She looked at Donovan. What Mr. Row is describing is consistent with what we have on our side. The intake files were not released for campaign use by our organization. That authorization was never granted. The room was very still.
Donovan's council leaned in again. This time, Donovan's posture changed barely but perceptibly. I'd like a recess, Donovan said. We'll continue. The board chair said, "We have enough to move forward."
It took 40 minutes. At the end of them, Donovan Price's complaint was formally dis. His request for involvement in any harbor light or a line arrangement was denied. The board accepted Adrienne's account of the original events and noted that the archival evidence was consistent with her version in every material respect. Donovan left without speaking to anyone.
The Harbor Light representatives stayed for a conversation about rebuilding the partnership. Not the original campaign, but something new, something built differently, from the ground up with explicit and voluntary participation from the people whose stories might be shared. Patricia Ames shook Adrienne's hand at the end of it. The handshake lasted longer than handshakes usually did. Adrienne thanked the board.
She gathered her portfolio. She walked out of the conference room and into the hallway, which was empty except for Terrence, who was standing near the window at the far end with his hands in his pockets, looking at the street below. She walked toward him and stopped a few feet away. "Why did you come back?" She asked.
"I found the archive data the day before the reassignment," he said. "I finished documenting it that night. The reassignment didn't change what I'd already found. You could have sent it through the board directly. You didn't have to be in the room.
Terrence turned from the window. I know. Adrienne looked at him. I spoke before I knew you had that evidence. I know that, too.
I didn't know I was going to win. That was obvious, he said. And there was something in his voice. Not warmth exactly, but a quality of regard that she had stopped expecting from people a long time ago. That was the part that mattered.
Adrienne was quiet for a moment. I've been pushing you away since the beginning, she said. Yes, I do that. I noticed. She almost laughed.