Tropical Storm

Chapter Twenty-two

DAR LEANED BACK in her seat and closed her eyes as the warm sunlight poured in her window. She was showered and dressed, and on the ferry heading over to the mainland, only a few minutes later than she usually was. Not bad. “Morning, Maria.”

“Buenos días, Dar,” her secretary’s voice answered. “I have a note here from Mr. Draefus. Is there a report you were supposed to send to him last night?”

Oh shit. Dar almost slapped her forehead in dismay. “I have it here, I’m…still reviewing it, Maria.” She unzipped her laptop case and booted the machine. “I had some problems with some of the…uh, he has some…” Her eyes flicked over the report as the ferry made the long, slow turn into the dock. “Yeah, he has some addendums here that don’t make sense. “

“I’ll tell him that you’re not done with it yet,” Maria told her. “Okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll send it over when I get in and dock.” Dar skimmed the rest of the report. “Uh, I have a set of statistics I need copied for my nine o’clock.

They’re in my outbox. Can you take care of that?”

“Surely,” her secretary assured her.

“Okay, thanks. I’ve gotta get off the ferry here,” Dar mumbled, as she shifted gears and started the car forward. “I’ll see you in a few minutes, Maria.”

“Drive carefully, Dar,” Maria said as usual. “There are crazy people out there.”

Uh huh. Dar maneuvered the Lexus off the ferry and out onto the street, turning left onto the causeway, silently berating herself for forgetting Duk’s report. “C’mon, Dar, snap out of it. You’ve got a division to run here.” She shook her head.

The short drive gave her time to focus her thoughts, and by the time she pulled into the parking lot, she’d managed to put her mind to the problems of the day, and set aside the distracting wonder of the night before. Almost.

She ran her fingers through her dark hair as she entered the offices, crossing to the elevators in time to join Duks as he held the door for her.

“Morning, Duks.” She gave him a quick look. “I’ve got some issues with that report. I’ll copy you on them when I get in.”

“Fair enough.” Duks leaned back against the elevator wall. “Be careful in that meeting this morning. I hear José has some tricks up his sleeve. He’s trying to push those government accounts to lower the margin on them.”

Dar snorted softly. “Someday he’ll learn quantity doesn’t do crap for you 272 Melissa Good if you don’t make money on it.” She shifted her laptop. “He didn’t learn from that Olympics fiasco?”

Duks sighed and shook his head. “Not hardly. Hey, listen, Mariana thought she’d get together a few folks for an evening out at Monty’s this Friday. You interested?”

Dar glanced at him, slightly puzzled. Usually Mariana did her own group announcements. “Um, I don’t think I have plans. Sure, tell her to drop me a note when she finalizes.”

“Okay,” Duks agreed amiably. “She thought she’d ask Mark Polenti, Barbara and… Hey, she did mention… You think Kerry would be interested?”

Ah. Dar managed to restrict her reaction to a faint shrug. “How would I know? Ask her. She never claimed a seafood allergy or a fear of the ocean, so…”“Will do,” the Finance VP assured her. “Mariana says she’s a nice kid.

After all, she tolerates you, so she’d probably make a fun addition to the group.”

Dar chuckled dryly. “I’m sure she’ll be flattered to be asked.” She held the door open for Duks to go out before her.

“Well, Mariana wanted to be sure…that you wouldn’t mind first. After all, you have to work with her. You might not want to spend off hours with the kid.”

She almost—almost—burst into helpless laughter. “Ah, what’s one night?” she managed to get out, biting off a grin. “Nah, she’s fine. She’s got some good ideas, and speaks her mind. Nice change.”

“Good to hear.” Duks gave her a nod. “See you for lunch?”

Dar gave a half shrug. “Depends on how long-winded José is.” She gave her friend a little wave as she exited the elevator. “I’ll call you when I get out.”

When she reached her suite, she opened the outer door and slipped inside.

“Hello, Maria.”

The short woman glanced up from the phone call she was on and waved, then held out a sheaf of papers in silence. Dar walked over and took them, then continued into her office. She closed the door behind her and moved across the carpet, stopping as she glanced at her desk. Centered on the top of it was a small plate containing several pastries, neatly arranged, along with a covered cup. Dar felt a smile shape her lips as she continued on around the desk and sat down, flipped on her desktop and put down her laptop case. She selected a pastry and bit into it with pleasure. It was still warm, and she enjoyed the taste, along with the sweet coffee in the cup. As soon as her computer finished coming up, she clicked on the corporate instant messaging software she hardly ever used, and keyed in Kerry’s network address.

Thanks for the pastries. How’d you know which ones I like? She typed in, and hit enter. After a few more bites, the response came back.

Easy. I picked the unhealthiest ones I could find .

Dar chuckled wryly.

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Good guess , she sent back. They’re great.

She clicked on her mail, then sent Duks back a copy of his report with a few notes. After a few minutes of review, and the rest of the pastries, she got another message.

I’m heading out to the MTC. Anything you need taken care of first?

Nope. Good luck and have fun, Dar sent back. If

you’re back around lunch, drop by.

She set down the papers Maria had given to her and started reviewing them, circling things in a bright purple pen that the sales managers had learned to detest with a deep and abiding passion. The phone buzzed. “Yes?”

“Dar, General Easton on numero dos.”

She glanced at the phone, then punched the button. “Hello, Gerry.”

“Hellloooooo, Dar.” The general’s robust voice came through the phone.

“Just wanted you to know, that flight was pure negligence. A pity, but nothing to do with you, my friend.”

Dar nodded quietly to herself. “Wanted to make sure it was all right, Ger.

Senator Stuart’s daughter was on the flight as well, and he had some concerns in that regard.”

A low whistle. “Wow. Intelligence didn’t pick that up at all.

Howinthehell did you know about it?”

“It wasn’t that hard, she’s my assistant,” Dar told him dryly. She circled another discrepancy with her pen and chuckled to herself. It was going to be an enjoyable meeting.

Easton laughed. “And here you had me marveling at your damn comprehensive detail orientation. That’s rich, you hired that bastard’s kid?

