Page 23 of I Still Love You (Citation Needed)

“Penny!” Heather said when she saw me. “This is such an exciting conference already.”

I held back my irritation. How could it be exciting when nothing had happened yet beyond this reception? Heather was dressed like a Lois Fairfax clone in a black pantsuit. Lois’s suit looked more expensive, but she had a university president’s salary, not an entry level faculty member’s salary.

“This is certainly different than I’m used to,” Lois said. “I assumed the casual nature of February’s event was because it was a small, local conference.”

I raised an eyebrow. “It was hardly local. Over half those who attended were from Central and South America. Another quarter were from Canada. We had people there to help translate content into Spanish and French.”

“We also had a Portuguese translator,” Mason added.

I raised my eyebrows, impressed with the efforts to help more people participate.

“A lot of things certainly fall under the umbrella of accessibility,” Lois said.

I didn’t get a chance to take the bait when Heather suddenly lifted her arm and waved at Cooper and Nadia who were standing at the other end of the room. “COME OVER!” she yelled.

All eyes turned toward us. Lois shut her eyes, and I wondered if I had something in common with Mason’s mentor. It took the others a moment before they decided to come over.

“I’m so glad I found you,” Heather said when the pair came over. “I’m ready when you are!”

Cooper looked at me, and I shrugged as I fought back laughter. I didn’t find her behavior amusing. I was baffled at how oblivious and insensitive she was.

“For what?” Cooper asked, feigning ignorance.

Heather scoffed. “The interview for the WikiAcademia director job. I assumed you started doing the interviews here, but I never heard from anyone.”

Cooper looked at Nadia, who nodded. “We did some interviews here, but you aren’t what we’re looking for,” Cooper said.

Heather’s face got red and her hands curled into fists as she looked between the three of us who made up this search committee. She said nothing before stomping away. It felt like a toddler having a tantrum. Instead of looking at Mason, I turned to Lois. Ever since Heather had told me she was applying for the job, I felt like Lois Fairfax had encouraged it. Now I wanted to see her reaction. Lois wasn’t paying attention to me; she was looking at Mason. Their eyes were locked on each other as if Lois had won an argument. I wondered if this was proof that I would sabotage Mason too.

“I’m going to talk to her,” Lois said before walking away.

Nadia and Cooper smiled at me before going separate ways. Cooper quickly turned and raised an eyebrow when he was out of Mason’s sight. Now that he knew about my history with Mason, I wondered if he was trying to get us back together.

“I get why Heather is here, but why did Lois come? I always thought she looked down on EncycloWiki,” I asked when Mason and I were alone at the table again.

Mason shifted in his seat and crossed his long legs. “I feel like I’m being babysat to ensure someone else’s success.”

I was taken aback by his candidness. It was something he would have felt safe to tell me many years ago, but now it felt as if he was admitting something to himself.

“The world doesn’t begin and end with academia,” I reminded him. “I’m proof of that. Your experience can be a tool to further something else you want.”

I wished Cooper had made a decision about the job search so I could come out and tell Mason what he should do.

“Thank you,” Mason said in a low voice.

That wasn’t what I expected him to say. “For what?” I asked.

“I know you suggested the convention planners invite me to help. They didn’t think you would have a problem with them sharing that detail,” he said. “I also know you’re the reason I was offered the chance to share my presentation here.”

I scoffed, not embarrassed that I used my position to help him. “I didn’t do either as a favor. Mason, you showed more forethought during WorldWikiCon than any other planner. You identified a possible problem on your own and started working to have a plan to manage it. I know planning conferences isn’t easy, and having someone who can do that is invaluable. Your presentation and research were great, and others agreed enough to vote it in. I didn’t hand you something, you earned it.”

Mason’s face relaxed. He didn’t want my pity. What I had done for him was exactly what he did for his students. I didn’t want to ruin the moment, and Mason needed to process what had happened in the last few minutes. I saw a few people I hadn’t talked to yet.

“I hope you have a good time at this conference,” I said before leaving him at the table. “Maybe you’ll see a way through your problems while you’re here.”

“Me too,” he said, not moving from the seat and already deep in thought.

Chapter Eighteen