Chapter 1: The Conference

Barbara Brown’s POV

The dripping of the water from the tap as I was looking at the walls. I need to fucking calm down. I don’t even know why I was being nervous when I was trying to control the nerves.

Don’t freak out.

Don’t freak out.

I took a deep breath before I sighed. I have to calm down. It was nothing, it was a conference, goddamnit! It was hardly a conference. I was going to sit in the room full of people that we're smarter than me in their perspectives field of interest and I will just listen to them.

Yeah, sounds like a plan.

“Okay, Barbara. You can do this. It’s just for today and tomorrow you will be out of here,” I said as I was opening the faucet before the cold water was hitting my face. It was Summer but in the Bay Area, it was foggy as shit. It was not a surprise as I have been living my entire life here.

The water was dripping from my face to the rest of my body. I took some shampoo and I washed my hair. I need it to be organized today since it will be my first conference since I was being accepted by NYU for my Ph.D. program in their Geology department. I was happy.

And I should be.

I washed the shampoo away before I put some conditioner into my hair and I waited for 3 minutes before I washed it away. It has been forever since I was acting all girly and feminine. I have forgotten how I missed being this. To take care of myself.

Pfft, like I care how I present myself.

You see, since I was a child, I have been playing in the mud and doing stuff that other people would not do, especially girls. I like to play dirty and I was. And that’s how I got involved with being a geologist.

Also, my dad was a master in the field. He was a professor in the Geology department at one of the UC. If you don’t know what UC stood for, it was the University of California.

I sighed as I closed the faucet before I heard the water still dripping from my body into the bathtub that I was taking shower in. It was a great pleasure that the university gave us the luxury to stay at the hotel for 3 days and 2 nights.

The conference was at the City Hall in San Francisco and since I was familiar with the city, it’s my home anyway, I was being selected to guide my professor aka advisor, Prof. Carol Swift around the city and how to get to the conference.

I smiled into my reflection when I was putting some towels around my body as well as drying my hair with the towel. It was 7 AM. The conference will be in 2 hours so I have plenty of time to get ready. A knock brought me out of the bathroom as I went to open the door.

“Hey, you’re up?” My colleague, Adam Smith, yeah I know like the economist of the 1900s, was smiling at me when I was still in my towel. I was aware that I will never attract attention from him because he was not into a tomboy girl like me. Feminine or damsel in distress was more of his style.

“Yeah, I just wanted to get ready for a while. What do you want?” I asked to the point as I hated to beat around the bush. It made my work easier.

“I was hoping that you would show us the perfect place to eat for breakfast. Prof Swift will be with us later. She had to make some calls,” he said as I was nodding at him. My hair was still wet and I was smiling at him.

“Give me a second and I will be out with you,” I said before I slammed the door into his face. I was harsh with males but they got used to it. Adam included.

Now I was going to the conference business suit but it was for breakfast hence my favorite outfit, since it was Summer, flannel with jeans and combat boots.

My flannel was a red checker and I have a white shirt under it with black jeans and a black combat boot. I was running my towel over my wet hair before I brushed it and I just let it air dry. Satisfied with my look, I went to take my phone and my card, who needs cash anymore and went out of the door with my hotel keys.

“I’m ready,” I said as I was smiling at Adam. He smiled at me.

“I’m famished,”

“Will you let Carol knows about our location? I’m sure she was famished as well. That buffet from last night was not the best for us,” I said as I can still taste the blandness of the food.

“Yeah, I will email her later. But now, for our breakfast,” he asked as he arched his eyebrow at me. I laughed at him.

“You’re in for a surprise,” I said as we went out of the lobby into the harsh foggy day of San Francisco.

It brought me back to my childhood memory.

“So, what do you think of the food?” I asked Adam as I was sipping some of my coffee. He was practically eating out of his plate right now. I know it was worth it to bring him to this family restaurant that I have known for eternity.

“It’s good actually. I never had this kind of tacos before,” he replied as I just smiled at him. The family knows who I was as they were my neighbors.

“Hey, Mr. Diaz. Can we get another plate to go,” I said as he was winking at me.

“You got it, Barb,” he said before he went to start the tacos for to-go. I smiled before Adam was arching his eyebrow at me.

“What?”

“You seem familiar,” he said as he was sipping his coffee. I smirked at him.

“You have no idea,” I said as I looked at the watch. It was 8 AM and I was still in that casual wear. I need to change.

“Shoot, I need to get back to the hotel. Can you manage from here?” I asked him as he was nodding at me.

“And the tacos?”

“I will take care of it. Since Mr. Diaz knows me personally,” I said as I smirked at Adam before I dashed out of the restaurant to the hotel. I have one hour to make a good impression and I think I might be getting my luck today.

“You’re late,” Adam hissed at me as I took my seat next to him. I took out my laptop and was getting off the coat that covers my black blouse with a pencil skirt that I chose. I never wore this kind of clothes but for today, I made an exception.

“What? Carol was not mad and why should you? Can you just chill? The conference was not started yet,” I said as I was trying to control my anger. I need a cool head as I wanted to land one of the internships for my research or simply just get to know about them.

“It’s just that you miss to talk with the professionals that can help you to land some minerals for your research. Have you find the most interesting person that could get you what you need?” Adam asked as he sighed before he was rubbing his mouth with his hand. I opened my laptop when the lights dimmed and there was the MC.

“Welcome, scientists. Today we have a special guest with us that will be conducting a new extraction of his proposal. Please welcome, Mr. Brandon Cornwall,” the MC said before a man stepped up onto the podium and he was smiling.

His blonde hair.

His caramel eyes.

I was stunned, to say the least. I was blinking a few times before he was waving at the crowd and right now I think the time slowed before I was releasing the breath that I was holding.

“Hey, everyone. Thank you. Thank you. First thing first, I wanted to thank you for the organizers for this beautiful conference and the invitation from you guys has done wonders to me.” He said as some people laughed at his comment. Even his voice was sultry.

I think I need to fan myself.

“So, here we are. I have been conducting this proposal for months and right now, I think we can rest assure that I am willing to tell the public of the grand news. I have personally dealt with this case and think it was safe to say, I have discovered a new mineral and tonight will be the topic of that,” he said as he was smiling before everyone was clapping and he was smiling at them.

I took a deep breath. New mineral? This was it. My chance to get that funding for my research and I think I have found the biggest catch of the day.

And that was Brandon Cornwall.