Linda checked Rayanne's map. "He said that when you get out of the parking garage elevator, stay to the left and you'll see it. Is there more than one parking garage elevator?"
A spike of cold-nerves tickled between her shoulder blades. She tried to tell herself it was the pressure of the event, but she worried about Arnie. When they'd started working together, she confirmed to him they would be a team and not work at odds to each other. She wanted to blame him for dating their filmmaker and making this transaction awkward, but that didn't excuse changing the films without warning. She didn't want to surprise him. At the same time, ever since he'd joined their organization he made her question her judgment. This was her decision; she didn't need him to confirm.
"I recognize those guys," Rayanne said, indicating a group ahead.
Audra stood in the concourse with several people Linda remembered from the mixer.
"We're ready," Linda said, sounding like she didn't believe it herself. "Have you seen Arnie? I have information he needs."
"Never standing still," Audra said, walking with them to their room. "I've been here all week. You know how these meetings are. Day one you are fully invigorated by how amazing working in Indian Country is. Day two you're still getting a lot out of it but you're tired of the coffee and blasting air conditioning. Day three you're hanging in there but tired of people standing up and giving longwinded talks that aren't even on point and you will punch someone if you have to eat one more deli sandwich."
"That brings us to day four. Show us this damn presentation so we can all go home," Linda said.
"They wouldn't have stayed if they didn't want to hear it," Audra said.
The room could have held sixty and was only about one-third filled. An ice-filled tray at the front table held pop, and a platter of brownies sat next to it.
"Promising food helps," Audra said.
Virgil was there, and she went over to say hello. Seeing Virgil gave her a different sort of nervous pang. He'd had a busy travel schedule, and other than periodic texts with photos of generic meeting rooms and the words “guess where I am today?” they hadn't been in touch.
"Nervous?" he asked.
"No," she lied. She liked speaking and she recognized a number of tribal leaders from other government meetings, but these were the local folks she needed to win over if the organization was to continue. Ester and Rayanne set up the movie while she introduced herself and encouraged everyone to grab a treat and sit down.
Ester gave her the signal, and she headed for the front of the room. "This will be quick because I know you've had a long week and want to get home. I'm not sugar-coating it, we're in trouble. You all have plenty to deal with on your home reservations, but I want you to consider the Ind'n people who end up here in the city. They struggle. They're far from home and their support system. We're here for social and cultural contact, and bigger things such as housing, healthcare, transportation, and ideally, education. This short film shows a little bit of what we do and what we're up against. We need strong tribal support for the work we do. I'll be here afterward if you want to ask questions."
She nodded at Ester to begin the film and found a place where she could keep one eye on the movie and the other on their guests. From this spot, she could see whether they connected with the message or stared at their phones. The uneasiness about keeping Arnie out of the loop persisted but he still hadn't shown up. Maybe his priorities had shifted.
The lights in the room dimmed and the movie started. Ester had stayed up half the night fiddling with the music. That girl was such a perfectionist. She needed a whack over the head so she would recognize her own talents.
A phone rang and the man who answered got up and left the room. Her heart sank to lose even one pair of eyes. Two others talked in the back. Rayanne sat at the front with her eyes on the screen. Ester chewed her fingernails and stared at the floor.
The door opened again but instead of the man who'd left, or maybe a few later comers, Arnie came in and he had Professor Stone with him.
Arnie's niece found him as he headed to the movie. "Can we stay at Aunt Tildy's? A few of us want to go out tonight."
"If it's okay with her, I don't care. What are you guys going to do?"
"Dance club. Theo is a bouncer."
"Sounds like fun. He'll watch out for you," Arnie said, hoping he hadn't misjudged the guy. "Thanks for your help," he said, but already they'd rushed off.
He spotted Katie coming down the concourse. He was uncertain about having her at NATG with him. This conference was from eyes open to eyes shut, all business. He had to keep track of the interns, work with his tribal council, and stay on top of his own meetings and agenda. He'd even been too busy to respond to Linda's pings, anticipating a break to carve out a few minutes and then getting hauled off to talk to someone or solve a problem. Katie wouldn't drop the idea of seeing the response to her film so he welcomed her to it.
She wore nice slacks, a snug blouse and long beaded earrings. For one heart-stopping second he thought she was going to kiss him. Whatever had developed between them, he wasn't ready for a PDA at his big work meeting.
Whether he misunderstood her body language, or she understood his, she didn't kiss him. She gave him an affectionate pat on the arm. He'd planned on taking her straight to the meeting room but on the way they ran into a couple of folks from one of his committees who wanted to talk. He'd introduced Katie, who'd charmed them with her curiosity and playful questions. She was intelligent and a good listener. Yeah, he could see something happening between them.
"I'm not sure how many folk we have here," he told her. "If you expect a room full of people, you're going to be disappointed."
"I won't be," she said.
The door to the room was closed. They'd missed the start. Inside, the lights were dim. He guided her to the first empty seats he found. He looked around the room to see if he could identify how many folks were there and who showed up. They had a bigger crowd than he expected. He recognized a couple of tribal leaders that had already expressed an interest in being involved. He spotted his tribal chairman. Linda stood against the wall near the front. He tried to catch her attention but she kept her eyes on the screen. Then he spotted Audra and Virgil seated near the front. Did Linda think he would be bothered by Virgil? Of course not.
