by Melissa Good
“I’ll make it roses. That’s safe. Later, Dar. See ya tomorrow.”
Alastair’s face disappeared, leaving a company logo behind in the box.
“T…b...you...hold on there you son of a...” Her voice rose in outrage and she stopped, realizing that yelling at a blank computer screen was less than useful. What in the hell had that been about anyway? “I certainly haven’t changed that much.”
Chino wagged her tail.
“Have I?” Dar almost jumped when the phone rang, then she set her glass down and answered it, feeling a little rattled. “Yeah?”
“Um...hi?” Kerry’s voice came back at her.
“Oh. Hi.” Dar picked up her milk and wandered into the living room, dropped down onto the leather love seat and slung one leg over the arm of it. “Sorry. Alastair just called. I’ve got to go out there tomorrow.”
“Oh? What’s up?”
“Some meeting. That damn new board member. What’s up with you?” Dar swallowed a mouthful of milk. “Did you get your maple ice 8 Melissa Good cream?”
A soft chuckle trickled down the line. “Oh yeah. I was bad,” Kerry admitted. “I’d bring you home some, but I think it’d melt.” She paused a moment. “Got my mail, I guess, huh?”
“Yeah,” her lover responded. “I’ll take a look at your paperwork. But I’m sure it’s fine. You’ve got a knack for that.”
“Mmm.”
“And I miss you too.”
“Ah.” The smile was very evident through the phone line. “How long are you going to be in Texas?”
“Just an up and back. Probably fly back tomorrow night.” Dar sighed. “Sounds like he’s getting a lot of crap from that new guy...and it’s about the network, so…”
“Ew.”
“Yeah.” Dar relaxed and closed her eyes. “He’s a pinhead. I’m going to have to come up with Sesame Street words to describe a global Intranet to him tomorrow. Wish me luck.” The project was hers, really. Something she’d been able to do because Kerry had really stepped up to the plate in the last few months and taken most of the day to day headaches off her shoulders. It would triple productivity and almost quadruple the amount of bandwidth they had to offer, and Dar was quietly proud of herself in the design.
It had been damn nice to have the time to sit back and really think about it, working with a hand picked engineering team and laying out a new design that replaced circuits in some places twenty years old. But it was obscenely expensive, and Dar knew that’s what the newbie had picked up on, as a way to make a name for himself with the stockholders, since they wouldn’t see any benefit from the new system for at least two quarters, maybe more.
Pinhead.
“Hey, Dar?”
“Hmm? Sorry. I was just thinking.”
“I love you.”
Dar smiled at the ceiling. “I love you, too.”
“What were you thinking about?”
“When?” came the puzzled response.
Kerry laughed. “Never mind. Listen, my flight’s due in at nine on Friday, assuming I finish up by then. Can I get a ride?”
Dar snorted. “You have to ask? What kind of dumb question is that?
You bet your ass I’m going to be at that gate, my friend, And you tell those people in Vermont their butts better be done by then, or they’re going to have a lot bigger problem than a consolidation to worry about.”
“Like you?”
“Like me,” Dar growled. “Live and in color, and wanting to know why they’re monopolizing a very, very valuable company resource.”
Kerry giggled. “Oh my god. You have no idea how cute you sound.”
“Cute?” Dar affected a wounded tone. “That’s the second time Eye of the Storm 9
tonight. Alastair accused me of turning into a mushball, too.”
“Did he?” Her lover laughed. “Well, he didn’t hear you with those network carriers before I left, I guess. They could have heard you in Atlanta without the phone.” She’d been privately thinking that she’d detected some changes in Dar recently and had wondered if anyone else had noticed.
Apparently they had.
“How’d practice go tonight?” Kerry asked.
“Pretty good,” Dar allowed. “I think it’s possible I won’t embarrass myself totally at that damn meet.”
“Great. I have my little flag and T-shirt all ready,” Kerry teased gently.
“Ermph.” Dar rolled her eyes. “I hope I don’t regret this.” She stretched her legs out, feeling the strong pull of newly redefined thigh muscles. “Me and a bunch of kids.”
