Tropical Storm

Chapter Eighteen

KERRY WOKE UP late and didn’t even have time to get coffee before she ran out of the apartment and bolted north to the school, arriving with just minutes to spare and signing in with the work coordinator. It was eight AM, and they were due to start shortly, but the company always felt that it needed to make sure its volunteers weren’t starving to death beforehand. Kerry looked around her at the dull concrete building and the crowd of T-shirted workers milling about, munching on bananas and bagels and drinking orange juice. She grabbed some juice and a bagel, and took a deep breath of the cool, crisp morning air, brought on by a mild cold front that had rolled through the previous evening.

“Hey, Kerry!” Susan trotted up. “Nice sunburn.”

Kerry laughed and tugged on her T-shirt. She had it tucked into a pair of older jeans and was wearing her hiking boots. “Yeah, I was in Orlando the past few days. Got a chance to get out into the sun for a while.” She glanced at Susan. “How are you doing? I hear you’re heading up the new programming project.”

Susan nodded her head, her silvered chestnut hair dancing in the light.

“Yep, it’s actually pretty cool. I’m really enjoying it, nice programming environment, and they got me a killer developmental machine—a dual processor Pentium.”

“Ooo, listen to the geekazoid.” Ray came up on the other side and rubbed Kerry’s arm. “Vaya, chica. What’s up with the pinky stuff?” He stepped back and looked at her. “Have you been on vacation already? You look great.”

Kerry rolled her eyes. “No, for the hundredth time already, I was at a meeting in Orlando the past couple of days. I just got a few hours off, that’s all.” She put her hands on her hips. “Not like you guys would get your faces out of your screens long enough to go to the beach yourselves, I noticed.”

“Well, we’re not all snooty executives,” Ray teased. “So how is El Chupa?”

“Yeah, has she made you eat any raw meat yet?” Susan added with a grin. “I heard yesterday that she hides small children in her office closet for afternoon snacks.”

Kerry didn’t smile. “She’s fine. Actually, you’ll get to see for yourselves.

She’s supposed to be here today.”

“What?” Susan snorted in disbelief. “You’re joking, right? El high and mighty power suit doing grunt work?”

“Nah, she’ll show up and tell everyone what to do, I betcha.” Ray Tropical Storm 221

laughed. “I can see it, in those spike heels, too.”

Kerry glanced over his shoulder and let a grin edge her lips. “Um, not quite.” She watched as the Lexus pulled to a quiet halt, and the door opened, allowing Dar to emerge into the sunlight.

“Huh?” Susan followed her glance and fell silent. So did Ray.

By some weird coincidence, the executive had chosen to wear almost a carbon copy of what Kerry had on. Her company-issued T-shirt was tucked neatly into faded blue jeans, and she wore practical work boots not unlike the ones the blonde woman was sporting. The sleeves on the shirt were rolled up, exposing her toned arms, and she’d tied her hair back into a loose tail. Her pale blue eyes stood out against her tanned skin, and she had a watchful, guarded look on her face. Until her eyes met Kerry’s, and then a quick grin lit up her visage and just as quickly disappeared. She went to the work coordinator and quietly gave her name.

“Huh,” Susan muttered, obviously surprised.

“Mamacita. She’s buff!” Ray whispered to Kerry. “And she’s young!”

“Hey, is that the Popsicle Lady?” Colleen had come up on the other side and poked Kerry. “Certainly looks different than I remember her.”

“Be nice, guys.” Kerry tore her eyes from the dark-haired woman with some effort. “She’s my boss, remember, okay?” She was aware of Dar’s moving closer, and she lifted her gaze to greet the older woman with a smile.

“Hey.”

Dar had reached them, and she gave the group a civilized nod before she let her eyes meet Kerry’s. “Morning.”

Kerry smiled in reflex. “It sure is that. Dar, this is…”

“Susan Barnes, Ray Ramirez, and Colleen McPherson,” Dar interrupted quietly, giving Susan and Ray a polite nod and inclining her head towards Colleen. “You’re at Barnett, correct?”

They all blinked and Colleen looked uncharacteristically rattled. “Um, yeah. I don’t think we’ve met, but I’ve seen you at the bank once or twice.”

“Over the tape stream incident,” Dar replied crisply. “I remember.” She turned to Susan and Ray who were frankly gawking at her. “I don’t believe we’ve spoken since you transitioned, but I hear things are settling down there.”

“Everything’s all right, yes,” Ray answered a little stiffly.

