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A hollow laugh escaped my lips. “Oh, I know. I blame the insurance company, and the hospital, and even the banks.” My jaw twitched as I slammed my mouth shut and struggled to control my anger. Something about having long black hair coupled with these green eyes made everyone imagine I was some kind of witch. Sometimes it was nice, the way others would avoid angering me. Sometimes it was annoying, like now, when we were about to be surrounded by strangers and I had to practice being on my best behavior. “You did the only thing you could. I was in college. I had no idea what was going on.” I sighed. “I only wish you’d have trusted me enough to tellme.”
“Your mother wanted you to finish your degree,” he explained for the millionthtime.
“Well, we know we can’t change the past, but today is a great opportunity to fix our future.” I elbowed him playfully, hoping to improve his mood. The last thing we needed as we drove to the high-pressure Silicon Valley Expo was for him to be in the wrong mindset. Experience had proven those investors smelled fear and my father currently reeked ofneed.
“Yes.” He patted my leg for a moment. “Today could be our big day.” Then he frowned. “I wish your mother was here to seeit.”
Apparently getting him out of his funk was going to be harder than I thought. “Come on. Let’s go make her proud.” I turned into the convention center parking lot. We presented our parking pass, and were directed toward the loadingarea.
As soon as I pulled up, I put the car in park and hopped out. “You can either stand here with the cart and bags until I return, or you can go to the booth and begin setting up while you wait forme.”
My father took one look at everything we hauled out of the trunk and murmured, “I’ll just waithere.”
I chuckled. “I thought so. Be back in a minute.” Then I drove off to find the closest parking space in the exhibitor lot. I scurried back to my father and found him already looking incredibly uncomfortable as a man tried to engage him inconversation.
“I’m Ira,” the man announced, holding out hishand.
“Malcolm.” My father tentativelyshook.
Alarms sounded in my head. The really cutthroat investors would hang out in the exhibitor lot and try to get a leg up on the competition. Obviously one had already found myfather.
“Okay, Dad, I’m ready. Let’s go.” I grabbed the cart and loaded his shoulder with one bag while I put the last two on mine. “Get the door and we’ll be on ourway.”
“I was just speaking to your father,” the man began tentatively. He seemed far less confident dealing with me. Of course, I wasfuming.
I turned to face him and tried not to laugh when he jumped back. “Ira, right?” He nodded. “Good. We’ll see you in there, Ira, after the expo opens and once our booth is ready. I look forward to speaking with youthen.”
“But…” Ira took a baby step toward me, but stopped when I arched mybrow.
“No buts. See you inside.” My jaw had started to ache already and we were only minutes into the day. I would have a phenomenal case of TMJ one day, without a doubt. “Dad, let’s go,” Isnapped.
My father scampered over to the door and hauled it open for us, letting me pass through first. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to say. I’m better with the technology. You’re better with the people.” He followed me as I strode toward the back of thecenter.
“Right. I’m great with people,” I muttered as I traipsed through the crowed conference hall. Then I tried to ignore him, hyper-focused on the task at hand. “I get it. We don’t have much time to set up. We’re in the backrow.”
“Why so far?” hecomplained.
“Because you wouldn’t commit until a couple of weeks ago,” I reminded him. “We’re lucky we managed to get in atall.”
“Oh. Right.” His shouldersdrooped.
We wandered around until we found the sign on our table. “Ninja Marketing.” I laughed. “Here weare.”
“I can’t believe you named it Ninja Marketing. Doesn’t that seem…unprofessional? Look.” He gestured to all the tables in the area. “Cybertechnics. Technomarketing. Smart Home Plus. Now those are computernames.”
I shrugged. “Agreed, but in a sea of cyber this, techno that, and smart yada yada, Ninja Marketing will standout.”
“I hope you’re right.” He stood and rubbed his hands together while the creases in his browdeepened.
“We don’t have much time. The doors open in ten minutes. Let’s get this done.” I watched him turning this way and that, as he tried to feel out the competition. “I’ve heard some investors and reps start in the back and work their wayforward.”
“What are we doing standing around talking?” He scrambled over to the cart. “We need to get this booth together. Tenminutes!”
With a giggle, I started covering the table with our tablecloth and runner. This wasn’t the first one of these we’d gone to. Unfortunately, the last one was too close to the funeral and my father couldn’t handle it. Everything reminded him of his wife and he spent the majority of the expo in the bathroom crying. Two years later and twice as poor, we were at itagain.
Soon Father had the computer set up and I worked on setting out the information brochures and assembling our two banners. “Bam. And done.” I grinned. “We didit.”
“Not yet,” he reminded me. “We haven’t soldanything.”
