by Melissa Good
Pause. ”No shit?” the man replied, clearly impressed. ”That’ll get them off my ass. Thanks Kerry. You’re the best.”
”It’s my pleasure,” she assured him cheerfully, all thoughts of Steven dissolved. She disconnected the line and turned to Dar. ”Now, we were discussing horses, right?”
A chuckle. ”Yeah, they’ve got some trail riding, figured we could do a little hiking while we’re up there,” she offered. ”If we leave tonight, we’ll have tomorrow and Friday to get the network office back up, then the whole weekend to play.” The idea had come to her right 178
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before she’d started over, and she’d put the plan in action before she’d left her office. ”I’ve got Maria making reservations.”
Kerry smiled. ”Want me to go home and pick up our bags?” she offered. ”When’s the flight?”
”Seven, and that would be a great idea.” Dar praised her. ”Make sure you pack some warm stuff, it’s chilly up there.” Her brows lifted seductively. ”A little too much for any scanty lingerie, unfortunately.”
Kerry stood and slid a fingertip down the buttoned closure of Dar’s silk shirt. ”I don’t know, I think you look really sexy in just that old jersey of yours,” she whispered.
A soft chuckle. ”Oh, you do, do you?”
”Mm hmm, ” Kerry lowered her voice even more. ”But then you’re gorgeous, Dar. You’d look sexy in a burlap sack,” she confided, brushing her lips against her lover’s. ”I’m going to go get our stuff. I need some fresh air anyway.” She patted Dar’s leg, then stepped around her desk, pulling her jacket off her chair and swinging it over her shoulders as she headed for the door.
Dar watched her go, then let out a long, slow breath. ”Wow.” She ran a hand through her hair. ”I think I need a little fresh air myself.”
The sunlight winked merrily at her feet in cheerful agreement, but at that moment her phone buzzed. She glanced up to see her private line ringing and the incoming tie line indicator. “Ah.” She pressed the button. “Yes?”
“Dar.” Alastair’s voice sounded harassed. “What in the hell’s going on there? I’ve got the presidents of a dozen companies crawling up my backside with backhoes right now.”
Dar winced at the visual. “Environmental systems blew up at the data center in the Carolinas,” she said. “It’s a mess.”
“A mess?” her boss repeated. “Dar, we’ve busted service levels all over the region there. This is more than a mess,” he said. “What are we doing about it? What’s the plan?”
“Thanks for assuming I had one,” she said. “I don’t goddamn know what we’re going to do about it, Alastair. They won’t give us access to the facility to find out what we even can do.”
He was momentarily silent. “B...”
Dar waited. “You asked.”
Alastair made an exasperated sound. “Dar, I have to be able to tell these people something. I’m getting roasted here. I’ve already got a half dozen talking breach of contract and the rest of them mentioned legal.”
Was it her fault? Dar frowned. “Tell them we’re looking at options, Alastair,” she replied a little testily. “I’m not going to promise to pull something out of thin air. I’ve got to get up there and see what the situation is and...”
“You’re going?” Alastair interrupted her sharply.
“I’ve got a flight in a few hours yeah and...”
“Good enough.” Her boss sounded much happier. “I’ll tell ‘em that.
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They can’t say I didn’t put the best resources on it. But Dar,” he hesitated, “if we don’t fix this, we’ll end up with a big loss I’m going to have to explain to the board.”
“Shit happens sometimes, Alastair. You know that. We’re a technology company and this stuff breaks,” Dar said.
“I know,” her boss replied. “But shit happening right after there’s a major ruckus down there gets sticky,” he reminded her. “And if people are looking for leverage it’ll hand it to them nice and neat.”
Dar gazed at her desktop. “Yeah,” she said. “I’ll do what I can, Alastair.”
“Keep me advised,” Alastair said. “I’ll go tap dance for you and break out the mirrors.”
“YEAH, THAT’S RIGHT, Col.” Kerry stretched her legs out and closed her eyes, sucking in a deep breath of the sun warmed air coming in the window of the Mustang. ”We’re going to North Carolina. We’ve got a big mess there to take care of.”
