Debbie: She’s coming with a camera crew!

Alma: It was your proposal, Tina!

Tina forgets all about her argument with Bette. She smiles and then lets out an excited laugh.

Tina: Okay, okay, uh, let’s get this place looking sharp… but not too sharp we don’t want her to think that we don’t need the money.

***

A while later Tina and Alma are leaning against a desk looking over some papers when the suite door opens and three men enter bearing camera equipment. They immediately start to set up without even acknowledging the women.

Tina: Wow…

Alma: That woman sure knows how to create a media event!

As Tina and the others watch on Helena Peabody advances confidently into the room and looks around. Her eyes fall instantly on Tina. She smiles and strides over. All the while the cameras are following her every move.

Helena: You’re Tina Kennard. You wrote this proposal?

Tina looks Helena up and down admiring her cultured suave demeanor and almost swooning at the pronounced British accent.

Tina: Yes.

Helena grasps Tina’s hands and gives her a penetrating stare as she tries to muster the right amount of sincerity into her tone.

Helena: It brought tears to my eyes.

Tina lowers her head breaking the intense eye contact and chuckles. She’s slightly embarrassed by the attention and somewhat flushed by the attraction she feels for this woman.

Tina: Thank you, I’m flattered.

Helena: Tina, why don’t you give me the grand tour of the Headquarters for Social Justice?

Tina: Oh… Sure. Right this way.

***

After the tour Helena indicates that she wants to get film footage talking to some of the young people that will be benefitting from the grant money. Latin music is playing in the background. People are bustling around and the atmosphere is very festive. This move on Helena’s part will be great PR for the Peabody Foundation but more importantly it served its purpose to ingratiate herself into Tina Kennard’s life.

Helena appears to be fully engaged in conversation with a couple of teenagers but she’s clearly distracted whenever Tina enters the room. Finally she gives up the show of trying to be discrete. She looks up and they make eye contact. Helena abruptly ends her conversation and tells the camera man to stop filming. She excuses herself from the teenagers and gets up to join Tina as she moves to stand near a counter. Helena walks towards Tina swaying her hips seductively. Tina can’t deny the affect it’s having on her. She tries to busy herself to not appear so obvious but not since Bette Porter has she found herself so attracted to another woman.