She let a frank grin shape her lips, watching the minute reaction in Shari’s pale eyes.
A tiny shake of her head followed. ”I’d forgotten how different you look when you smile,” the other woman mused. ”You going to be in town long, Dar?”
Uh oh. ”Just until tonight, then I’m heading up into the mountains for a few days,” she replied, cautiously. ”Why?”
A shrug. ”Thought maybe we could just sit down and talk for a few minutes.” She paused. ”You seeing anyone?”
Dar could hardly believe what she was hearing, and she felt a cool anger start to brew. ”Yes,” she answered quietly. ”Despite your prediction.”
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A soft snort. ”I’d love to meet her?” she wrinkled her nose in question.
Dar caught her balance. ”You just did,” she answered mildly.
”Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to be going.” She gave Shari a nod, then turned and started back towards the car.
”I hope she knows what she’s getting into,” Shari yelled after her.
Dar stopped, and turned. ”You were right about something.” She gazed at her through the icy drizzle. ”I had no idea what love was.” She watched in savage satisfaction as the comment was understood, then she turned her back and walked off.
Chapter
Sixteen
KERRY WAS GLAD it was light out. She was tired, and she knew her reflexes were suffering, but the traffic was very light. ”Right turn up there?” She asked softly, her eyes flicking to her companion.
Dar nodded.
Kerry was worried. Dar had been withdrawn since she’d gotten back into the car, allowing her head to rest against the glass of the window, her reflection bleakly evident to Kerry’s watching eyes. A little hesitantly, she reached over and folded her hand over Dar’s, encouraged when the long fingers tightened over hers immediately.
”You okay?”
”Yeah,” Dar sighed. ”Just tired.” She turned her head and studied Kerry’s profile. ”I think I need a nap.”
Kerry glanced at her. ”Me too,” she confessed. ”My hand’s aching from this cold. How’s your knee?”
Dar waggled her free hand and grimaced.
Kerry waited a beat, then took a breath. ”That woman still bothering you?”
The jaw muscles along Dar’s face clenched, then relaxed. ”It...she just brought up some old, bad memories, that’s all.”
”Mm. ” Kerry waited, but nothing else came. ”Anything you want to share?”
Dar thought about that a long time, as rows of damp, gray shadowed trees went past them. ”I...” She stopped, then cleared her throat. ”I never...I’ve never really talked about any of that with anyone before. Maybe a pair of friendly ears would help.”
The corners of Kerry’s mouth crinkled up, as she guided the car carefully across the slick road and up a long driveway, where a sign announced the presence of the hotel where they were staying. ”I think that could be arranged.” She pulled the car up under the valet parking overhang, and put it in park. ”C’mon.”
Dar willingly followed her up the stairs, shouldering her overnight bag and giving the valet a brief smile as Kerry turned the keys over to him. They approached the desk, and Dar gave her name quietly to the desk clerk. “We were supposed to check in last night, but...”
”Yes, Ms. Roberts. Your office called and told us.” The woman smiled at her. ”We held the room. It’s no problem, and um...” she Hurricane Watch
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chuckled a little, ”I think you have a little surprise waiting up there.”
Dar and Kerry exchanged wary glances. ”A surprise?” Dar asked.
”What kind of surprise?”
The woman smiled cheerfully at her. ”Now, if I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise, but don’t worry. It’s nothing bad.” She handed over the room keys. ”Here you go. We have room service available twenty four hours, and you’re on the concierge floor, so you can just ask as you get off the elevator if you need anything.”
Dar sighed. ”Thanks.” She took the key and gave Kerry hers, then followed the smaller woman as they went to the elevator. ”I hate surprises,” she groused.
Kerry patted her belly tolerantly. ”C’mon, Dar. It’s probably a fruit basket,” she scolded her boss. ”Would you relax? All the hotels do that for VIP’s nowadays.”
”Mmph.” Dar leaned back against the elevator wall and tried to stifle a yawn. ”Yeah, I guess.” She waited for the doors to open then pushed off the back wall and trudged through them, giving the wide eyed concierge a nod before moving past his desk.
Their room was on a corner, and Dar pushed the keycard in, then pulled it out, turning the handle when the light flashed. She shoved the door open.
The scent of chocolate hit them and stopped them both in their tracks. ”Whoa,” Dar got out, as she flipped the lights on.
It was a large room, with a wide window and one big, comfortable looking bed. A door to one side led to a bathroom, and one on the other side to a tiled Jacuzzi. In front of them was a round table, which was currently covered with a huge, completely stuffed, overflowing basket of assorted things of the species chocolate. Dar found herself staring at it with a stupid grin. ”Oo.”
Kerry peeked past her. ”Thought you didn’t like surprises?” she commented, giving her boss a slap on the behind as she moved past her to put her bag down.
”Tell you what, anytime you want to surprise me with fifty pounds of chocolate, you go right ahead,” Dar responded, plucking the card from the ornate holder and examining it. ”It’s from Alastair.”
”Gee.” Kerry grinned. ”What a surprise.” She came over and peeked at the card. ”That’s really sweet of him.”
”Well.” Dar poked into the basket’s contents. ”Considering we just saved his gray flannel butt, it’s not unprecedented.” She glanced at Kerry. ”There were twelve major accounts on the line if we hadn’t gotten that stuff working this morning.”
Kerry stopped dead, and stared at her. ”Why didn’t you tell me that?” she asked, stung.
Dar glanced at the table top, and fiddled with the card. ”No sense in both of us being worried sick, I guess. I don’t know. I should have.”
She gave Kerry a contrite look. ”Not that you could have done more 212
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than you were doing.” She paused awkwardly. ”I’m sorry.”
Kerry gave her a vexed look. ”No, but it would explain why you were so damned tense.” She started to go on, then saw the almost imperceptible flinch in Dar’s face. Not now, Kerry. Her mind warned her. Not now. She’s tired, you’re tired, and she apologized for not saying anything. Just drop it. ”Jesus, Dar, tell me next time, huh? So I can chew my nails along with you?” She gave her boss a lopsided grin.
Dar relaxed a little. ”I will,” she promised, stripping off her jacket and hanging it up in the small closet. ”Wonder how long it’ll take us to get through that basket.” She turned a grin of her own on Kerry.
The blonde woman gazed at the huge thing in trepidation. ”I think we’ll get sick to our stomachs if we try,” she commented wryly, taking off her own jacket and tugging her shirt out from her jeans. ”He must have worked pretty fast. It’s not even nine o'clock.”
”Well.” Dar pulled off her sneakers and tossed them near her bag, then slipped her sweatshirt over her head, dropping it neatly on the chair before unbuttoning her flannel shirt and removing it. ”If I could get seventy T1 circuits and routers installed before dawn, I guess he could handle a basket of chocolate.”
She leaned back and stretched, wincing as both shoulders popped before she straightened and ran her fingers through her hair, rubbing the back of her neck. ”God, I’m tired,” she admitted. ”I’m glad that’s over. We can rest here until dinnertime, then drive up to the cabin. It’s about an hour from here, and it looked like the weather’s clearing a little.”