Linda took a deep breath before she climbed into Arnie's rig. The floor was free of take-out menus and there was no sign of clothes ready to be dropped off at Donation Hut. He was a different version of the self she was accustomed to, his hair still damp from the shower, and he smelled good, like soap and fresh clothes. No suit on a Saturday. He had on a well-worn, long-sleeved denim shirt, and a pair of jeans. She hadn't seen him in jeans since college.
"Surprised to hear from you," Arnie said as she buckled her seatbelt.
"That makes two of us," she said. "Thanks for taking me. I wasn't sure whether you were still in town." She settled her bag on the floor between her feet. There was no sign of an overnight bag. Maybe he had a drawer at her house. She didn't want to know.
He opened his mouth, then snapped it shut. Whatever he planned to say, he changed his mind. He touched something on his phone and then dropped it into the center console and took off.
The silence became unbearable. "In the spirit of no secrets…" she began.
"Oh, terrific," he said, making an exaggerated motion of settling back to hear.
She should have phoned him immediately, no way to change that now. "We had an incident. Tommy has my car."
"What kind of incident?"
Linda puffed out her cheeks, not sure where to begin.
"Is this going to make me mad?"
The man could be so aggravating. She made a quiet sound of agreement. "Should we stop for coffee?"
"I got you one," he said, gesturing with his chin. "Bottom cup. Milk and sugar?"
There were two take-out cups in the center console. He knew her coffee order. She tried to remember his, black? She took a tentative sip and it was cool enough to swallow. "Thanks." She took a big gulp and waited for the caffeine to do its magic. Traffic was light as they headed out of town. Arnie grabbed his coffee and took a sip. In the middle of the console he had a pair of sunglasses, a roll of breath mints, and a credit-card wallet.
He followed her gaze. "I have a new system to keep my personal cards separate from my government card. I've accidentally used the government card for personal more than once. The Finance Department is not amused."
For some reason this made her recall his pocketknife, which was currently in her purse. She'd bring it up later.
"You were saying?" he said.
There was no excuse for putting it off. "There was a crash involving the bus. Still don't know whether it's drivable."
"Crash? Did anyone get hurt? Is Tommy okay?"
Linda wasn't sure how to respond. "He's not injured. He wasn't driving. His alcoholic cousin has been living with him. Practicing alcoholic."
"Isn't he—?"
"Yeah. She got tanked up and took the keys and bashed it up."
"Where was it parked?"
"At Tommy's apartment."
She braced for Arnie's anger. Somehow this would be all her failing. The terrible way she managed her staff and her lack of authority.
He didn't say anything right away. Instead, he scratched his head and kept his eyes on the road. Linda waited, her body tense, both hands wrapped around her coffee.
"That guy can't catch a break," he finally said.
She almost laughed with relief. "True. But he's not a good decision maker. It's like he knows what he can handle, but he takes on too much anyway. I love him like family, but I also want to wring his neck."
"Sounds about right," Arnie agreed. "How did he end up with your car?"
"I should have seen this coming. Elizabeth has always been like that"—Linda made a sweeping gesture with her hand—"working some sorcery to get people to do things for her. There was a day when I envied her for it. There was always a guy who wanted to take her on a houseboat, or get her tickets to some concert she wanted to go to, or give her a kidney. She's a terrific human being but Tommy is in such a precarious place right now. He's taking her on a road trip." She'd gotten in the car determined to keep this ride as professional as possible, and now she was spilling her family business.
"He's a grown man. He'll be fine."
"He ran off with my car after promising me that he would deal with the bus and all his other screw ups. I don't think he's fine."
Arnie's mouth curved into a knowing smile. "Maybe he's going after what he wants, for a change. It'll be good for him."
Linda stared at him in amazement. "They have Granny with them. They're taking her to see ceremonial regalia."
Arnie laughed. "Who hasn't worked around an elder cock-block? I will be rooting for them."
Linda didn't even know what it meant to work around an elder cock-block. He never could let her forget how easy it was for him. She tried to share his humor. "The message is that he'll be back tonight, so I'll trade cars with him tomorrow, and you two can work out the car loan."
"I wouldn't loan it if I was worried about it," Arnie said. They drove a few miles in silence before he said, "To be clear, we want the same thing."
Was he telling her, or asking for reassurance? Either way, the remark annoyed her. "You mean we both want the center to succeed."
"And you, to be the one."
"Right," she said, a flush rising in her cheeks. We're talking about work. She continued, "What I'm talking about today, all the programs and events that I want to oversee. I can be the one who does it. I thought you had doubts." The words spilled out, pure honesty.
"The doubts I have aren't about you. I'm afraid with the way things are going they're going to want someone to be accountable. If it comes to that, I want you to make the decision."
Linda remained firm. "If it comes to that, we'll talk about it. Meanwhile, look what I deal with. People micromanaging my decisions. Everything needing to be discussed in committee."
"Nature of the beast, don' t you think?"
That's what the person micromanaging would think.
"For today, we need support for the delay. That facilities manager guy said they would take us to alternate sites in a week or two. We're actively working on the problem."
"I'm with you," he said.
She could hear the "but" about to follow but while he sorted out whatever he wanted to say next, his cellphone rang. He tapped an earpiece she hadn't noticed earlier.
"Sorry about this,” he said to her. “When you're on Council, you're always at work."
"You don't have to explain to me," she said.
"Hey." Arnie's voice dropped. She glanced at the phone and saw the display: Katie.
Oh.
She shrank back in the seat pretending that would give him more privacy. She studied the dashboard and the button for the glove box. She guessed what was inside: breath mints, a heavy-duty flashlight, an ice scraper, maps.
She'd been in Virgil's car one time. He drove an older dark-green SUV that had been used to transport runners on a weekend relay event. It was tidy but smelled like workout clothes. He'd taken her to a restaurant out of town by the river. Pretending not to listen to Arnie's call reminded her that she and Virgil had no firm next date on the books.
Arnie said, "Not a good time...I'm in the rig. I've got work people with me."
That's what she was to Katie, work people. There was a long pause. No doubt Katie wanted to know which work friends.
Arnie stammered, "No...yes...probably not. Can I call you this afternoon?"
Linda tried to determine from this side of the conversation whether he'd stayed with her the night before.
"Sure, sure. We'll plan something. I said I'd call you."
If she were betting, she would bet this was not the case. She was dismayed by how much this amused her.
Arnie disconnected the call. She caught his attention and pantomimed blowing her nose.
He popped the center console open and handed her a packet of tissues. She would never know what was in the glove box. She'd never looked in Virgil's glove box either. She removed a tissue and dabbed her nose and returned the pack. He threw it back where it came from.
The phone rang again, and Arnie made an annoyed sound at the back of his throat.
"Yeah?" There was a long pause. "How much later? Fine, we'll be there this afternoon." He clicked the phone off. "The meeting is running late. They want you to stop by late afternoon."
"That's fine. I can keep myself busy until it's my turn."
"And deny you our fine rez hospitality? I'll feed you lunch and take you over when it's time."