Politically nice, Dar, very nice.” His voice was approving. “Never hurts to have a friend up on Mount Olympus.”

Oh yes, he’d looovvvvee me. Dar bit her lip to keep from smiling. Hello, Senator Conservative-as-grass-grows-up from Michigan. I’m dating your daughter.

Nice ta meet ya. Whoops, watch that ground there as you fall over, it’s a little hard.

“Yeah, well, that wasn’t a consideration, but I do have to keep it in mind.”

Easton chuckled. “Whatever you say. Listen, you up for a visit over Turkey Day? I’ve got an extra spot at the table with your name on it.”

Dar hesitated, playing with her pen. Kerry would, she knew, be home in Michigan over that whole weekend. The thought of staying alone in her condo was suddenly very unappealing. “Gerry, I’d like that,” she replied quietly.

“Thanks.”

His smile could be heard through the phone. “Fantastic! I’ll tell the wife.

She’ll be thrilled.” He paused. “And so will my kid. See you Wednesday night?”

“Sure,” Dar agreed. “I’ll make the arrangements. Thanks again, Gerry.”

He hung up, and she sat back, considering. Kerry’s family was going to put a lot of pressure on her when she was home, Dar reasoned, though the younger woman had been very reluctant to discuss her family with Dar. Well, 274 Melissa Good Washington is a lot closer to Michigan than Miami is. Just in case. She pushed the intercom. “Maria?”

“Si?”

“I need a plane ticket to Washington National the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, coming back that Sunday.”

“Ay, it’s late for that, Dar. One ticket?”

Dark brows drew together. What an odd question. “Yes, one ticket. General Easton invited me out there for the holidays. I know it’s going to be pricey.

Just do the best you can.”

“I’ll take care of it, Dar.” Maria clicked the intercom and she went back to her report, finding a flagrant lie and pouncing on it with a chuckle of glee.

“Ah! José, I have your cojones in my right hand, can’t you feel me squeezing?”

KERRY PARKED HER car in the parking lot and stepped out, locking the doors and putting on her jacket, straightening it with an automatic gesture.

The building was an unassuming one, situated just behind the Miami airport, a single-story structure set on a long, narrow strip of land. The company logo was prominent on the outside, and Kerry gave it a look as she walked to the door and pulled it open as the guard inside unlocked it. “Good morning.” She gave the man a smile. “I’m looking for…”

A woman came around the corner by the desk. “Ms. Stuart?”

Kerry turned. “Yes. Hello.”

A hand poked out at her. “Lisa Andrews, from the account team. Thanks for coming over. It’s always nice when people from HQ come out and see what we do.” The woman was about Kerry’s height, with ash-blonde hair and a frank, friendly smile. Her pale gray eyes studied Kerry briefly, then she gestured toward the hallway. “I’ll give you the tour, we’ve got about twenty minutes before we start.”

Obligingly, Kerry followed her to the corridor intersection, where the woman turned left. The building was one very long hallway, with rooms on either side. “Down there is the mail room,” Lisa explained, “and the facilities room for the contract. We run some servers down there for them.”

Kerry nodded, having reviewed the account before leaving the office.

“Their web server and two applications servers.”

Lisa paused and blinked at her in surprise. “Right,” she agreed.

“Installation Services are in that suite, and we have an executive area where the account execs have offices and a conference room.” She started down the hallway. “Down this side, we have the training area, then at the end, the network center.”

“Can we go in there?” Kerry asked. “I’d love to see how that works.” She followed the woman down the hall and paused as she scanned her card and opened the door. It gave them access to a large, more or less square room that filled the entire end of the building. Stretched across the floor were rows of cubicles, reminding Kerry of her old offices at Associated. Each cubicle had a PC, and most had technicians inside them, busy speaking to customers. It all looked very professional and very businesslike.

A voice suddenly sounded from the taller walled cubicles just to Kerry’s Tropical Storm 275

right-hand side. “Incoming!” A projectile flew over the wall, and she barely caught it, grabbing it out of the air with a startled look. Lisa’s eyes popped out as Kerry examined the item.

It was a soft foam dart. She blinked at it, then looked up as a head appeared over the six-foot wall, peering down at her. “Hi.”

The man’s eyes widened. “Oh… Christ, sorry. It got away.” He leaned over the wall and held out a hand. “Did it hit you?”

Kerry tapped the dart on her shoulder, then she walked around the end of the cubicle section and peered down the center. There was an aisle between the cubes, with entrances on either side. These were larger than the cubes on the floor, with taller walls and overhead bins. Senior techs, Kerry decided, as she paced down the row and glanced into one cubicle, where the tall man was still standing on the desk. As she appeared, he hopped down and put his hands in his pockets. “What did this come from?” Kerry asked, glancing around. The tops of the cabinets were full of toys and small figurines. Beside her, Lisa looked mortified.

The man cleared his throat and pulled a large colorful gun out from behind a set of books and handed it to her.

“Mmm.” Kerry took the item and examined it, pulling back the mechanism and putting the dart in place. She raised it and released the trigger. The missile went flying, smacking into the door at the end of the aisle.

Heads popped out of the cubes and looked at her. The denizen of the end cube reached out and plucked the dart off the door, where it had stuck and glanced back down the row. “What in the hell is going on here?” the woman asked, pulling off her headset and hanging it down around her neck. “David, are you shooting people again?”

“Not me.” The tall man smiled brightly. He pointed at Kerry. “She did it.”

Kerry sauntered down the row until she was at the end cube and plucked the dart from the woman’s fingers. “You guys support these?” she inquired, holding up the gun.

The woman’s eyebrow rose. “Stress relief,” she explained. “For when you deal with the customers who can’t find the on/off switch.” She leaned out.

“You’re not supposed to shoot visiting suits with them,” she accused the tall man, who smiled charmingly.

“Are the customers really like that?” Kerry asked, aware of Lisa’s hovering form. “Doesn’t sound like the proper respect for them.”

The woman paused. “Want to listen to one?” There was a challenge in the invitation.