A faint, wry expression crossed Dar’s face and she backed off a step.

“Well, I’ve got some painting to do.” She gave Kerry a nod and a ghost of a wink before she turned and headed for the small group of people assigned to help paint the side of the building. “Later, Kerry,” she called over her shoulder, giving her a casual wave.

“Well, color me plaid,” Colleen blurted, giving Kerry a look. “I surely didn’t expect her to remember me, that’s a fact.”

Kerry watched the tall figure walking away, her snug jeans and T-shirt showing off her lithely muscular body to admirably good effect. “She does a lot of amazing things,” she said. “She’s certainly surprised me these last few weeks.”

Susan let out a low whistle. “I don’t remember her being that…um, she’s different than I remember,” the programmer muttered.

222 Melissa Good

“Me, too. She sure looks different in that than she did in a suit,” Colleen agreed. She looked at Kerry, who was regarding the grass thoughtfully. “Well, we’re the garbage detail, right?” She handed around bags. “Let’s break up—

you guys want to get that side of the yard, and we’ll get this side?”

“Sure.” Susan shook her bag open. “Let’s see who finishes first.”

Kerry let her body work mechanically as she and Colleen scoured the schoolyard, picking up cans, bottles, and other, more sinister debris. Her mind roamed all over, but chiefly settled on the tall figure perched on a ladder, one leg swung over the top as she neatly covered part of a wall with a color most kindly called puke green. Quite a few people were painting, but to Kerry’s eyes, no one could come close to Dar’s casual grace with a paintbrush, and the easy balance she had on the ladder was obvious.

“Why do they pick such a disgusting color for a school?” she commented to Colleen.

“Well, it wasn’t that upchuck brown or Pepto Bismol pink, so I guess we should consider ourselves lucky,” Colleen replied, watching Kerry’s eyes with a quickly stifled grin. “You stuck on the paint or the painter?” Kerry scowled at her and went back to her trash picking in silence. “Just kidding, Ker,” her friend apologized. “If it’s any consolation, you’re not the only one looking.”

Huh? Kerry glanced around furtively, and realized Colleen had a point.

More than one set of eyes were fastened on that tall, lanky figure and she experienced an odd spurt of relief and resentment so strong it nearly made her sneeze. She rubbed her nose in irritation. “Jesus. I think I’m coming down with something.”

Colleen picked up a crushed can and dropped it into Kerry’s bag.

“Nothing a nice tall glass of Florida juice wouldn’t cure, I’m guessing.” She patted Kerry on the hip and continued searching, leaving her friend to stand sputtering in the sun.

They worked all morning, finishing up the garbage detail and moving to work inside the building, peeling old posters off the walls and removing broken furniture from classrooms that had seen hard use. Many of the desks had gang slogans carved into them, and Kerry found herself shaking her head as she traced the many angry statements written in rough letters in the aged wood. “Jesus.” She exhaled. “What are we teaching these kids here? The worst thing I remember seeing when I was in school was rhymes about underpants.”

She was working so hard she barely heard the call for lunch until Ray came trotting in, his hair held back with a bright red bandana to get her. “Hey, chica, lunch time.”

“Oh, sorry.” Kerry put down her bag and dusted off her hands, pulling her shirt away from her body as she followed him outside to catch some air. It was warm, and the newly cut grass over which they were walking smelled pungent and green in the sun; she was glad she’d remembered to cover her recent sunburn with lotion.

The other workers were gathering under a spreading tree where tables had been set up, and pizza was being distributed along with cans of soda. She tagged along after Ray and joined Colleen and Susan as they picked up their slices, then glanced around for a cool spot to sit down in. Trees scattered in isolated oases of shade across the grass, and Kerry spotted a familiar, Tropical Storm 223

conspicuously lone figure reclining underneath one of them. Everyone was just as conspicuously avoiding her, so Kerry bowed to her inner desires and knew where she was going to head. She poked Colleen. “C’mon, I’m going to go keep my boss company, since no one else here wants to.”

To her credit, Colleen neither rolled her eyes nor chuckled. She merely nodded agreeably and started towards the tree with Kerry, sipping from her can of Sprite as she walked. Susan and Ray hesitated, then sighed, and followed along, giving Dar wary looks as they closed in on the tree.

The executive was chewing her pizza slowly and gave them a moderately welcoming look in return as they came closer, before letting her attention turn to Kerry. “How’d the cleanup go?” She let her gaze travel up the blonde woman’s body until twin blue eyes reached her face and their eyes met.

