She rolled her eyes. “God, we didn’t hear the end of that for weeks.”
40 Melissa Good
“Well,” Kerry shook her head, “I can’t imagine there being more than one of her at that company, so I guess it is. Tall, tanned, dark hair?” She paused.
“Really blue eyes?”
Colleen gave her a rakish grin. “That’d be her. Rumor says she’s a real bitch on wheels.” She peered at the e-mail. “Hmm. Looks like she likes you, though.” She looked at Kerry, impressed. “Wow, she thinks you’re talented and intelligent. I guess she has a few brain cells after all.”
Kerry blushed. “Stop it.” She re-read the mail, and try as she would to remind herself of just how angry she’d been at Dar, the typed words made her feel pretty good anyway. Maybe because it was so unexpected. Yeah, that was it. She hadn’t figured on getting a positive response from the woman, or even a response at all, so getting this was just…so surprising. “She’s probably just patting me on the head.” Kerry finally said offhandedly. “You know—don’t get the natives restless until you steal all their diamonds, that kind of thing.”
“Probably,” Colleen agreed cheerfully. “Hey, take a break, and let’s go for a walk down to the bakery.”
Kerry hesitated. “Um…okay, sure. I could use a break. Listen, why don’t you get your bike, and I’ll meet you out on the street?” She smiled as Colleen quickly agreed, and watched as the redhead trotted out, closing the door behind her. Then she turned her attention to the screen and tapped her fingers on her keyboard, trying to decide what to reply. Be nice, be snippy, be formal?
What the hell. The worst old Cruella could do is fire her.
Sent by: Kerry Stuart
Subject: re: Clarification
Hello….
Thank you for saying what you did. You’re right—this is a tough situation, and I wish I wasn’t in it. But I am, and I have to make the best of it, so I’m going to keep on trying.
I know we’re just one small piece of a cog in your giant machine, and that you really don’t care one way or the other about any of us—and I understand that I’m one more in a series of problems you have to deal with. I guess it must get monotonous for you after a while, but for me, this is a situation I never wanted or dreamed I’d be in. I don’t like having my world, and that of everyone around me, torn apart. But I guess you’re used to that.
I know you’re just doing your job, and I’m glad it’s yours and not mine. We did get started off pretty badly, and I think that’s partly my fault too, because I took my frustration at what was happening out on you, and maybe I shouldn’t have been so quick to do that. I realized afterward you could have just fired me right there, so it probably wasn’t the smartest thing I ever did.
She stared at the screen for a long moment before she continued, debating with herself. Finally she completed the message, then hit Send. “So much for that.” She nodded briskly, then dusted her hands off and went to the closet, Tropical Storm 41
retrieving her dark purple mountain bike and checking the tires. She glanced at her helmet, on the high shelf above, and decided the short ride down Kendall Drive didn’t need it.
Chapter Four
DAR STOOD QUIETLY, her hands behind her back, gazing out the window. She was doing her best to ignore the frustrated ranting and raving of the man behind her, who was pacing up and down and throwing his hands around.
“Look, Peter, just shut up,” the tall woman finally said, turning around.
“Let me go in there and do my job. We’ll argue about it afterward, okay?” She gave the man a look. “I didn’t ask to get sent here, I didn’t ask to have to break up your little party, and I certainly didn’t ask to have you blowing hot air at me for forty-five minutes.”
“Everything is under control,” the man stated, through clenched teeth.
“I’ll be damned if you’re going to walk in there and take the credit for something I’ve broken my ass for.”
Dar walked over and looked him right in the eye. “You don’t have a choice.”
“Like hell I don’t!” Peter shouted. “I’ll call Alastair!”
A brilliant smile slapped him in the face. “Who do you think sent me?”
His breathing was suddenly loud in the silence. “You’re lying, you frozen ass bitch.”
Ignoring the insult, Dar picked up the nearest phone receiver and held it out to him, her eyebrows raised and a mocking smile on her face. “Come on, call him.”
The tall man’s nostrils flared, and his lips writhed into a snarl, but he made no move to take the phone.
The receiver dropped back into the cradle with a click. “Now get out of my way and just keep your mouth shut.” Dar brushed by him as the door opened; two tall military men stepped into the room. “Hello, General.” Her voice dropped a pitch and took on a seductive tone as she stepped up next to the older of the two.
The man’s eyes focused on her, and his eyes lit up. “Ms. Roberts. It’s always, always a pleasure.” He took her hand and kissed the back of it with a courtly bow, then spread his arm towards the door. “Come on in, let’s talk.”
His eyes drifted to Weyhousen. “Thanks. We’ll see you later.”
Dar, her face hidden by her position, bit her lip to keep a laugh in, then cleared her throat as the door shut behind them. “That wasn’t nice, Gerald.”
The elderly general chuckled. “He’s an ass, Dar.”
She shrugged a little, then took the proffered seat in front of his desk and leaned back, as the military man settled in his thickly stuffed chair. “He’s not Tropical Storm 43
that bad. He just hasn’t been around the big stuff like I have,” she explained wryly. “You soldier boys freak him out.”
Gerald Easton smiled at her. “Dar, you look good,” he mused, studying the tall woman across from him.
She inclined her head. “So do you. How’s the Pentagon treating you?”
“Eh.” He made a hand gesture. “Biggest pile of horse droppings east of the Potomac. And now they want us to repaint everything. Did you hear that?
Some idiot kid came in and did a study, told some damn politician that the camouflage we’ve been using since nineteen aught eight doesn’t work. We gotta paint everything shades of pink and beige.”
Dar made a face. “Ugh.”
“Yeah, ugh is right.” The general turned to his aide, who had been standing quietly watching them. “Eileen, can you get Ms. Roberts and me a pitcher of something cold, please?” The aide nodded briskly and disappeared.
They looked at each other in comfortable silence for a moment. “Dar, you look more and more like your daddy every time I see you.” The older man sighed, a gentler expression in his eyes. “Same nose, same chin… Damn, girl.”
He paused. “I miss him.”
Dar’s eyes dropped to his desk, and she exhaled softly. “So do I.”
“He’d be proud of you, that’s for sure.” A gentle twinkle entered the general’s eyes. “Imagine him seeing you practically running that joint. I can just imagine his face.”
Blue eyes drifted. “I don’t know about that, Gerry.” Dar shook her head.
“I don’t think he’d see it as very honorable. You know what we are.” She paused. “He was always looking out for the little guy. We make a corporate policy of eating them alive.” She gave him a wry look. “But here I am…so what’s the score?”
Old eyes studied her for a long moment, then the general pulled a file folder out from his desk drawer and tossed it over to her. “All yours, rugrat.”
He chuckled fondly at the look on her face. “Naw, it’s not charity. You were pretty close in the bidding, and…let’s just say I just felt more comfortable awarding a defense contract this large to someone I trust.”