That was the last thing he wanted, because then his being here was pointless.
“May I ask what the reason for your preposterous actions is?” Blakely demanded.
“Yes, you may.” Kravers faced them all with a smile. “As I stated, there will be a new permanent exhibit here at Queen Metropolitan Museum.”
“And that is?” Mr. Bosman prompted.
For some reason Kravers was dragging out what was going on.
For effect? Parker wondered.
“At the end of the month we will welcome the new African Artifacts exhibit.” Kravers gaze locked on Sonya again.
Sonya gasped.
The room fell silent as all eyes rotated toward her.
“Are you serious?” she whispered.
Parker watched the war of emotions on her face going from unbelief to joy and back again. He was happy for her. It wasn’t completely what she wanted but it was something.
“Yes. It is not a full grant mind you, but I was able to put in a funding approval for international funding for in house exhibits. The board wouldn’t go for another wing addition or any facility expansion. There is too much red tape and zone laws they’d have to fight, again, especially so close to just adding the Arachno-History.” Kravers’ exhaled and shook his head, appearing as if it had been a hard fought battle to get Sonya her exhibit.
Not that he would have given up having his exhibit, but if he’d known at the time that Sonya had been waiting for her own grant, Parker would have figured something else out.
“I will not stand for this!” Blakely shot up from his seat, his fiery gaze shifting from Kravers to Sonya. He pointed a finger at her. “Watson, you have been trying to whittle your way into my space since you got here three years ago. Now, look what you have done.”
Sonya sank back against her seat some but kept her chin high as she met Blakely’s head on. “I didn’t have anything to do with this, Blakely. I’m just finding out this news like you.”
Parker had been a little perturbed earlier at Kravers, but he understood now why the man had been paying Sonya so much personal attention. However, as for Blakely, Parker could get up and put his fist through his face or slam one of the arrogant man’s precious planes on his head. Smiling to himself, Parker thought about sending one of his Tiger Huntsman spiders to Blakely’s office. After a bout of vomiting and severe heart palpitations the old geezer might think differently about attacking women.
Especially my woman.
Of course Parker wasn’t looking to kill the man and he’d make sure the hospital had an antidote to cure him of the adverse effects.
“Sure you are.” Swinging that assaulting digit to Kravers, Blakely yelled, “And you allowed it. Now what will happen with all of that aviation history? What is North Carolina without its flight past, huh?”
“Sit down, Blakely and stop making a spectacle of yourself,” Kravers barked out, his tone leaving no room for argument. He placed his hands flat on the table and leaned forward in Blakely’s direction at the end of the table.
Blakely slunk back down to his seat.
“I understand that this change may be difficult for you. However, don’t forget that I am the head director of this museum. With that position I will make changes as I see fit. Those that will bring in more visitors and revenue to the facility.” Kravers regained his full height. “You are correct, that North Carolina has strong history in its aviation roots. I am not taking that away. Unfortunately, the public interest is low. The visitor level and time spent in your wing is consistent, but low. We are not getting rid of or boxing up those esteemed portraits, instead I will need you to decide with your team where each one of them will be remounted around your hanger division. If you will need to move things around to create a specific area for them, you have the authority to do that. Just not any aircraft, of course.”
That seemed to settle Blakely some as he gave a small nod of acceptance.
Signaling with his hand, Kravers instructed his assistant to go to the next slide. This one had labels on all of the areas and Parker could see the section in discussion now indicated a color that coincided with Sonya’s department stead of Blakely’s.
“Ms. Watson, I would believe that anyone who has fought as hard as you have to get this exhibit has a rolodex of contacts with art dealers and curators in Africa?”
“I do.” Sonya didn’t even try to suppress the wide, bright smile on her face. “It’s been sitting on my desk for years just waiting for the green light.”
“Well the light is green.” Kravers confirmed. “Make your contacts. See what piece that can be sent out the soonest. It will be a rotating exhibit. None of the pieces will be permanently housed here. I’m figuring a couple of months for each rotation. Get me a detailed list for funds approval as soon as you have it.”
“Will do.” She started jotting down notes on a tablet.
Parker could practically hear those hamsters on the wheels in her brain.
Kravers went on about a few other things concerning the upcoming spring and summer holiday season coming up and some ideas he was fostering, but didn’t elaborate. He let them know they’d discuss it at the official directors meeting in two weeks. “Thanks for coming everyone.”
Still in his seat, Parker waited until everyone had filed out of the room leaving him and Sonya alone.
Sonya continued to write notes, oblivious to everything around her. He wondered if she even realized that the meeting was adjourned.
“Congratulations.”
Two beats went by before she stopped and raised her head. She looked around, frowning she met his gaze. “Thank you. Where did everyone go?”
“Back to work I assume. Meetings over.” He leaned back in his chair.
“Oh.” She bit into the corner of bottom lip. “Guess I was lost in my own head.”
“I’m sure no one was offended. It’s understandable.”
“I think Dr. Blakely would disagree with you on that one.” She sighed. “I hate that in order for me to get my artifacts here, I have to take from someone else.”
