Kerry waved in response, more than a little disturbed. “That wasn't what I was going for.” She sighed. “Crap.” She glanced down as her Handspring buzzed, and looked at it. “Ah.” A text, from Dar. “Glad you're on your way home, hon. I think I just got us in deeper than I thought.”
Her phone binged. “Yes?” She hit the speaker key.
“Hey, Kerry.” Mark's voice sounded amused. “Check your email.”
“I just did?” Kerry glanced down. “Oh, on my PC?” She looked over and spun her trackball, then clicked on the new mail on the screen with Marks name on it. “What is it... oh.”
“Sweet pix.” Mark said. “At least she didn't whap him one.”
Kerry blinked at the screen, which had a cap of a newspaper article, with a picture of her partner and President Bush, the former drawing something on a pad on a desk, the latter standing by leaning on the surface and studying it. “Oh gosh.” She said, after a brief pause. “That really is a nice shot.” She glanced at the headline. “And I guess we got our publicity.”
'Sure did.” He chuckled. “Barbara just called me, someone at her office saw it. Didn't take us long huh? Three weeks and we're famous.”
No, hadn't taken long at all. “You got that right.” Kerry had to laugh a little. “Let me forward this to her parents. They're gonna die.” She scanned the article briefly, but it was bland, and general in tone. “Least they spelled the company name right... Mark, you probably should beef up the web server.”
“On it.” He said. “Top of the roller coaster.. here we go!” He hung up, still laughing.
Kerry sighed, as she forwarded the mail to the rest of the company, and to her mother, and Dar's folks. “Yeap.. here we go.”
Part 10
Kerry passed Dar a copy of the paper as she pulled away from the arrivals terminal at Miami International Airport. “There you go, rock star.”
Dar unfolded the paper as she settled into the passenger seat. “I knew they were taking pictures but I figured... ah hell, yeah, there I am.” She exhaled. “I look like a dork.”
“Oh you do not.” Kerry objected. “Did they have you leaning over that table so you wouldn't tower over him?”
Dar studied the picture, then started laughing. “You know, maybe they did.” She admitted. “I still think I look like a dork. Stupid ass posed shot. I was drawing a cow on that pad.”
“Did you really?”
“Yeah.” Dar folded the paper and put it in the side pocket of the door. “He kept it.” She looked mildly embarrassed. “He was all right.”
“Bush?”
“Yeah.”
“Glad I have my sunglasses on so my eyeballs can't fall out.” Kerry commented. “Because I would never in a million years have guessed that would come out of your mouth.”
“No me either.” Her partner agreed mournfully. “I don't know. I don't know what I was expecting.” She propped her elbow against the window and rested her head against her hand. “Anyway, I'm glad I”m back.” She reached over the center console and curled her fingers around Kerry's arm.
Kerry released the hand on that arm off the wheel and moved it back so she could clasp her fingers around her partners. “I'm glad you're back too. Now maybe I can get a good night's sleep.”
Dar brought their joined hands up and kissed Kerry's knuckles, waiting for her to stop at a red light and turn her head so their eyes met as her partner's sunglasses slipped down a little.
“Or maybe not.” Kerry managed a wry grin.
Dar winked at her. “We should always travel together.” She suggested. “Sorry you had a crappy night last night.”
Kerry looked back at the road as the light changed and pushed her sunglasses back up on her nose. “Where you go, I go, baby. Sounds good to me.” She left her right hand clasped into Dar's left, and felt the squeeze as Dar's long fingers contracted gently.
“Did Mark goose up that web server?” Dar asked, after a minute or two of quiet. “We'll get some traction from that dumb ass picture anyway.”
Kerry chuckled. “Oh yes. He was already working on it before I left to get you. I can just imagine the teeth grinding going on over at the ILS boardroom though.”
“Eh.” Dar grunted. “They knew that contract wasn't on the table for them. Bridges told me he was told in no uncertain terms that he was prohibited from giving it to any company with a multi national presence.”
“I know that, but can you imagine the scene?” Kerry shook her head. “Every single one of them would have wanted to be in that picture with him.”
“You know, I don't feel bad about that.” Dar said, suddenly. “We earned that contract, Kerry. We came to his attention because of who we are, not what ILS was.”
Kerry decided not to correct her beloved, since there hadn't been any 'we' involved.
“We did an impossible task for this guy.” Dar continued. “We didn't have to, but we did, and he knows that, and he trusts us because of that. ILS would have thrown Alastair to the wolves, and he knows that too. Why should he trust them?”
“That's all true, hon.” Kerry pulled into the parking lot of their building. “But it won't stop them from from being pissed off about it.”
“Peh.”
They walked towards the building, and as they did, they clasped hands again, walking up the path side by side, then pausing as they spotted a tall ladder blocking the way. “Oh.” Kerry said, in surprise. “Our sign is here. Wasn't when I left.”
There were two men beneath the ladder, preparing the large wooden panel, and they looked up as the two women approached. “Be just a minute, ladies.” The nearer of the two men said. “Boss just sent us over to get this ready to mount up.”
Kerry kept her hand clasped around Dar's as she studied the sign. It was a honey colored wood, with the company's logo carved into it in a relief. The background of the sign was stained a dark blue, and their compass point logo had been painted white and silver. “I like it.”
“Me too.” Dar smiled. “Once it's up I'm going to take a picture and send it to mom and dad.”
“Between that article and this, your dad's going to explode.” Kerry could imagine her father in law's expression without much effort. There was just no prouder father anywhere, and she spared a moment remembering coming back uptown with him after they'd managed to get the stock market working.
She, half dazed and aching. Andrew sitting next to her in the limo and both of them listening to Alastair explain what had happened to Cynthia Stuart, and ending it with the statement I can tell you this, Senator, I seriously believe with all my heart there's nothing his kid can't do.
Andrew hadn't said anything, but Kerry remembered with extraordinary clarity the glint of tears in his eyes, and the paradoxical grin on his face and despite the pain, she remembered smiling too, if a bit wistfully.
Or yours. Alastair had given Kerry a gentle pat on the knee. Saved our asses.
Cracked ribs or not, it had felt good.
The two workmen finished preparing the sign, then they mounted the big dual ladder and walked the panel up, positioning it on the second level ledge and clamping it in place so they could drill the bolts in.
Kerry nudged Dar. “Wave, honey. We're on candid camera.”
Dar glanced up to the 2nd level windows, where there were faces watching them, and waving. She lifted her hand and waved back, then made a beckoning motion to the people there. “Let's get a group picture.” She draped her arm over Kerry's shoulders. “Only get a first sign once.”
True. Kerry grinned as the staff started emerging from around the side of the building, having gone out the back to avoid hitting the ladders. They gathered around to watch, making a careful circle around their two owners.