“Ooo. Listen to old grandma there. Want me to send you a nice frilly cap for your cane?” Kerry retorted. “C’mon, Dar. Don’t start that. You bounce Ken all over the place and leave most of those other people in the gym standing slack jawed.”
It was true, Dar acknowledged silently. But what do I say, that most isn’t good enough? That I’m not happy unless I beat them all? Do I tell her coming close ain’t gonna cut it? “We’ll see,” she finally compromised. “Anyway, let me let you get some sleep. It’ll be a long day tomorrow.”
“You’re right.” Kerry sighed. “Have a safe flight and say hi to Alastair for me, okay?”
“Mmm. I will. He’s…um,” Dar shifted a little, “sending you flowers.”
Dead silence.
“Huh?” Kerry finally spluttered. “For what?”
“Apparently he, ah, thinks you’re a good influence on me,” her lover replied. “He appreciates that.” She could imagine the stunned look on Kerry’s face. “I think he may be right.”
A long, in-drawn breath was clearly heard. “Oh,” Kerry murmured.
“Well, it’s mutual, you know. I couldn’t do half of this stuff if you hadn’t shown me the way.” She paused a moment. “God, I so want to hug you right now.”
Dar smiled wistfully at the phone. “Yeah. That’d be nice,” she responded. “Anyway, have a good night, Ker. I’ll be in touch tomorrow.”
“G’night.” Kerry sighed, then closed the phone, and rested her chin on it thoughtfully. “Be careful,” she murmured softly. “Give ’em heck.”
Chapter
Two
A COLD, WET nose poked her in the eyeball. Dar jerked her head back in startlement, then blinked and looked around dazedly. “What th—
” Chino was curled up against her chest, the puppy’s tail thumping against Dar’s leg. The condo was lit warmly with dawn light and the TV
displayed an infomercial for a revolutionary new pooper scooper.
“Damn it.” Dar hitched herself up on one elbow and rubbed her face.
“Gotta stop doing that,” she muttered to Chino, who was apparently getting used to her falling asleep on the couch. Not that the leather surface was uncomfortable, but it threw off her internal alarm clock and made her have to scramble in the mornings.
Like now, for instance, especially since she had a damn plane to catch. Groggily, she sat up, then got to her feet, eyeing the cute abalone clock Kerry had insisted on getting, deciding they didn’t have one piece of tacky South Florida stuff in their living room. “Oh, hell.” Her flight was at eight, and here it was almost seven. “Chino, I’ll tell ya. They’re not getting a wool suit.”
“Woof.”
Dar ambled over and opened the back door for the puppy, then she ducked into the kitchen and grabbed a container of grape juice, which she popped open and sucked at as she headed for the shower.
Ten minutes later she was toweling off and rummaging through her clean clothes, wondering if her presence was worth the scandal she’d cause by showing up casual. Then Alastair’s comments of the previous night poked her and she grinned. “Guess we’ll find out.” She tugged out a pair of faded jeans and neatly ironed cotton shirt.
She pulled the shirt on and brushed a few errant Chino hairs off the sleeves, then slid into the jeans and buttoned them, eyeing the mirror to check the results. A tanned and lean figure was reflected back, showing the effect of three ha
rd months of martial arts training and a multitude of weekends spent diving in the sunny waters offshore. “Oh yeah.” A twinkle entered the pale blue eyes gazing back at her as she added a belt, then clipped her pager and phone on. “Nice, huh? I’ll give you nice.” She pulled a jacket from the closet and slung it over her arm, then shouldered her briefcase and headed for the door. “Think you’ve forgotten just how much trouble I can be when I put my mind to it, Alastair.”
Eye of the Storm 11
Then she stopped. “Whoa.” She put her things down, jogged to the back door, and whistled for Chino, who came bounding up the steps.
“C’mon, girl. I gotta go.” The puppy put paws up on her leg and whined, and she gave her a quick hug. “Don’t worry. I’ll be back tonight.” She glanced around then gave the dog a kiss on the head. “And don’t you tell anyone I did that, okay?”