Her attention thus distracted, Kerry almost tripped on a root. “Um…”

She recovered and took a seat in the grass next to her boss. “Pretty good, I guess. How’s the painting coming along?”

“Haven’t fallen off the ladder yet,” Dar remarked, leaning on one elbow and extending her long legs. “I’m sure everyone’s disappointed.”

“Tch.” Kerry frowned. “No one wants to see you fall off a ladder, Dar.

You could break a leg!”

Dar gave her a droll look and took a bite of her pizza. “You obviously don’t know your co-workers as well as I do.” She cocked an eyebrow at the Associated folks. “Present company excepted, of course.”

They settled in a circle around her and started eating in silence, until Susan, giving the others a furtive look, started a technical discussion, getting into programming concepts with Dar that were beyond the other three.

Kerry let out a tiny sigh of relief and reminded herself to thank Susan later. The atmosphere had definitely been getting stilted, and she felt herself losing patience with both the wary dislike coming from her friends and the icy reserve of her boss.

Dar had spatters of paint up and down her long frame, and a spot of it was above her right eyebrow. Kerry found herself having a very rough time not reaching over to wipe it off. Instead, she sighed and settled herself again, her back just touching the edges of Dar’s pants legs. She concentrated on her pizza, picking off the pepperoni and chewing it before she took a bite from the small part of the slice, then almost choking on it as she felt a gentle nudge against her back. She stopped chewing, then felt it again, and darted a glance at the reclining Dar.

“No, that wouldn’t make sense,” Dar’s low voice was saying. “They’d have to modularize it.” Then for just a second, those blue eyes wandered casually over and met hers, and a tiny glint appeared.

“I don’t know,” Susan replied. “They want to do it as one huge executable. I think they’re crazy.”

“We’re going to get more pizza. You want some?” Colleen asked as she and Ray got up. Her offer went to everyone, and she even shyly glanced at Dar. The executive gave her a smile. “No thanks, none for me.”

“I’ll go, too.” Susan got up and joined them. “Be right back.”

They trooped off, leaving Dar and Kerry alone under the tree. A soft 224 Melissa Good breeze came through, blowing the green grass around them and rustling the leaves overhead. Kerry finally gave in to her desires and reached over, rubbing the paint off Dar’s eyebrow. “Jesus, you look like a demented Dalmatian.”

Dar grinned sardonically. “I did it on purpose. I thought it might break the ice with your buddies. Y’know I’ve been in boardrooms during a hostile takeover that were friendlier.”

Kerry sighed. “Sorry.”

“Hey, don’t worry about it.” Dar chuckled. “I’m used to it, believe me.”

She picked off a piece of sausage and nibbled it. “Besides, it’s a worthy cause.

This place is a mess.”

Kerry glanced over to where her friends were headed back. “Yeah, I know. It scares me, how filled with hate these kids are.” She smiled as Ray sat back down. “I see they’re switching to vegetables now.”

“Uh huh.” he agreed cheerfully as Colleen and Susan also sat down, giving both Dar and Kerry brief smiles.

Uh oh. Kerry sensed collusion.

“So, we were thinking of going over to the Pelican after this and grabbing some dinner,” Susan announced. “You guys want to join us?” Her eyes went to Dar first, then to Kerry, and she made it clear the invitation was to both of them.

Dar’s dark eyebrow crawled up into her hairline. She took a quick look at Kerry’s face, the blank startlement there confirming her suspicion that this was an unplanned event. Tactically, she had no idea what the group was up to, but she had every intention of spending the evening with Kerry regardless.

“Sure,” she replied casually, getting a quick side glance from the blonde woman.

“That sounds fun,” Kerry agreed hastily, wondering what in the world her friends were up to. She looked up as the work supervisor started calling out their names and realized the short lunch break was over. “Back to work, I guess.”

Dar got smoothly to her feet and balled up her napkin and cup. “Later.”

She strode off with a jaunty hitch of her jeans, leaving the rest of them to scramble up and follow her.

Kerry let the others move ahead, and then she was free to grab Colleen and pull her behind a tree. “What in the hell was that about?”

Colleen gave her a startled look. “What was what? It was a dinner invitation, Kerry. Jesus, would you relax?” She shook herself free from the blonde woman’s grasp. “We were just talking, saying how maybe you were right. Maybe we need to give the woman a chance. So, we decided that asking her to have dinner with us was at least a step in that direction. What did you think this was?”

