Her phone rang and she hit the button, half expecting it to be Dar, but saw it was an outside line. “Operations, Kerry Stuart speaking.”
“Hey girl!” Colleen’s voice rang through the speaker. “How is it, being back there after a week in paradise?”
“After four days in Hell?” Kerry inquired wryly. “It’s nice. I’m tired as heck, since I’ve been busting my butt all day trying to catch up to everything, but I’m starting to make a dent in the piles. What’s up with you?”
“Busy making copies of videotapes for everybody you know,” Colleen answered smugly. “You rocked in those hearings, Ker. We were all so proud of you.”
Kerry blinked in surprise. “Really?” The office had been conspicuously quiet on the subject. In fact, she’d gotten the idea all day she was being slightly avoided. People had stopped talking when she came into view and she suspected she’d been the topic of some very juicy gossip for the whole week. “I just answered what he asked. They were pissing me off though.”
“No kidding,” Colleen said. “So, listen. What are your plans for tomorrow? You up for a little party?”
Kerry sighed. “Not really, Col, no,” she answered honestly. “It’s just been such a weird few weeks. I’d kinda like to keep a low profile for a while on a personal level. Dar and I were just going to go out to dinner or something like that.”
448 Melissa Good
“Awwww.” Colleen drew the word out. “Keeerrryyy. C’mon. That’s not fair. We haven’t seen you for weeks and weeks. We weren’t going to cater the Queen Mary, just a few of us.”
True. Kerry rubbed her eyes. “Yeah. Um, I know, Col. I know.” Would it hurt? “How about Wednesday? I have to take it really easy at the gym because of my shoulder. Maybe we could all go out afterward?”
“Mmmph.” Colleen sounded mildly mollified. “Yeah, that’d be okay.
How about Dave and Busters? We can have dinner and play some pool.”
Hmm. Kerry perked up. “Yeah, you know, that sounds like fun.”
Mindless electronic entertainment, good food, a few beers... “Good plan. Hey, you feel like coming over tonight? I’ve got a ton of pictures to show you.”
“You bet.” Now Colleen sounded pleased. “Y’know, Ker, we were really, really worried about you.”
Kerry smiled a little. “Thanks. It was an awful time up there.” She shifted and leaned against the desk. “If Dar hadn’t been there with me, I don’t know what I would have done. She was so there for me.” She chuckled. “Not to mention her folks. You know Mrs. Roberts introduced herself to my parents as my mother-in-law?”
“Ohmigod.”
“Yeah. She’s such a trip,” Kerry agreed.
“What was that all about with your father giving Dar and her dad those medals?” came the curious question. “Was that like, for real?”
Kerry shook her head, even though Colleen couldn’t see it. “I wish I could say yeah. That was his way of getting as close to an apology as he’s capable of. But honestly? I think he just did it for the good press.”
“Mmm.”
“It was great for him. Here he is, national spotlight, handing out medals. That’s why they had to postpone those hearings. His public approval rating went through the roof. They saw him in that window and they think he’s wonderful.” Kerry’s voice held a bitter tone and she knew it. “If they only knew. Andy had to practically kick him in the ass to get him to help out.”
“Wow,” Colleen murmured. “Hey, tell me all about it tonight. I’ll pick up a six pack of Corona. Okay?”
“You’re on.” Kerry smiled as she hung up, swiveling as her inner door opened. “Hey, look. It’s GopherMom.” She snapped a rubber band at her boss. “You are so out there sometimes.”
Dar sauntered over, hitched up her skirt, and perched on the edge of Kerry’s desk. “Just proving I can still put out a little code if I have to,” she drawled. “How was your day? I haven’t seen you since nine. I’ve been pretty buried myself.”
Kerry lifted a hand and indicated her full outbox. “I’m about half caught up. I was digging through all the facilities requests today, sorting them, trying to find an equitable way to move people to your new net.
Fielding questions from every single account manager we’ve got practically.” She patted Dar’s nearby knee. “You caused me so much work, Boss.”
Eye of the Storm 449
The outer office door opened and Mayte came in with a steaming cup. “Oh,” she paused, when she saw Dar, “I’m sorry. I can…”
“Nah.” Dar waved her in. “I was just getting a status report.”
The slim girl smiled, then deposited the cup on Kerry’s desk. It was a dark, fragrant brew, and Kerry sniffed it appreciatively before she took a sip. “Oh wow. This is nice. Blackberry?”
“Sí.” Mayte blushed a little. “I saw you liked that.” She lifted her eyes and met Dar’s, then cleared her throat. “I am going to drop off the mail, then go home. Unless you need something else?”
“Nope. Go on.” Kerry leaned back, both hands cradled around the mug. “I’m going to finish up here, then head home myself.” Her assistant left, closing the door softly behind her, and she sighed.
“Tired?” Dar asked.
“A little.” Kerry flexed her arm. “My shoulder’s aching. I don’t want to take those muscle relaxants until I get home though. They put me out like a light.” She studied Dar. “And it’s been a little weird here today. I kinda get a creepy feeling people are avoiding me.”
“I think you’re imagining things.”
“No, I’m not. When I walk through the halls, people used to say hi, make small talk.” Kerry gazed at her desktop. “I don’t know. Maybe they’re wondering what kind of person would do what I did.” Then she shrugged it off. “Anyway…or maybe I’m just overly sensitive.” She glanced up at Dar. “Col’s coming over. I wanted to show her my pictures and the stuff we brought back and give her the present I got her.” Dar nodded. “She and the gang coerced me into going to D and B’s on Wednesday. You up for that?”
Dar straightened her back a little and winced. “Not skeeball, but yeah, that sounds okay.” She cupped both hands around one knee. “I had a visit from Gerry Easton today.”
“Really?”
“Mmm. Yeah. He had a very interesting proposal,” Dar said. “He’s gotten approval to contract us to provide high level consulting services to the Navy.” She shifted. “To review all their processes, systems, and procedures and recommend, procure, and implement technological improve-ments.”
Kerry’s eyes widened. “Wow. That must be huge.”
Dar slowly nodded. “His one condition was,” she chuckled, “I head it up.”
“Big surprise there,” her lover remarked. “Wow. What do you think about that?”
“I think,” Dar got up and walked over to the window, pressed her fingertips against it and looked out, “I think I’m very, very intrigued.”
She turned. “Means I’ll have to travel a bit but most of the analysis can be done from here.” A bright, interested look came into her eyes.
“Do you get to go out to the ships and stuff?” Kerry asked, folding her arms. “Like to the aircraft carriers and those things?”
Dar nodded.
450 Melissa Good
“Ooo, that does sound interesting. Can I help?”
Dar gave another nod. “You bet. I wrote up the prospectus and sent it up to Alastair. He approved it in nothing flat.”