”Oh, right, yeah, I heard about that,” Colleen advised her. ”My boss was screaming that the interbank transfers won’t go through.” She cleared her throat. ”No problem, Ker, staying out there isn’t any kinda hardship, you know? Breakfast on the ocean, little tuxedoed mannequins puttering about, no problem at all.”
”Great.” Kerry sighed. ”I never thought I’d be glad of a disaster, but I can’t say I regret this one.” She stifled a yawn. ”After we fix things, we’re going up to a place Dar knows near there for a little R and R.” ”Oh?” Colleen sounded more interested. ”Well now, me lassie, you didn’t tell me that. So you and the tall dark one are finally taking some time off together. That’s great.”
”Yeah.” Kerry smiled. ”That’ll be a first for us, even over Christmas we had so much going on, we hardly had time to breathe, much less relax. I’m really looking forward to a few days alone with her.” And wasn’t that the truth. Kerry found herself impatiently wishing the crisis was well over and solved, freeing them to leave the technical problems behind and concentrate on each other.
She knew instinctively that after the past few days, they needed that. There were too many thorn pricks in both of them. Too many tiny, loose ends caused by the trauma and the tension. She felt a little shaky, and she suspected Dar did as well.
A weekend hiking up in the quiet of the wilderness was very, very appealing, and it would give Dar time to really recuperate from her bumps and bruises. ”You think they’ll have a hot tub?” she mused.
Colleen laughed. ”Well, if it’s the kinda place I think Dar likes, I’m sure it will have one. You can do some lovely skiing up in the mountains y’know,” she commented. ”Get yourself a nice fireplace, and 180
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toast you up some marshmallows, girl.”
”Mm.” Kerry could taste the warm, slightly burned morsels in her imagination. Then she imagined sharing them messily with Dar, and grinned, feeling the skin around her eyes crinkling up in amusement.
”Sounds good to me.”
”Heh, your eating habits surely have changed,” Colleen teased.
”And then there’s the food, as well.”
Kerry almost swallowed her tongue. ”Colleen!”
”Ah, ah, don’t you be Colleening me, little Miss Michigan snowballs wouldn’t melt in me mouth,” her friend laughed. ”I’m just joshing, Kerry. Honestly, I think Dar’s the best thing that ever happened to you.”
”Oh yeah, she’s turning me into a pleasure loving little butterball, that’s what,” Kerry laughed. ”But thanks,” she added quietly. ”I’m glad you ended up liking her.” She put her car into gear as the ferry docked.
”I’m going to get our stuff packed, talk to you later, Col. Thanks for staying over again.”
She hung up the phone and steered carefully onto the island, pausing for the spray down before she turned onto the perimeter road and headed to the condo. The sprinklers were on in the center of the island, making an interesting chatter, and sending a whiff of mineral laden moist air to Kerry’s nose.
She pulled into her parking spot, then paused, backing up a little.
”Aww.” She found herself grinning stupidly. The maintenance department had painted her name on the concrete bumper. ”K. Stuart, check that out.” She got out of the car and examined it, the neat black letters crisp against the white concrete, matching the ”D. Roberts” right next to it half hidden behind Dar’s tires.
It was such a tiny, insign
ificant thing, but it touched something deep inside Kerry, reinforcing her sense that this was, indeed, home.
She gave the Lexus a little pat, then shouldered her briefcase and headed up the stairs, plucking the mail from the mailbox before keying in the lock code.
Chino started whining the minute the door opened, and she dropped her case on the loveseat as she headed towards the kitchen.
”Okay, okay honey, I hear you.” She ambled across the tile floor and opened the gate, letting the puppy out to attack her feet fiercely.
”Hey...hey, careful.” She put the mail down and crouched, petting Chino’s soft fur. ”Okay, okay, I know. I’m glad to see you too.”
Chino whined ecstatically, her whole body wriggling with joy as she chewed on Kerry’s fingers. Then she cocked her head, and looked past Kerry expectantly. She scratched the puppy’s ears. ”I know she’s your buddy, huh?”