Kerry dropped her gaze, and rubbed her temples. “I-I’m sorry, Col. I…”

“Hey.” The redhead stroked her arm, giving her a concerned look.

“Listen, if this is too much for you, we’ll forget it, okay? I didn’t mean to freak you out.”

Kerry got ahold of herself. “No, no, it’s okay. I just…I guess I feel so self-conscious around you guys because all I hear is Popsicle lady this, and Tropical Storm 225

Chupacabra that, and I just don’t…I just want to scream at you, because goddamn it, she’s not like that.”

“Whoa. Whoa.” Colleen glanced around, then took Kerry by the shoulders and gently pushed her back against the tree. “Take it easy. We didn’t know, okay? All we had to go on is what we hear at work, and what everyone else says. You obviously know more about her than we do. I’m sorry, I didn’t know that stuff was getting to you.”

Kerry took a deep breath. “I guess I didn’t know it either,” she admitted.

“I’m not sure what’s with me today. Maybe I’m PMS’ing or something.” She gave the redhead an apologetic look. “Sorry.”

Colleen dropped her hands, a relieved look on her face. “Okay, so we’re still on? I think it’ll be fun. At least if you can give me an idea of something to talk to the damn woman about. Jesus, Kerry, she’s so intense.”

“Yeah.” Kerry started walking towards the school building. “I know.

Um… Well, she likes the ocean, she scuba dives, and she’s been to most of the reefs and stuff around here. You could ask her about that.”

“She likes you,” Colleen said, unexpectedly. “But I don’t think we’ll be asking her about that tonight.”

Kerry stopped and glanced around, feeling the blood flush her face.

“C’mon, Col, lay off that, will you? We’re just friends,” she muttered. “She doesn’t…”

“Kerry.” Colleen put her hands on her friend’s shoulders. “I’ve got no clue if this is a good or a bad thing for you, girl, but don’t sell yourself short in those blue icicle eyes of hers, okay? There’s something cooking in there.”

Kerry shook her head. “Col, you’re wrong,” she stated decisively. “It’s not what you think. We just clicked as friends, and that’s it.”

“You really believe that?” Colleen asked with a quizzical expression.

Do I? Kerry was briefly silent, then she just shrugged.

The red-haired woman dropped her hands and smiled, shaking her head.

“Whatever you say, lassie.” She gestured for Kerry to precede her. “After you.”

Kerry sighed and shook her head as well, heading off over the grass towards where the work groups were reassembling. She peeked furtively over at the painting section, spotting Dar back up on her ladder. Her boss was just sitting there though, and she realized she was being watched as she walked across the open space.

“Hey, Kerry.”

Kerry turned her head to find the Marketing Admin, Mary Evers, catching up with her. “Oh, hi.”

“We’ve got a bet on,” the woman said. “Did you talk Dar into showing up?”Kerry was aware of Colleen’s cocked ears. “Me?” She didn’t have to dissemble. “No, why? She said it was her turn this year or something.”

Mary laughed. “Oh, Kerry, you have no clue. Dar’s been in the company for fifteen years, and she never does this stuff. She told someone last year she’d have to be drugged senseless to spend time with people she works with on the weekend,” she said. “So we figured, I’ve got money on it, that you talked her into it. Tell the truth, did you?”

226 Melissa Good Kerry looked past the woman’s shoulders and right into Dar’s watching eyes. She saw the smile form and felt her lips moving in response and her perceptions shifted subtly as she acknowledged the connection, whatever it was, between them. “Honestly, I didn’t talk her into this,” she repeated. “Why don’t you ask her why she’s here?”

Mary lifted both hands. “No thanks!” She backed away. “Oh well, thought I’d pick up a few easy bucks. Take care, Kerry. See you later.”

Kerry continued walking, keeping her eyes on the ground in front of her as she kicked thoughtfully at the grass.

THE RUSTY PELICAN sat on an outthrust bit of land, on the seaward side of one of the small Keys that led out to Key Biscayne. The twilight was just settling, lighting the western side of the wooden building in shades of burnished, deep red. The restaurant was a two-level wood building, with rustic decorations including fishing nets and old oars, and came complete with creaking floorboards which held a deep scent of the sea locked in their salt-encrusted pores.

Dar mounted the steps and took a breath of the air, then smiled as she held the door for Kerry. “They look pretty busy,” she noted. “Glad we carpooled.” She let her eyes briefly scan the interior, which held scattered clusters of waiting patrons.

