by B Anders
"She all settled in for the night?" The tech at the counter asked.
Courtney answered when Harper was slow to reply. "Yes, she's out like a light. By the way, she smelled great. Whoever washed her up deserves a medal."
The tech's dark cheeks dimpled with a deep smile. "I gave her a really long soak. She loved the attention. She’s a real sweetheart."
"She deserves it after all she survived," Harper said around a cough to cover her emotions.
"I heard she was saved from a dog fighting ring. You two are real angels. Is that what you do for a living?"
Both women answered at the same time.
Courtney said, "No."
"Maybe," answered Harper.
The young woman’s face was a smiling blank. If she was confused by the conflicting answers, she kept it carefully hidden. It had to be a skill they taught at Nutter's University, where ‘Masking Confusion 101’ and ‘No Visible Facial Reaction’ had to be part of the core curriculum.
"I took the liberty of calling for a car to take you back to your hotel," the young woman said.
Harper blushed with embarrassment. "We're not that worn out. We can walk. It’s a nice night."
"Ma'am," the tech replied. "I wouldn't recommend that. There are 'gators to worry about."
Courtney ended any attempt on Harper's part to be macho. "Then the car it is."
"But," Harper stuttered. “It’s not far and…”
"No way Crocodile Harpie, we are not going to be a midnight snack for some hungry prehistoric lizard. Come on, our car awaits."
Courtney ushered Harper out into the night. There was a bit of wind, which made it chilly enough for sweatshirts. The driver jumped out of the car bundled in a heavy winter coat with gloves. His nose was bright red.
"Good evening, Ladies," his spirit was bubbly in spite of the cold.
Once he shut the door behind them, Harper joked, "Imagine what he'd wear if it snowed?"
"With global warming, it might," Courtney deadpanned as the driver got in. “There are early reports that frost may ruin Florida’s entire citrus crops. Orange juice futures are going sky high.”
"You ladies are headed over to the Modernmillium, right?"
"Yes, sir," Harper replied.
"Please, call me Noah," the driver said. "Now, if you ladies don't mind, I'm going to take the back access road. It will save about fifteen minutes. It's just not very scenic. Just orange trees for as far as you can see."
"Oh, that's funny! Last time I was here our car broke down. They towed us to the Graeme service station and the hotel sent a car for us. The guy took the same road you’re talking about, I think," Harper was gushing. "I didn't think they would keep something like that open. Doesn't it lead to the park?"
"Well," Noah said with a hint of conspiracy in his voice. "Between the three of us, it does lead to the park. But, only company and employees' vehicles are allowed on the road. It's strictly a private access with no pedestrians permitted, and to keep it that way there are regular Security patrols. Besides it’s pretty treacherous to wander around in the orange grove." He laughed, "Nobody with half a brain would be stumbling around there with all the easy access Graeme’s World provides."
"True," Harper hummed her response.
Changing the subject, Courtney said, "I had a lot of fun today, the park, dinner, and dog bedtime stories. I can’t remember the last time I let my hair down like that. It seems like ages ago."
"It was a great day," Harper agreed. “I’m glad you had fun. You need to have more fun in your life.”
"But," Courtney sighed. "Tomorrow, I have to meet with the team at seven sharp. Early morning presentation. You can sleep in and have breakfast in bed."
"Is it going to be an all-day meeting?"
"No, we're starting early so Bill can hit the links at noon. Then we are supposed to get back for a dinner conference call at five that will probably stretch late. You don’t need to wait for me for dinner. I expect the late afternoon session to get testy with the proposed changes in management structure."
"Want to meet me for lunch then? I can try to get reservations at the Fairy Tale Castle or that expensive place on Sugar Cane Boulevard, we checked out today. Your treat, of course." Harper winked.
“Of course.” Courtney bit her lip. "That sounds perfect, but how will I find you? I worry about things like that. You might not hear me ring or cell service will be out. If we pick a spot, there's sure to be a million people waiting to meet somebody."
"You could use a find your phone app?" Noah suggested. “Those things work great in the park.”
"Hey, that's an idea. Gimme your phone?"
