Page 7 of I Still Love You (Citation Needed)

“I had to miss the event. Everyone raved about them,” Denise said with a wistful sigh.

“I asked them to make them for the reception tonight,” Mason said.

“Too bad you’re not planning a reception this weekend like you are at WorldWikiMania.” I giggled as I looked at Cooper.

“We’re doing that because we hope to announce our new executive director. I don’t think we can afford to do it at all the conferences,” Cooper said.

I smirked. “Fingers crossed,” I said and looked around the table. Mason and Heather’s eyes were wide.

“I didn’t know you were looking for a new executive director,” Heather said.

Copper nodded and took a deep breath. “We made the announcement last week. We’re accepting resumes,” he said as he exhaled. I know a lot of anxiety was sitting in his gut.

There was a moment of silence before Mason put a hand on Heather’s shoulder. “Can we speak privately for a moment?”

There was a voice in my head that whispered about how great it was to see Mason take the initiative to get something special. I didn’t care as I watched Heather’s face light up before she followed Mason out of the room. Based on the way her face lit up, I wondered if they were dating. Then I thought about her reaction to the WikiAcademia job. Maybe he was going to discourage her from applying. If they were dating, would he want to be with someone else looking to get out of academia and into the insecure world of non-profits? I wanted to follow them and listen to their conversation.

“I need a break,” I whispered before leaving the table.

Chapter Six

It’s uncomfortable to have someone stare at you all day. Even though I came to show Mason how far I had come since our break up, I didn’t like feeling like I was under the microscope of his constant gaze. After lunch, I found a spot in the main room to work. I hoped to give people a chance to come and talk to me about my new role. It was a great decision because there was a steady stream of people who came and went from the table. My friends, especially Lizbeth and Cooper, checked in through the afternoon, but every time I looked up, Mason was staring at me. Even though he sat at his own table, it felt like he hovered for hours, never coming to be part of the conversation.

“I need a break,” I said to Lizbeth, who was sitting with me at that moment, before wheeling away from the table.

I watched the tables where others were working. The room was full of teenagers working with Cooper and a woman I assumed was his friend Lisa. She had long strawberry blond hair and had also greeted Carrie warmly when she arrived. Carrie had come and gone from the group through the afternoon as well. No matter what Heather said, I like Carrie’s energy. I stopped by the group and Cooper introduced me.

“I’m so happy to see you learning more about how EncycloWiki works,” I told the kids. “I know you use it all the time, but how many of you realized you could fix mistakes and add information?”

A smattering of hands went up, and I was impressed. “Remember,” I added before moving away, “a citation is always needed if you have new information to add.”

A cheer of “Citation needed!” was called out by the group, and I looked around. They were looking at Mason who was chuckling to himself.

“Mason tells them that when he does research workshops with them,” Lisa said in a low voice when she noticed my confusion.

I could feel Mason’s eyes on me even as I wheeled away. I needed to get away from his gaze and reminders of him. Once I was out of the room, I decided to head over to the registration table to see what was happening. It was quiet since most people had come earlier in the day.

“Is it too late to register for the edit-a-thon?” a man asked when we made eye contact.

I looked up into a pair of bright green eyes and a generous smile. “If you haven’t signed up already, all you need to do is write your name on a blank name tag, pick a lanyard, and find a spot to work,” I told him and pointed to the registration table before leading him over. I was sure Mason was still watching me through the glass walls, so this gave me something else to focus on.

“Jorge,” I said as I watched him write his name on a red lanyard. The name tags were color coded so people could signify if they wanted to be in pictures. Red meant he didn’t want anyone to take pictures of him.

“Wickham,” he said and extended his hand. “My boss sent me over to learn more about editing because she wants to improve entries about financial topics.”

“Are you a financial advisor?” I asked, remembering to smile.

He smiled and winked. “I could be if you need one.”

My nose crinkled at this inappropriate flirtation.

“Sorry, habit,” he said and shrugged one shoulder. “My boss is, but I’ve been hired to help with financial education, especially around scams and fraud.”

“That’s a wonderful purpose,” I said, giving him a genuine smile as if a reward for being honest.

I was ready to ask him more when I saw Lizbeth rushing toward us. Her face was bright red and her eyes wide. I could tell, when she got closer, her jaw was locked.

“What the fuck are you doing here! You should be in prison!” she said, louder and with more force than I had ever heard her speak before.