“Me, too.” Kerry stifled a yawn. “Glad we got a chance to use those school showers, too. Boy, I was grungy.”

“Mmm.” Dar muffled a grin. “Next community project should get them new shower curtains.”

Kerry frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Never mind.” Dar indicated the interior. “After you?”

“It’s nice out here,” Kerry said softly as she passed in front of the taller woman. “I like the park on the other island.”

“So do I,” Dar agreed. “Maybe we can stop out there afterward.”

Kerry felt a quiet thrill at the words. “Sure, I’d like that.” She grinned, then entered the building, spotting her friends immediately. “Hey, guys.”

“Hey.” Colleen and the rest were standing near the seating station, looking at a tank full of fish. “Ready? I’m hungry enough to eat one of those little beauties raw.”

The hostess led them to a round table. Colleen, Ray and Susan took seats beside one another, and that left the two seats on the far side of the table.

Kerry took one, and Dar took the other. “I think I definitely need a beer.” She glanced at the waitress. “Got something amber on tap?”

“Make it two,” Susan agreed. “Ray?”

“Mojito, por favor.” Ray gave the waitress a charming smile. “Lots of mint, okay?”

“Vodka and cranberry for me,” Colleen added.

The waitress scribbled, then looked up at Dar with an inquiring expression.

Dar debated asking for milk, then conceded to the occasion. “Whatever she’s having.” She indicated Kerry. The woman nodded and disappeared, Tropical Storm 227

leaving them all looking at each other in a somewhat awkward silence. Susan peered out the window. Ray played with his napkin. Colleen studied the menu. Dar sighed, then recalled that she was capable of holding her own in hostile boardrooms. “Did you all know you’re sitting in the Bermuda Triangle?” she inquired casually.

That broke the ice, big time. Kerry turned to her. “You’re joking.”

The executive shook her head solemnly. “Nope. This is the western edge.

It hits here and scrapes along Key Biscayne. You are, indeed, at this moment, inside the Bermuda Triangle.”

“Dios mío!” Ray yelped, looking behind him as though expecting ghostly aviators to float through the window. “I knew it. I felt…so strange…coming out here. I knew it.”

“Damn.” Susan laughed. “I know the weather out here is weird; I never realized it was part of the Triangle, though.”

“It’s a microclimate.” Dar spoke knowledgeably, regarding her interlaced fingers. “Because of the pressure ridges over the coast, it rains a lot less, and the humidity content is much different than the mainland. You can see it in the foliage here, too.”

“You lived here all your life?” Susan asked, her reserve broken as she rested her chin on her hand, peering at Dar with interest.

“On and off,” Dar replied. “I did a study of the ecology when I was at the university down here. I spent a lot of time at RSMAS.” She cleared her throat.

“It’s interesting if you go out to the tip of the Key, where the state park was.

You know Andrew wiped that entire Australian pine forest off, and they let it grow back up as natural vegetation. You can’t recognize it anymore.”

“Wow. Yeah, I know.” Susan leaned forward. “I used to go out there and picnic. After the hurricane, I went out and almost cried. Then they told me that entire forest was really parasite trees, imported, and they were going to burn out the remnants. I was pretty pissed off until someone explained what the Australian Pine was doing.”

The tension relaxed and the chatting went on, diverging to discussions on various shellfish which were on the menu. Kerry felt the knot in her stomach relax and she started to enjoy herself, trading jokes with Colleen and ordering a lobster in defiance of Susan’s protestations that sea roaches were just disgusting. Dar, she noticed, had ordered a mixed platter, and the executive was talking reefs with Susan, who had done a one-day diving workshop when she’d gone to Bermuda the preceding year.

Okay, this isn’t so bad, she thought happily. I should have known Dar could handle these guys. Silly me. She leaned forward, her knee pressing against Dar’s, and held her breath until it became obvious to her that Dar had no intention of moving away. It felt nice. She smiled, then her eyes widened as their dinner arrived and she was faced with a large, pugnacious-looking lobster, staring at her with baleful, beady black eyes. “Oh, gosh.” Everyone laughed, and she picked up the nutcrackers the waiter handed her, peering at the large animal uncertainly. “Good grief. Why did I order this again?”

“You saw it under the water?” Dar muffled a smile.

“I’m sure I saw a flounder under the water, too.” Kerry poked the lobster. “Oh, my god, it’s looking at me.”

