13. Ruby
Ruby
The conference room was packed by the time I got there. The room was mostly glass with an incredible view of the New York City skyline. It was a corner room, which I always loved because it meant that I also got a view of the Statue of Liberty.
I had been so busy over the last three days getting everything ready for the presentation that I didn’t have time for nerves. Strangely, today I felt calm. Whether the town council approved the floor plans and sketches or not, I knew I was presenting them with a great option.
Clutching my original sketches to my chest, I headed towards the screening area to set them down.
I hadn't spoken to Oscar in days. Not that I was avoiding him. I actually wondered if he was avoiding me.
He had been spending much more time at work, and when he was home, he was either behind closed doors in his home office or in the guest suite.
Seated at the conference table, was Nicole's husband, Dustin Hall. I went over and put my hand on his shoulder to say hello.
He jumped, startled.
"Oh, hi Ruby. I didn't see you come in. How have you been?"
"I'm good. I'm excited about doing this presentation today."
Dustin seemed out of sorts. He didn't look like his usual well-put-together, confident self. His suit was wrinkled, and his hair looked like he had just woken up.
"Have you heard anything from Nicole?" he asked.
The question took me by surprise. What was he asking?
"No, not since I saw her at the Jubilee. How is she doing?"
Dustin's eyes darted away. "She's good." He stood up. "I'm sorry. I left something in my office."
I watched Dustin get up and walk out of the conference room. He was so unlike himself. I thought about Oscar saying he didn’t want us to end up like them, and I wondered if Oscar knew more about what was going on between them.
I was so lost in thought that I didn’t notice Adam.
"How are you feeling? Are you ready?" Adam asked as he appeared behind me.
"I'm good. Surprisingly calm for it being my first presentation in two decades."
"That shows you how good the idea is. Don’t think too much about it. Just be yourself. You'll do great." Adam looked around the room, then turned back to me. "Have you seen Oscar?"
"No, unfortunately I haven't. Has he said anything to you about my presentation?"
"Not a word. I'm not even sure if he's going to be here."
Adam's attention was drawn to the doorway. "Excuse me, Ruby, but the members of the town council just arrived." He nodded in their direction. "I'm going to go say hello, and then I'll introduce you to them later."
I nodded before he left and then watched as he greeted them at the door and showed them to the buffet table.
I carried my portfolio over to the table set up in front of the large monitor that would show the video version of not only my floor plans, but the 3D modeling that we had created as a visual representation. It was amazing the technology we had nowadays versus the last time I did this.
I checked the laptop to make sure everything was ready, then put my sketches in order so they would correspond with the video presentation.
While I could have recorded voiceover for the video, I opted to do it live so that I could interact with the ten-person town council and everyone else in the room.
The two interns who had helped me entered the conference room. I waved them over.
"Thank you so much for all of your help the last few days. I really couldn't have done it without you."
They looked surprised to hear me say anything. Back when I was doing my internship for my architecture license, the architects barely spoke to me so I understood their reaction. That was exactly why I did it. It was my way of being the change I wanted to see happen.
Adam smiled as he approached me before turning to face everyone.
"I hope everyone is enjoying their lunch. But we're really excited to share our vision with you, and I know you're interested in seeing what we have for you this time."
Suddenly, the conference room door swung open. Oscar stood in the doorway, his broad shoulders taking up much of the space. From across the room, our eyes met. Then he quickly looked away.
He entered the room like I had seen him do hundreds of times before. Greeting people from a distance, smiling, nodding, connecting with everyone without actually speaking to anyone at all. He was a master at it, and it always impressed me.
"Looks like I'm just in time," Oscar said as he headed towards the presentation area of the conference room. Adam took a few steps towards him and put his hand on Oscar's arm, but Oscar kept walking.
While there was a smile on his face, Oscar's eyes told me there was more going on with him than he was letting on. My stomach sank. My heart started to race as the first sign of nerves hit me.
What’s he going to say? Please don't do this, Oscar. Please just let me have my moment.
I nervously rubbed my hands together and wondered when they got so sweaty. As Oscar joined me, I stepped aside.
"Don't," he grumbled.
I froze in my spot, unsure what to do. I didn't want to make a scene, but I sure as hell didn't want to hear whatever Oscar was going to say. I couldn’t trust it. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t trust him. I didn’t know him anymore.