Hurricane Watch

Chapter

Nine

KERRY AWOKE AS the sunlight hit her face and she blinked sleepily at the clock. ”Mm. It’s Sunday and I’m not in some bug infested cabin in north nowhere. This is good.” She was on her side, facing the door and a long arm was draped over her, attached to the sleeping woman snuggled up behind her.

She lifted her hand and flexed it, making a face at the stiff soreness in her fingers. ”Jesus, no one tells you doing that hurts. How do those guys on TV do it all the time?” She let her hand drop and put her head back down on the pillow, allowing the clean smell of the sun warmed linen to enter her lungs.

It was funny. Most of the time, she still thought of herself as this young kid, especially at work, when she would walk into that huge office and have to slap herself and say, “This is mine.”

Now here she was, waking up in this beautiful place with this beautiful woman wrapped around her, and damn it if she still didn’t have to slap herself and say, ”This is mine.”

She curled her fingers around Dar’s and enjoyed the warm, living feel of them as they twitched against the bare skin of her stomach, and the gentle pressure of Dar’s breathing pressed lightly against her back.

This is mine. How did I luck into this? She turned her head and gazed at her lover’s face, open and relaxed in sleep.

Trusting. The faintest hint of a smile there. Dark hair disheveled and half obscuring one closed eye.

Which opened and collected sunlight into its pale blue depths as she watched, and the slim, perfectly arched brow above it lifted up.

”Something wrong?”

Kerry shook her head silently.

Dar snuggled a little closer and shrugged, then let her eyes close again. ”Good. I don’t feel like moving,” she muttered.

Kerry pressed back against her gently, letting her own eyes drift closed. Dar almost never slept in and she suspected the previous day had taken more out of Dar than she was willing to admit, but if it gave her an excuse to laze around in bed all morning, was she going to complain?

Nu uh. No way. She wrapped her fingers more firmly around Dar’s and dozed back off.

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DAR WAS VERY reluctant to move. She’d finally found a really comfortable spot, where her knee was gently supported by Kerry’s muscular legs and the aching had subsided a little, allowing her to sleep.But an open eyelid showed that it was late morning and she knew that at the very least, poor Chino needed to be taken care of. She eyed the still sleeping Kerry and grinned a little, enjoying the look of childlike pleasure Kerry always had when she was dreaming. Slowly, Dar slid away from her lover and rolled onto her back, straightening her leg out cautiously.

Ow. She exhaled in disgust. She eased the comforter back and regarded her knee with a jaundiced eye, noting the extended bruising and the continued swelling of the affected joint. Hesitantly she drew it up, encouraged a bit when she found she could bend it a little more than the previous night, and the sharp pains seemed to have subsided to a continuous, dull ache.

With a sigh, she rolled over and got to the edge of the water bed, levering herself up and out of the warm comfort mostly using her arms.

Then she cautiously put a little weight on the leg and winced, sucking in a breath and grabbing the dresser.

Damn, damn, damn. She limped heavily over to the dresser and got into a pair of shorts by sitting on the edge of the bed. Then she rummaged in a lower drawer and found an old knee brace she’d used back in the old days, when this stuff had practically been an everyday occurrence. ”Well, it’s better than nothing,” she muttered, examining it, then slipping it on and adjusting it over the joint.

Standing, she found she could put a little more pressure on the leg, enough for her to walk, albeit with a limp. She moved into the living room after slipping into a cutoff half sweatshirt, walking gingerly around for a few moments to test the brace.

Ugh.

Chino heard her coming, and she started jumping up and down, whimpering until Dar let her out of the utility room. ”C’mon, sweetie.”

She opened the back door and let the puppy out, stepping out onto the back porch to watch while the bouncing animal raced around the small, fenced in area, and spent apparently enormous brain energy in picking a spot to relieve herself.

”Another example of human mental superiority,” Dar told the puppy. ”We don’t waste time choosing where to pee.” The cool air fluttered her shirt’s ragged half sleeves and brushed against the bare skin of her stomach, and she took a moment to breathe in the salty air as she stretched in the warm sunlight.

Then she ran a hand through her disordered hair and limped inside, followed by the eager puppy, who bounced all over the kitchen until Dar retrieved the scoop and dished out some puppy kibble.

”Whoa, whoa, take it easy, Chino. Chew it, okay? Don’t choke.” She Hurricane Watch

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watched the animal devour the food like an animated vacuum, chuckling as she shook her head.