228 Melissa Good

“Hah. Told you the sea roach would be too much for you!” Susan crowed, pointing her fork at Kerry. “You better order something else.”

“No, no, I can do this,” Kerry objected, poking at the shell with the little bitty fork they’d given her. “Somehow.” She scowled at the red object, who scowled back. “Why do they leave the shell on?”

“So you can get exercise with your meal.” Dar reached over and covered Kerry’s hand with her own. “Give me that.” The executive took the nutcracker out of her hand. “C’mere.” Dar picked up a claw and put the cracker around it, closing her hand and breaking it efficiently. “See?” She held up the claw, with the pink lobster meat peeking out of it.

“Ah.” Kerry took it from her, and examined it. “Okay, I gotcha.”

“Good.” Dar handed her the cracker and went back to her own plate.

Kerry nibbled the lobster. “Mmm.” She glanced up at the watching faces, startled to see quiet, knowing smiles there. “I usually stick to shrimp,” she explained sheepishly, giving them puzzled looks as they exchanged glances and started their own dinners. Wonder what that was all about? she mused, then shrugged, and went to work on her stubborn lobster.

IT WAS LATE by the time they finished dinner and left the others with a cordial set of good-byes. Kerry was happy. They’d had a good time, and so, she thought, had Dar. She glanced at her boss as they got into the Lexus, and she settled into the leather seat with a groan. “Oh god, I think I’m going to explode.”

“That’s all right, leather cleans up,” Dar blithely replied. After a slightly awkward pause, she asked, “You, um, still up for a walk on the beach?”

“Moon’s out. Looks pretty nice for it.”

Kerry peeked out the front window and spotted the round, golden orb.

“Wow,” she murmured. “Yeah, that’s pretty. I’d love to go look at it for a while.” Her eyes shifted to Dar’s waiting profile. “A walk sounds great, especially after that dessert.”

“All right, then, let’s go.” Dar put the Lexus into gear and pulled forward through the parking row, turning left out of the lot while the rest of their group went to the right. “I like that place. Food’s pretty good.”

“Once I figured out how to use the can opener, yeah.” Kerry leaned back.

“Key lime pie, what an odd combination of sweet and sour that is.”

Dar chuckled. “Some people say it’s just a reflection of what South Florida is—a lot of sour with a little sweet on top just to fool you.”

Kerry thought about that. “I don’t know. It was kind of refreshing. I think I liked it,” she decided, watching the softly blowing palm fronds go by as Dar drove over the last causeway and pulled into a familiar parking lot. “This is ironic,” she commented as they got out and let the cool sea breeze hit them.

“This is where I went that night.”

Dar leaned on the hood of the car, watching her. “The night we ended up at my office?”

Kerry leaned on the other side. “The night you saved my life,” she replied, quietly serious, “and then changed it.”

Dar wasn’t really sure what to say to that. She straightened up and Tropical Storm 229

walked around to the front of the car, sliding her hands into the pockets of her jeans. “That was quite a night, huh?” she eventually muttered as they walked together through the lot and towards the soft roar of the sea.

“Sure was.”

The boardwalk was relatively quiet and echoed their footsteps as they left the lights of the parking lot behind and approached the softly sighing shoreline. The moon tracked along with them, lighting a rippling pathway across the water, leading up onto the beach. Kerry felt the onshore wind brush back her hair, and she welcomed the full moon’s reflection across the endless length of the water before them. Far out on the horizon, a buoy winked as it bobbed back and forth, and faintly, on the wind, Kerry could hear music coming from the hotels down the shore south of them.

It‘s pretty, she thought as they paused and perched on the railing of the boardwalk, listening to the waves. The moonlight reflected off Dar’s hair, and made her pale eyes colorless, but Kerry had no trouble conjuring up what they looked like as she glanced up into Dar’s quiet face.

She could feel the slow beat of her heart, the rhythm picking up as Dar’s gaze left the horizon and tracked to hers, and the lips curved into a smile.

Dar’s voice broke the stillness in a quiet rumble.

“Nice night.”

“Mmm. It is, yes,” Kerry reveled in the currents she could feel running between them. “Thanks for taking them up on the invite. That worked out better than I thought it would.”

Dar slid off the railing and leaned back against it, so that their heads were almost on a level. “Wasn’t bad.” She grinned. “I got them with the Bermuda Triangle thing.” She studied Kerry’s profile, outlined in the moonlight.