Katie's hand landed on his knee, more familiar than he'd expected. "That's not my film," she whispered.
Arnie returned his attention to the front. He'd only seen the film once and at first he thought she must be mistaken. These were scenes from the elder lunch. His confusion could be from seeing it on a larger screen. But the music was different, too. Katie's version used flute music and she had done the voice-over on her film, but this speaker was male. The camera lingered on different images and showed more interactions between tribal people.
Katie patted his leg to emphasize her words. "That's not my film."
"I don't know what's going on," Arnie said. His eyes found Linda again, and she studiously avoided eye contact.
Katie transformed into a bundle of disappointment and confusion. "That's Theo's voice. Did he make this?"
"I'm not sure," Arnie said, taking her hand and squeezing it. The film on screen was very good; if Theo made it, he shouldn't be failing her class. He knew better than to suggest that, though.
He couldn't understand why Linda would screen a different film without telling him. That was so like her, to make an executive decision without even a hint. If he'd known, he could have at least saved Katie from embarrassment.
"If she didn't want it, she should have said so," Katie said, biting off each word. Arnie stroked her hand, trying to convey a sense of calm he didn't feel. As soon at the film finished, she said, "I'll meet you outside." She slipped out the door before he could stop her. He had a mind to chase after her, but he needed to talk to Linda first.
The lights came up. A half dozen of the guests lingered. Linda worked her way through them, thanking them for coming, answe
ring their questions. She excelled at this part, conveying her message and giving people her attention. He'd always liked that about her.
Ester came over. "Blame me. It was my idea."
"Is that your work? I assumed it was Theo. Ester, that was amazing. But it doesn't matter whose idea it was, I could have used a heads-up."
"She tried. We thought you would be here earlier, and um…" She glanced at the door where Katie had exited.
"I need to work this out with your boss," Arnie said, finding that the more he thought about it, the angrier he became.
Virgil Harris came over to shake his hand. "Hey, Arnie, I guess congratulations are in order."
This was the guy Linda was dating. Arnie had run across him at meetings but they'd never worked together.
"Nice to see you, Virgil. Congratulations for what?" Arnie ticked through the week of meetings and tried to figure out what Virgil was talking about.
"I'm surprised she didn't tell you," Virgil said. A pang of irritation rose hearing him refer to Linda so casually as if they had something in common.
"I wasn't aware the film had been changed, if that's what you mean," Arnie said, but he already suspected Virgil was talking about something else. Linda had made another decision without telling him.
"Our intent to sue letter worked. We have a meeting with the city next week. We've got names. They're appointing an action committee to work with us. We might get you guys into the Chief Building after all."
"What intent to sue letter?" Arnie said, the air rushing out of him. He glanced over at Linda. She was in the middle of an animated conversation with a tribal leader from a tribe with a prominent community charity funded with profits from their gaming operation.
Virgil's smile was completely genuine. "Audra drafted it and sent it out on behalf of the organization. Linda wanted to shake something loose, and it worked."
He knew it was silly but Arnie chose to see something spiteful behind it—Linda letting Virgil give him a tremendous piece of news about an action he knew nothing about and wouldn't have approved of if he had.
Arnie did his best to smile back. "Linda hadn't given me the news. That's great. I'm glad your strategy worked. Can you excuse me?"
He had to get out of the room. He didn't trust himself right then, and he didn't want to ruin whatever remained of his friendship with Linda.
34
Theo had to find Arnie before he left the conference for good. He had a thumb drive and there were a few leftover boxes of packets that needed to be dealt with. The conference food had grown tiresome and he needed a power nap before he had to be at Frenzy's. Some of the interns wanted to go to the club but last he'd heard they were still looking for a place to stay.
The plan was to get out of there before the Crooked Rock presentation. Ester would be in the building, and after the rush of emotion at hearing her voice during the conference call, he didn't think he could handle seeing her again. Not even to say a proper goodbye. Unfortunately, time got away from him and he had no choice but to search for Arnie at the screening.
He headed through the now empty concourse, hoping he'd find Arnie and would be able to slip out before anyone from the center saw him. He was surprised to see Professor Stone rush out of the room as if she couldn't get out of there fast enough.
He called to her and her head snapped up, her face a mask of fury that she struggled to hide when she saw him.
"Theo," she said with forced cheer. "Why weren't you in there? You and Ester did a lovely job."
The sound of their names together brought up a lonely ache in his chest. "I don't know what you mean."
Arnie burst out of the door with the same flush of anger that Professor Stone had exited with seconds earlier. What was going on in there?
Arnie pointed at Theo. "Did you know about that?"
Theo shook his head. Whatever the meltdown was about, he wanted to get out of there as fast as he could. "I know nothing. I came to tell you I'm done." He handed Arnie the thumb drive.
Arnie took a big calming breath. He exchanged a look with Professor Stone that Theo didn't understand.