“I’m sure this in not a new protocol.” He shrugged. “He’ll get over it.”
“I don’t know. The man has been here since the place opened. It was the Carolina Aviation Museum before it expanded to what it is today. He probably owns stock in it.”
“Probably. But, that doesn’t put him on the board or in charge. But enough about him.” Parker had other plans and ideas on his mind. With the turn of events they seemed perfectly timed as well.
“Yup. I have a staff to brief and calls to make.” She grinned as she gathered her things and stood.
He rose with her. “Do you have lunch plans today?”
Moving around her chair, she tapped her note pad. “This is my lunch.”
“No. It can’t be.” He walked along his side of the conference table until he could get around it. “You just got a late New Year’s gift. Celebration is in order.”
Standing by the door, looking as if she’d bolted out of it at any moment, she shook her head. “Maybe later, but I really want to jump on this soon.”
“One hour will not make much of a difference.” He cupped her elbow.
“You heard Kravers…he wants this started on no—”
“What time is it in South Africa?”
She glanced at the clock on the wall then pursed her lips as she did calculations. “Around 7 at night.”
“See. Anyone you need to speak with there has already headed home. Lunch is all I’m asking.”
“I didn’t bring anything. I had planned to go out. Now, I don’t have time for that either.”
More like plans to avoid me.
“That’s alright. I have more than enough to share. We don’t even have to leave the property.” He brushed her arm with his thumb, wishing he could feel her skin instead of the fabric of the blazer.
Twisting her mouth from left to right, she stared at him. “If I say yes, I don’t want to be around your
critters Spiderman.”
Holding his free hand up, he vowed, “I promise lunch will not be in my wing.”
“I don’t want to be in the atrium either. The last thing I need is everyone pissed at me and getting the wrong idea about us.”
He would have preferred to argue with her point about them, but left it alone. Picking his battles. He’d won lunch with her and he was going rejoice in that. “No atrium dining.”
She nodded. “Okay, let me go put this stuff away and give a quick brief to my staff before they hear it from someone else. Where am I meeting you?”
For a moment, he eyed her features to see if she was pulling some ploy so that she could disappear into her vault, but he decided to trust her word. “The back end of the botanical gardens in twenty minutes.”
“I’ll be there.” She lowered her eyes to his hand still holding her.
Once he released her, she walked out of the room.
Not wasting any time, he headed to his office. He’d ordered food from a local restaurant before he went to the meeting and gave Glen, an entomologist working with him, money to pay for the delivery while he was at the meeting. Originally he had planned to have lunch with her after their monthly directors meeting, because it was the only time he really knew where she’d be. On Monday when Kravers had messaged about the additional meeting Parker had happily altered his plans to an earlier date.
At his office he saw the takeout bag on his desk. Going to the phone he dialed an internal number.
“Hello, Carolina Gardens, this is Taylor. How may I help you?”
Taylor Henry was over the botanical garden that was located at far side of the facility with most of it being outside.
“Hi, Ms. Henry. Parker here. I’m just checking to make sure everything is still a go.”
“Every thing’s all set, Dr. Hayden. The event block covered it. You should not be disturbed.”
“You’re a peach. I owe you.” He reached for the bag.
“Well, Christmas when comes around I like chocolate…all kinds of chocolate.”
He chuckled. Ms. Henry was in her late sixties. He didn’t have any concerns that she was flirting with him. “I’ll get you the biggest box I can find.”
“I’ll be keeping an eye out for it too.”
“Good. I’ll be around shortly.” After he hung up, he wrote a short note to himself to order candy and flowers for Ms. Henry when he got back to his office. The woman had truly helped him out and he wanted to show his appreciation to her.
With the bag in hand he left his office. He found Glen before the fossils case. Forensic Entomology was his friend’s specialty. It was the reason Parker brought him on to work this exhibit with him. No one knew dead insects like Glen Hammond.
“I’ll be at lunch if anyone is looking for me.” Parker paused beside his friend and science colleague.
Distracted, Glen glanced in his direction, seeming to take about a full minute to process what Parker was saying to him. “Ok. Gotcha. Lunch.”
Parker smiled and walked away. He understood the way Glen’s mind worked, because it was the way his own ticked. It didn’t take but an insect crawling across a floor and he’d become observed. Analyzing, figuring it out.
Only difference between him and his friend was that Parker loved one thing more than the study of spiders…Sonya. It had taken him a few years to get his head out of his work to understand he lost the most precious thing of all, but he was back on track.
“No if I can just convince her to let me back into her heart again.”
When he exited the double glass door that led to the garden area that was heavily used in the spring for weddings and other celebrations, he inhaled a deep breath of fresh air. The day was perfect. Charlotte was having a mild winter this year and today was an example of the great weather, at six-nine degrees. There was a crispness to the air, but the sun was high in a cloudless sky making it warm enough to just need their blazers for comfort.
Moving along the path toward the gazebo area, he saw the sign at the start of the well-trimmed hedges with a posting on it that read CLOSED FOR PRIVATE EVENT. Continuing on, he spotted the small round table set up with two chairs and a small round vase filled with short stemmed pink lilies.
