A Little Bit of Sunshine

Chapter 4: Lena

"Ms. Luthor, your 3:15 appointment is here."

"Thank you, Jess. Send her in." I hung up my desk phone and sat up a little straighter in my chair. I had been dreading the interview most of the day. People had a tendency of casting me in a harsh light. The only reason I had accepted the interview was because I knew declining would only succeed in making me appear as though I had something to hide.

My door opened a few moments later revealing a literal goddess. The tall blonde was wearing a light blue button up and khaki chinos. Her hair was falling in soft curls around her shoulders, practically radiating in the sunlight spilling through the wall of windows behind me.

Somehow, I managed to swallow through my shock enough to stand and extend a hand. "Welcome. You must be Ms. Danvers."

"Just Kara, but yes, that's me!" She laughed nervously, shaking my hand. Her touch was warm and soothing. 'God, she's tall.' And she really was. The only reason I was nearing eye level was my heels, and I'd be a liar if I said otherwise.

My stomach summersalted. What are the chances of running across two Kara's in the span of a week? Granted, I knew the probability of this Kara being the same one who helped me to relax at night was slim at best, but it didn't stop the internal yearning.

I quickly drew back and sat down once more to put some distance between us before I said or did something incredibly stupid. "Kara. Of course. It's lovely to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you as well, Ms. Luthor. Thank you for taking time to speak with me today. I know you're an incredibly busy woman!" She fidgeted with her glasses, pushing them further up her nose despite them not being out of place. She was nervous, and I couldn't help but find it endearing.

"If I'm going to be calling you Kara, I insist that you call me Lena, and it's not a problem at all. I'm happy to discuss the recent donations. I do believe that was what you were coming in to discuss; correct?"

Kara's ears tinted pink and she fumbled around with her leather messenger bag as she sat in one of the chairs in front of my desk. "Yes! I mean, yes, that's what I came in for. Would you mind if I record this conversation?"

"By all means." I waved towards the recorder in her hand, thankful that my hands didn't shake. My body was silently vibrating. 'What's wrong with me?'

"Thank you. First of all, I want to say thank you. The youth home you made donations to truly needed the attention. HopeRidge is one of the most underfunded establishments in National City despite having the most residents. As a person who was adopted, I'm thankful."

"You were adopted?" I leaned forward onto the edges of my forearms. I hadn't anticipated that. Sure, I knew people who were adopted, but most didn't so willingly disclose that information. Not that it was anything to be ashamed of. The ones I knew, myself included, didn't appreciate the pity that came after the facts had light shed on them.

"When I was thirteen, yes." She nodded.

"Me too; when I was four."

Kara's deep blue eyes were soft and unjudging. I wasn't completely sure why I told Kara about being adopted. It wasn't necessarily private information for those with the patience to dig for it, but I could count the times I had disclosed it on one hand. Mother had made a valiant effort to keep that card close to her chest to protect the Luthor name. Dad had been a bit of a loose cannon at times. The cynical part of me figured people would assume the information was a lie.

"Is that something that prompted the outreach?"

"It would be remiss if I said no. I wanted to be able to help more people, and too much funding was going to institutions that either had no benefits to the citizens of National City or were only being funded to benefit the elites. I want the kids to have access to better education, food, and health care. I want them to have access to clothes and help. L-Corp, as a whole, is moving towards more positive changes in any way we can manage. I am well aware that my family ruined a lot of things and tarnished this company in the process, but I want to fix that."