The rush hour crowd had long since thinned.  Tina still hadn’t come down from the office, although the receptionist of the studio had said half an hour ago that it looked to her that Tina was about to leave. 

Bette was considering whether to call the receptionist again. Maybe I should plan on surprising Tina another time.  As she looked at her watch she realized the receptionist had probably left already.

As she contemplated leaving, she heard the elevator ping.  She paused from her pacing to check whether Tina was amongst the crowd of people leaving the elevator, then sighed when the blonde didn’t emerge from the crowd.

She turned away from the elevator bank, walked toward the bench she’d left her things on, and pulled out her phone, about to call the restaurant to cancel the reservation she’d made for them, when she heard her name called out by someone.

“Bette?  Are you Bette?,” a man’s voice asked. 

Bette spun around to look at who had called out her name, frowning a little when she saw the source, and didn’t recognize him.  Yet he knows who I am. 

“You are …?,” she asked staying where she was, not responding to the man’s question. 

“Adam,” he said, walking towards her.  “I’m not with the studio, but I’m working with Tina on some tie-ups, product placements, we call them, that my firm is arranging to include in some upcoming films that she is overseeing development of.” 

Bette gave him a half-smile absently, not sure yet how he knew her. 

He realized his error, and explained seeing her picture, along with that of Angelica’s, in Tina’s office. 

“I see,” Bette nodded, then smiled and shook the hand he’d offered. 

He offered her his business card.  With a start, Bette realized he worked for one of the corporations that Marissa’s family corporation owned. 

Adam eyed the rose Bette was holding, and smiled.  “Beautiful rose,” he commented.  She nodded, and was explaining where she got it, after Adam asked.  Adam asked about what she thought of Zak’s shop, and they fell to  talking about the vagaries of Manhattan flower shops when the elevator pinged again, and Tina stepped out, flanked by two other senior executives of the studio. 

She was explaining something to them when she saw Bette and Adam talking in the middle of the indoor courtyard.