Chino blinked, then apparently gave up on Dar, and concentrated on attacking Kerry’s shoes. ”Raowr.” The puppy tugged on a lace, dropping it and barking in outrage when the thing persisted in Hurricane Watch
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remaining attached to Kerry, and all the animal’s pulling couldn’t budge her.
”Okay, why don’t you go out while I get some stuff done, huh?”
Kerry opened the back door, allowing the puppy to scamper down into the tiny, walled garden.
It was safe for her there, since Dar had spent most of one weekend puppy proofing it. That included making sure there were no gaps under the fence, and taking out the tiny pebbles the animal would surely try to consume. She watched Chino sniff around for a minute, then she went inside and started getting together two bags, starting with Dar’s. which was easy. Jeans, soft, neatly pressed polo’s, two sweaters which were all she owned, her one flannel shirt, the sweatshirt Kerry loved on her, and nice warm socks. And underwear, of course.
Kerry had fun picking out her favorite ones of those, including the really cute ones with tiny pictures of Dogbert on them. Oh, and the baseball jersey and shorts, and her bathroom kit, which held shampoo, soap, her toothbrush and the small bottle of interestingly spicy smelling talc powder Kerry loved to sprinkle over her. She sniffed it and closed her eyes, a tiny humming noise erupting from her throat that almost startled her.
”Jesus.” She clapped a hand on her forehead. ”I’m turning into such a hedonist,” she muttered, putting the bag away and zipping up the carry on duffel Dar always used. But that’s how Dar made her feel, she reflected, all sexy and sensual, like she was taking a bath in pheromones most of the time. Everything seemed more intense, the smell of her, the deep, rich color of her eyes...
”Oh boy.” Kerry stopped and took several breaths. ”Okay, I think I need a drink of water.” She carried the bag to the couch and let it drop, then continued on into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of peach flavored ice tea, which slid down her throat in a cool, nicely sweetened wave. She leaned against the counter and sipped it, thinking about TCP/IP routing tables until her body had settled down again, and she could head upstairs to her own room.
Her bag was a little tougher, mostly because she actually had winter clothes to choose from. She threw in a few pairs of jeans, though, since they were more comfortable than the heavy corduroy that were her other choice. Dar having informed her she really liked the way Kerry looked in jeans having nothing to do with the decision, of course.
Kerry smiled, as she flipped through her collection of soft wool sweaters, selecting two that were favorites of hers, and one whose color reminded her of Dar’s eyes. That one was a gift from her brother, and it hugged her curves, bringing out an appreciative smile on Dar’s face the last time she’d had the occasion to wear it. She tucked it inside her tan leather bag, alongside a couple of long sleeved shirts she could wear under them. She also added a pair of mittens, and her own warm socks and bath kit, glad she wasn’t due for her period until late the week after.
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Once she had everything packed, she started to go down, then stopped, setting the bag on her bed and going to the dresser where she tugged the drawer open, and pulled out a small, velvet case. Pensively she opened it, her eyes tracing the now familiar outlines of the beautifully made, filigreed ring inside. Was it time?
Kerry sighed and closed the case, putting it back in the drawer. Part of her wanted to just push through the insecurities and go ahead with the gift, but another part of her hesitated, caught between the fear that Dar wouldn’t want that kind of commitment, and the inner knowledge that she, Kerry, needed it in some deep, almost uncomfortable way.
Maybe. She chewed her lip. Maybe on Valentines’ Day? It was only two weeks. A nervous ball formed in her stomach. Maybe she could sort of feel Dar out this weekend, just to make sure she wasn’t going to make a total fool out of herself when she did it.
Oh, come on, Kerry, you know she loves you. She chastised herself.
Jesus, she’s not going to laugh or anything.
Right? Kerry drummed her fingers on one thigh, then snatched the case up and tucked it into her bag, zipping it up and hitching the strap up onto her shoulder. Maybe she’d practice, she decided, going downstairs and putting her bag on the couch next to Dar’s, then sitting down and leafing through the mail. ”Oh.”