Then she turned and leaned on the counter as she got some coffee started. ”Let’s see, Chino, do we have breakfast?” She opened the cabinet and took down a bright blue box, shaking it gently. ”Hmm, we sure do.” Then she considered. ”Hey, what if I make your mom some breakfast as a surprise?”

Chino turned and looked at her, then sneezed and went back to her food.”Everyone’s a damn critic,” Dar replied, with a snort. ”Okay, so I’m not Julia Child, but I can make breakfast.” She glanced into the refrigerator. ”I’m sure I can. I run a damn zillion dollar operation. I can figure out how to use the toaster.”

Chino barked at her.

”Are you laughing at me, Miss Puppy?” Dar put a hand on her hip and glared at the animal. ”We’ll see if you get any treats from me today.” She limped around the kitchen and got out the bread and butter, with some jelly for toast. ”Okay, I can handle toast. What do you think, can I do pancakes?”

Chino’s gentle brown eyes widened.

”No, you’re probably right. I better stick to something easy, like eggs.” Dar decided, pulling out a carton of them. ”She likes them scrambled. How many eggs do you put in for that?” She inspected the round, white objects. ”Hmm, they look small, five or six, I guess, huh?”

She pulled out the eggs and put them on the counter, where they rocked gently. ”Okay, do we have...” She checked the freezer. ”Ah, yes.” She pulled out a package of frozen sausage. ”Brown and serve, already cooked. That’s good. I won’t give anyone botulism.”

The puppy barked, then wagged her tail.

”No comments from the peanut gallery.” Dar pointed the box at her. ”Okay. I need two pans, a dish for these eggs, and something to mix them up with. She peered in the cabinet. ”No, grits are a bad idea. Last time I tried making them I ended up having to throw the entire pot out.” She chuckled wryly at herself, as she got the two frying pans and a bowl out. ”Okay, first, break the eggs.”

She cracked the white shells and emptied their contents in the bowl, careful not to put shards in there. ”No, Kerry gets plenty of calcium. She doesn’t need to get surprised by little crunchy bits of it.”

She took a fork and mixed the eggs, after piercing the yolks to bleed a sluggish yellow in their depths. ”Do I put anything in them?” She looked at the spices doubtfully. ”Mm, maybe just a pinch of salt and pepper.” She shook a little of both spices in and continued mixing.

”Okay, that looks good.”

She put the flame on two burners, and let the pans heat up. ”Are you supposed to put anything in these, I wonder?” She recalled watching a Louisianan cooking show on one of her last flights out, and 108

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remembered the chef putting half a stick of butter in a pan. ”Oh, right, something to keep it from sticking, okay.” She limped to the refrigerator and retrieved the butter, then cut a healthy sized cube off and let it drop into the pan. It sizzled immediately and spattered her. ”Yeow!”

Chino barked, then hid under the table.

”Okay, okay.” Dar stirred the butter around and watched it melt.

”They don’t warn you about that, do they?” she muttered, pouring the eggs in and turning the flame down. Then she dropped the contents of the sausage box into the other pan.

”I think I’ve got this under control, Chino.” Dar remarked, stirring the eggs with a wooden spoon. ”Yeah, there they go, out of the liquid stage into the Jell-O stage.” She paused and took a fork to the sausages, moving them around when they started to sizzle. ”Hey, that smells pretty good, huh?” She glanced down to see a puppy glued to her foot.

”Oh, yeah, I guess it does.” She stirred the eggs some more. ”Ah, out of the Jell-O stage, into the fluffy stage.” Triumphantly, she removed the pan from the fire. ”Yeow!!” She dropped it back down and turned off the fire hastily. ”Damn it, that’s hot.”

She rummaged for a pot holder, then managed to get the pan off the stove, scooping the eggs off into a plate. ”Okay. So far, so good.” She turned her attention to the sausage, poking them hesitantly. ”Well, they look hot.” She rolled them over. ”Oh, brown, right, I got it, brown and serve. That must be the brown part.”

She let them continue to cook for a moment and stuck a few pieces of bread in the toaster, turning it on. ”Now this, I can’t screw up.” She nodded briskly at it. ”Kerry fireproofed the controls after that damned bagel set off the fire alarm.” She turned the sausages a few more times as the bread toasted, then added them to the plate of eggs, and caught the bread as it popped out.” Hey, we’re doing good here, Chino, doing good, and I didn’t even manage to—”

A gentle throat clearing interrupted her monologue and she glanced up, startled, to see Kerry leaning against the doorway, a thin tshirt covering her to her thighs, her hair loosely disheveled around her face. ”What are you doing?”