Kerry smiled back. “You sure did. Is that true?”

“Oh yeah,” Dar assured her, turning around and pointing. “You’re standing in it right now, in fact.”

The turn had put her shoulder right up against Kerry’s thigh, and it was too much for Kerry not to let her hand drop to rest against the smooth back, feeling the warmth through the cotton of Dar’s shirt. Dar didn’t move. She just continued to look out over the water, but Kerry could see the muscles in her jaw clench a little, then her throat worked as she swallowed. The blonde woman’s fingers stirred of their own accord, tracing a gentle pattern casually.

The dark head turned very slowly, until those blue eyes were looking right at her. Looking right through her, and she felt it in her guts as her knees started to shake a little. “Dar?”

“Mmm?”

A faint, playful smile was starting, plucking chords in her deeper than anything in her life ever had. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

Kerry knew it was her voice, but she had no idea where the words were coming from, and she felt her heart start to pound. A shifting of muscle, a sliding of shadows and light as Dar straightened up, moving closer until Kerry could feel the warmth of her, then a gentle touch on her face brought her eyes up as the taller woman tilted her chin and studied her intently. Kerry felt soft cotton under her hands as she slid them up against Dar’s body, wanting the contact as Dar ducked her head gracefully and she felt lips brush 230 Melissa Good hers. Light as a feather, then again, as solid contact, lingering and powerful, lasting long enough for her soul to recognize something in her very deep.

Then Dar was pulling back, and she had to focus on those eyes again.

“Does that answer your question?” Dar asked, very softly, her breath warming Kerry’s face.

Breathing had never seemed so difficult before, but Kerry somehow managed to pull enough air into her lungs to speak an audible “Yes.” She opened her mouth to say more, but found a finger against her lips.

“Slow.” Dar breathed. “Easy, I wasn’t really expecting this, and I don’t think you were either.”

Kerry felt like she was drowning. Every inch of her skin was tingling and she leaned against Dar’s touch, almost deaf from the thunder of her own heartbeat. She felt like laughing and crying, all at once, and she knew Dar was right—this was way too powerful. They both needed time to think and react.

But her body was craving something she knew she wasn’t capable of denying it any longer. “C-ca…can I…” she stammered softly, moving closer, her hands moving slowly and timidly against the cotton of Dar’s shirt. The taller woman’s arms closed around her, and as their bodies made contact, a warm, familiar wave flowed over her.

Kerry let herself settle into place, tucking her head down against Dar’s shoulder, and burying her face into the taller woman’s shirt, as she felt Dar’s chin rest on the top of her head. It was an explosion of feeling…a deep, aching familiarity that brought tears to her eyes so quickly she couldn’t stop them.

“Oh god,” She gasped softly, feeling Dar’s breathing catch under her ear . It’s been so long.

Dar had no idea what to do with the barrage of emotion hammering her from every side. She’d had no intention of taking this to where she had, no intention of shattering these particular barriers and crossing that line they’d both been balancing on for the past few days. But once Kerry had touched her, as soon as she’d felt that familiar weight against her back she knew her future had slipped out of her grasp. And now…

It was her dream realized. She could feel it—the same warmth, the same feeling the sunlight had shaken her out of the previous morning. Nothing else mattered. She was lost. Or maybe she was found.

She tightened her hold and tipped her head back, regarding the stars.

Letting the moon’s silver light baptize them as the other half of her soul came sliding home. At last.

DAR HAD NO idea how long they stood there. It was a long time, though, long enough for the tears to dry on Kerry’s face, and long enough for their bodies to become used to each other’s touch. Dar felt a sense of quiet peace, and she suspected if she stood here long enough, she’d simply fall asleep in it, standing up and everything.

She thought about what to do next, her hand making idle, gentle circles on Kerry’s back, enjoying the feel of her smooth skin under the fabric. Finally, reluctantly, she exhaled and shifted a little, causing Kerry to open her eyes and look up, with an expression of such perfect trust it was almost Tropical Storm 231

frightening. They looked at each other for a moment, then Dar smiled. “That wasn’t planned.”

The blonde smiled back. “No, it certainly wasn’t.”

“Are you all right?”

Kerry considered the question on several levels. “Yes. Are you?”

Dar had to really think about that. “I…yes, I think so,” she murmured in wonder. “I don’t usually, um…” She found her fingertips tracing the planes of Kerry’s face. “B-but…” She took her hand away and exhaled. “I don’t know what came over me.”