She pulled out the three or four pieces that were hers, forwarded from the Kendall address. Two were bills, a third was an offer to beta test the new Microsoft applications suite, and the fourth...” Haven’t heard from her in a while.” Kerry turned the letter from her great aunt over in her fingers before she lifted the flap and pulled out the creamy, soft stationary, faintly scented with the smell of dust and memories.
She opened it, and spread the paper out on her knees, studying the thin, spidery script.
Dear Kerrison,
My dear, word has come to me that you are estranged from your parents—and this troubles me greatly. Not for their sake, as you know well that I never did get on with your father, but for your sake, as I know how much family means to you.
Your sister tells me you are well, and living there in Miami with a person she tells me you are quite fond of. With her usual feckless nattering, she managed to talk all around the subject, but I am going to assume this person is another woman, and while you think my aged nerves can’t take this, I will gladly inform you that this is not the case.
Splendid for you, my dear. I would love to meet this person, and I want to assure you that regardless of what your parents seem to think, your extended family is not cut off from you in anyway. You are welcome in my home, and I know Mitchell would love to see you. Please do call me, when you get Hurricane Watch
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a chance, since I also would like to get the real story, as opposed to the bowdlerized version your sister saw fit to grace my supposedly tender ears with.
With great affection,
Aunt Penny.
Kerry grinned, as she reread the letter. ”Good old Aunt Penny.”
She shook her head, remembering the old, but sharp woman whom she’d last seen before she’d moved to Miami. When she’d given her the ring and laughed, making Kerry turn around in the light, watching her with twinkling eyes the same shade as Kerry’s own. Who had been one of the only people in Kerry’s life who had told her, point blank, that she was pretty, displacing years of her mother’s continual harping on her looks.
Kerry would have cherished her for that alone, but she’d always gotten a sense of warm affection from her aunt and she was glad even this latest disaster hadn’t broken that tie.
She made a mental note to call her aunt after the weekend, and, on a whim, went back up to her room and got a small box of writing paper, tucking it inside her bag along with a couple of her favorite pens.
”That’s what I’ll do, Chino. I’ll write her a note. She’d like that,” she told the puppy, who had curled up contentedly at her feet. ”I bet she’d like you. She had a Scottish terror. I mean, terrier who used
to eat my shoes when I went over there.”
Chino looked up, then settled her chin on Kerry’s foot and sighed.
Kerry sighed too, and leaned back against the couch’s soft leather, drinking in the peace of the place. She picked up Chino and cuddled her, smiling when the puppy sprawled across her chest, the warm breath sneaking between the buttons on her shirt.
Shed just relax here for a minute, then head on back to the office.
“HERE YOU GO, Dar.” Maria bustled in, handing over two sets of airline ticket folders. ”I have you both booked on the plane, and your hotel room is okay.” The secretary gave her an impish smile. ”They have only rooms with, how you say, a jaguar in them.”
Dar stopped what she was doing, and looked up, startled. ”What?”
She glanced at the tickets. ”A jaguar?”
”Si, with the bubbles.” Maria made a circling motion with her hand.
”In the water.”
”Oh, oh, a Jacuzzi.” Dar chuckled, and gave her a stern look. ”It’s strictly business, Maria.”
”Si, si, but you know how important is it to stay very clean, Dar,”
Maria replied, virtuously. ”You know, it is bad if you come back with the germs.”
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tugging at Dar’s lips. ”Maria, if I didn't know better, I’d say you were encouraging me to do something against company policy.”
Maria blinked at her. ”Oh, si.” She nodded seriously. ”I will see you Monday, Dar. Have a good time.”
She trotted out, leaving a very bemused, and somewhat taken aback boss sitting behind her desk. ”A jaguar, huh?” She tucked the folders inside her jacket and glanced at her watch. ”And speaking of Kerry...” She picked up the phone and dialed Kerry’s cellular number.
“Where the heck is she?”
It took four rings before there was an answer, and the voice sounded a little dazed. ”Oh shit.”
Dar regarded the phone with some amusement. ”And a good afternoon to you, too, Kerrison,” she drawled. ”What’s up?”