by Cass Sellars
“How long have you been at DPI, Randy?”
As Mack spoke, Syd watched incredulously as he flipped the phone over to achieve a better spin.
“A few weeks.”
“How do you like it?” He was intently watching the table and his toy. Syd thought his aloof act was as practiced as it was obnoxious.
“Seems okay, so far. They have a lot of catching up to do from a technology perspective, but I like it well enough.”
“How about the people? Any issues with the people, Randy?” She spoke louder in the hope of bringing his attention to her.
“Every place has its weirdoes and its assholes, but nothing I can’t handle.” He continued to spin his phone until Mack slammed her hand over his and slid the device out of his reach.
“Any people in particular you can think of?”
Syd knew Mack loathed having to spend her time coaxing simple information from asses like Randy Miller.
Miller gave her a cautious look before answering, clearly rattled by the passing moment.
“Well, I’ve been in the accounting field for a long time, and those people are always weird, so I don’t pay much attention to them. Tess is the new lady in Davidson’s office, and she’s kind of stuck up, but I guess that’s because she works for the man.” He offered air quotes around “the man.”
“Anyone else?” She was taking notes on her lap again.
“That Jesus freak in Frank’s office. He won’t talk about anything except religion, so I just avoid that dude. I don’t want to talk about that stuff.” His sideways smile followed a dismissive shake of his head.
“What would you rather talk about Randy?”
“I dunno. Sports, chicks, world events, something else besides religion. I hear enough of that religion shit from my old lady.”
“Meaning your wife?” Mack visibly bristled at the dismissive and chauvinistic term.
“Yeah, my wife. Married twenty-one years in March. She got religion, so I go to church and stuff, but not like this guy.”
“Who do you talk about chicks with? I’m assuming not your wife.”
He laughed and tried a wink. “You got that right. Frank’s cool. Ben’s nice but a little conservative, you know?”
“So, you talk about chicks with Frank but not Ben.”
“Well, he hangs out with us at lunch sometimes, but he has a girlfriend or a fiancée or something, I think, and he acts like it’s cheating on her to talk about other women.”
“You ever talk about the women you work with?”
“Sure. There are some hotties in this place. It doesn’t hurt to look, right?” He slid a glance in her direction, as if they were old friends swapping stories.
“Yeah? Who are the hotties?”
Syd wished there was a criminal charge for being a witless asshole. She knew Mack would cheerfully have made sure he was indicted on about fifteen counts.
“Nicole in data; she’s smoking hot, but she’s engaged, too, so all she wants to do is talk about the wedding plans…blah. Tess would be hot if she wasn’t such a beeotch, if you know what I mean. Then there are the two babes in HR, but they play for the other team, so I hear.” Randy smirked, obviously proud that he was able to gather so much intel in so little time.
“They don’t date men, you mean?” Mack leaned back in her chair and tapped her pen absently against her shoulder as if this was just casual conversation between acquaintances.
“Right, still hot, though, especially the little blonde—I could picture that body—I don’t want to offend you or anything.” He reduced his voice to a whisper as if he was dying to talk but had to get the cop to give him permission.
“Randy, I’ve been doing this job for fifteen years, it would take a long time to offend me, and even then, you’d have to work at it.”
Syd watched Mack dig her nails into her thigh to keep from smacking him while he spoke about her wife as if she was a show cow.
“I got ya. You know, guys think that’s totally hot…two chicks together. I told my wife that’s what I wanted for my fortieth birthday, but I got golf clubs instead.”
Mack rubbed the heels of her hands over her eyes and resumed looking at the Neanderthal sitting across the table. “Do you have anything against gay people, you know, other than the sex being ‘totally hot’ and stuff?” She practically sneered when she spoke to him.
“Hell, no. I think it’s awesome. Like I said, I told my wife she can become a lesbo any day, and I’d be a happy man.” He looked pleased with himself as he spoke and spun his chair back and forth with one foot, rolling from side to side to maintain the motion.