“Grrrr.” Chino chewed on her belt loop.
“Okay. Be good.” Dar stood up and checked to make sure the puppy had water and biscuits, then she grabbed her case and headed out the door.
It was close. Fortunately, the causeway she lived off of angled right across the city, and onto the one leading to the airport. She dropped her keys in the valet’s hand and jogged through the terminal, arriving at the gate just as the plane was boarding. Moments later, she was sprawled in a comfortable leather seat at the front of the plane, being offered her choice of beverage. “Chocolate milk,” she responded, sending the stewardess off to rummage.
It was a pretty day, Dar reflected, as she gazed out her window and watched the ground crew finish their routine. The sun came in the small portal and she closed her eyes against its brightness, finding a comfortable spot to rest her head as she let the world fade out a little.
“Wonder what Kerry’s up to?” She allowed an image of her lover to form against the inside of her eyelids.
KERRY SIGHED GENTLY as the first light trickled into her window.
She hadn’t slept much, her thoughts keeping her tossing and turning until she’d finally dropped off well after midnight. Now here she was awake before dawn.
Oh well. She sat up and dangled her feet over the bed, rubbing her bare arms and yawning. It would give her a chance to get a run in, at any rate, something she’d had only sporadic success at while she was out on the road. At least it would be pretty scenery.
Kerry stood and trudged into the rustic bathroom, turned on the water, and splashed a handful of it on her face before she realized the temperature difference between Vermont and Miami. “Yow!” Her green eyes popped wide open and she hastily adjusted the warm water faucet a little to cut the chill. “That’s one way to wake up.”
She investigated the little courtesy refrigerator in the room and found tiny crocks of cold apple cider and some little coffee cakes.
“Mmm.” She took one of each, dropped into the curved wooden desk chair, and hit the key to retrieve her mail while she nibbled on her breakfast.
The laptop connected and she logged in with two fingers, then sat back as her mail downloaded. “Oo.” She clicked on one mail from Dar and smiled as a small, dancing raccoon shimmied across the screen, singing “Dixie.” Kerry muffled a laugh, almost sending a spray of crumbs all 12 Melissa Good over her keyboard. “Where in the hell did she find that?” She watched the cartoon for a moment more, then shook her head and checked the rest of the mails, leaving the three urgent ones open and waiting for attention.
Her juice finished, she got into a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. She tied her hair back into a tail and put on her running shoes before slipping out the door to the cabin and into the early morning air. It was cool and dry, very different from the late June heat she faced in Miami, and Kerry drew in an appreciative breath as she chose a path and started up it at a walk.
She let her leg muscles stretch out a little before she broke into a jog, not wanting to push herself too hard after being relatively inactive for a few weeks. Between flights, hotels, and the four accounts she’d consolidated on her trip, she’d hardly had time to figure out what state she was in, much less where the nearest gym was.
So, she asked herself, why drag yourself out here today, hmm? Kerry picked up her pace a little, feeling her body settle into the activity.
Couldn’t possibly be because you’re going home in two days, could it? And you’re going to have to keep up with Dar after two weeks of being a lazy bum, or risk a first class teasing? She laughed at herself, acknowledging the eager thrill that danced over her skin at the thought of seeing her lover again.
The little path meandered upward, and she welcomed the effort, enjoying the pretty trees as she lengthened her stride. It had been an interesting couple of months, really. Both she and Dar had settled down and gotten used to being with each other, and now that they’d worked out timing, and schedules, it was really becoming a lot of fun. She’d half expected there to be large areas of contention between them since they were so different, but the condo allowed them both their space and they’d started off by setting a few ground rules.
Like no talking work at home. That was a biggie, since they were both so involved with the same subjects it was hard not to. After a while, though, Kerry had noticed a distinct change in Dar’s attitude when she was home—the taller woman seemed to shed her tough and often impatient shell when she walked through the door, displaying a warmer and gentler side that Kerry was becoming very addicted to.
What a sweetie she was—not that she’d ever admit to it, though. As they’d grown closer, she’d been able to get Dar to open up a little and share some of her inner demons, just as Kerry had slowly started to unburden herself from her own.