“Sure.” Kerry smiled, put the gun down and pulled up a chair from the next cube over. She was handed a spare headset, which she put on, and she moved a little closer as the technician resumed her seat.

“Don’t talk unless you want the customer to hear you,” she was instructed. “That mic is live.”

Kerry nodded, glancing around. The cube was filled with technical manuals and a few personal items, including several small stuffed animals sitting on the monitor. Various lists of phone numbers were tacked on the wall, along with a sheaf of certification affidavits and circuit diagrams. The 276 Melissa Good technician called up a screen and punched a button on the phone. “Here we go.”

A soft ding sounded, then a voice came on the line. The technician smoothly answered, identifying the support group. “How can I help you?”

“Hello?” a hesitant voice answered. “Um, is this the computer people?”

“Yes, ma’am, it is. What seems to be the problem?” The technician’s voice was calm and soothing.

“My machine won’t work,” the woman answered, a little more certainly.

“Okay. Is there anything on the screen?” the tech asked.

“No.”

“Okay, Are there any lights on the front of the screen?”

“No.”

“Okay. The screen is attached to a computer. Are there any lights on that?” The technician called up the customer account and checked their inventory.

“I don’t have a computer, I just have a screen,” the woman objected.

Kerry covered the mic. “She has to have one, doesn’t she?”

The tech nodded. “Okay, in the back of the screen there are some cables.

One of them goes to the wall, the other one goes to something else.

“Okay.” The woman’s voice was doubtful. “Okay, yes, I see it.”

“Where does the other one go to?”

“The foot warmer.” Now the woman sounded more confident again. “But it’s hot today, so I had to turn it off.”

“Okay, can we turn it on for a minute?” the tech requested patiently.

“But my feet aren’t cold,” the customer insisted.

“I know, but I’d like to try something. Can you just put it on for a minute?”

“Okay.” A sigh. “Oh, the screen just came on. Look at that.”

Kerry covered her eyes, silently mouthing, “I can’t believe it.”

The dark-haired woman chuckled noiselessly and shrugged. “Okay, what’s on the screen?” the tech asked, rapidly typing information into the screen.

“Some letters.”

“Okay, tell me when the green screen comes up.”

“Okay.” A little silence fell. “Okay, it’s up.”

“Can you login for me?” the technician added notes to the trouble ticket on the screen.

“What’s that?” The customer asked. “I never have this screen. My boss always puts it in the blue screen for me.”

“Okay, type in the word res for me.”

“Okay.”

“Now type it in again, but you won’t see it on the screen,” the tech patiently instructed.

“Okay, I…oh! There’s my blue screen!” The woman sounded delighted.

“You’re a genius!”

“Glad it’s working. Okay, now listen—you have to leave the foot warmer on, all right?” the technician told her, closing out the ticket.

“Oh. Well, okay, I guess I can just take my shoes off if my feet start Tropical Storm 277

getting hot,” the woman decided. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, ma’am. Have a nice day.” The tech hit the Release button, then turned her head and raised an eyebrow at Kerry.

Kerry simply patted her on the shoulder and stood up. “Where did you get this dart gun?”

“Toys R Us,” the tall man supplied helpfully. “They’ve got super-soakers there too, if you want to have some real fun.”

“Mmm.” Kerry turned back to the woman who had answered the call.

“Are they all like that?”

The tech chuckled. “No. You get a range, just like in everything else. But we get a fair share of that.” She turned as the phone rang and put her headset back on. “Yes?” A pause. “Can you ping them?” Another pause. “Shit. Okay, what’s the address?”

Kerry turned away, but not before noting the name on the identification tag next to the cubicle. “Okay. Well, that was informative,” she told Lisa.

“Shall we?”

There was an awkward little silence as they left the busy room. “Sorry about that, I should have…”

Kerry up put a hand. “Don’t worry about it. It’s better to release stress like that than on each other. Or the customers.” She paused. “Is there a Toys R

Us near here?”

She sat through the town halls, listening to the thoughts and concerns of the employees, not unlike the ones with which she was familiar: job stress, training, advancement, pay raises. They were caught in a paradox. Provide the techs the training they were asking for, and chances were they’d leave and go elsewhere, at higher pay. Don’t provide it, and you erode your skill sets and make the account less valuable. Kerry sighed. There really was no good answer. You tried to balance the training with the need and give enough other amenities so that people stayed because they were comfortable with the environment. Their benefits package was a good one, but…

She put the thought away for the moment and checked her watch as she stepped out of the building into the warm sunlight. It felt good after the chilly air conditioning, and she rubbed her arms, then glanced around as Lisa Andrews joined her. “Well, thanks for inviting me down. That was very interesting,” she told the account executive. “I appreciated seeing everything.”

“Anytime.” Lisa folded her arms. “You interested in lunch?”

“Well, I actually have to get back to the office, I’m a little late for a meeting.” Kerry glanced around. “Is there any place around here where I can just pick something up?”

“I TOLD YOU before, José, you can’t margin those circuits,” Dar stated flatly, leaning forward and pinning him with her pale eyes. “I’m not going to approve that.”

The stocky sales executive stood up and threw out his hands. “Then you give me a goddamn way to get twenty percent new sales this year.”

“That’s not my job.”

278 Melissa Good

“It is your damn job, because you won’t let me do mine,” José retorted.

“He’s right, Dar. You’re strangling our marketing efforts,” Eleanor interjected smoothly. “How can we compete if we can’t project capability?”

“You mean, how can you get contracts if you can’t lie?” Dar snapped.

“You’re not projecting capability—you know perfectly well what the growth curve is for infrastructure—you just want to promise clients services we can’t fulfill.” She stood up and faced them, putting her fingertips on the table and leaning over it. “I’m not buying it.”

“Then you’d better start pushing infrastructure, because otherwise, that’s who’s going to have this crap laid on their doorstep. They’re not keeping up with our needs,” José stated triumphantly.

“They’re not budging, José. You know better,” Dar growled. “You need to get more creative and stop relying on your old fishing buddies in order to get new contracts.”

“Dar, that’s not fair,” Eleanor interrupted, putting up a meticulously manicured finger. “You’re failing to provide us the tools we need to properly sell this company.”