"The Crooked Rock film," Professor Stone said. "They screened it for some tribal leaders to attract supporters."
Theo's confusion must have shown on his face.
Professor Stone nodded. "They didn't tell you, either? That was you on the voice-over, wasn't it? You must have known about Ester's version."
"I didn't know she made something for today," Theo said, pleased that Ester finally showed them what she could do. He wished he had seen it with her. Then it occurred to him that if they used Ester's, they hadn't used Professor Stone's. He didn't know what to say.
"It's fine," she said, as if she were still thinking it through. "I missed my own message about taking advantage of a unique perspective. You two are better suited for the job, which would have been nice to know before I did all that work. Not your problem. Did you have something for me?"
Talking to Professor Stone while she was worked up wasn't the best idea, but it was now or never.
"I worked for Arnie this week using everything you taught us in class. I did short interviews for the web, things like that. I know you were disappointed with how I did in class but I wanted you to see the work I did. I learned a lot from you. If I send it, would you take a look?"
He was prepared for her to lecture, but she smiled at him. "You did great in the other class. I still have hope for you. Send what you have, I'd like to see."
"Derek's happy with it,” Arnie told her. “You'll be pleased."
To Theo, he said, "Sorry we don't have more time to talk but now I have a situation to deal with." His expression turned sour. "I meant everything I said. I have resources to get you more money for school. You've got a place here. We can keep you busy. If not, good luck. Send me an invoice, sooner rather than later. And don't be shy about bugging me if you don't get paid."
"Thanks for the opportunity," Theo said, wondering if it was a mistake to rush out of town.
"And one more thing," Arnie said. "Watch out for my nieces."
"Not a squirrely bone in my body," Theo reminded him. Hopefully inviting them out wouldn't turn out to be a bad idea.
Arnie took Professor Stone's elbow. "You ready to get out of here?"
Stone had her purse tucked under her arm. "Did we have plans?"
"Let's go to dinner."
An unmistakable tension flared between them. Theo backed away, wishing he hadn't seen it. He averted his eyes and turned around in time to see Rayanne and Ester come out of the meeting room, their faces bright with success. Ester's eyes widened and her smile disappeared when she spotted him. Rayanne nudged her and then walked over to Theo as if there were no question they were going to say hello.
"How's life as Arnie's intern?" Rayanne asked.
"Busy," Theo said. "I learned a lot." Ester wouldn't look at him.
"The film came out great, you guys did a good job," Rayanne said.
Theo nodded at Ester. "She's the talent. My job is to follow orders." The attempt at humor fell flat. Ester turned to look at the exit as if she couldn't wait to get out of there. This might be his last chance. He had to say something.
"Ester, could we talk for a minute?" He raised an eyebrow at Rayanne.
"Sure," Rayanne said a little too loudly. She pulled the computer bag off Ester's shoulder. "I'll take your things to the car. Text if you don't need us to wait for you."
Ester gave her a sour look.
Rayanne walked off, leaving them alone in the middle of the concourse.
Ester took a deep breath and met his eyes, and he was lost. He wanted to leave things less confusing and angry but he couldn't find any words.
"I used the voice-over you made," Ester said. "I should have asked."
"I did it for you."
"People liked it," she said.
"Everything else okay?" he asked.
Ester shrugged and shook her head as if she couldn't believe she h
ad to deal with this.
"I didn't know they were using your film," he said.
"I showed it to Linda yesterday after we saw Professor Stone's. She decided."
"Sorry I missed it."
"I can send you a URL."
Whatever he wanted to say, or hoped to accomplish, it was too late. Some hurts you couldn't get past. "You're talented. I wanted to tell you that," he said, his chest tight. That was barely a start of the things he wanted to tell her, but it would have to do. He turned around and dragged his weary ass out of there.
Ester watched Theo walk down the concourse, unable to sort out all the emotions churning inside of her. She wanted to throw herself at him, she wanted to throw something at him, she wanted to tell him about the film, she wanted to ask about his week with Arnie and whether that changed anything. She hated seeing the sadness in his eyes. She hated all the unfinished things between them.
"Theo?" His name came out in a strangled croak. Either he didn't hear or he was ignoring her.
She took a couple of steps after him. "Theo?"
He still didn't turn. Running after him seemed desperate, so she walked as fast as she could. His legs were twice as long as hers and he walked fast so it took a minute to catch up.
"Hey, Theo!" she called.
He stopped, his face fixed with the same infuriating blank expression he had when he was breaking up fights at Frenzy's or coaxing a response out of a reticent elder during an interview. The teasing smile she wanted was not forthcoming. Now that she had his attention, she didn't know what to say.
"Thanks for helping me," she said.
Finally. His mouth curved into something resembling the Theo smile she remembered.
She had more to say but couldn't get her head to untangle it into words.
"You headed to the parking garage?" he asked.
She nodded.
"You want to walk with me?"
That would be enough time to figure out what to say. She caught up beside him, remembering all the times she'd had to keep pace with him. This would be the last time unless someone said something. She searched his body language for clues that he would be willing to try again.
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