“Hey hon.” Kerry entered, carrying a bag. “Tacos.”
“Yum.”
“Making progress?”
“Yep.” Dar slid her chair sideways and moved over to the open area of her desk. “Ive got the query engine working at least. I still have to figure out how to demonstrate the autonomic parser.”
“Oo. Sexy.” Kerry sorted out her tacos and put her drink down. “That small business conference called back. They already have a keynote speaker, but I think this guy must have seen that Miami Herald piece because he told me he'd like you to do a half hour presentation on anything you want if you want.”
Dar chuckled.
“Do you want?”
“I want.” Dar said. “Tell them I”ll do.. “ She pondered a minute as she unwrapped a taco. “Thirty minutes on using B to B networking to boost business between small business owners.”
Kerry eyed her. “Really?”
“Sure.” Dar licked a bit of sauce off her fingers. “C'mon, Ker. It's a small business convention. I can't go in there and start talking about routing tables or database structures.”
“No, that's true.” Kerry said. “But I think that's more a speech I would give.”
Dar's eyebrows twitched. “So then you give it?” She suggested. “Think up a topic for me and just let me know what it is.” She swallowed, then chased the mouthful down with a sip of ice coffee. “I can do one that's IT related, but I think general's better.”
“Let me think of one.” Kerry reached over and ruffled her hair. “It's next Monday and Tuesday, then Maria has us flights booked for Wednesday for DC.”
“Cool.”
“I've got a project management meeting with two clients this afternoon. I'm going to have Mayte sit in with me, and see if I can let her run with them.”
Dar lifted one hand with her thumb pointed up. “You should see if we can get her PMO certified, and then get her some baby PM's to work with her.”
Kerry smiled, then she waggled her fingers good bye and went back to her own office.
Dar finished her tacos and sucked the last of her coffee down, disposing of the wrappers in her cobalt blue garbage can before she turned back to her screen and started up her program again.
White on black or black on white? Dar pondered the difference, calling up an image in her head of doing a presentation. For the military guys, white on black. For the politicians? “Hey Ker?”
“Yes?” Kerry stuck her head in the door opening.
“What's your mother's favorite color?”
“What?”
**
Dar set her backpack down near the receptionist's desk and diverted around the hall, walking around to the side corridor and past the closed door to the HR department. She went a little further, and slowed, pausing at the door to the tech support office and sticking her head inside.
Scott was there, at his desk. He was still the only support person on staff, so the other cubes were empty, but there were a few things on the shelves of his, a cup, and a little canteen, and a rock. He didn't hear her stop, his head was bent over an open PC case and he was carefully assembling the parts inside.
Mark so far had been reasonably satisfied with his new guy. Scott had performed the several maintenance tasks he'd been given with competence, and he'd been on time every morning.
More than on time, actually. Mark said he'd been on the front porch waiting when the first person had gotten there, freshly showered and ready to work.
Even more than that, Dar leaned against the door frame, folding her arms. Watching him work on the PC, there was a sense of contentment she couldn't have imagined seeing before.
Not wanting to disturb that, she silently pushed off the frame and stepped back, turning once she'd gotten past the accounting office and heading back to the empty receptionist's desk where she spotted Kerry and their pets waiting for her. “Hey.”
“Potty break?” Kerry asked.
“No.. wanted to see how our new tech was doing.” Dar picked up her backpack and slung it on her shoulder then took Mocha from Kerry's arms. “Seems okay.”
“Col said he doesn't talk much.” Kerry opened the door for her. “Just comes in and sits there and fiddles with things.”
“Exactly what you want a tech support guy to do.” Dar closed the door behind her. “Mark said he was working on something, that he'd close up.”
“Any word from Peter?”
“Nope.” Dar opened the back door of the SUV for Chino, and then got in the passenger seat with Mocha. “He knows how to get in touch if he needs to. I don't want to push it.”
“Wise woman.” Kerry opened the driver's door and paused, as she caught motion from the corner of her eye. She turned and hopped up onto the seat, half closing the door against her legs. “Dar.”
“I see.” Dar was already putting Mocha in the back seat and opening her own door, sliding out and coming around the front of the SUV to stand between Kerry's door and the oncoming figures.
“Who said chivalry was dead?” Kerry leaned her arms on the door frame.
Dar cleared her throat. “What can we do for you, folks?” She addressed the group of veterans, who had come just close enough for her latent defensive instincts to prick, making her hands flex.
“Got the cops on the speed dial.” Kerry commented. “So don't get too spunky.”
“Okay, so look.” Joe, the group leader aka pastor said. “We're not gonna hurt you.”
“No, you're not.” Dar agreed readily. “I'm not in the mood for you, you're standing between me and a romantic dinner with my spouse, and I'm going to kick you in the head if you don't clear out.”
The pastor put his hands on his hips. “Look, lady, cut the crap, okay I just got a question for you.”
Kerry saw it start to happen and debated closing her eyes. She heard Chino bark in outrage just as Dar moved, and the next moment the Labrador squirmed past her and out the door, racing over to get in front of her partner with a growl.
Joe jumped back and held his hands up, and Dar made a grab for their unexpectedly ferocious pet. “Chino!”
“Growf!” The large blond dog bared her teeth, and the thick fur along her spine lifted up.
The other men just blinked at her. “Holy shit you weren't kidding.” The one who had been fighting in front of the office said. “Keep that dog away from us.”
“I'm not kidding.” Dar said, as she warily watched them. “I'm tired of you all messing with us. Leave us the hell alone.”
“You're the one who keeps screwing with us!” The man said, edging in front of Joe. “What did you do with Wheels, huh?”
“His name is Scott.” Kerry spoke up from her perch in the driver's seat.
“What?”
“His name is Scott.” She repeated. “And what we did with him is we hired him.”
“That little son of a bitch.. he crossed us.” The man said to Joe. “You said he was going to hold out.”
Dar got her hand on Chino's collar and backed up, until she hit the front of the truck with her butt and stopped. “He didn't. No reason for him to. This is a right to work state. I can hire whoever I want.”
“He said...” Joe started, then stopped. “We ain't seen him for a few days.”
Dar shrugged. “Not my problem.”
The other man eyed her. “You really hired Wheels?”
Joe stepped up and got in front of him. “Never mind that, Cliff. If he screwed us, he did. Just let him know not to come back around looking for us, lady. He wont' get anymore help.”
“Great.” Kerry said. “I bet that'll make all of us happy.” She grabbed Mocha, who had climbed up onto her lap to see what was going on. “But in answer to your question, Cliff, we really did hire him to do tech support for us, and so far he's done a good job.”