"Wait a minute, lady..." The security chief held a hand up.
"I'm not waiting for anything. I gave a direct order." Shari overrode him. "I want your boss's name, right now. I'm not putting up with any more of this horse crap." She pulled out her cell phone. "Give me his number."
"Just hold on a minute..." The security chief looked around as Andrew shifted. "Roberts, I told you to stay back there." He said.
"Damn it!" He returned his attention to Shari. "Now look, lady. It wasn't my fault. This guy here got in the way of my guy doing his job and...lady?"
Shari had stopped in mid motion, and was looking at Andrew with a suddenly suspicious expression. She closed her phone. "Roberts?" She asked, gritting her teeth.
Ah well. Busted. Andrew produced a wicked grin.
The security chief looked from one to the other of them. "You know this guy?" He asked Shari. "He's the one who distracted my guy and let that truck through."
"I just bet he did." Shari's eyes narrowed.
"Sir!" The young guard was calling, from the gate. A group of men and women were standing there, looking impatient. "Sir, you need to come here, please, sir!"
If anything, the chief looked relieved. He edged past Shari and headed for the gate with a muttered apology leaving the two of them facing each other.
"Didn't realize Dar had a brother." Shari snorted, in a disgusted tone. "But now it all makes sense. Let me get that damn stupid supervisor on the phone and get you out of here first."
One of Andrew's grizzled eyebrows hiked up. "She don't," he rasped. "Save yer breath. I'm leaving." He shifted his work belt to his other shoulder and started to walk around Shari.
"Oh no, you're not just waltzing out of here. I'm calling the police." Shari reached out to take hold of his arm. "Have you arrest..." Shari stopped as a hand far larger than hers closed around her wrist and removed her grip. "Let go of me."
Andy stared steadily at her. "If you had any smarts, woman, you would count yerself lucky to just turn round and walk away from here." His voice was soft, but firm. "Mah daughter is real special to me and ah do not take kindly to folks who done messed with her."
"D..." Shari's eyes widened. "Oh shit."
Andrew grinned again, narrowing his eyes.
"Captain! Captain! Get over here!" Shari yelled out in panic. "Help!"
Andrew looked over her shoulder and saw the guards fully engaged with the new visitors, who were pushing their way onto the pier and forcing the two watchmen back. He released her arm, and wiped his fingers off on his jeans as Shari backed away from him.
She swung around, and spotted the guards busy with the gate, and then she headed for the guard shack, leaving Andrew behind without looking at him.
"Have a nice day." Andrew drawled, as he headed for the gates. As he got closer, he could hear the people arguing with the guards, and the word 'oil spill' echoed out of the babbling. "Uh oh." He edged carefully around the man in front, a tall, gray haired tower of indignation and escaped out into the front of the pier.
A pickup truck was waiting for him, conveniently enough. He opened the door and tossed his tool belt behind the seat, sliding in next to Ceci and shutting the door after him. "Just got me fired."
"Really?" His wife inquired.
"Yeap. That there woman fin'ly figgered out where she done knew me from. But ah think them folks right there are gonna be more trouble than me."
Ceci peered past him. "Ah. The EPA." She nodded solemnly.
"You figger?"
"I sent them." Cecilia gave the chaos a supremely satisfied look as she put the truck in gear. "C'mon, sailor boy. Now that we've caused this much trouble, let's go paint the town red. It's Saturday night."
Andrew stretched his arm across the seat and leaned back as they drove away from the port. He wasn't sure Dar would like the results of the day, but he also knew sometimes you just had to take what you got.
Life sometimes did give ya lemons. Smart fellers learned to take a shining to lemonade.
BY THE TIME the last rays of sunset were pouring through the windows, strawberries were at hand and problems set aside for another day. Kerry settled onto the two person bench swing with Dar and pushed gently against the porch support moving them back and forth.
The surface of the sea lapped invitingly in front of them, bringing a soft swishing roar and the faint tinkle of shells being moved under the waves. "Wanna swim with me tonight?"
Dar blew gently into her ear then leaned over to nibble the edge of it. "Sure." She breathed barely audible. "We can do that too."
Kerry gave a low, throaty chuckle.
The air was almost blue with twilight, warm and rich with moisture but lacking the oppressive heat of the day. Seagulls were circling lazily over the water, several landing on the dock which usually held the Dixieland Yankee when they came in by water.
It was quiet, and very peaceful. Kerry leaned against Dar, accepting the berry her partner was holding out before her lips. "It turned out pretty tonight."
"Mm hmm." Dar settled the bowl of fruit in her lap and extended her arm across Kerry's shoulders. There were still clouds across the horizon, but they only served to make the sunset glorious. It was pretty indeed, and now all the more so when she considered how their relationship had opened her eyes to the beauty of the world around her.
She'd always found the ocean pleasing, and enjoyed being at the shore in the salt breeze. But she'd never really just sat and watched a sunset until Kerry had come into her life.
The office was quiet, most of its inhabitants already gone home for the day. Dar packed up her laptop and got ready to leave herself, hesitating without really knowing why after she put her case on her desk.
Just another day, right? Nothing to really hang out here for.
Dar drummed her fingers on the desk, then she bowed to the inevitable and headed for the back corridor, intending on simply saying goodnight to her new assistant. It was only the polite thing to do, after all, and Kerry made a point of poking her head in every morning to say hello so...
She walked down the corridor and paused beside the door to Kerry's office, aware of the gentle tickle of anticipation in her stomach. It had been a long time since she'd felt that and the speeding up of her heartbeat as she thought about those kind, green eyes looking back at her.
She knocked, but there was no answer. Dar felt an immense bit of disappointment, surprised to find herself hurt that Kerry had left without saying goodnight.
Piqued, she opened the door anyway, her mood brightening when she spotted Kerry's briefcase on her chair. She entered the office and circled the desk, her sensitive nose picking up with ease the scent of Kerry?s perfume.
There was a cup on the desk, and as she brushed her fingers over the side of it. She found it still a quarter full with warm tea. So, Kerry couldn't be far off, could she? Dar headed for the front door and slipped out of it, looking both ways down the empty corridor.
Right? Left? Dar went left then turned left at the major intersection that went to the elevators, crossing past them to the other side of the building. Then she paused and pondered. To one side was marketing, to the other, accounting.
A cleaning woman pulled a garbage bin past her, giving Dar a polite smile as she stood there in the middle of the hallway. "Jefa."
Dar focused on her. "Did you just come up on this floor?" She asked, in Spanish.
"No." The woman shook her head. "I have just finished this side. Did you need something done for you?"
Dar looked around carefully, her voice lowering a little. "Did you see a blond woman, about this high?" She held her hand up at shoulder level. "Around in there?"
The woman also looked around before she answered. "Si, she is out on the patio over there, but she told me to say nothing!"