Harper was hesitant.
"Come on, it will make things easier," Courtney encouraged.
"Ok, but you have to do all the technical stuff. I can barely turn the damn thing off and on."
"No worries, I'm very savvy with thingies," Courtney reassured. “I have an iPad, and I can’t believe you’re still using 3G. You need an upgrade."
Harper handed her phone over and settled back in the seat. "The fact you said thingies, proves you're not tech savvy. Please try not to break my phone. It's a classic, okay."
Harper stared out the window listening to the pleasant banter between Courtney and Noah. She felt more at peace now than at any point in the entire trip, or since her brother’s death for that matter. Now she could see her path forward as clearly as the road stretching out before them in the soft glow of the headlights. Everything would be perfect by tomorrow night. Everything would be finally set right. With that thought, she let her eyes close and allowed herself to nap for the rest of the ride.
***
December 8
Harper kept her eyes closed and pretended to be asleep. She listened as Courtney quietly exited the bathroom. The other woman was trying to gather her things for the day without waking Harper. She was, apparently, unaware of how much noise a hair dryer makes even with the bathroom door closed. Harper rolled over on her back and stretched.
"Shoot, did I wake you?" Courtney sounded remorseful. "Go back to sleep. It's only six in the morning. Much too early for you to be awake."
Harper grinned and curled up in the soft bed. "Don't worry, I'll go back to sleep soon. I just wanted to say good morning to you before you left."
“Well then, good morning, Harp.”
“Good morning, Pumpkin. You look really nice in that suit. The color matches your eyes.”
“It’s Armani. You know Bill says the same thing about it. Now why don’t you go back to sleep? You should get some rest and enjoy this time off."
"Oh, I think I'll have more than enough time off in the coming weeks," Harper quipped.
Courtney stopped pulling on her suit jacket. "You know I could ask around, I know some people. I could…”
"Pull some strings? Pshaw," Harper waved off her concern. "I'll be fine. Don't worry. You did me a favor. That job was killing me literally."
"What will you do?" Courtney asked and resumed tugging her coat on.
Harper smiled and sat up. "Well, first on the agenda is getting lunch reservations. Then shower. After that, it's puppy time. If I finish early, then I'll hit the pool. Otherwise, I'll just change and head over to meet you for lunch."
"That's not what I meant," Courtney said.
"I know, but it is all that I have planned for today. I'll wait and see what tomorrow brings me. There’s no need getting too far ahead of myself. So, hurry off to your meeting and let me get my day started with another hour of shut eye."
Courtney looked doubtful, but nodded in agreement before grabbing her computer bag and headed for the door.
"You got your room key, right?" Harper called out.
"Yep," Courtney replied as she opened the door. "Have a good day, Harper."
"Will do. Same to you. Don't tell the boys, I said hello," Harper called after her.
Courtney snorted back a laugh. "No worries about that happening. I don't want to start this meeting wi
th Bill's neck veins bulging over his shirt collar.
Harper waited until the door latched shut behind Courtney, before quietly counting to ten and launching herself into a frenzy of motion. Tossing the bed covers onto the floor, she charged around the room grabbing the bags containing the towels and dumping their contents onto the bed. It took her a couple of minutes to find the Triple A map she had stuffed into her suitcase for safekeeping. Holding the map tightly in one hand, she went about retrieving three markers from the case's zipped pocket with the other. Three indelible ink markers, black, blue and red, were placed at the foot of the bed next to the map. She grabbed the phone before sitting on the bed in the middle of the heap. While waiting for the connection, she began sorting the white towels of varying sizes into neat little piles.