“No.” The knives came out. “You just couldn’t market your way out of a paper bag,” Dar told her. “And you’d better change that, because I’m not approving any bid that overreaches our capability.” She slammed the papers down on the table. “Now, if we’re done with this crap, I have productive work I could be doing.” She gathered up her pad and pens and pushed her chair back, stalking out of the room and slamming the door behind her. She paused to listen to the loud voices starting behind her and grinned, then she exited the flashy offices that housed the Sales department and headed back toward her own domain. It was lunchtime, but she knew she didn’t really have time to go downstairs before the one o’clock conference call. With a sigh, she pushed open her outer office door and gave Maria a smile. “Any disasters I should know about?”

Maria glanced up. “Mmm. Nothing since you left, Dar. You have three messages. I left them on your desk, and I was supposed to remind you of the Government division cocktail party tonight.”

Dar blew out a breath. Damn. I’d forgotten that. “All right, thanks.” She entered her office and closed the door, then crossed the room and seated herself at her desk. A moment later, a soft knock came on her inner door.

“C’mon in.” She felt a smile coming onto her face even as the wooden panel opened, and Kerry’s blonde head poked itself inside. “Hey.” God, it feels good to see her. Kerry was dressed in a dark blue skirt suit and pale blue shirt, and she looked slightly mussed and, to Dar’s eyes, very sexy. Her annoyance with José ebbed away. “Hey.”

A flash of white as Kerry returned the smile, then the blonde woman came in, holding up a bag. “Did you get a chance to have lunch? I brought something back for you.”

“No, and thank you,” Dar replied, leaning back in her chair. “I just got out of a really annoying meeting.”

Kerry settled on the edge of the desk and opened the bag, spreading out a napkin, then setting out a container of Chinese food. “They have a limited selection around there, and I didn’t think you’d appreciate Taco Bell.”

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Dar peeked inside the container and grinned. “Good choice.” She sniffed the sweet and spicy chicken appreciatively. “I was in the mood for this today.

How’d you guess?”

“I think I just got lucky.” Kerry chuckled and handed her a pair of chopsticks. “Oh, and, um…” She overturned her cupped hand and poured a trickle of silver-wrapped Hershey’s kisses on the desk. “Dessert.”

“Heh.” Dar immediately abandoned the chicken and pounced on the chocolate. “Listen, be careful in that meeting you’ve got with Eleanor this afternoon. I just offended her pretty badly.” She happily munched a kiss. “On top of it, I have to be nice to her at a cocktail party tonight.”

Kerry grimaced. “Thanks for warning me. Tonight’s my skating night with Colleen. I’ll be ready to let out some frustration by the time I get done with them, I bet.” She paused, seeming to want to go on, but fell silent.

“We still on for tomorrow night?” Dar asked, watching her face. “If you want, we can go back to my place afterward. Maybe take a swim in the pool?”

Sea green eyes warmed. “I’d like that.”

Dar silently unwrapped one of the kisses and handed it to her, eyes twinkling.

The opening door surprised both of them and they jumped a little. Maria entered, giving them a glance, then smiling. “Ah, Kerrisita, I have mail for you.”

She bustled forward and handed Kerry several pieces of mail. “Dar, I got your tickets, but Dios mío, it is expensive.” She handed the executive an itinerary.

“And remember, you have your follow-up visit to your doctor tomorrow.”

Dar nodded, taking the sheet and examining it. “Great. Thanks, Maria.”

She thought a minute. “It probably won’t take long tomorrow, I’m his first visit. He just wants to repeat the bloodwork he did last time.” She glanced at her watch. “Let me swallow this, and I gotta get going.”

“Me too.” Kerry nodded. “Wish me luck.”

The dark-haired woman rolled her eyes. “Good luck. And remember, she’s probably in a foul mood.” Dar thought a minute. “Especially since she probably missed lunch.” She grinned evilly and bit a piece of chicken in half.

Kerry groaned. “All right. See you all later.” She got off the desk and left the office, leaving Maria shuffling papers and Dar chewing.

The door closed. “Ay, she is such a nice person, Dar.” Maria sighed. “So sweet.”

“Mmm, yeah. It was nice of her to bring me back some lunch. She’s a good kid,” Dar replied offhandedly. “Glad I found her.”

“Si, is good,” Maria agreed. “And how is your headaches?”

Dar took a breath to answer, then stopped. She blinked. “I…I haven’t had one since I went home that day,” she murmured, a little disconcerted. “Now how do you like that?”

“Is good! Maybe seeing Mickey Mouse helped,” Maria suggested.

“Maybe.” Dar took another bite of chicken and smiled in return.

“Or maybe it is Kerrisita being so nice to you, yes?” Maria asked with an impish expression.

Dar paused in mid-chew and looked at her.

“I will go make copies now. Enjoy your lunch, Jefa.” Her admin bustled out, closing the door softly behind her and leaving Dar in wide-eyed silence.

280 Melissa Good KERRY STRAPPED ON the Rollerblades, looking up as a knock came at the door. “C’mon in, Col,” she called out cheerfully, then grinned as the door popped open and Colleen came rolling in, waving her hands for balance.

“Hey, watch it!”

The redhead plopped down on the couch, sticking her wheeled feet out in front of her. “Hey, Ker, what’s up?” Her eyes twinkled mischievously at her friend. “Was that Dar’s Lexus out there last night?”

Was it only last night? Jesus. “Um…yeah,” Kerry knew she was blushing,

“it was. She came over for dinner.”

Colleen chuckled in triumph. “I knew it. We think you two are soooooo cute together.”

Kerry’s head came up so fast it made her dizzy. “What? Who is we?”

The redhead noted that her friend didn’t dispute the statement. “Ray and Susan and me. We hung around talking about you Saturday night.” She grinned unrepentantly at Kerry’s shocked look. “Okay, okay, so she passed the grilling. She’s not a gorgon.”