Ms. Henry’s candy box just got bigger.
At the table he pulled out the food and water bottles. Nothing fancy, just sandwiches and fruit. It was a lot of times how they spent their nights when they were both home.
“Parker? Are you around here?”
Turning at the sound of Sonya’s voice, he went back down the path. The hedges were set up that anyone just happening buy couldn’t see what was going on around the gazebo, for more privacy.
“Hi, beautiful.” That word didn’t seem like enough to describe her standing there in the winter garden with the sun causing the reddish tones in her brown hair to halo her lovely face.
She had strict features. Her body, encased in the suit made the plain uniform look good. High full breasts, narrow waist and rounded hips. His mind reminded him that he knew what she looked like beneath those clothes. Well, he used to. She’d filled out with maturity in all the places. His body heated with image of him peeling off each layer and discovering her womanly body all over again.
One. Two. Three cleansing breaths had his body calmed before his pants started to show the evidence of his response to her.
“What going on?” She pointed to the sign before her.
“Nothing,” his voice was still rough from his wayward thoughts. He cleared it. “I just wanted to make sure we could relax and not be disturbed by visitors touring the gardens.”
He held a hand out to her.
She eyed him for a moment, as if she was trying to determine if he was up to something. Nodding, she moved around the sign. “Okay.”
Their touch sent sparks of electricity up his arm when she placed her hand into his. Trust.
Walking back along the large flat stones, he led her to the table.
“Oh, that’s pretty.” She took a moment to look around at all the winter flowers and thick greenery. “I don’t come back here enough.”
“Time can get away from us when we’re trapped inside walls working all day.” He pulled her chair out.
“So, true.” She settled into the chair. “I don’t know the last time I even walked the entire museum.”
“One day we will have to remedy that and take a stroll through the whole museum.” He sat across from her.
She scrunched her nose up.
“Okay, maybe not the whole place.” He chuckled. “We can skip my section.”
“Sorry.” She actual lowered her head a little and appeared contrite.
His heart swelled even more for her. He understood her fear of spiders. Knew of her childhood, but the fact that she would feel even a little bit sorry that she couldn’t visually appreciate his work moved him.
Reaching his hand out, he covered hers as she grasped her napkin. “It’s alright, Sonya. I understand.”
“Thanks.” She didn’t immediately pull away from him, instead offered him a small smile as they sat there for a moment.
He let her go.
“What’s in the container?” She tapped the top before placing her napkin in her lap.
“Open it and see.”
Leaning forward she sniffed at it first, trying to pick up a scent.
Laughing, he shook his head. “You never change. Do you still shake and weigh gifts before you open them.”
“Maybe.” Her cheeks tinted pink. Lifting the white styrofoam lid she peered inside. “Sandwiches and fruit.” She peeled back the top dark slice of bread and her eyes light up as she stared at him.
“Smoked turkey and honeyed ham with sweet Dijon mustard on pumpernickel. No lettuce, no tomatoes and no cheese.”
“I shouldn’t be surprised that you remembered.” She pulled off a plump green grape and tossed it into her mouth.
“Well, you ate it every Monday night for dinner when we m
arried. It is ingrained in my brain.” He touched his temple.
She shook her head. “That’s not just it. I saw the folder.”
He stared into her clear hazel eyes. They were giving nothing away. Picking up a half of his ham and cheese, he held it. “My sister came down some weeks ago and helped me unpack. We came across it and I thought you’d get a kick out of seeing it.”
“Seeing where we started.”
Silent for a moment, he watched her.
A bird chirped from inside one of the bushes another tweeted back.
“Right now, I don’t want anything but for you to enjoy this beautiful day and your moment in the sun. Your patience was tested and you’ve earned it.” He meant that both figuratively and literally.
“It sure was. I’d about given up hope.”
“I’m glad Kravers finally worked it out.”
They prayed and began eating. He listened attentively as she talked about the various artifacts she had top on her list to bring to the museum. Her face was radiant and joy danced in her eyes as she described the uniqueness of a collection of tribal sculpture.
“Enough about my work. I could go on for days as you know.” She wiped her fingers then the corners of her mouth.
“You’re telling me,” he joked followed by a loud exhale.
She chucked her balled up napkin at him.
He caught it and winked at her.
“How’s Jessie the angel?”
“Angel. We must be talking about someone other than my sister.”
“Oh, no. If you said your sister came to see you only a few weeks ago and helped you unpack and you’ve been here for months.” She shook her head. “That means you were living out of boxes.”
“Et tu Brute?” He rolled his eyes.
She laughed. “Yes, me. I think you still owe me for unpacking our little apartment in California.”
“I’ll pay whatever the cost.” Pulling out a tulip from the centerpiece he passed it to her. “I loved that apartment.”
That wasn’t what he wanted to say. He wanted to tell her that he loved her, still. However, he didn’t think she was ready for those words. Earlier he had spoken to her about patience and he needed to preach the same thing to himself.
Evidence of Desire: Hero Series 3 Page 8