Hurricane Watch - DK2 (34 page)

”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
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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.”

Slowly, pale blue eyes lifted and regarded her, a mischievous grin 184

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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?”

”Shit, shit, shit.” Kerry sighed. ”I’m sorry, Dar.

I got things

packed, then sat down and played with Chino for a minute and I fell asleep.” Sounds of rustling came from the phone. ”I’m on my way back.

I don’t know what in the heck came over me.” She sounded disgusted.

”God.”

”Hey, take it easy.” Dar laughed. ”We got up early, we didn’t get too much sleep last night, and if you’re tired, it makes sense to take a damn nap. You didn’t miss anything. ” She reached over and took a sip of coffee from her cup. ”The center’s still down, they still need our help, I’ve got our tickets, and Maria booked us in a hotel room complete with a Jacuzzi.”

Momentary silence. ”Oh really?” Kerry had closed the car door, and the sound of the engine starting up was heard. ”A Jacuzzi, huh?

She’s subtle.” A pause. ”Sounds good, though. Colleen was tempting me with visions of you, me, a fire and some marshmallows.”

”Oo,” Dar purred. ”I could go for that. I love marshmallows.” She stood up and started packing up her laptop. ”I’ll be waiting downstairs.

We can pick up a quick snack at the airport before we get on the plane.”

”Okay.” Kerry stifled a yawn. ”See you in a few minutes.”

DAR SHUT THE door to her inner office behind her just as the outer door opened and three figures barged inside and headed in her direction. “What in the hell do you want?” she snapped.

“What do we want?” José spluttered. “Half the company is down and what the hell are you doing about it?” he said. “That’s what we want!” He indicated Steven and Eleanor, who were behind him. “You’re not going to blow us off again.”

“Sure I am.” Dar headed for the door, which they were standing in front of. “I’d advise you moving your asses out of my way.”

“Hold on, Dar.” Eleanor held a hand up, her voice serious. “Come on now. You owe us some kind of explanation as to what’s going on. We have customers to answer to.”

Addressed reasonably, Dar paused and regarded her. “Charlotte data center’s down,” she said. “They have no access to the building. I’m going up there to find out what can be done to restore service.”

“So you have no backup for those customers?” Steven spoke up.

“We have no backup for those customers,” Dar replied evenly.

“Joint budgetary decision.” She flexed her hands on her crutches. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a plane to catch.”

“And if you can’t do anything?” Steven stood in her way. “Then what? Maybe your dear buddy in Houston won’t be able to protect you any more?” He stared steadily at her. “Trust me. I’ll use that. You should have stayed gone.”

“You should have been aborted at birth. Guess the world’s just full of little pitfalls like that,” Dar replied. “Now get out of my way or I’ll call security and have you thrown out.”

José had the grace to look uncomfortable. “Hey, come on,” he said.

“Let’s not be animals to each other. This is a serious thing.”

“I am serious,” Dar said. “You want something done? Fine. I’m doing something. Now get the hell out of the way or else do it yourself.”

She started for the door. “I’m not standing here arguing with you.”

For a moment, she thought she was going to have to fight her way out of her office. It was stupid, and insane, and Dar was suddenly very tired thinking about it. But they moved aside and let her go by, and she headed down the hallway with them trailing after her.

She wondered if they realized how much she wished she’d stayed 186

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gone now too, the hostility beating at her back bringing her to question again whether staying here, going through this again, and again and again was a good decision for any of them.

Maybe she could convince Kerry they should go somewhere else, after they got the current problem sorted out.
Fix this one last thing,
and then give the company the finger?
Dar keyed the elevator.

Having Alastair fly out had been great for her ego, but in the long run, what was the point? She turned and regarded the three sales and marketing executives fuming silently behind her and wondered aloud.

“What in the hell do you want from me?”

“What do we want?” Eleanor blurted. “What does that mean? We want the company to run right, and to make money. What in the hell do you want?”

“To screw her little staff whore,” Steven said. “Glad the company pays for it. What else is in your budget the stockholders don’t know about?”

Dar could hear her heartbeat thunder in her ears suddenly, and she was forcibly reminded of the temper she’d inherited along with her height and looks from her father as her body tensed and she felt the blood rush to her skin.

Then she thought about having him restored in her life, and what priority that should have, and about the lessons he’d taught her while she was growing up a scrappy, wild kid.

Never hit somebody cause you’re mad, Dar.
Andrew’s voice echoed softly as they waited in silence for her response.
Hit ‘em cause hurting

‘em’s gonna get you something back.
“My budget’s public knowledge with the rest of the filing,” she said in a voice that was strangely calm even to her own ears. “But we’ll discuss it when I get back.”

“Dar.” Eleanor now looked a trifle uncomfortable.

“Fuck you.” The door opened and Dar entered the elevator, pressing the close button, and keying her badge at the same time to force them shut before the rest of them could react, leaving her in silence for the ride down to the bottom floor.

THE PLANE WAS quiet, being only half full, and Dar took the opportunity to relax in her comfortable seat, a glass of white wine balanced on the console between herself and Kerry.

The blonde woman was curled up half on her side, a soft, blue blanket tucked around her as she idly watched Dar’s profile. ”We’ll have to go out to the office as soon as we get there,” Dar commented, laying a casual hand over Kerry’s. ”It’s going to be a long night.”

”Okay,” Kerry mumbled, shifting over and curling her fingers around Dar’s. ”As long as I can spend it with you, I don’t care how long it is.” She closed her eyes and exhaled.

Dar gazed at her quietly, absorbing the unexpected compliment.

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”Thanks,” she finally said, softly. A sea green orb appeared, and studied her. ”That was a really sweet thing to say.”

Kerry blushed gently, and closed her eye again, giving the fingers held in hers a little squeeze. ”You bring out the poet in me,” she admitted softly. ”It’s the weirdest thing.”