“C’mon, Colleen, it was just dinner.” Kerry tried a weak laugh. “You’re acting like we’re a couple or something.” After a slight silence, Kerry looked up and saw her friend gazing at her, a knowing look on her face. They stared at each other for a long, tense moment before Kerry sighed and dropped her gaze, looking down at a pair of knotted hands between her knees.

Colleen got up and rolled over, crouching down next to her and putting a hand on her knee. “Kerry, if it makes you happy, it’s all right.”

“It’s not all right.” Kerry looked up. “She’s my boss, Colleen. It’s against company rules, and we could both get in a lot of trouble.” She couldn’t keep the tiny smile from stretching her lips. “We’re trying to keep it a secret. I think we’re doing a miserable job of it, though, if you guys came to that conclusion after just having dinner with us.”

“Well…”

“Before we’d even so much as kissed each other,” Kerry finished, resting her chin on one fist. “Am I wearing a sign or something?”

Colleen sat down on the floor and crossed her legs, careful not to boot her friend in the shins with the Rollerblades. “Listen, hon, let me ’splain something to you about something we call chemistry.” She put a fingertip on Kerry’s knee. “Do you know what I’m talking about?”

Kerry exhaled. “Not really, unless you’re referring to periodic tables or something bizarre like that.”

“Okay. Well, chemistry is when something clicks between two people.

You can see it on the TV screen sometimes, but not always because those are people who are playing characters, you know?”

Kerry’s brow creased. “Not exactly.”

Colleen thought. “Okay, have you ever seen a Richard Burton and Liz Taylor movie?”

“Um, sure, that Roman thing. Yeah, okay.” Kerry nodded. “They’re really good together, I thought. I really believed they were in love with each other.”

“Well, they were,” Colleen smiled at her, “in real life. And that showed when they were on the screen together, too. When they looked at each other, or just how they acted…you could tell.” She exhaled. “That’s chemistry. And a Tropical Storm 281

lot of times you’ll hear someone say ‘those two had chemistry’ when they’re talking about people on TV, or in the movies, or even just two people they see.” She paused. “You understand?”

“Not exactly,” Kerry admitted. “I mean, yes. I know what you mean about characters. I usually notice when people are supposed to be in love on the screen, and it’s obvious that they can’t stand each other in real life, so, yeah.”

Colleen rubbed her temples. “I was trying to put this gently, but I can see it’s a wasted effort.” She laughed softly. “Kerry, when you look at her, your whole face lights up.” She glanced up at the startled woman. “And when she looks at you, there’s an electricity that I can almost feel.” She searched Kerry’s face for a reaction. “You two have chemistry going, big time, and it doesn’t take a PhD to pick up on it.”

Kerry thought about that. “Oh.” She made a wry face. “I had no idea we…hmm.” She considered. “I didn’t realize we were that obvious.”

“Obviously.” Colleen patted her on the knee. “And it may not be so apparent to people who don’t know you that well, but remember, lassie, we’ve been friends for a few years now.”

“Mmm.” Kerry rested her chin on her fists again. “It makes me feel good to be with her; I guess it shows.”

The redhead laughed softly. “You could say that. But if you guys are trying to keep it quiet, you’d better not hang around each other at work a lot.”

“Well, we don’t,” Kerry mused. “I saw her all of once today.” She exhaled. “We’re both pretty busy. Maybe it was worse that night because we were kinda…um, I mean…we didn’t…” She stopped and gathered her thoughts. “Afterward we went out to Crandon and walked on the beach, and, um, we kinda…I guess we admitted that we were attracted to each other,” she finished awkwardly. “So now it’s not so, um…”

“Freaky,” Colleen supplied understandingly.

“Yeah, exactly. We both understand what’s going on, and it’s not so frustrating, so I’m sure it’s not as readily noticeable.”

Colleen grinned knowingly. “Did you guys kiss out there? On the beach?”

Kerry felt the blush heat her face, but she nodded. “Yeah,” she admitted shyly. “It was…it wasn’t what I was expecting.” She relived the moment. “We were just out there, talking about stuff—the Bermuda Triangle and dinner…and—I don’t know, it was like there was stuff going on underneath it all. I asked her if I could ask a personal question. I have no idea what I was going to ask but she kind of just stood up and kissed me, and said ‘does that answer the question?’ ” She grinned at Colleen’s rapt face. “And it did. It was…very strange, but really nice.”

“That’s really romantic, Ker.” Colleen sighed. “She seems like a really deep person.”

The blonde head nodded. “She is, yeah, she is. There’s all kinds of stuff going on in there. I think that’s what makes her so interesting.” She paused.

“At least to me.”

Colleen nodded a little. “ Did she stay over all night last night?” She asked delicately, or not so delicately.

Kerry remained silent for a moment. “Yes,” she finally admitted softly.

282 Melissa Good A small quiet descended. “You all right with that?” the redhead asked hesitantly. “I know…I mean, we talked about how you felt… Oh, you know what I mean.”

She knew. “I wasn’t…I mean, I didn’t really know what to expect, Col. I was a little nervous, I’ll tell you that, and freaked out, and a dozen other things, but, I…” She stopped to breathe. “It’s okay.”

Colleen’s brow creased in concern. “She’s not pushing you into any of this, is she? Kerry, listen, don’t feel like you’re being pressured to do something you’re not comfortable with.”

Kerry blushed a deep red, and scratched at her jaw. “Um, actually, I was the one who started it,” she muttered sheepishly as she gave Colleen a little shrug. “I’m all right with it, really.”

The redhead patted her arm. “Good for you.” She smiled. “So, when are you guys moving in together?”

Kerry’s jaw dropped. “What?” She burst out laughing. “Jesus Christ, Col, it’s not like that. It’s a physical thing. We’re just…it’s not that serious.” She paused thoughtfully. “Yet.”

“Uh…huh. Okay.” Colleen bit off a smile and gave her a nod. “When are you guys seeing each other again, then?”

“Tomorrow night. After the gym,” Kerry explained. “I told you I signed up for those classes. If I’m going to keep on hanging out with her, Rollerblading isn’t going to cut it.” She cocked her head. “You guys have a program for that gym, too. Why don’t you come along?” she inquired. “I signed up for that beginner self-defense class, it should be fun. I could use some moral support.”

