Leta was taking clothes out of the dryer when the phone in her back pocket began to vibrate. She quickly dumped the load of warm laundry into a basket and slipped her phone out. “Hello?”
“Yes, is this Leta Breckenridge?”
She hesitated briefly before responding, not recognizing the number or the voice. “It is.”
“This is Nancy Patrick. I’m calling from the Institute of Brain Sciences. Dr. Emerson asked me to contact you. We’re hosting a symposium for families of patients with cognitive impairment. He thought you might benefit.”
“A symposium?”
“Yes. There will be speakers,” Ms. Patrick explained. “What might interest you even more is the opportunity to connect and interact with a community of people who face issues common to your own. In the past, attendees have reported the time was well worth their while. And it’s complimentary, of course.”
“Will Dr. Emerson be there?” she asked, trying to mask the extent of her interest.
“Oh, certainly. He’ll be one of the main speakers.”
Her mind raced. He’d thought to extend an invitation. Obviously he wanted her there. “And when is it? The symposium, I mean.”
“Friday night. If you can make it, I’ll have a ticket waiting.”
“Okay. I’m free that night. Sure, I’ll be there.”
“Excellent! Seven o’clock at the Omni downtown.”
Leta hung up and slowly picked up her laundry basket. She made her way down the hall, pondering what had just occurred.
While she was flattered Nate had extended such a generous invitation and she was thrilled to be going, there were other considerations. Mainly, Bernard Geisler and the fact he seemed to be watching her so closely, especially her interactions with the senator.
She wished she didn’t feel like such a traitor. It seemed no matter what she did these days, she was at risk of betraying someone. One could argue that attending the Institute of Brain Sciences meeting was simply her personal business, that she had every right to participate in a function that would provide valuable resources and information relating to her mother’s dementia. And that would be true.
On the other hand, she couldn’t easily dismiss the fact that she worked for Nathan Emerson’s opposition, and it seemed disingenuous to accept his offer knowing that she’d spent the day researching and documenting every statement he’d ever made, publicly or otherwise.
In the end she knew of no way out. She’d consented to go—wanted to go. So on Friday night, she parked her car in the Omni Hotel parking garage and made her way to the elevator that would take her to the lobby.
The Omni was a contemporary venue, the main floor constructed primarily of metal and glass that provided stunning views of the city at night. She stepped into the lobby where the concierge directed her to a conference room upstairs.
The meeting room was nearly full, and most of the rows of seats were already taken. Groups of people gathered at the linen-covered tables lining the wall, where coffee and refreshments were served.
A nicely dressed woman sat at a table near the front door. “Can I help you?”
Leta swallowed. “I’m Leta Breckenridge.”
The woman scanned the name tags. “Oh yes. Right here.”
Leta thanked her and pinned the small plastic square to her top. She searched the room.
“Leta!”
She turned to find Nate heading her way.
“I’m so glad you agreed to come. I think you are really going to benefit from tonight’s speakers.”
His eyes told her he was personally glad to see her as well. She couldn’t lie. She felt the same.
“Thank you for inviting me,” she said, trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. “It’s good to see you.”
“It’s really good to see you too.” His hand went to the small of her back, and he led her to a seat up front. “Look, I need to go. Duty calls. But please don’t leave until we get a chance to talk. Okay?”
She smiled. “Sure.”
While others took their seats, Leta looked over the brochure she’d been handed on her way in.
The speaker lineup was impressive. All experts in their various fields, including neuroscience, neurosurgery, psychiatry, and cognitive science. Some had traveled from as far as Washington, D.C.
The woman from the registration table took the podium. “Welcome, everyone, and thank you for coming tonight. I think we have some very interesting information to share.”
After introducing Nathan and giving a short presentation about the Institute of Brain Sciences, she welcomed the first speaker, Dr. Grant Luddke. He shared on the latest developments in aging and geriatric research, which Leta found fascinating.
At the end of the evening Nathan took the podium and closed by outlining the plans ahead and the challenges the institute faced, primarily financial. “It is my hope that with the support of both the private and public sectors, we’ll end the coming year with astounding success. Again, thank you for coming out tonight.”
He looked across the podium and their eyes met. He held her gaze for several seconds before posing for some photographs.
Leta waited over by the coffeepot while those in attendance dispersed. Finally Nate was able to extract himself and headed her way.
“Thank you for staying,” he said, a bit breathless. “Sometimes there doesn’t seem to be enough of me to go around, know what I mean?” He smiled.
“Tonight was amazing,” she told him. “I can’t believe all that is being done to reverse my mother’s horrible disease. It gives me such hope.”
He took her elbow and led her toward the door. “I’d hoped that would be the case.” He glanced around, seeming a bit nervous. “I know it’s late, but I’d love to buy you a cup of coffee.”
“You just did.”
“What?”
She pointed back inside the meeting room.
He laughed. “Oh yeah. I guess I did.” His eyes held hers. “Can we go somewhere and talk?”
They moved to the bar and ordered club sodas. Minutes later they were seated in a corner of the lobby after finding the bar too noisy to talk.
“Look, I wanted to let you know that I’ll be making a big announcement soon.”
She grinned. “You’re going to run?”
He nodded. “Yes, for lots of reasons. One of the greatest of those circles around what we discussed up in that room tonight. We are on the edge of several major breakthroughs, but the funding just isn’t there. My influence has been limited as a member of the legislative branch. I’m hoping I can do more as governor.”
Her fingers tightened around her cold drink as she tried to take in all that his decision meant. Of course she was delighted he’d decided to run, but that meant the conflict with her work was only going to intensify.
Suddenly Nate reached out and touched her fingers. A bolt of lightning might as well have landed at that place for the jolt she felt inside.
He quickly pulled back. His eyes darted around the lobby. “I—I’m sorry. That was a little forward of me. It’s just that—well, I want us to be friends.”
He gave her a sideways look, and Leta couldn’t help but admire his brown eyes and the way the overhead light highlighted the strong structure of his face. He was definitely serious-natured, but also soft-spoken and so very smart. He understood things that others couldn’t, simply because he took the time to observe. Leta admired him for it. At the same time, it was that aspect of Nate she feared the most. She was afraid that he could see through her with a glance.
“We are friends,” she nearly whispered, afraid to let the entirety of her feelings be known. Afraid she was overestimating the meaning of what he was saying.
“No doubt things are complicated. And I have a few key things to sort out.” Tiffany’s name went unspoken. “But I wanted you to know how often I think about you.”
The statement made her unable to breathe. So she simply nodded. “I—I think about you too.” It was a silly thing to say, really. But she could barely think. Her mind was dizzy with catapulting emotions.
He seemed to understand because he grinned at her.
Just then, a camera crew headed across the lobby in their direction.
Nathan audibly groaned. He stood and quickly said, “I’ll call you.” Then he moved to meet the reporters.
Leta held her breath and waited to see if he’d glance back. He didn’t.
Which was understandable. He wouldn’t want to draw attention to the fact they’d been talking, not any more than what he’d already risked.
It didn’t really matter. Like he’d said, they had a lot to sort out. She’d have to figure out the whole Ladd Agency thing and make some decisions. She might have to resign. But first she’d need to find another job that would support her mother’s expenses.
Leta had faith it would all work out. It had to.
Because going forward, she and Nathan Emerson were going to be friends.
She stood and watched Nate and the reporters for a few seconds before heading for the elevator doors. With each step, her heart raced a little faster as she attempted to take in the evening and all that had occurred.
Despite feeling giddy, she forced herself to walk with a steady gait.
But inside, she was definitely skipping.