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“Hi.” Dar’s voice sounded resigned. “Guess where I’m stuck.”

Kerry winced in pure reflex. “I just heard about the roads. That totally sucks large rocks, Dar.”

“I know,” Dar said. “I took care of getting you a ride home, though.”

Jesus. I forgot I needed one. Kerry mentally slapped herself. “Honey, you didn’t have to do that. I’m sure I could beg a ride from someone here.” It was, however, a typically Dar thing for her to do, given her partner’s meticulous attention to details. “But thank you.”

“Well,” Dar chuckled softly, “don’t thank me just yet. It’s my dad who’s coming to get you.”

Eeerup. Kerry winced. “Ah. Did you think my life was lacking some excitement today or something?” she replied. “Maybe he’ll let me drive.

You think?”

“You can ask. He generally caves in to whatever you want,” Dar answered. “Just like I do,” she added, with a verbal twinkle in her tone.

“Hey, I think I’m making some progress with the chief. I tried to do what you’d have done.”

Still distracted by the prospect of being picked up by Andrew, Kerry almost didn’t respond. “Uh...oh, did you? What did you do?”

“Took her to lunch.”

Kerry smiled. “Good girl.”

“Then I told her if she didn’t behave, I’d have to really get nasty.”

“Oh.” Kerry covered her eyes and laughed silently. “Gotta work on that part, huh?”

Red Sky At Morning 115

“Eh.” Dar sighed. “Maybe it won’t be so bad down here. A couple of the guys I grew up with just tracked me down. They wanna take me out to the local bar and trade no-shit stories for a while. They found me a bed just in case the roads don’t open back up.”

“You have your kit, right? I know I repacked it after the trip to the Keys.” Kerry drummed her fingers on her desk. “Don’t take a chance, okay? If the weather’s bad, just stick around down there. I’d kinda be worried if I knew you were driving up Card Sound at night.” She paused. “I’ll miss you, though. I was looking forward to a hug tonight.”

A few beats of silence followed, then Dar cleared her throat. “I’ll make it up to you tomorrow, I promise. Okay?”

“Okay,” Kerry agreed. “Call me later and let me know what’s up. I think I’m done with all my meetings today; now I just have a mailbox to wade through.” She glanced at her monitor. “Dar, how did you deal with all this crap everyone sends?”

“Simple. Take everything that isn’t immediate operations and reply with ‘Could you please clarify why you’re asking me this?’” Dar told her. “I guarantee ninety percent of them won’t come back.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

Kerry grinned and examined the ceiling over her head. “Thanks, boss. I’ll do that.”

“Any time,” Dar said. “Talk to you later.”

Kerry closed the phone and put it down, indulging in a few moments of daydreaming as she folded her hands over her stomach and swiveled her chair a little. “What a character,” she finally murmured with a helpless chuckle. Her intercom buzzed again, and she regarded it balefully for a moment before she answered. “Yes?”

“Ms. Kerry?”

“I just talked to Dar, Mayte. I’ll call your mom. She’s okay, she’s just stuck down at the base for now,” Kerry responded.

Sí, gracias, but there is a phone call for you, from the car place.”

Car place? Kerry’s brow furrowed, then cleared. “Oh. Right. I’ll take it. Thanks, Mayte.” She released the intercom and hit the phone line.

“Kerry Stuart speaking.”

“Ms. Stuart? This is Laura Margoles from Beach Lexus. You sent in a vehicle request using the Internet this morning?”

“That’s right,” Kerry confirmed.

“Great.” The woman’s voice was cheerful and friendly. “We had what you wanted right in stock. I’ve got your paperwork done; when would you like to pick up the car?”

“Really? Just like that?” Kerry was surprised. “Leather and everything?”

“Absolutely!” Laura stated. “They’re detailing the car now, in fact.

Shining it up and making sure everything’s in perfect condition for you.”

116 Melissa Good Kerry turned in her chair and reviewed the rain lashing at her window. “They’re washing the car? Have you looked outside?”

“Has to be nice and clean before we turn it over.” Laura’s enthusiasm didn’t miss a beat. “Would you like to stop by after work?

We’re open until seven.”

“All right.” Kerry grinned, finding herself anticipating the new acquisition. “See you before then.”

“Excellent! Looking forward to it, Ms. Stuart. Have a great day!”

Laura warbled happily.

“Sure. You, too.” Kerry hung up, bemused. She regarded her quiet office for a moment, then idly spun herself around in her chair a few times. “Vroom vroom.”

KERRY HAD SENT Mayte home earlier with María, and by the time she finished up her inbox, a quiet had settled over the building. She clicked on the last message to send it, then sat back and cupped her hands around her tea mug, sucking down the strawberry scented liquid as she watched her mail program transfer all her finished mail to storage folders.

A relaxed strain of music was coming from her PC speakers, which were tuned to an Internet radio station that mostly played New Age Celtic. She flexed her bare feet under her desk and sighed, glad the long day was over.

A soft knock sounded. “C’mon in.” Kerry looked up, a smile already crossing her face as the door opened and Andrew Roberts’s familiar head poked inside. “Hey, Dad.” She got up and trotted across the carpeted floor as Andrew entered. Her father-in-law was wearing a dark-blue rain jacket with its hood up, and he pushed the hood back and unzipped the jacket as she threw her arms around him in an unhesitating hug. “Ooh...it’s good to see you.”

Unseen by Kerry, a smile crossed the ex Navy SEAL’s scarred face as Andrew returned the embrace. “Well there, kumquat. It’s good t’see you, too.”

Topping Dar’s slightly over six-foot height by almost five inches, Andrew towered over Kerry by almost a foot, and his large, broad-shouldered and still-muscular body had the same solid feel. She loosened her grasp and gazed up at him, catching the grin before he could discard it. Eyes the same shade as her lover’s twinkled back at her, set in a face that, despite its very masculine ruggedness, still brought Dar to mind in its planed cheekbones and angular shape.

“Thanks for coming to rescue me.”

Andrew snorted softly. “Since Dar saw fit to go and abandon you, I figured it’d be a good idea.”

“She didn’t abandon me.” Kerry gave him a friendly poke. “She’s stuck down on that base. I don’t envy her; but on the bright side, it gives Red Sky At Morning 117

me a chance to spend some time with one of my favorite people.”

“You are just a sweet-talking young lady,” Dar’s father drawled.

“C’mon, ’fore we have to paddle on out of this here office.”

Kerry released him and went back to her desk to retrieve her shoes.

“I have to make a stop before home, if that’s okay.” She shut down her PC as Andrew wandered around her office peering at the décor curiously. “My new car’s ready.”

“That so?” Andrew asked curiously. “Dar told me you got yourself into a pickle last night and banged up that little bitty thing of yours.”

“Some crazy person driving down the wrong side of the road on the causeway, thanks.” Kerry zipped up her briefcase and shouldered it.

“Did Dar tell you she got herself and that brute of an SUV of hers between the nutcase and me?” She fastened her jacket and turned her desk lamp off.