The Guy Who Became My Grumpy Boss (Curvy Girl Crew #7)

Chapter 29

-Jessica-

Seven women in one place was utter chaos. Chaos that I’d missed.

“Are you sure it’s this way?”

“Ashley likes to lead people astray.”

“Only people who don’t read the signs.”

“I’m thinking this one will be all tools.”

“I’m hoping for baby stuff.”

The voices filled the air around me, and it didn’t matter who was talking, I felt happy.

Happy and apprehensive. I’d come to a decision about the Curvy Girl Crew, and while I was nervous about it, I thought it would be fun, keep our viewers engaged, be sustainable, and include everyone. Not to mention, help people.

Our company mini golf tournament had inspired me.

I hadn’t told the others yet, but of course it depended on their support.

“We’re totally going the wrong way.”

“It’s right around the corner.”

“Which corner?

I was at the back of the line, filming. None of the boys were with us, and this was the third storage unit we’d opened today.

So far, we’d discovered one unit full of office chairs and desks that, judging by the colors, had to be fifty years old and a literal library of DVDs and paperback novels from the ‘90s.

Nanette was sure we could sell the office stuff to nearby theaters, who were always looking for vintage pieces for their sets. We were up in the air on the DVDs. No one wanted that many paperbacks, but I figured we could find anything that was valuable then donate the rest to a library or a used bookstore.

“Found it!” Ashley declared from the front of the line.

“We’ve passed this four times.”

“Have we?”

I snorted. Seriously, all of us together at once were a force to be reckoned with.

I got into position so I could film Ashley cutting the lock off—her favorite part—and joined the others in a drumroll as two of the crew raised the door.

“No way,” Nanette said.

“Did you get to look at this beforehand?” someone demanded.

“Teresa bought this one,” Nanette said.

“I am a genius.”

Someone coughed and said, “Rat skeletons.”

Everyone laughed.

The entire unit was filled to the brim, and the right half of the room in front of us was literally packed with a crib that was stuffed with totes of toys and baby clothes.

The other half was a wall of totes and boxes that looked to be household goods.

This was the perfect time to bring up my idea. I turned my camera off and put my phone in my pocket.

“What’s up?” Brooke asked.

I smiled. “I have an idea.”

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at me. Ashley was about to pull a lid off a tote but paused.

“I told you about my company donating all the food we used for the mini golf holes to charity?”

They all nodded.

“Well, that gave me the idea.” I inhaled slowly. “It’s new, and if you hate it, you can let me know.”

No one spoke. I was pretty sure no one was breathing.

Even me.

“So, what if we find people who need stuff? There are always families that require clothes, furniture, and tools.” I pointed. “We don’t need the money from selling any of this.” I looked at my friends. “What if we create an application process where people can recommend others in the area that could use help. Some, or all, of us open a unit nearby, assess the contents, then decide who could use it the most.”

It was so quiet that I wondered if the air had stopped moving.

I cleared my throat. “We can incorporate other ideas as well, like sometimes William can fly us out to the places or maybe ship the stuff to someone who could really use it. If a family needs to learn to cook, Logan can offer online or in-person cooking lessons. Ashley and Ryan can help people with tech trades. We each have something to offer, and we can use it to help others. And maybe, just maybe, we’ll inspire someone else to do the same.”

I hadn’t meant to get emotional, but ever since the company party, my emotions had been raw.

More silence.

I sniffed. “Unless you hate it.”

Nanette covered her face and burst into tears.

Brooke moved to Nanette. “Darlin’, you just wrecked the pregnant lady.”

“Sorry,” I muttered.

“I love it so much,” Nanette managed to get out through her sobs.

“Same!” Victoria said. She practically tackle-hugged me.

“It’s brilliant,” Teresa agreed.

Once again, my friend’s voices filled the air.

“William will adore it.”

“Good, because I told you I’m never flying coach again.”

“I’ve got estates all over the place now, I can totally help with this.”

“There are some refugees in my building that could use a bed frame.”

They went on and on, even as we started unpacking totes to see what we had in this unit. We gave ourselves an hour, and by the time we were finished, we’d come up with a solid plan for the first six months.

I’d been fighting this decision for so long that it felt surreal to have it nailed down.

With that taken care of, and apparently everyone happy about it, I had one more task ahead of me.

A date with Danger Zone.