Sweetheart Braves

by Pamela Sanderson

  Tommy gave her a leisurely once-over, pausing in all the right spots. "I don't think that's going to work. I'll check the gift shop."

  "Good idea. You should get one of those T-shirts with the owl and the dream catcher with the moon in the night sky."

  "Remind me not to let you pick my clothes," he said.

  "I'm good at picking out clothes." She dug around Linda's trunk. "What is all this stuff even for? Linda's trunk is a mystery for the ages."

  There were a variety of boxes and bags, workout stuff and a couple of blankets.

  Tommy grabbed a blanket. "I could still sleep in the car."

  Elizabeth snatched it from his hands and stuffed it back in. "You will not." She peeked in one of the garbage bags. "Check this out, there are clothes mixed in with the towels."

  "Probably lady stuff," Tommy said, opening the other bag.

  "Sweatshirt. Sweatpants. A T-shirt that says Beat Braves. These look sufficiently manly to me."

  "Let me see that," Tommy said, examining the clothes.

  Elizabeth pawed through the other things in the car to see if there was anything else he could use. She found a plastic zipper-top bag. She held it up to see it in the light of the parking lot.

  "Why does Linda keep a giant bag of condoms in the back of her car?"

  "The usual reasons? You know how she likes to be prepared," Tommy said with a snicker.

  "This is taking being prepared to a whole new level." Elizabeth tossed them back in and shut the trunk. "If I'm not going to get the full meal deal, can I at least kiss you one more time before we go up?"

  Tommy helped her jump up on the car and she wrapped her legs around his waist and dug her fingers into his hair and kissed him hard, her tongue flicking over his, her desire laid bare for him.

  "You're making me crazy," he said when she finally let him up for air.

  "I like you too," she said.

  13

  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."

  14

  "Always gotta be stairs," Elizabeth said, groaning inwardly at the steep staircase leading to the museum’s main entrance.

  The museum was located in the heart of downtown, surrounded by rectangles of brilliant green lawn, a peaceful oasis amid the busy streets. The building was constructed of white stone walls with pillars. Hanging banners advertised the featured exhibits.

  Tommy stopped in front so Elizabeth could unload Granny. The car stuck behind them honked and Granny gave them a cheerful wave as she hobbled up onto the sidewalk.

  "I'll meet you in there," Tommy said.

  The sight of him driving away made her uneasy but she shook it off. He would never leave them but right now they were so dependent on him.

  "I don't mind the stairs," Granny said, grabbing for the fat metal handrail and hoisting herself up the first step.

  The sky was clear except for a few patchy clouds. Elizabeth had put on a bright orange sundress, and the sun felt good on her bare skin. She walked next to Granny, one step at a time. At the top, there was a small sign pointing out an entrance ramp that would avoid the stairs.

  "That would have been helpful earlier," Elizabeth muttered.

  There was a bronze statue out front of a doe and two fawns. Tommy made a silly face and stopped to pet the doe before running to join them.

  "You came back," she said, sounding more desperate than she intended.

  Tommy rewarded her with an uncharacteristically bright smile. "Linda told me I had to take care of her family. I can do that right." He held one of the big doors open for them. Elizabeth gave him a look heavy with meaning. She had some ideas for how he could take care of her.

  The man was having an ever-growing searing effect on her. Ever since she'd kissed him, she couldn't stop thinking about touching him. Every move of that lean, lanky body, the careful way he spoke, each word delivered with great weight, and the way he looked at her, like she was the only one who mattered.

  They had one more night together, and she was determined to make sure a good portion was spent groping and getting groped. Her eyes lingered on his hands.

  Inside, the museum entry room was huge. Why didn't they use some of this space for the museum? It had a high ceiling and a polished floor. A group of middle-graders was gathered in one corner, their voices echoing across the room.

  "Two courts," Tommy said, looking around.

  "Two quarts?"

  "Whenever I'm in a big room I try to figure out how many basketball games I could have going at the same time. I think I could do two in this room."

  "It would be noisy," Elizabeth said.

  "True," he said. "Now what?"

  Granny shuffled over and got in the entrance line. She waved them over. "We go inside and look at everything."

  "Shouldn't we tell them you're here?" Elizabeth asked. "We shouldn't have to pay to see our own stuff."

