Broken Trust Read Free Page A

“Why do you ask?”
    Petal cast her eyes down at the floor. “You said something about a kachina when you were on the mountain.”
    Raving. Super. They ought to lock me up.
    “A kachina is a Hopi spiritual being of sorts. Hopi are a tribe in Northern Arizona. The kachinas ar en’ t really gods, but they’re not human, either. There’s about three hundred of them and they can represent things in nature or” — she forced her voice to remain neutral — “they can be spirits of ancestors.”
    Petal accepted the explanation as if Nora had described an interesting recipe. “Oh.”
    They rode in silence for a while, Nora holding her breath at every tight switchback. It seemed like walking down would not only be safer, it would be quicker. Finally, Petal asked. “What do you think you should do for your redemption?”
    Nora shrugged. “I’m not sure. I’m an accountant and I’ve been applying at environmental places all over town with no luck. I hate to give up and go corporate. But I need a job.”
    Petal’s face lit up. At least it seemed to , from what Nora could tell behind the rose glasses and that bird’s nest of hair. “Accountant?”
    “Business manager, MBA, accountant—all that left-brain stuff.”
    Petal squirmed like an excited child. “I knew there was a reason I met you up there. The universe introduced us to each other.”
    Nora raised her eyebrows at Petal.
    Petal clapped her hands. “I think we have an opening for F inancial D irector.”
    Nora wanted to feel optimism and excitement at an opportunity , but she held back. “I already applied to Loving Earth Trust a month ago.”
    “It’s a new opening,” Petal said , but the delight evaporated from her face. “Our F inancial D irector disappeared a few days ago and no one knows where she went.”
    “She just disappeared?” Like the kachina on the trail?
    Petal hung her head. “I think it might have been my fault.”
    “I’m sorry,” Nora said and meant it.
    Petal sat upright. “But this is like my redemption. Darla left, but you’re here and I found you.”
    Nora tried not to get her hopes up. “That’s nice of you to say, but the Trust wouldn’t be hiring already, with your director only being gone for a couple of days, would they?”
    Petal’s mouth turned down. “They were getting ready to fire her. Maybe that’s why she left. Anyway, her taking off without a word to anyone was the last straw. They already have an ad set to send to the paper and post on our site.”
    Nora didn’t wish the old director ill, but this opportunity gave new meaning to the word serendipity . “Thank you for the head’s up. Will you do the hiring?”
    Petal’s eyes sparkled. “Not really. But sometimes, I can suggest things.”
    The girl’s excitement penetrated Nora. Maybe fate had jumped in and rescued her. “I’d love if you could get me an interview, Petal.”
    Petal smiled. She resembled a playful elf. “Done.”

three
    For the first time in too long, Nora joined the morning masses on their way to jobs the following Monday morning. Constructive, worthwhile, paycheck-producing jobs. Nora needed to work, had worked since she was sixteen, even while earning top grades in college and grad school. The last year of unemployment had depleted more than her cash reserves.
    But no more. Look at her : a job! Loving Earth Trust wasn’t just a job, either. It was a dream position. She’d called the E xecutive D irector as soon as she’d returned from M ount Evans. He remembered her resume, called her in for an interview the next morning , and hired her that afternoon. Two days after her failure on the mountaintop, Nora felt her wheels gaining traction.
    Sunshine blazed from the east, sparkling on the morning. Nora turned from her apartment parking lot onto Arapahoe Street, happy to see the students with book bags strapped to their backs making their way toward campus for their first classes. There was something abo ut people heading out for