Dar felt a stupid grin crossing her face as she regarded her sleep rumpled lover, who was looking at her from under lazy blonde lashes.

”Um...”

Kerry entered the kitchen and glanced at the full, gently steaming plate. ”Where did this come from?”

Dar held out the plate. ”I made it,” she announced proudly. ”I was going to surprise you in bed, but...”

Kerry broke off a corner of egg and nibbled it. ”Mm.” She gave Dar a look of delighted surprise. ”Very good.” She took the plate from her friend’s hands and put it down on the counter as her eyes traveled down Dar’s body.

I’ve closed million dollar deals that haven’t felt this good, Dar Hurricane Watch

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reflected in a moment of quiet clarity. ”I was just getting some toast.”

She shifted awkwardly and picked up the bread, feeling a warm hand on her bare side. ”Hmm?”

”Tell you what.” Kerry leaned over and kissed her belly button gently. ”I’ll take this outside and you,” She handed her the portable phone. ”Call Dr. Steve.” Her fingers dropped to touch the brace.

”Okay?”

”Um, it feels a lot better today.” Dar objected hopefully. ”Really, Kerry, it does. This brace really helps.”

Sea green eyes lifted and regarded her.

Dar sighed. ”All right.” She watched her lover take the plate out to the balcony and she limped behind her, grateful to settle into one of the bucket chairs in the salty breeze as Kerry returned to get their coffee and some silverware. She thought a minute, then dialed a number, waiting for the service to pick up. ”Hello. Yes, please.” She waited. ”It’s for Dr. Steve. I’ll leave my number.” She gave it, and her name. ”I banged up my knee a little yesterday and I just want to talk to him about it.” She listened for a moment. ”Okay, thanks.” She hung up the phone as Kerry settled into her chair. ”Happy now?”

Kerry speared a bit of sausage on her fork and offered it. ”Dar, there’s no sense in you being miserable, is there?” She watched her lover chew the sausage and swallow it. ”What, no grits?”

”I know, and no, I didn’t want to push my luck.” Dar informed her.

”This was about my limit.”

A soft chuckle. ”Well, it’s very good. I’m impressed.” She took a forkful of eggs. ”Nice and fluffy and no shells. Perfect.”

Dar studied her hands. ”I used to watch my father make them,” she remarked quietly. ”One of his few specialties and he didn’t make them for everyone, just people he really, really liked.”

Kerry munched contentedly. ”Oh, so is this how I know I’ve been truly accepted?” Her eyes twinkled. ”I get breakfast made for me?”

A pensive smile shaped Dar’s lips. ”I don’t know, you’re the first person I’ve ever made anything for.” The phone rang, and she picked it up. ”Hello?”

Kerry had paused, with the fork in her mouth as she sucked the tines. The eggs took on a new flavor as she absorbed the words Dar had just said. It had nothing to do with food, and everything to do with Dar’s willingness to accept her as a part of her life. As a part of herself.

Delicious. Kerry smiled, and picked up another mouthful.

”Yeah, hi Dr. Steve.” Dar leaned back and braced her foot against the balcony carefully, studying the bruised flesh around the brace. ”No, we did a little hiking upstate yesterday, and we had a little accident. I twisted the hell out of my knee, and it’s turning all kinds of god-awful colors.” A pause, while Dar listened. ”No, no, no hospitals. It’s not that bad, just a little sore.” Another pause. ”No, well, yeah.” A touch of resignation entered Dar’s voice. ”Yeah, it is...

...well, no, I can’t.” A

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much longer pause, during which Dar’s shoulders slumped. ”Okay, yeah.... ...No, I’ll meet you over there.” She exhaled. ”Yeah, an hour’s good...

...Okay, bye.” She hung up and gave Kerry a wry look. “Well, he wants to x-ray it.”

”Good for him.” Kerry responded. ”I think that’s a great idea.” She offered Dar a forkful of eggs. ”His office in an hour? Good. I’ve been looking forward to meeting him.”

A reluctant smile found its way onto Dar’s face. ”He’s been wanting to meet you too,” she admitted. ”Oh well, at least it’s just his office.” She leaned back and let the sun drench her body. ”What’s the worst he can do, right?”

DAR SAT QUIETLY on the examining table, leaning on her hands as she regarded her knee morosely. Dr. Steve had done what seemed like a hundred or so x-rays and was now off in his inner sanctum, doing whatever it is he did to make sense out of them. At least she didn’t have to wear that damned, stupid gown, since it was her knee, after all, and she was wearing shorts.