Syd watched the corners of Mack’s mouth pull as she seemed to fight the urge to laugh in his face. Giving his wife permission? Syd wanted to smack him.
“Do you ever feel angry at anyone at work, Randy?”
“Nah, what’s the point in that? I go home, get a beer, and take it out on my Nintendo. Then I’m good.”
Syd thought he was smug and more than a little dim.
“Sounds like the perfect plan,” Mack lied casually.
“Works like a charm.” He gave her the thumbs-up as if he had solved one of the world’s great problems and had just let her in on his secret.
“Anyone else you can think of that seems to be angry or disturbed at work, Randy?”
“Not a one, but I’ll think on it for ya. Got a card?”
Mack pulled one out from her folder as she stood, indicating that their chat was now over. “Here you go, and thanks. Mind keeping this conversation between us?”
Randy nodded and snatched up his phone. The door bounced loudly against the frame as he exited. When it finally settled into the latch Mack jerked up the phone. “Kill me now. I honestly kept looking for the scars where his knuckles had been dragging the ground.”
“I can’t believe you didn’t tell him the ‘little blonde’ was yours.” Syd laughed.
“Believe me, it took everything I had not to choke him. But I figured my being here would get around faster if I said something.”
“So, it seems when you get a job at this place, they tell you where the break room is and then say, ‘Hey, two babes in HR, they date chicks, but we figure they just need the right guy.’”
“It certainly seems that way. I plan to warn Jenny to stay away from Mr. Miller and his disturbing mental images that I luckily didn’t get any details on.”
“Are you going to do any more today?” Syd folded back the page of her notebook to reveal a clean sheet.
“Nope, I’m going to go tell Jenny that I’m leaving. Does Park know you’re here?”
Syd hadn’t discussed the fact that she was camped out in the parking lot with Parker, and Mack likely already knew that. “I really don’t know. She isn’t talking much lately, so I wasn’t sure how to bring it up. I don’t want to remind her about it all the time, so we just talk around it.” Syd returned to her earlier funk.
“Don’t let it fester, Syd. You’re crazy about each other. Don’t give some random creep the power to screw that up.” Mack sounded exasperated.
“I know.” She tried to change the subject. “When can we do this little tag team again?”
“I want to meet with Ben Barrett and Steve Akeroyd tomorrow. I’m going to head to the CTI jobsite to cross Terry Carver off my list and no, you aren’t coming. You already have a problem with that guy.” Mack sounded like a stern parent.
“Call me and tell me if anything smells bad?” Syd couldn’t stand not being in the middle of the action.
“You know I will. Now, go make nice with Parker. She needs you, and she needs to trust you; otherwise, you’ll both miss something important.”
“Yeah, I’m on my way.” Syd shut the car door and headed across the parking lot. She knew Mack was right, and they had risked letting this come between them.
Parker was leaning over her credenza marking up plans with her back to the door when Syd walked in and shut it solidly behind her.
�
�Please, don’t say there are more issues today, Jenny, I’m too tired to care who’s fighting with whom.” She was exhausted and edgy.
Syd walked behind her and pulled her from the chair, eliciting a startled gasp. She tilted Parker’s chin to hers and kissed her slowly and deeply. Parker seemed to take a second to focus on the sensation before stroking her hands over Sydney’s broad shoulders. She allowed herself to melt into her, relishing the warmth of the embrace. She suddenly grabbed against her more strongly and buried her forehead against Sydney’s chest.
“I missed you.” Parker exhaled into her.
“I’ve missed you. I’m sorry things have felt so screwed up.”
“It’s my fault for being so angry. You didn’t do it, and I shouldn’t take it out on you.” Parker focused on Syd’s face.
“I love you. The fact that you’re in my life is all that matters.”
Parker looked suddenly grounded again. She leaned back against Syd’s encircling arms and smiled. “So, other than checking on me, what are you doing here?” She smiled knowingly.
Syd knew her car would have stood out in the lot. “I just wanted to see you. Are you going to CTI today?” Syd hoped that the answer would be no.