  Granny shook her head. "We're gonna be looking at all the stuff." She bought their tickets and took the museum map they handed her. The first wing took them through different geographical regions: forest, farmland, and desert. The museum was busy with families and kids. Granny moved slowly but showed no signs of being tired. When she set her mind to it, she was tough.

  They stopped at some photos of early timber harvest. "Have you seen the coastal redwoods?" Elizabeth asked.

  "Nope. Never been out where you guys are from," he said.

  "It's amazing to walk through those trees." She put her hands over her heart. "I don't even have words for it. I can't wait to show them to you." She said the words knowing how unlikely the reality. Tomorrow she and Granny would be home, and he would be on his way back.

  "Maybe before I leave," he said as if thinking the same thing. Her heart grew heavy hearing him say the words.

  "Here's the Indian exhibit," he said as they entered a new hall.

  Half the room was made up of dioramas and the rest of it was assorted artwork and glass cases filled with artifacts. Tribes from different areas were grouped together and shown hunting, food gathering, or basket weaving. California had so many tribes there was a lot crammed into the exhibits.

  They found the display that showed Yurok, Karuk, and Hoopa in ceremonial regalia.

  "The three tribes spoke different languages but shared certain cultural activities," Elizabeth explained.

  "You remember who I work with," Tommy said.

  "Linda and Rayanne have schooled you?" Elizabeth said.

  "They are never not schooling me," he said.

  Granny walked along the rail, studying the exhibit. Several of the models wore ceremonial regalia, each labeled with the materials and special meaning of the items.

  "It's weird to look at mannequins dressed to represent your ancestors," Elizabeth commented.

  Granny pointed at the girl with the ceremonial dress made of deer hide and decorated with abalone and bear grass. "That's not my dress."

  "It might be in another exhibit," Elizabeth said.

  "I'll go find someone to ask," Tommy said, going back the way they’d come.

  They sat down on a bench with a good view of the display. There was a rough approximation of the wooden dance house, the dancers lined up unnaturally to show off the regalia.

  "We're a museum exhibit," Elizabeth said.

  "Better than invisible," Granny said.

  Linda would be waiting for his call. But every time he got his phone out, he ended up putting it away again. He could already imagine the pitch of her voice rising as she used every iteration of words that meant: bitterly disappointed. If she would just fire him, he could stop dreading all of this. He left the phone in his pocket. No sense
calling her until he knew when he'd have the car back.

  At this point he'd lost it for Elizabeth. His priorities shifted a little further whenever she laughed or leaned into him to listen to whatever he had to say. He could hardly sleep the night before hearing her in the other bed, turning over, getting up to go into the bathroom. The sound of a toothbrush. Returning to the soft scratch of covers as she got back in bed. He’d spent the night afraid to even roll over and look at her bed in the dark.

  I can sneak into your room after she goes to bed.

  Every time he replayed those words he almost passed out. Someone like Elizabeth wanted him. He wanted her too. He wanted her teasing voice in his ear. The whole thing seemed manufactured to break his heart, but he was willing to deal with it if it meant these brief moments of happiness now.

  He found a museum guard and asked about Dr. Murray, and the man said he would find someone to meet them at the exhibit.

  When he found them again, Granny's head was low with a sad look of dejection.

  "I don't like seeing our ceremony things in a museum," she said.

  "What can we do?" Elizabeth said.

  "Poof on those people," Granny said.

  As a swear word, poof didn't sound like much, but it sounded terrible coming from Granny.

  "These are ours," she said, wringing her elder hands together. A tear came from the corner of one eye. Elizabeth wrapped her arms around her. Granny said, "You kids have a lot to do. You don't like to hear it, but when I'm gone, someone needs to work on all this."

  "We are, Granny," Elizabeth said.

  In the short time Tommy had been with the center, he'd heard about any number of programs and procedures, but he didn't know anything that would help them now. He wanted to say something reassuring but what could he do?

  "These research and museum people aren't our friends. They act friendly and interested, but they take our stories and then sell them back to us." Granny let out a long sigh. "Maybe it's time to go home."

  Tommy checked the time. If they left now, he could have them home late, and if he drank enough coffee, he could have the car back by early tomorrow morning. Enough to minimize Linda's wrath. Elizabeth could report to her first day of work on time.