A sound alerted her and she glanced up as Dr. Steve came in, festive in his robin's egg blue golf shirt and Bermuda shorts. ”So, how bad is it?”

”Dar, why do you always think the worst?” Dr. Steve shook a finger at her. ”You are such a pessimist, and where is this lovely paragon of virtue of yours?”

Dar studied her hands. ”If you expect the worst, when less happens you’re pleasantly surprised.” She informed the doctor. ”And Kerry’ll be here any minute. She just had to pick up a few things.”

Dr. Steve chuckled. “Didn’t want her to see you shivering on my table, huh?”

Dar scowled at him.

”Mm hmm, well.” He stuck two of the x-rays up and flicked the light on. ”Now, tell me again how you did this?” He traced the area with his pen. ”You have compression on the joint here, and here, and stretched tendons here and here. It looks like you kicked a car. You didn’t do that, did you?”

Dar sighed. ”No, we got caught when a sinkhole collapsed. I fell about fifty feet, I guess, and landed wrong.” She eased off the couch and limped over. ”Anything break?”

The doctor studied the film carefully. ”Doesn’t look like it, my friend.” He patted Dar’s arm. ”You got lucky. That could have been a bad one, might have needed reconstruction.”

Dar winced. ”Mm. So what do I do? Just take aspirin until it stops hurting?” She limped back over to the couch and hoisted herself up onto it, to get her weight off the leg.

”Oh no, you don’t get that lucky, Dar.” Dr. Steve chuckled. ”I’m Hurricane Watch

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going to put a restrictive brace on you and give you a pair of crutches.”

”Uh uh, no crutches,” Dar immediately objected. ”I hate those things.”

”Dar.”

They both turned as a light knock came on the door. ”Come on in,”

Dr. Steve called out, smiling as the door eased open and Kerry poked her fair head in. ”Well, hello there.” He beamed at her.” Come in, come in.” Kerry stepped inside and gave him a tentative smile in return, as her eyes flicked to Dar’s face. ”How’s it going?”

Dar exhaled. ”Kerry, this is Dr. Steve.” She lifted a hand and waved at the doctor. ”Steve, this is Kerry.”

”Nice to meet you.” Kerry extended a hand, and returned the doctor’s firm grip.

”Ah, it’s nice for me to meet you, Kerry. I cannot tell you how much,” the doctor returned her greeting. ”Now, perhaps the person who puts a smile on this stubborn cat’s face will help me convince her to use a simple pair of crutches, eh?”

”Hey.” Dar's brows knit.

”Dar, are you being difficult?” Kerry chuckled softly and moved over to her lover, leaning against the couch and letting a hand rest on Dar’s thigh. ”What is it you want her to do?” She asked the doctor.

”Well, there’s a lot of swelling in there, and fluid,” Dr. Steve explained briskly. ”I can get rid of it one of two ways; either we wait, and let Dar here rest and see if her body reabsorbs it, or...” he held up a long, hollow needle.

Dar’s eyes widened, but she didn’t say anything.

”So I wanted to put a brace on it, to hold all the bits and pieces together, and convince my good friend here to keep off the darn thing and give it a chance to heal.”

Kerry peered at him, then at Dar. ”So, what’s the problem with that?”

Her lover sighed. ”I hate crutches.” She growled. ”I had a broken leg when I was in college and got stuck on the damn things for four months—drove me nuts.”

”Ah, well, Dar, we’re asking for a week here, hmm?” Dr. Steve coaxed her. ”Come on now. It’s either that or stay in bed.”

A faint, elfin smile wrinkled Kerry’s face and brought a twinkle to her eyes. ”Hmm...” Then she chuckled. ”Think of it as a strategic plus, Dar. If you show up on crutches at work, it’s going to throw everyone way off their game.”

Blue eyes regarded her glumly.

Kerry sighed. ”Okay, then look at it this way. If you show up on crutches and they annoy you, you can bap them over the head with them in the executive meeting.” She paused to see the effect her words were having and saw a grudging grin start to edge Dar’s face. ”It’s just a week.”

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Dar exhaled. ”Well, it’ll give me an excuse to dress casual at work.

I’m not wearing a damn skirt and jacket with a brace and crutches.” She finally relented. ”They can just cope with it, since it happened on their damn field trip.”

”See? There you go.” Kerry turned and winked at Dr. Steve. ”Now what?”

