by Unknown
“Hello?”
“I really hate to be a bother…but Tyler’s dog…well, would you mind stopping and picking up some hot dogs? Please?” Terry sounded a little flustered.
“No problem, mom, honest,” Dylan said with a laugh. “See you shortly.”
“Grocery store…where do they live?” Kate took a suit carrier and followed him to the elevator.
“Straight down Maple Valley. We can hit the Safeway and be there in half an hour,” Dylan said easily, accepting the keys from Kate with a puzzled look.
“You can drive…” Kate climbed into the passenger side, glancing around. “Never rode in this side before.”
“We only need hot dogs,” Dylan stated when Kate grabbed a cart and entered the grocery store. He followed the pair of short cargo pants, the bright yellow tank top tucked in and form fitting and a pair of sneakers.
“Pffft…it’s a picnic!” Kate breezed through the store, grabbing two packs of hot dogs and heading for the bakery, selecting a pie and a nice cake before going to the checkout counter.
Dylan just carried the bags and drove down the shadowy valley to his parents.
“Why’d you change to long pants?” Kate took her usual position, watching him drive.
“Because you have evil little hands and the ranch isn’t really good for shorts,” Dylan told her easily.
“Evil little hands,” she chuckled. “A ranch? You grew up a ranch hand? Explains all those nice, firm muscles,” she mused thoughtfully, her fingers caught as they trailed along his thigh.
Kate watched him tap in a code at the gate to the property. She could see the chickens roaming. “You know the code?”
“It’s been the same since they had the fence put in,” Dylan said with a laugh. He drove slowly, wincing when he saw the front porch.
“Oh my god,” Kate sunk into the seat. The entire family was on the porch watching their approach. “How long has it been since you brought a girl home? I feel like the display model in a car show.”
“Kate…” He laughed and climbed from the car, pulling her door wide. “You cannot hide in there, come on…I’ll get the stuff.”
“You seriously owe me, mister,” she hissed before applying her best social smile.
Kate accepted the firm palm at her waist as he made introductions. She knew he had his fingers tightly holding to a belt loop to make sure she didn’t bolt. Parents, brother and sister and partners and three kids.
A cold bottle of water was pressed into her hand a few minutes later, people wandering around trying not to watch them. “So who am I being compared to?” She asked casually.
“There is no comparison, gorgeous,” Dylan returned instantly with a boyish wink.
One dark eyebrow raised. “Oh, that was good.”
“Hey, my brain is only damaged when your hot little hands aren’t in your own pockets,” he responded with a grin.
Four year old Mandy took her hand as they walked to the back of the house.
“Want to see the chickens? They have a house for their eggs,” Mandy told her.
“I would love to see the chickens,” Kate assured her, listening to the happy chatter as she was led away from the adults. “They have lots of colors. I thought chickens were only white,” she mused.
“I like the red ones,” Mandy pointed to the different shades. “They lay nice big brown eggs.”
Kate had one foot resting on a pile of unused wood when a deep, menacing growl sent both their heads up. There was a storage shed between them and the rest of the family. She carefully moved Mandy behind her before letting out a loud scream.
“What the…?”
All heads went up at the sound.
“That’s Kate,” Dylan took off, quickly followed by the others.
“Where’d she learn to scream like that?” His father asked as they ran.
“Science fiction shows,” Dylan came to an abrupt stop, head swiveling from the large brown bear to the tall woman standing ten feet from it.
“Mandy?” Kate spoke softly.
The little voice that answered quivered slightly. “Yes?”
“Kate…do not move.”
“Dylan…I am not good at waiting,” Kate said through her teeth, eyes darting around her. She really did not like being helpless.
“Dad went to grab the pellet gun…”
“Mandy…when I count to three, I want you to run to uncle Dylan, alright?”
Mandy offered a whispered okay.
“One,” Kate kept her eyes on the bear and her voice flat. “Two…three.” Mandy took off quickly when Kate gave her a push. Kate’s foot came up and then down hard on the edge of a large board. She caught it, gripped it tightly and swung with all the power behind a designated hitter, striking the bear hard upside the head.
The board broke in two.
The bear fell back on his haunches, shaking his head a second or two before turning and galloping off toward the heavily wooded hills.
“Oh, geeze…this has been one crazy week,” Kate announced, tossing the splintered board to the stack and inhaling the scent of BBQ and dropping momentarily to her heels, head down and working to get her breathing normal.
“Kate…”
“That was great!” Six year old David announced, ignoring the stunned expressions on all the adults, including Dylan. “That ball woulda been out of the park!”
