes and announce the new head of the HOA."
"That would be me." A middle-aged woman brushed past me, her white-blonde hair shooting in every direction. Her perfume was potent, giving me an instant headache. She walked with a bounce in each step.
Nola stepped up next to me. "Is this the part where we leave?"
"You read my mind." I grasped her hand in mine and turned to go but came face-to-face with the young couple Nola had been speaking with.
"Bane, this is Tori and Ian." Nola made the introductions.
"Hey, good to meet you—again," Ian said as he shook my hand with a firm grip. "You survived your first HOA meeting."
The twinkle in his eye belied the serious tone.
"I hear you stopped them from destroying the green space too. I'm so glad," Tori said, brushing a purple strand of hair behind her ear. "I wouldn't have anywhere to let the dogs run free if another road cut through the neighborhood."
"Dogs?" Nola asked.
"Tori is the official dog walker in Willow Loop."
"I happened to notice you with a giant dog. Is he yours?" I asked Ian.
"Ah, yes, that's Mumford. You'll have to come by and meet him sometime. Do you know anything about Great Pyrenees?"
"No..." I shook my head.
"Neither do I," Ian laughed.
Tori piped up. "If it weren't for Mumford, we never would have met."
"Wow, that's so sweet!" Nola exclaimed.
Tori smiled. "Ian ended up in the ER thanks to that dog."
Nola gasped, and I chuckled. "How did—"
Our conversation was interrupted when Carol pushed the siren on the megaphone, pulling everyone's attention to the front podium set in the gazebo.
"Excuse me, everyone!" Carol said without speaking into the megaphone. She had a shockingly loud voice for someone able to sneak up on me twice. "We have all the votes in for the next president of the HOA. We are excited to announce that it is nearly unanimous with only a few outliers." Carol glared in the direction of the security guard whose name I couldn't recall. I'd had the misfortune of getting a lecture from him about locking the backyard