"Yes, good morning," she said as she cradled the phone between her shoulder and ear. "I could use a bit of help from the Concierge today. Got a pen? Great. I want to check on my twelve-fifteen reservations for either the Castle or the Starlight Dining room on Sugar Cane Boulevard. Yes, for today. No, the confirmation number was lost in transit that's why I'm calling. No, it wouldn't be associated with our room. It was booked separately about four days ago." Harper lied as she arranged the towels. "Denis, Courtney Denis. Yes, that Courtney Denis. Room 425. No, they didn't take a credit card number. Is this screwed up? Don't tell me this is screwed up. I hope it isn't for both our sakes. Ms. Denis is counting on these arrangements. Either place would be fine to squeeze us in. You can? Fantastic. Her name will be the confirmation number? Great. Now, I'm going to need to get to the kennels in about two hours. The shuttle is hourly? That's just perfect. This is making my morning. On last thing, there is a lovely duffle bag in the gift shop; black with a squirrel tails outlined all over it. Yes. Send one up to my room as quickly as possible. Yes, that's fine. Put it on the credit card. Great. Yes, of course, you have a sweet day as well."
Satisfied with the arrangements, Harper got down to business. She grabbed the markers and map, and then choosing a towel from a pile, she flattened it on the bed in front of her. She began to copy the words scribbled on the map days ago on to the towel. Her pen flew across the cloth as she raced against the clock.
***
Harper watched as Courtney walked toward her with her head down. Every few feet she would stop and glance around to look for Harper. It would have been helpful to call out to her, but Harper was enjoying the rare unguarded view of Courtney Denis.
‘She’s so beautiful. She really has the world by the tail, doesn't she Tommy?’ Harper thought to herself.
"Oh for God's sake," Courtney blurted out when she finally caught sight of Harper grinning at her from the bench. "Why didn't you say something instead of sitting there and staring at me wandering around like a fuckin’ idiot?"
"I wanted to see if the app worked," Harper laughed. "And, it does because you’re here. Welcome to the Castle, my Queen. Your table awaits."
"Really? Thank God. I'm starved. I could probably eat a Bundt Cake Bungalow right about now and both the woodcutter's kids."
"Well then, let's not dawdle any longer."
"Right. You know, I was thinking, if we hurry through lunch, we might be able to hit a few rides before I have to go back to the meeting of the living dead CPA's."
"Was it that bad?" Harper asked with a smile and held out her arm.
Courtney accepted Harper’s arm and began a run down on the morning's events. "We rocketed by bad and hit purgatory right after the stock market opened. Let me tell you about it. Jesse, the vice-president from the DC office, has a thousand page report to summarize for us. As far as I can tell, he's going page by page. The damn thing is a potential for a possible acquisition in 2035, none of us will even be alive. Well, we might be alive, but hopefully we won't still be working..."
They strolled arm-in-arm towards the restaurant, laughing about the dullness of Courtney's morning. It struck Harper as funny how much she was enjoying Courtney’s story considering how much she hated working for the Company. She thought her enjoyment might be a reflection of how much she missed spending the morning with Courtney. They had spent almost a week together, and Harper was growing fond of the woman. What was more surprising, Harper acknowledged, was that the concept of missing another person didn't terrify her.
Harper opened the door to the restaurant and ushered Courtney in without letting go of her arm. Smiling Courtney paused to allow Harper to check their reservation with the hostess, before jumping right back to her story of corporate hell. Despite swearing that her morning was as dull as kindergarten scissors, Courtney looked radiantly animated as she kept Harper up to speed with what was happening in the corporation. Even as they were escorted to the table by a hostess who looked no more than eighteen, Harper hung onto to Courtney's arm as dearly as she hung onto the other woman’s every word. Harper was so engrossed in the sound of Courtney's voice that she missed the middle-aged woman honing onto them from the rear.
"Stop that disgusting behavior immediately. There are children here. Stop that at once! I thought they limited you people to visiting the park at specific hours."
Harper turned back to face the shrill intruder. "Hey, it's the ugly skirt chick from the elevator."
Courtney couldn't hold back a bark of a laugh.
"Mock my simple attire all you like," the woman was smug. “At least! I don’t dress like a whore.”
"Nothing wrong with simple, but that skirt is a fashion disaster. And, weren’t you wearing it yesterday too?" Harper asked.
"Vanity all is vanity says the Lord. You won't think you're so funny when you’re burning in the fires of everlasting torment, you and that slut in the tight skirt," the woman's scorn would have sounded more damning if her speech weren’t quite as slurred from the wine she'd been downing.