“Thank you, David…” Kate reached out and put her palm beneath Dylan’s open jaw. “Are you okay? Where’s the bathroom? I need to wash my hands.”
Dylan offered directions and sunk into a patio chair.
“You’re looking a little stunned, big brother,” Tyler chuckled and handed him frosty can of soda.
“Every time I think I have that girl figured out…”
“Careful…girl’s not the right social term…” His younger brother teased, accepting the light slap from his wife.
“It is for Kate.”
“What is for Kate?” She wrapped her arms around him from behind, looking from one curious face to another.
“Being called a girl,” Dylan took a long swallow of soda.
“But I am a girl…and I like being a girl…usually…there are a few things that evade the more logical part of my brain, but I’m definitely a girl,” Kate accepted the laughter and sat on the wide bench.
“I told you not to move,” Dylan said, his head shaking as the scene played itself out again in his mind.
“Pffft…I don’t do well in stand-offs. It’s long been my experience that the longer they go on, the more things don’t go as planned,” Kate wandered to the table and made herself a hamburger when Terry declared things ready.
“Experience?” Dylan’s sister, Jennifer helped her daughter fix a plate and find a nice place on the blanket to eat.
“Gang members, felons…guess there’s not much difference between them and the bear,” Kate mused. “Except the bear knows when to call it quits and retreat. I was a police officer for a few years in New Orleans and down in San Diego. You learn a few things in that career choice.”
“I can imagine you do,” Ed said quietly, helping the littlest child to a drink. “Is that what you do now?”
Careers, weather and hobbies all ran the gauntlet of table chatter while they ate. Laughter and running; water balloons and squirt guns also making an appearance. It was some time later that Kate was helping clean up while the guys got furniture under the patio overhang, the skies threatening and dark.
“I think I am officially worn out,” she said as they drove slowly back to her
apartment.
“We have definitely had a one of a kind week,” Dylan admitted as he carried his things up the stairs, Kate was clearing a spot for the coffee maker before kicking her shoes off and heading to the bedroom.
Chapter Eighteen
Kate glared at the light filtering into the bedroom through the skylight as she twisted and braided her hair. “I don’t smell coffee,” she commented to the reflection of the man knotting his tie.
“No time this morning,” Dylan dropped a kiss to her lips and headed for the stairs. “I have a seven AM conference call with North Carolina and I’m not around the corner anymore. I’ll see you later.”
Kate made sure she had all the papers she needed in her briefcase before leaving her office a few hours later. The sun was out and sparkling off the lake when she parked in the lot of the shiny warehouse type complex. She was reaching for her identification as she approached the security desk, her hand frozen and smile perplexed a minute later.
“Miss Fletcher,” the guard addressed her immediately, looking down at his desk and holding up a badge for her. “I have your security clearance badge right here.”
“I have a security clearance,” she repeated, clipping the badge on her lapel.
“Of course. The boss wanted you to be able to come and go as you pleased,” he said with a welcoming smile.
“How kind of him,” she said with a pleasant look around.
“And Lisa will escort you to the office. This place can be a little confusing first time around,” the guard said cheerfully.
Kate turned in the direction of his gaze, a woman her age approaching, palm extended and smile welcoming. “Miss Fletcher, I’m Lisa. If you’ll come with me, I’ll take you up to the office.”
“Thank you. I hope this isn’t an inconvenience. I don’t usually get escorted around,” Kate took in the surroundings, gleaming, clean and spacious. Information told her there was a cafeteria and an on-site daycare for kids of the employees.
“Well, it’s like Harry said…this place can be a bit overwhelming first time through. There is bottled water in the fridge and some juice in the bosses office. We have fresh coffee, but I know you don’t drink coffee,” Lisa gestured to the open door ahead of them after they stepped out of the elevator. “I know he’s in R&D so I’ll see about locating him for you.”
Kate looked at the closed door, her puzzled frown a little deeper. How the heck did she know I don’t drink coffee, Kate wondered, and how did they all know her name before she even spoke? She walked to a chair in front of the large desk and set her case down. A friendly group of people, she mused, striding to peer out the window. And a fantastic view. Fall shades of gold and red gleamed in the trees and sparkled off the still waters of Lake Washington.
She turned from the window and felt her jaw drop. Dark lashes blinked rapidly, her brain refusing to accept what she was seeing. She took a cautious step toward the large computer monitor on the desk. Her hand came out, as if touching it would make it seem more real.
It was her. When she was skating along Alki Point.
On this man’s monitor.
