11. Ruby
Ruby
"Then we'll lose the project. We've already wasted enough time and resources on this."
Oscar had raised his voice so loudly that I heard him clearly. Adam had stopped by after dinner to catch up on some outstanding projects, Ocean City being one of them. I didn’t have to hear the earlier part of the conversation to know that’s what they were talking about.
I was curled up on the couch with my book when I heard Oscar. I closed my book and sat up straighter, trying to listen.
Adam had texted me a couple of times since he got back from vacation, asking me if I had thought about it. But I still hadn't committed to anything. I didn't even tell him that I had driven down to Ocean City, or that I sketched plans not only for the homes, but for the neighborhood as well.
While Oscar‘s voice echoed down the marble hallway, Adam’s was harder to hear. I strained listening, but the best I could make out were mumbles.
Eventually I couldn’t take the curiosity anymore. I got up and quietly went down the hall and stood outside Oscar's office.
“Adam, you’ve got to let this go. It’s okay if we lose this project. It’s just one.”
“But we don’t need to lose this project,“ Adam said. “We have the right people, we just need the right designs. We need the right presentation. Clearly something in our previous presentations hasn’t connected with them.”
“That lack of connection is why this isn’t the right job for us. I know we’ve both been wanting to break into the shore market, but it’ll have to be with another project.”
“Oscar, as your friend, I’m telling you you’re being ridiculous. Just let me talk to her again. I know she can help us.”
“Your desperation is muddling your thought process. I don’t know why you’re so set on Ruby helping. You need to move on. It’s not happening.”
“It’s like you’ve forgotten who helped build the company with you to begin with.”
“I haven’t forgotten anything. I know you’ve been there since the beginning,” Oscar said.
Adam sighed then scrape of a chair being pushed back on the hardwood floor reached me. These weren’t Oscar’s deliberate footsteps. It sounded like Adam must’ve been pacing the floor.
“This isn’t about me,” Adam said. “I think this has more to do with you than you realize.“
“What are you saying?“ Oscar asked, his stern voice rising again.
As I stood outside the office, thoughts of my drive to Ocean City ran through my head. The salt air, the Boardwalk, and, most importantly, the people I saw while I was there.
The families on the boardwalk, even though it was a cold, cloudy day. Older couples sitting on rocking chairs on their porches, waving to everyone who went by even if they didn’t know them. And the kids riding their bikes through town without a care in the world.
That was Ocean City. Not some cookie-cutter development that you could just plop down in the middle of anywhere and call that community. They wanted a real community, something special, something that meant something.
I walked back down the hall to the dining room where I still kept my sketches hidden. I pulled them out from behind the cabinet and spread them out on the dining room table.
I loved the sketches. I didn’t know if it was just the fact that I had sketched after so long, which felt so damn good, or if there was something truly right about them. But I had a feeling that the sketches were what the council members in Ocean City were looking for.
Taking a deep breath, I squared my shoulders back and stacked my sketches on top of each other before heading back to Oscar’s office.
The two men were silent. When I peeked my head around the corner of the door frame, I saw that Adam was standing next to Oscar, who was seated behind his desk. They were looking down at the old sketches and plans that had originally been presented to Ocean City.
I knocked on the door frame, and they both looked up.
“Hey, Ruby,” Adam said. “We really could use your help.” He grinned.
“Yeah, we could really use a snack,” Oscar said, dropping his eyes back to the portfolio on his desk.
He was dismissing me. There wasn’t any question about that. I knew it was intentional. But for once I didn’t care.
I stepped into his office, holding the sketches to my chest, as if they were my baby.
And the truth was, they were. Every sketch I drew was my child.
Even twenty years ago. One of my favorite memories was when we drove around the first development we created after people started moving into their homes.
I felt so much pride seeing those homes in real life and seeing the smiling faces who would be living in them.
“If you’re hungry, you can go to the kitchen and grab yourself a snack, Oscar,” I said. “I think Adam and I have something to talk about.”
Adam’s grin widened. “Please tell me those are sketches.”
He stepped out from behind Oscar’s desk and came towards me with his hands outstretched, reminding me of an excited child.
“Now hold on,” I said, with a laugh. “Let me show them to you.”
As I walked over to the desk, Oscar let out a disapproving harrumph.
“Since when did you start sketching again?”
I ignored him.
I laid out the sketches. On the top, I had the exteriors, and at the bottom, I had the floor plans that corresponded with them.
For the exteriors, I had one main elevation, and then two additional options beside them.