Seeing Dar so at a loss was very cute and impossibly endearing. “I don’t know either, but can we bottle it?” Kerry smiled impishly. She captured Dar’s hand and felt the fingers curl around hers. “You want to sit down a minute?

There’s a bench near here.”

Dar felt a certain weakness in her knees, and realized it was probably a good idea. “Sure. Yeah.” She let herself be led over to the bench in question, and they sat down on it, side by side. “Okay, um…” She laughed a bit, rubbing her face with one hand. “I guess we know we, um…” Words failed her again. “Good god, I have no idea what in the hell is wrong with me.”

Kerry leaned her head against the cotton-covered shoulder. “I’m pretty sure this isn’t covered in the employee handbook.” She patted Dar’s back, and just left her hand there. “Or maybe it is, and I just haven’t gotten to that section yet. That thing is huge,” she rambled on a little, hoping it would get Dar to relax. She paused as a thought occurred to her. The part of the handbook she had read had covered employee relations, and what was allowed between employees and their bosses was spelled out very clearly. Or, more to the point, what wasn’t allowed. “Guess this means I’ve got to start checking ETIPS, huh?”

“Um…” Dar wrestled with her composure. “Well, technically, yeah, I guess. But, um, hold it.” She took a deep breath, then released it. “Let’s just…I finally found a decent assistant. I’m not ready to let you go just yet. Let’s see if we can keep work, and this…separate.”

“Mmm.” Kerry felt her hand start a gentle circling motion against Dar’s back. She had no desire to change jobs. Maybe they could just see how things worked out. Slow, Dar said. Take things slow. “Okay,” she agreed softly. “I kinda like the boss I have.”

A moment of silence, of waves, of winds stirring the palm leaves. “Your boss kinda likes you too,” Dar responded softly. “I didn’t expect it to come out like this.” She hesitated. “I just couldn’t keep it back any more.”

Kerry let out a relieved sigh. “It was getting pretty hard for me, too,” she admitted shyly. “I thought it was the most ridiculous thing in the world. I mean—having a crush on your boss; how cliché can you possibly get, right?”

A wry smile answered her, and Dar’s dark brows lifted. “So it wasn’t the promotion you were after, huh?”

Kerry blushed. “I had no idea what that job was, and I could have cared less,” she admitted honestly. “Just something about… Oh boy. I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

Dar looked down at the wood of the boardwalk. “Likewise.” She looked back up, and their eyes met. “Thought I was just being, mmm…” She paused 232 Melissa Good and sighed. “Didn’t think you were my type.”

Kerry covered her face with one hand and chuckled almost soundlessly.

Dar exhaled, unable to prevent a giddy smile from shaping her lips. “Okay.

Well, now that we’ve got that straight, we can proceed accordingly.” She considered. “Let’s see, we’ve already been trapped in a hurricane, gone through a carjacking, and slept in the same bed together. I guess we can skip the obligatory ‘meet in the coffee shop’ date, huh?”

Kerry giggled. “Uh, yeah.” She rubbed her nose. “Let me try this one. Can I interest you in dinner and a movie tomorrow night?” She glanced down, then up again. “I’ll cook.”

“As long as it’s not Titanic,” Dar agreed with a smile. “Or anything with subtitles.”

“Ew.” Kerry winced. “I’m more a Starship Troopers kind of person myself,” she confessed, a little guiltily.

“Phew.” Dar mock wiped her brow. “That’s a relief.”

They looked at each other quietly. “It felt really good when you hugged me,” Kerry finally said softly. “I’ve never felt like that before, except maybe in my dreams.”

Dar gazed at her soberly. “Neither have I.” Hesitantly, she circled Kerry’s shoulders with her arm, and felt the smaller woman immediately ease against her. “I like that.” She leaned against the bench’s back and almost stopped breathing as Kerry laid an arm across her stomach and nestled her head against Dar’s shoulder. They watched the waves in peace for a while, until Dar noticed Kerry was struggling to keep her eyes open. “Hey, c’mon. Time to get you home.”

I am home, a tiny voice insisted as Kerry forced herself to sit up straight, very reluctantly leaving Dar’s warmth. “Yeah, falling asleep on the beach sounds nice in stories, but they forget to mention all the sand that gets everywhere,” she joked as she pushed herself to her feet and held a hand out to the still-seated Dar.

Sand crunching lightly under their shoes, their hands clasped together, they walked back up the boardwalk.