“Nope. Too much to finish here. I’m still catching up from last week. If I promise to call when I leave, will you stop babysitting me and go do some of your own work?”
“Not babysitting, sweetheart, just adoring you from a little closer than usual.” She winked at Parker, and relief washed over her for a moment.
“And I adore you for that, love, but it’s not necessary. It’s been a week since the window thing, and there hasn’t been anything else. Maybe he found someone else to play with.” She didn’t look as if she believed it, but it felt good to stand in the land of denial with her, if for only a moment. “How about you invite Mia to dinner? We haven’t seen her since the, um, incident, and I don’t want it to get weird between us, okay? We can do homemade pizzas. I’ll stop for the stuff on the way home.” Parker relaxed as she welcomed the prospect of their old normal.
“How about I stop, and you invite her? That way you’ll be home sooner, and I may have time to ravish you in our boarded-up bedroom.”
“Always an ulterior sex motive, Hyatt.” Parker shook her head.
“Are you complaining?” Syd spoke softly in her ear, delivering the hot words against her skin. Parker always told her that her unwavering confidence in that area was intoxicating. Syd used it to her advantage.
“Oh, hell no.” She shivered. “In fact, I just decided to leave early.” Parker stroked her fingers over Syd’s sculpted features.
“Are we okay?” Syd asked quietly as she locked eyes with Parker.
“Always okay, as long as you love me.”
Syd left the DPI offices feeling lighter than she had in days. She called to check on the progress with the window order and arrived home with the groceries just in time for Parker to walk in beside her.
“The window’s still being fabricated, so they’ll put it in just before the floors are redone. I’ll talk to Mack about staying there for a few days so we don’t have to live with the smell.”
“Sounds good. We’ll be sleeping in the bed I loaned them from my loft, you know. It would be nice to sleep in my old bed again. Like when you used to sneak over and seduce me,” Parker teased her.
“I couldn’t help it. You’re my kryptonite, baby, what can I say?” Syd winked at her playfully.
“Why don’t you say that we have an hour before Mia gets here and remind me a couple of times how you seduced me?” Parker walked backward toward the bedroom, and Syd watched her eyes darken. She slid Parker’s body on to the bed and under her own, claiming her hungrily.
***
“Hi, Mia. I’m glad you’re here.” Parker pulled their nervous neighbor in for a genuine hug. “What would you like to drink?”
“I’m thinking a little cold regret over a thick blend of remorse and humiliation.” Mia spoke apprehensively as she looked down at Parker and acted as if she didn’t see Sydney watching her.
“Wow. Heavy cocktail. I was just going to share a little red wine.” Parker smiled at her and clasped hands on her shoulders. “Mia, stop, seriously. Not a big deal. Do you know how many lips I had to scrub off her when we first met?” Parker earnestly worked to relieve Mia of the awkward feelings she knew she felt the weight of. Sydney laughed, obviously okay if the joke made at her expense caused Mia to relax.
“How can you not want to kill me?” Mia groaned and dropped her head onto Parker’s shoulder.
“Sweetie, there are so many more viable options in line ahead of you. You aren’t even in the last heat.” Parker kissed her friend on the cheek.
“Sydney, if you ever screw this up, you are a colossal idiot.” She laughed and pointed to Parker.
“Trust me. You won’t be the last to tell me that.” Sydney looked over at Parker before returning her focus to Mia. “Wine okay?”
“Yeah, great.” Mia sighed. “You guys okay? I haven’t seen you, and Mr. Kessler said someone broke your window the other night.” She took a sip of wine and exhaled loudly.
“Yeah, so we should probably let you know what’s happening in case you notice anything.” Syd stood behind Parker and kissed her shoulder softly before dusting a finger over the bruise that Parker knew had faded substantially.
Parker began. “It seems I have a fan, probably someone who was here at the party. He started with a nice note, and now he’s angry and a little mean…a lot mean, in fact. So, if you see anyone creeping around, call the police, okay? He doesn’t seem to be dangerous to anyone but Sydney because, according to him, she is an evil dyke.” Parker thumbed over her shoulder at Sydney and tried to smile in the face of the renewed vitriol she felt toward a faceless stranger.