My main elevation was Craftsman-style, something traditional with a deep porch, shutters, and flower boxes under the windows.
The other elevations were similar but included additional stone facing and siding options.
“Oh, Ruby, you outdid yourself. These are incredible,” Adam said. “I can see how these are different than what we’ve been offering them. They’re gonna love this.”
Oscar had his back turned, looking out the window.
He looked as if he was deep in thought. I wanted to say something to him, to snap him out of this ridiculous attitude, but at that moment I didn’t care what Oscar was thinking.
Hearing Adam’s words got me excited. I felt the rush I used to get when I first started designing.
“I have one more sketch,” I said.
I set the final sketch on the desk. It overlapped the others. The sketch was a plan for the entire development showing the carousel in the center, with a park surrounding it. All the roads gently curved toward it, the heart of the development.
“That’s amazing. None of our other designs integrated the carousel or anything that was already there.” He stroked his chin thoughtfully. “I even think the council people asked if it could stay.”
Oscar turned towards us, his eyebrow raised with curiosity. He stepped closer, but his face didn’t give anything away.
"Ruby," Adam said. "We have our presentation scheduled in three days. Do you think you could make a permit set and 3D renderings in time?”
I was stunned. For a moment, I couldn't speak. My mouth hung slightly open. Oscar grunted and then folded his arms over his chest, but I refused to look at him. I wasn’t going to let him take this away from me.
With how he had been acting, I didn't know what was going to happen between the two of us anymore. Did he still love me? I knew I still loved him and I would always care about him, but I didn’t know if that was enough anymore.
Making that trip to Ocean City reignited something in me that had been dormant for too long. While I wouldn’t give up any of that time I had being home with Jeremy, I felt I lost something of myself during those years. While I was taking care of everyone else, I forgot to take care of me.
"Absolutely. I can get them done, no problem. It might be a little rusty, but if one of the interns or associates can help me out, I'll be able to do it."
"What about the presentation?" Adam asked.
"What about the presentation?" Oscar emphasized the word ‘about’, showing us both how unhappy he was with this idea.
Adam turned and looked at Oscar, his eyes narrowed as if he was ready for a fight.
"I think Ruby should do the presentation. She's the most qualified. These are her sketches. It's her idea. It's her voice that the council and everyone else needs to hear."
"She can't present it. She's not even part of the company. She's just..."
“I'm just what?” I asked. “Go ahead, Oscar. Say it. What am I?”
Oscar grew quiet. He was grinding his teeth. It was obvious he wanted to say something, but wouldn't.
Adam ignored him and turned to me.
"I know you're probably nervous about presenting, and I don't blame you for that.
It's been a long time. But this is your baby.
You should be the one talking about it. You should be the one telling them what you saw when you drove out there.
" Adam grinned. "And no pressure, but you know, if you bomb, then that's three strikes, and we're out of contention for that project. "
I laughed. "Oh yeah, thanks. No pressure at all."
I appreciated the humor. I needed a little bit of a laugh to calm my nerves. Making a presentation was never one of my strong suits. I preferred staying in the background.
"I'll make sure to get you the help that you need.
You know you're more than welcome to come into the office anytime.
It's your office too. If it helps you, Annie, the presentation is already scheduled in our conference room. We thought it might be better to invite them and have lunch with us before the presentation so that they could get to know us better. Hoping that’ll help. "
I nodded and then looked over my sketches once again. While I was nervous about doing the presentation in three days, it had nothing to do with them. I knew my sketches were good. My sketches always were good. I never doubted my talent. What I doubted was the support I thought I would always have.
Oscar’s face had softened a little bit. For a second, I saw the young man I had met in that dive bar all those years ago. For a second, I saw the man I fell in love with. The man I had been missing for years.
My throat tightened, and my eyes began to sting. There was no way I was going to cry in front of the two of them. I took a deep breath, but my eyes seemed to have another plan. My vision blurred. I swallowed hard. I shot a pained look at Oscar before I turned and headed to the door.
I could hear his footsteps quickly crossing the room behind me.
"Wait, Ruby. Just let me explain."
"Haven't you said enough? After all these years, the last thing I need to hear is you explaining why you constantly have to belittle me.” I shook my head.
“You know the worst part of this? I miss you. I’ve been missing you for years now.
I wish I knew where the Oscar that was my best friend disappeared to. I really miss him. A lot."
I walked out of his office and down the hall, without looking back and hoping that he wasn’t right behind me. I had enough of him for the day.