“Okay, I could do that,” Colleen mused. “It’s right down the street from our office, too. And besides, I’d better if I want to be able to see you other than waving hello in the mornings,” she teased gently. “Anyway, c’mon, let’s get rolling. It’s muggier than a hot sauna outside. Sooner we finish, the sooner I can take a shower.”

“I’ll vote for that.” Kerry looked up and grinned. “Know what I wish this place had? A hot tub.”

“Hot tub?” Colleen put her hands on her hips. “Well, hoity hoi hoi. Let me guess—does Dar have a hot tub, by any chance?” Kerry nodded with a rakish smirk. Her friend laughed. “I guess this is another good reason for you to tell your parents to kiss your ass when you go home for Turkey Day, huh?”

Kerry finished velcroing herself into the skates and stood up, balancing expertly. “I had a lot of good reasons before that, but, yeah.” She finally allowed a frankly happy grin to take over her face. “This kinda puts the nail in it, so to speak. I just hope I can find a way to do it without getting kicked out of the family.” Firmly putting aside worries about her parents, she shook her head and plodded over to the door, pushing it open. “Let’s go.”

DAR WAS GLAD to get out of the damp wind and into the cool, quiet peace of the condo. The cocktail party had been outdoors at Viscaya, and she was glad the less than perfect weather had given her a good excuse to get out of there early and escape the throngs of alternately fawning and sniping sales managers clustering around.

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Eleanor had been particularly cutting, oozing up to her and telling her what a lovely young person Kerry was, and how she was going to do her best to steal her away and save her from having to suffer where she was. “She’s destined for bigger things than being your peon, Dar.” Then the woman had smiled at her.

Dar tossed her jacket down on the couch and kicked off her shoes.

“Wonder if you knew how close you were to being thrown into Biscayne Bay, Eleanor?” she remarked wryly to the air. “Toss, sploosh, whoops. Sorry, Mariana, I know that creates a mountain of paperwork.”

The cool tile felt good against her tired feet, and she paused a moment, flexing her toes before she wandered into the bedroom. She slid out of her skirt, hose, and silk blouse and into her baseball shirt and shorts with a feeling of utter relief, enjoying the feel of the soft cotton against her skin.

Humming lightly, she wandered into the kitchen and pulled open her refrigerator, peering at its vast emptiness with a pensive expression. “I’m gonna get teased tomorrow if I don’t put some stuff in here,” she muttered to herself, startled when a soft knock sounded at the door.

For a moment, her heart bounded, considering the possibility it might be Kerry, then she realized there was no way for the blonde woman to get on the island without them notifying her first. She felt curiously disappointed as she crossed the floor and peered through the small window in the door. “Evening, Clemente.” She opened it and allowed the short, round, always perspiring manager of resident services to enter.

“Good evening, good evening, Ms. Roberts. I’m sorry it’s so late, but I saw you pull in.” The man wiped his brow with a handkerchief. “The floor waxing people will be here on the island tomorrow, and you said to let you know the next time so you can have the tiles done in here.”

“Oh, sure.” Dar glanced around. “That would be fine. And, hey, listen, Clemente. Can I get your people to do something for me?”

“Surely. What can we do?”

“Shop,” Dar replied, “for groceries.”

Clemente waved his hands in a very Cuban manner. “Of course. Give me a list and I’ll have Rosalita pick everything up for you and put it away.”

“I don’t have a list,” Dar muttered. “Can she just pick up the normal stuff people have in their houses?” She glanced at the kitchen. “Just, whatever?”

The man’s brow crumpled like corrugated cardboard. “Ms. Roberts, I can’t have her shop for something I don’t know what to tell her to shop for.

What is it you need?” He peered at the kitchen. “Bread? Fruitas?”

Dar sighed and motioned for him to follow her. “Look.” She opened the refrigerator. “I need things other than this.” She lifted her hands and let them drop. “If I go, I’ll end up with a case of Oreo cookies, six gallons of milk, two tins of Edy’s ice cream, and a jar of peanut butter.”

Clemente covered his eyes. “Dios mío.” He rubbed his face. “You want…orange juice? Bananas? Soup?”

Dar thought. “Bananas are good,” she answered cautiously. “Uh, grapefruit juice. Maybe some English muffins?”

“Si, si.” Clemente pulled a pen from his pocket and scribbled.

“Marmalada?”

284 Melissa Good

“Apricot is okay, or grape.” Dar considered. “Oh, and some tea.”

“Pekoe, China?” Clemente inquired.

“The kind you put in a cup and drink,” Dar replied wryly. “Just some bags. If they have herbal stuff, that’s good.” She drummed her fingers on the counter. “They have strawberries?”

“Si, Driscolls.” the man answered, making a note. “They have a nice box today. The big ones, si? All laid out like roses, very nice.”

She flashed him a grin. “Get me a box of those…and two big bars of milk chocolate.”

She gave him a few more items, then watched him leave, sighing as the door closed behind his round figure. “That’s taken care of.” She found herself grinning in anticipation of seeing Kerry’s face when she actually had something more than milk to offer her. She got herself a glass, and checked the terminal, seeing the blinking mail-waiting flag. “Mail.”

“Dar Roberts, seven mail, none urgent,” the terminal replied, displaying the screen.

She reviewed them. “Read six.” Her face was already creasing into a smile as her eyes saw the author.

Sent by: Kerry Stuart

Subject: Party

Time: 7:34 PM

Hey…

Just wanted to drop a note to say hi. Hope the party went well. You were right about Eleanor, she was all over me like white on rice at the meeting, and if she didn’t tell me twelve times I was wasted where I was, she didn’t say it once. I haven’t been buttered up that bad since some Young Republicans found out who my father was when I was in high school.

Wonder what she’d do if I told her I’d rather work for Moammar Kadafi than her? At least with him, you know where the knife is coming from. And he’s cuter. She smells like slightly rancid make-up foundation.