The doctor chuckled. ”Lie down, Dar. I’m going to get that brace on, and give you a minute to get used to it.” He went out, then came back with a sturdy looking white cotton brace, sliding it onto his reluctant patient’s leg and positioning it over the injury. ”Lucky thing you keep these in good shape.” He thumped his knuckles on her thigh.

”I think that’s what kept your leg in one piece.” He tightened the straps and fastened the Velcro tabs, adjusting tiny laces on the side to make the fit right. ”There, how’s that?”

Dar flexed her thigh muscles and lifted the leg up, then let it drop and swung to a seated position, bending the stiff supports with difficulty. ”Tight.”

”It’s supposed to be,” Steve told her cheerfully. ”All right, let me get some crutches. You like wood, or aluminum?”

”Wood,” Dar replied absently, as she fussed with the brace. She glanced after him as he left, then her eyes met Kerry’s. ”I’m being an ass, aren’t I?”

”Umm, no, well...” Kerry cleared her throat. ”I think admitting to weakness is really tough for you, Dar.” She traced a tiny line along the fine, soft hairs on Dar’s arm. ”I know that bothers you, especially at work, and especially this week.”

She was right, on all counts, Dar acknowledged silently. ”Well, I’d better get used to the damn things a little. Can I interest you in some lunch and a short walk out on the beach?” She offered.

Kerry’s eyes lit. ”Sure. How about brunch at Joe’s, then we can walk on the boardwalk a little.” She’d developed a strong preference for fresh seafood since she’d started living with Dar and now her mouth watered a little, as she imagined the buffet at Joe’s. And, she virtuously decided, it was healthy for you.

”Sounds good to me,” Dar agreed, as Dr. Steve came back with two wooden crutches, which he handed to his victim. ”Let me adjust these first.” She reversed the crutches, and loosened the wing nut that held the bolt adjusting their height, and lengthened them. ”Okay.” She put the tips on the ground and stood up, fitting them under her arms.

”Anything else, Dr. Steve?”

He studied her. ”You want something for the pain?” he offered.

Dar thought about it. ”No,” she finally decided, with a pensive sigh. ”I tend to rely on it too much, not a good idea,” she replied honestly. ”I’ll stick with the aspirin.”

Steve patted her side. ”Good girl.” He then tugged on Kerry’s blonde hair ”You take care of her, okay?” He took her hand, then Hurricane Watch

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stopped, peering at it. ”And what did you do?” He glanced up. ”You fall in that hole too?”

”Um, not exactly.” Kerry rubbed her ear. ”I, um, hit it on something.”

”She slugged someone,” Dar supplied helpfully.

Dr. Steve’s eyebrows lifted. ”Did you?” He laughed in surprise, tugging her over to the light. ”Here, let me take a look.”

Dar’s direct stare dared Kerry to protest and the blonde woman merely sighed and went along, wincing as the doctor’s probing hit very sore spots. ”Ow.”

”Can you close your hand?” He asked.

”Um, not really,” Kerry confessed, moving her fingers as far as she could. ”Just that much. It really hurts past that.” She found herself being led over to the x-ray platform and heard Dar’s soft chuckle. ”At least I’m not arguing,” she called back over her shoulder as Dr. Steve positioned the machine.

They finally exited out onto the sunny street, with Dar maneuvering carefully with her crutches, and Kerry cradling a hand that now bore a thin, compression bandage. ”I had no idea a bone bruise hurt that much,” she complained. ”It didn’t feel that bad yesterday.”

”It’s nothing.” Dar mimicked, teasing her with a grin.

”Yeah, yeah yeah,” Kerry sighed, examining the bandage. ”You have to wrap it, though. It’s the first one I’ve ever had.” She wiggled her fingers. ”I’m glad it was just a little bruise.” She dismissed her annoyance and glanced ahead. ”C’mon, there are some nice, big shrimp over there calling my name.”

They moved down the street slowly, evading the Sunday crowds, a definitely mixed bag that ranged from gawking tourists to throngs of locals in a colorful, eclectic show.

Kerry watched the people around her, stepping aside as two very young and very athletic men sped by on roller blades, their short shorts almost revealing what religion they were. Kerry chuckled softly and shook her head, then excused herself as she almost collided with two women strolling through the crowd. They smiled back at her, then let their eyes linger and Kerry blushed a little at the approving looks, as she glanced down.

”Something wrong?” Dar inquired glancing at the retreating pair.

”Um, no, no, I just...” Kerry tugged at her snug white t-shirt and adjusted the buckle on her neatly pressed shorts. ”They, um...”