Her mouth opened and her head shook slowly, one palm up and rubbing the back of her neck when the door opened in front of her.
“Kate, I’ll be ready in a minute,” Dylan crossed the room, stopping at the expression on her face. “Kate?”
“Dylan?” Kate straightened up sharply. Her voice was higher than normal, her head swiveled and eyes took in the entire office before returning to gape at him standing there. “What are you doing here?”
Dylan felt a surreal sensation building around them.
“It’s my office.” He said slowly.
“I have an appointment…”
“I know. I thought you were taking me to lunch?” Dylan was concerned about the myriad of emotions and general confusion on her face.
“Lunch? I didn’t…you shouldn’t…” Kate spotted a little card on the desk and picked it up, reading it and holding it up accusingly. “This is YOU?”
“I’m pretty sure it is….or at least it was when I went to R&D. Kate…”
“No…oh, no…this is not happening,” Kate paced in long strides across the room, turning and pointing. “You…this…” her hands waved wildly, barely noticing him go to the desk and sink into the large executive chair. “This…all this…You are Aero Visions?”
“I…well, me and a whole lot of other…”
“You never told me…”
“I don’t guess it ever came up,” Dylan leaned back, totally puzzled. “Kate, what is wrong?”
“What? Wrong? Oh god…I didn’t know…why didn’t I know?” She resumed pacing and talking to herself. “What do I tell Chloe? No, no…it’s not a conflict of interest…no, no…there is no detrimental exchange of information that would cause a problem,” Kate straightened up sharply and inhaled deeply. “Okay…alright…I had a good, simple speech prepared for this…”
“Kate, what are you talking about?”
“I made an appointment to speak with D.C. Grant.”
He held out his arms. “Dylan Christopher Grant at your service. Why in the world would you need to make an appointment?”
“That’s why…oh good grief…they all acted like they know me! Because you told them all about me!” Red tinged her cheeks and she lifted the lid on her brief case. “Okay, never mind that for now.”
“Kate…”
“No…no, you just listen,” she held up one finger warningly. “You are not…not you…you are not the guy who…you and me…no, not right now…you are D.C. Grant,” she said with an illogic that had Dylan staring numbly. “Alright…Mr. Grant, my name is Kate Fletcher. I’m representing Chloe Wetherly, AKA Chloe Applegate. With the recent death of her grandfather, Chloe has inherited a block of shares in Wetherly Systems.”
“Your friend Chloe is that Wetherly?” Dylan straightened up in his chair, elbows on the desk and eyes following her pacing form.
“No…nothing from you yet. Where was I?” Kate rubbed her temple, part of her still working just who Dylan was in this drama. “Shares. Chloe has a thirty-eight percent cluster of the stock. Now, after careful investigation and research and a long discussion with my client, she has decided that it would be in the best interests of the company and the employees for the merger to proceed. Here is a copy of my power of attorney with regards to these shares. Inside the folder is also all pertinent paperwork regarding Chloe’s name change,” Kate slid the prepared paper over the desktop. “It is my understanding that equitable shares in Aero Visions will be issued to her when the merger is complete. Is this acceptable?”
Dylan leaned back and inhaled slowly. “With the necessary votes in shares, yes, once the merger is complete, I will issue matching shares in Aero Visions. I will move all useable equipment and personnel to this location and liquidate the remaining assets, including buildings and land.”
“This is the information needed for the stock folio listed in Chloe’s name.”
“I did not know Chloe was a Wetherly. You told me her name was Applegate.”
Kate closed her eyes, frustrated that she was not in control and kept forgetting where she was in her speech. She held up her hand, unaware of the stern frown on her face.
“Here are the actual paper shares and my proxy giving you the authorization for the vote needed for the merger. Chloe doesn’t want involved in this, due to issues with her family, so if you have any questions or concerns, here is my office number. Feel free to call me anytime,” Kate slid the manila folder over the desk and took a business card from her jacket pocket.
“Kate,” exa
speration was issued in her name as Dylan climbed to his feet and moved to come around the desk. “I do not understand what…”
“No…no. This is not supposed to be like this. I should have known…I have to tell Chloe. I’m not sure about the…about the…this whole thing,” Kate snapped her case closed and moved swiftly to the door of his office, her head shaking. “I have to go…I have to go now.”
Chapter Nineteen
Kate almost ran to the elevator, breathing only when the door slid closed on the top floor. Her body leaned heavily against the rail. Her hands were hot compared to the chill in the brass and she wasn’t all that sure her knees would stop shaking enough to walk to her car.