Kerry’s path took her up and over a small ridge and down parallel to a stream that trickled through the wooded area. She slowed her steps as she reached a wooden bridge, crossed it, and ambled to a halt, finding a log nearby and sitting down on it, just to watch the water go by her.
Ducks floated past, nibbling at the reeds, and making the occasional foray under the water. Kerry looked up from watching them as soft footsteps approached her. From the path opposite the way she’d come, a tall, burly man in corduroy pants and a flannel shirt came into view, with a carved walking stick he was using to disguise a faint limp.
Seeing her, he stopped in surprise. “Why, hello there.”
Eye of the Storm 13
Kerry smiled in reflex, finding nothing to dislike in his broad, open face with its light covering of beard. “Hello.”
“You’re a strange bit of a thing to be sitting out here on a log, now aren’t you?” The man ambled closer and cocked his head, studying her.
“Without your clothes on and all.”
Kerry stood up. “I was just out for a run.” She pointed towards the bridge. “Where does that go?”
“Just down by the old mill,” the man answered. “You don’t want to go down there. Ground’s very rocky and there’re snakes.”
“Ah.” Kerry glanced around her. “You’re right. That wouldn’t be a good idea. Oh well.” She circled him and regained the path. “Time to get to work anyway.”
He moved suddenly and blocked her. “Hey, hey. So what kind of work do you do?” His hands stroked his cane. “Pretty little thing like you?”
Oh boy. Kerry drew in a breath, then expelled it. “I’m a network ana-lyst.” She forced a smile. “But thanks for the compliment. Now, I do have to be going.” The cane snaked out and caught her upper arm, and her heart started pounding. “Sir, you don’t want to do that.”
“Now, I just want to talk. Take it easy, little girl.” The man laughed.
“Not often I get to see someone as nice looking as you up here. Surely not half naked.” He tugged her closer.
Kerry almost panicked, but just as she was about to scream she could almost hear Dar’s calm words in the back of her mind. Don’t lose your mind. Stay calm. Hit hard. She grabbed the stick with one hand and jerked hard, then spun and swept a leg out, pulling his feet from under him and dumping him
on the ground.
The stick came free into her hands and she backed off, spreading her grip across the length of it with a feeling of weird familiarity.
It was strange. Her body shifted, coming over her center of balance as her knees unlocked, and her shoulders tensed in readiness. “Like I said, you really don’t want to do that,” she said quietly.
“Son of a bitch.” Oddly, the man didn’t seem upset. He laughed.
“Joke’s on me, then, I guess. Sorry about that, young lady. I really did think you were just out to tease an old goat like me.”
Kerry eyed him uncertainly, but she relaxed a little. She stepped back, but kept the cane between herself and the prone man. Her thumbs slid out to balance her grip and she was aware of how comforting it felt to have the thing in her hands. “That’s a pretty disgusting thing to think.”
“Well,” he got to his knees, then heaved himself up onto his feet, “if I’d a known you were some kind of a ninja, I surely would have kept my thoughts a deal more pure.” He held up his hands. “I am sorry, ma’am.”
Slowly, she let the stick’s end drop, then extended it towards him.
“It’s all right. Sorry I threw you that hard.” She felt a faint pang of regret in releasing the cane, but she put that down to her natural caution and focused on keeping her knees from shaking in pure reaction. “Are you all right?”
14 Melissa Good
“Surely.” The man brushed his pants off then wrapped his hands around the walking stick. “I am sorry, Ms. ...”
“Stuart.” Kerry offered her hand. “Kerry Stuart. And you are?”
“Jess Walters.” He gingerly returned her grip. “You new around here, Ms. Stuart?” He gestured towards the path. “I don’t want to keep you.”
Kerry started walking back the way she’d come, and he fell into step next to her, his limp hardly keeping him from matching her stride. “No.
I’m just visiting. My company sent me here for a few days.”
“Ah.” Jess nodded. “I live up past the hill top there. I’m a web designer.”
Kerry gave him a startled look. “Really?”