Anyway, she made a particularly disgusting joke about you, and I think she’s testing me to see if I tell you about it. So I’m not going to. But I did pull the plug out of her remote control while she was doing the

presentation, so she looked like an idiot for about ten minutes while she was standing there clicking fruitlessly and nothing was happening.

I am ashamed to say I enjoyed that a lot.

See you tomorrow.

K

Dar burst into laughter, putting her cup down to keep from spilling it, and leaning over the counter. “Oh god.” She snickered, imagining the progressively more frustrated Eleanor pounding the buttons. “Oh god, I’m sorry I missed that.” She gasped, still chuckling. “Reply,” she told the Tropical Storm 285

machine. “Audio record,” she added, with a grin.

“Hey, Kerry...it was worth having to suffer through that damn party just to get home and read this. Whenever I see her in a meeting from now on, I’ll remember the image you put in my head of her clicking on that stupid remote she loves so much and getting frustrated.”

Dar paused.

“Hope you had fun Rollerblading...I’ll, um, see you tomorrow after my appointment. We’ll see if that little jaunt up in Orlando made any difference. I think it did, because I haven’t had a headache since the storm.”

During another pause, she could feel several thoughts struggling to get out and be voiced, but the words just wouldn’t come to her.

“Anyway, have a good night.”

Dar stared at the screen a moment, then sighed. “Send.”

She chuckled softly as she scanned the other messages, none of which really required her attention before the morning. She took her milk and wandered out onto the porch, where the breeze blowing out against the waves was growing steadily cooler. Dar settled into one of the padded deck chairs and propped her feet up against the stone railing, leaning back and gazing out over the water.

The soft sound of the surf crashing against the seawall lulled her, as she idly watched the stars wink overhead. “Star light, star bright…” she murmured. “What would you wish for, Dar? Hmm?”

Prudently, the stars remained silent.

The phone buzzed softly inside, and Dar jumped, shaking her head a little to clear it before she ducked inside and grabbed the wireless receiver.

“Hello?”

“Hey.” Kerry’s voice sounded wry, yet amused.

“Well, hello,” Dar replied, taking the phone with her and resuming her seat. “Didn’t expect to hear from you tonight. I just answered your mail.”

“I know. That’s how I knew you were home,” came the answer, along with a slight chuckle. “I, um…just wanted to make sure you didn’t freak out when I come in looking like a Klingon tomorrow. I had a close encounter with a truck.”

There was a split second of dead silence, then Dar sat up straight, her heart pounding. “W-what? Are you all right? What happened? Did you get the license plate number?”

“Dar! Dar, slow down,” Kerry interrupted quickly. “No, no, it was parked at the time. Behind the bakery. Colleen and I usually go down there and reward ourselves with a doughnut after we finish. I was coming around the corner and didn’t realize a delivery truck was parked right in front of me.”

“Oh.” Dar settled back, still unnerved. “Ow, I bet that hurt.”

286 Melissa Good

“Yeah, my head slammed into the side mirror. I have this huge lump there.” Kerry sighed. “I have ice on it. Probably will go down before tomorrow morning, but there’ll still be a bruise.”

“Well…” Dar breathed a sigh of relief. “Damn, sorry to hear that. Did you get your doughnut, at least?”

A snorting chuckle. “Two of them. Colleen bought them for me. She felt bad because she was distracting me when it happened.”

Dar had a sudden desire to personally make sure the bump was not serious, and she had to bite her tongue to keep from telling Kerry she was on her way over there. “You sure you’re all right?” she finally asked hesitantly.

The warmth in Kerry’s voice was unmistakable. “Yeah, but thanks for asking.” A pause. “Well, I’d better let you get going. Just wanted to…um, warn you. “

“Glad you called,” Dar said quietly. “See you in the morning.”

“Good night.”

The line went dead, and Dar tucked the phone against her chin, staring out over the waves, evaluating her sudden gut-level response.

Okay, she was a goal-oriented, over-controlling alpha bitch who didn’t trust anyone, and who refused to leave even the slightest details to chance.

Right?

Right.

So naturally, it was her responsibility to make sure her employee, a valuable company asset, was all right.

Right?

Right. Just part of the job. It was completely professional and normal for her to want to personally supervise the placing of cold ice packs on Kerry’s head, preferably while she was tucked into Dar’s waterbed.

Slapping the side of her head, she started laughing. “I’m going out of my mind,” she concluded, as she pushed herself to her feet. Insanity feels, she mused, surprisingly good.

KERRY CLOSED HER eyes as she replaced the cold compress on her head, wishing the throbbing would at least ease a little. In addition to her head hurting, her chest and arm also ached where they had impacted the truck, and she’d twisted her ankle as she frantically tried to stop. Ow.

She hated getting hurt, and even more so, she hated being a klutz. She’d never been truly graceful, even though she’d plodded through a few years of lessons in posture and her somewhat fondly remembered gymnastics classes, but she’d worked hard over the years to try and stop tripping over her own two feet and conquer an admittedly shaky sense of balance.

She’d learned to dance, and through a determined application of exercise developed enough confidence to be able to walk in a slim-line skirt with moderately high heels and not worry about going head over bottom into a punch bowl.

So plowing headlong into a parked truck—a big, dirty, white, parked truck no less—was just really embarrassing. Kerry winced and shifted the compress, closing her eyes as the damp fabric covered them and a drip of Tropical Storm 287

chilled water ran down her face.

Colleen had convinced her to not take anything for the headache, and also told her she’d probably be best off not falling asleep immediately. So here she was, listening to the Discovery Channel and trying not to think about how much her head hurt. Yeesh. Klutz.

“Isn’t she a beaut?” The man’s voice was so full of incredulous enthusiasm, Kerry just had to look.

“No,” she muttered back, seeing the wide-open jaws of a crocodile apparently snapping at the narrator’s butt. “It’s a frigging crocodile about to bite your ass off, you goofball.” Ow. Talking hurts. She let her eyes close again and refreshed the compress.

A soft knock came at the door. One green eye appeared, its brow lifting in outrage. “Who in the hell is knocking on my damn door at eleven o’clock at night?” Another, more hesitant tap, and she groaned. “Hang on.” She got to her feet and trudged across the apartment, leaning against the door and putting her eye to the security glass. It was amazing how quickly she could forget about a headache when she really had to. She pulled back the bolt and jerked open the door. “Hey.”