“Crap. Not good. Any idea who it might be?” Mia looked between the two of them as if she could recall a feeling she profoundly missed.
“Not yet, but we’re working on it. We’ll keep you posted, but just let us know if you see anything, okay?” Syd met Mia’s gaze, and Mia looked quickly away.
“Are you really okay, Mia?” Parker looked concerned when Mia refused to look up. “Look, it was a mistake. I don’t believe you have designs on the evil dyke.” Parker seemed to be trying to make a joke to force a mood switch. Syd swatted at her playfully.
Mia dropped her head on the counter. “I just feel like an idiot. I got lost in her memory, and all I saw was Sandy…”
Parker stepped off her stool and put a comforting arm around her shoulder. “I think you have done amazingly well at coping with all this. No one but us will ever know, and it will be something we can laugh about one day. Hell, we’re laughing about it now. Mia, give yourself a break.”
Mia lifted her head and threw her arms around Parker’s shoulders. “Thank you. I don’t know that I would be that generous.”
“Sure, you would.” She spun Mia’s stool toward a bowl of chips. “Let’s eat bad food and watch junk TV.” Parker couldn’t help recalling the moments after Mia had lost Sandy. She had watched gut-wrenching anguish cripple Mia, and now it seemed too close, too real. She couldn’t fathom losing Syd, and the prospect of it made the acid rise in her throat. She swallowed against the fear of threats unexplained.
Chapter Fourteen
Syd pulled into DPI by ten a.m. and backed into what was now her customary spot. She knew many of the players now, what they drove, when they arrived, and who was always late.
Within thirty minutes, Mack had backed her city-issue in beside her and motioned for Syd to move to her car.
“Take a look.” Mack handed her a stack of printouts. “Unofficially, of course, while I’m looking the other way.” Mack smiled and pretended to be lost in paperwork while Sydney perused official police files on the new employees at DPI along with those on Terry Carver.
“Well I’ll be damned.” Syd made a tsking sound at the information in her hand. “Our little pastor-in-the-makin
g was caught for lewd and lascivious at the Rainbow Tavern. Who would have ever thought? So much for his finding a perfect wife at church.”
“Poor woman; whoever he ends up with is going to be marrying a gay man. No wonder he keeps talking about it. He doth protest too much.” Mack shook her head as she returned her stare to the blank page in her notebook. “Why don’t people just live their lives instead of trying so hard to be what they aren’t?”
“Because everyone’s afraid of rejection on some level, I guess.” Syd continued to scan down the pages. “How was Parker’s little hero, Terry, yesterday? Anything pop for you?” Syd stopped on his page and found only two bar brawls from ten years before which had been knocked down to disturbing the peace citations.
“Not a thing. I got him to talk about Parker and meeting you. He admitted to being shocked only because it never occurred to him that she wasn’t straight. He was just stunned and didn’t handle it well. He loves working with Parker, but he doesn’t think of her in any way other than a friendly one. He has a new girlfriend, who he proudly showed me a picture of. Oh, and his sister’s gay, so he doesn’t have an issue with it anyway.”
“Good. She has to work with him more regularly, so I’m glad we can cross him off.” Syd shifted the page to the back and continued reading on the next.
“Public intoxication for your little blonde’s biggest fan? I can’t imagine that, unless he just couldn’t win on his Nintendo that day.”
“Right? His wife was probably happy to have him out of the house, even if it was to stand in line for his mug shot.” Mack shook her head in disgust. “What a tool. I can just hear him giving his wife permission to become a ‘lesbo.’”
“Or he’s full of shit and just likes to hear his own line of bull.” Syd had come across plenty of guys like him, and they were often more talk than action.
“It’s definitely possible. Either way, he’s a tool.”
“You’ll get no argument from me. You showed a hell of a lot more restraint than I would have.”