”They were looking at you?” Dar’s eyes twinkled, as she lowered her voice. ”Don’t blame them, you look very cute.” She let her eyes roam over her companion’s body, and up to her braided hair, pulled back from her face.

Kerry straightened her shoulders a bit under the regard and eyed her friend. ”So why aren’t they all staring at you?” She indicated Dar’s faded denim cutoffs and tucked in crimson polo. Dar had also donned a 114

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favorite baseball cap, which was holding her dark hair off her forehead, and directing the loosely caught pony tail out the back of it.

”Ah ah, staring at a cripple’s in bad taste,” Dar smugly told her.

”Relax. Looking’s a hobby down here. Don’t let it bother you.” She maneuvered around a sidewalk café. “These things aren’t as bad as I thought they’d be.”

“The crutches?” Kerry asked.

“Mm.” Dar flexed her fingers on the handles.

”Hey, you guys.” A strange voice caught their attention and they both stopped to avoid crashing into a tall redhead accompanied by a shorter, ash blonde woman. ”How’s it going?”

Ah, Dar shuffled her mental deck and placed them. The choir leader and her friend from the church. ”Not bad, and you?” she replied politely. ”We got the newsletter the other day. Thanks for sending it.”

”No problem,” The redhead grinned. ”What happened to you guys?” She pointed at Dar’s leg. ”Car accident or something?”

”Or something.” Kerry smiled easily. ”Hi, Anne. That’s a nice shirt.”

Anne grinned back. ”Thanks. Where are you two off to? Just browsing?” She edged out of the stream of traffic. Both women were wearing jeans and t-shirts from the Arts Festival the prior month, and seemed in good spirits.

”We’re headed over to Joe’s for lunch, then for a walk. Dar’s trying to get used to her crutches,” Kerry explained, glancing around. ”What about you?”

Anne shrugged. ”We were just wandering. Mind if we join you?”

She poked her companion. ”Liz here was just saying she was hungry.”

Kerry glanced up at Dar’s face, trying to judge her feelings on the subject. The taller woman’s expression was mildly interested, and she sensed no violent objection. ”Sure, that’d be great. You can tell me about that arts program the newsletter mentioned.”

They walked slowly, in deference to Dar’s knee, until they reached the restaurant, and sat down at a table near the window with a nice view of the water. ”You hang out here.” Kerry put a hand on Dar’s arm.

“I’ll get you a plate, okay?”

It went against Dar’s grain, but even she acknowledged that trying to juggle a plate on crutches would be stupid at best. ”Okay,” she agreed, leaning back and stretching out back muscles strained by the unusual pressure.

She gazed out the window until the other three returned, Kerry setting a plate down in front of her, then trotting off to get one for herself. Anne and Liz sat down, and settled napkins on their laps. ”So, Dar, what did happen to your leg?” Anne asked, taking a forkful of shrimp pasta.

”We were hiking and got into a little problem with a sinkhole.” Dar answered briefly, selecting a bit of cold crab and dipping it in mustard Hurricane Watch

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sauce. ”How’s the choir doing?” She asked Liz politely.

”Mm, it’d do better if I could talk you into joining,” Liz remarked, taking a sip of her sweetened tea.

Dar smiled briefly, acknowledging the compliment. ”My job prevents me from committing to that kind of thing,” she explained,

”and I get sent out of town a lot.” She glanced up as Kerry returned, settling into the chair next to her with a nicely loaded down plate. ”Got enough shrimp there?” she teased gently, grinning when Kerry stuck her tongue out briefly at her.

”So.” Kerry took a bite of garlic bread. ”Tell me about this arts program of yours. There were some classes there I’d love to take, that oil painting one, for instance.”

Anne launched into an enthusiastic explanation and Liz threw in comments, leaving Dar to listen and consume the plate Kerry had provided. Kerry laughed at some of the comments and reached over to touch Dar’s arm frequently as she replied. Dar was content to offer brief nods and short answers to the two other women.

”Ah, Dar, I’ve got to get you some of these,” Kerry interrupted, waving a crawfish at her. ”You’d really like them. Here.” She pulled a tail out and dipped it in butter, then offered it to her lover. Dar smiled amiably and leaned over, taking it between her teeth neatly and chewing it judiciously. ”Right?”

”Right,” Dar agreed, as they all laughed. A motion caught her eye and she turned her head to see a photographer focusing on one of the tables outside, measuring angles and taking a picture. Probably looking for celebrities, Dar mused, with a silent chuckle as she dismissed the man in khakis and returned to her lunch.