Dar was leaning casually against the frame, her hands playing with her keys. “I, um…had to go check something out at the South Miami office. I thought I’d stop by and see how you were feeling,” her boss explained.

Kerry felt a smile pulling at her lips. “Wow. Um, c’mon in.” She stepped back and allowed Dar to enter, closing the door behind her and taking a breath before she hesitantly moved in for a hug, still timid in their newly physical relationship. “Oh,” she murmured softly into the leather of Dar’s jacket as the long arms closed around her. “That feels so good.” Her body tingled with the contact, and she found herself delighted at Dar’s unexpected presence. “I’m so glad to see you.”

“Let me see.” Dar released her and gently tipped her head back, examining the discolored lump. “Mmm, that looks nasty. How’s it feel?” She looked intently at Kerry’s eyes, relieved to see only a bit of bloodshot coloring them as they gazed into hers.

“Well.” Kerry grinned sheepishly. “Up until about two minutes ago, it felt lousy.” She blinked up at Dar. “I’m just sore all over. And Col said it wouldn’t be a good idea to go right to bed in case I had a mild concussion or something.” Her eyes searched Dar’s face. “I can’t believe you’re here. That was so nice of you.”

“Shhh.” Dar stroked her cheek. “Don’t you be spreading rumors that I’m nice, okay?” She smiled. “You’ll ruin my reputation.”

Kerry laughed softly. “Oh, right. I forgot.” She sighed. “Well, I was just moping around, putting cold washcloths on my head…unless you have a better idea for this.”

“Mmm.” Dar considered. “I’m no doctor, but let me see what I can do.

You mind a little company?”

“Not yours.” Kerry shook her head. “I mean, if you can stay for a few minutes…I know you’re on your way home.”

“Don’t worry about it, I hardly sleep anyway,” Dar told her blithely.

“Where are your towels?”

288 Melissa Good Kerry showed her, then, like a curious puppy, followed the taller woman as she entered the kitchen and opened the freezer. “I thought about using ice cubes, but they’re so big, they’re hard to handle, and the cold hurts.”

“Mmm-hmm,” Dar agreed. “You have a Ziploc bag?”

“Uh, sure.” Kerry retrieved a gallon-sized one and handed it to her.

“Here.”

Dar took it, then pulled the blender further out onto the counter and took the top off, filling it to the brim with ice. She put the top back on and powered the machine on, watching as it reduced the ice to snowcone status. She pulled the top off and dumped the contents into the Ziploc bag, which she wrapped in the towel. “C’mon.” She led Kerry back into the living room and settled in one corner of the couch, patting the seat next to her.

“Okay.” Kerry sat down, then smiled as Dar leaned back and patted her chest. She lay back against the taller woman’s body and stretched her legs out along the couch. Dar slid an arm around her and placed the compress on her head. It was much colder than the water she’d been using, and she could feel the tense ache in the bump slowly start to ease.

“How’s that?” Dar’s voice inquired from over her shoulder.

Between the comfortable, warm backrest and the sheer pleasure she felt just being in Dar’s presence, Kerry felt like she was pretty damn close to Heaven, in fact. “It’s perfect,” she murmured quietly. “Thanks.”

Dar propped her feet up on the coffee table and relaxed, gazing over Kerry’s shoulder at the television. “What are we watching?”

“Some bleeping nutcase who loves to kiss crocodiles,” Kerry replied.

“Oh, the Crocodile Hunter,” Dar supplied promptly. “I watched one the other week where he and some woman were lugging around crocodiles in the mud.” She paused. “I hope he pays that woman a nice amount.”

Kerry giggled softly. “It’s his wife.”

“Well, that explains why he was hugging her,” Dar mused. “She must be in love…to do something as crazy as that.”

“You got that right.” Kerry shook her head gently. “Ooo. Did you see that? She almost fell overboard!”

“He’s freaking out,” Dar noted, watching the screen with interest. “Oh shit! Is that an anaconda?”

“He’s probably going to kiss it.” Kerry laughed. “Oh, good, he got her back in the boat, and now they’re both kissing the damn snake.” She sighed.

“Amazing what love will make you do. Look, she’s got mud in places the good Lord never intended women to have mud.” They both fell silent for a bit as Dar shifted the compress on Kerry’s head. “Dar?” Kerry finally said, her voice rising in question.

“Mmm-hmm?” Dar inclined her head. “What?”

“What on earth did you have to check in the South Miami office at ten PM?”

An awkward pause ensued. “Um…” Dar cleared her throat and spoke reluctantly. “I didn’t,” she muttered. “I, um, I just wanted to make sure you were okay.” Sea green eyes looked at her as Kerry turned her head and gazed up.

“You…mean you just…came out here?”

Tropical Storm 289

A faint nod answered her. “I, um… You can never tell, with knocks on the head, and I was kind of concerned, so I, uh…yeah,” Dar replied defensively.

“Peace of mind, you know? I just wanted to make sure everything was all right.”

“Mmm.” Kerry thought about that. “That…makes me feel very special.”

She curled her fingers over Dar’s where they were tucked around her waist.

“Thank you. I was feeling pretty lousy before you got here. I’m really glad you came.”

Dar smiled contentedly and let her cheek rest against Kerry’s hair. “So am I,” she murmured, a little surprised at the thought. It really was kind of crazy, if you thought about it. So she didn’t.

“Know what I think would make me feel even better?” Kerry looked up at her.

“Ice cream?” Dar suggested ingenuously.

“Close.” Kerry gently reached up and curled one hand around Dar’s neck; she pulled herself upwards and they kissed. She felt Dar’s arms catch and support her as their tongues touched and explored, and the next thing she knew, there was a knowing tug at the waistband of her cotton shorts and the pain in her head was forgotten.

“Mmm.” Dar licked a drop of water off Kerry’s nose. “Holistic medicine. I like it.”

“Mmm.” Kerry repeated the sound. “Me, too.”