Harper was already tired of the old bat. "Why don’t you just go back to your table or pew or wherever it is you like to perch on to preach and leave us to our lunch?"
"Or what? What will you do? Force yourself on me like the beast you are?" The woman swayed slightly and leaned on a nearby table to steady herself.
"I only meant I'd get the manager to see you back to your table," Harper explained calmly as she stepped in front of Courtney and the shocked hostess. The exchange was turning sour, and Harper could see the woman was dead drunk and nasty. "As far as making sexual advances towards you, don't flatter yourself. I wouldn't touch you with a ten-foot magic sword. So, why don’t you go back to your seat, finish your meal, and stop embarrassing your kids."
The woman's face went red with disgust, "Magic sword? Is that some kind of filthy sex toy? You perverts, there are God-fearing people with children here. The government should round you animals up and lock you away in camps until you all rot."
Harper was ready to give the woman an earful when the confrontation went from pathetic to physical in the blink of an eye. Suddenly the woman snatched an empty wine glass off the table she was using for support. She charged at Harper, viciously smashing Harper hard across the face. Harper tried to back pedal to avoid being hit, but failed. The force of the blow knocked her off her feet.
"You fuckin’ piece of shit!" Courtney screamed and tackled the woman onto the floor. “I’m going to tear you to pieces.”
As shocking as the unprovoked attack was, nothing could have prepared Harper for the sight of Courtney in her Armani suit trading punches with a middle-aged woman in a peasant blouse and ugly pleated skirt. They were rolling on the floor in a mess of arms and legs and profanity, while diners in the neighboring tables scrambled out of their seats to capture the action with their cell phones.
"Wait till this shit hits YouTube," the hostess muttered as she bent to aid Harper. “It’ll be Friday Night Fairy Princess Fights.”
Before Harper could even acknowledge the truth of the comment, men in blue started streaming in from every direction. Harper noted, with some disappointment that the security guards were not dressed like beefeaters. Instead, they ha
d casual uniforms like most in-store security teams. Another huge disappointment was the fact that they were unarmed.
"Where's a good broad sword when you need it?" Harper mumbled tasting copper for the first time. She only realized then that her lips were bleeding.
Security was efficient in restoring calm, but not so in sorting out the details. They slapped cuffs on both Courtney and the woman before pushing them onto their knees. Harper was surprised Courtney wasn't trying to clear things up with her usual take-charge approach. Then she saw Courtney’s eyes were glassy and unfocused, desperately trying to lock onto something. Anything.
"Sir, are you in charge?" Harper asked the man with the manager’s tag who came over to assist her.
"Of the restaurant, yes, but of the fight, no." He pointed to a young woman approaching the scene. "Captain Brady is in charge of all public safety issues."
"Please I need to speak to her. I was assaulted. The chick in the ridiculously ugly skirt hit me first. My friend...partner, my partner, Courtney, jumped in to defend me. She's the blond in the charcoal suit. Please, take the handcuffs off her and get her some help. I think she may have suffered a concussion," Harper used her most feminine voice to try to feign helplessness in hopes southern chivalry wasn’t dead.
"Chase," the hostess interrupted. "She's telling it to you straight. The drunk in the gross skirt started running her mouth and wouldn't sit down. Then she went all bar fight crazy and hit this woman in the face with a glass."
However, the restaurant manager was reluctant to interfere with established procedure even though his hostess was backing up Harper's story. "They'll take statements, ma’am just give them a minute to get to the bottom of things. Not to worry, we're professionals here. Security will get things sorted out in due time."
‘Ok, I need to play hardball.’ Harper thought before lowering her pitch and gritting her teeth. "Look Kojak, get the top gun over here right now or I promise you the next person you talk to will be a big ass lawyer from our corporate legal department. After that, I'm sure GLADD will want to ask you a few questions and then the ACLU. Because, I'm telling you right now, we're the victims of a hate crime and my partner is seriously hurt. I promise you, I will name you first in every lawsuit we file. So, why not spare yourself some heartache and be on the right side of history? Get the Captain over here and get those handcuffs off my partner now!"
