Mrs. Roberts introduced herself again and offered Caffey an appetizer. She was slightly taller than her husband with a more intelligent face. She’d also had a few more drinks.
“It’s so nice to have you, Colonel Caffey. Is your wife coming soon?” She leaned against her husband slightly for support.
“Not right away, I’m afraid, Mrs. Roberts.”
“Oh, call me Clare, Colonel.”
Caffey imitated a smile, “Clare.”
“Did you get the flowers?”
“Yes. They’re beautiful.”
“I grow them, you know. I have—”
“I don’t think Caffey has a great abiding interest in flowers,” Roberts said impatiently. “Anyway, I want some time with him.”
Caffey saw the tiny flicker of hurt in her eyes, but it passed. She’s used to it, he thought. He wondered what it was like to live with a man like that — the pompous sonofabitch. Then he thought it probably wasn’t much different from what Nancy had to endure.
Clare moved off after gracefully detaching herself from them and Roberts motioned Caffey to a corner of the living room under a color photograph of himself in a dress uniform.
“Caffey, we have a very smooth operation here. That’s how I want it to stay — smooth.”
“I’m all for that, General.”
“I want you to know that I didn’t ask for you here.”
Caffey nodded. “I appreciate your directness.”
“This isn’t the 81st Airborne. We do things differently up here. That means you do what I tell you to do when I tell you to do it. I don’t like initiative, Caffey. Initiative is disruptive. You’re deputy brigade commander, and I emphasize the deputy. Is that plain enough to you?”
“Loud and clear, General.”
“Good.” Roberts let out a sigh. He even smiled. “You can make full bird colonel with me, Caffey, if you don’t rock the boat. It’s not a flashy command, but it is visible to the Pentagon. If you’re smart, that should be important to you.”
“Doing my job is what’s important to me, General.”
“Just remember our little talk. I—” Something caught Roberts’s eye. He looked up over Caffey’s shoulder and smiled broadly, gesturing with his hand. “Now, there’s an officer that stands out in this man’s army.”
She’d just entered and her cheeks were pink from the cold. Several officers greeted her. Mrs. Roberts took her coat and offered her an appetizer. She was in uniform. The rank was major now, up from second lieutenant six years ago.
“Katie,” Caffey said softly, almost stunned.
“You know Major Breckenridge?” Roberts said.
“I knew her.” He set his drink down. “Norfolk. She was the youngest instructor attached to the Code and Cipher School.”
“She’s my S-2 chief now,” Roberts said proudly. “Best damned intelligence officer I’ve ever had. And ambitious. Wainwright is just a pit stop for her.”
Caffey nodded. “So was Norfolk,” he said under his breath.
She made her way through a tangle of officers to where Roberts and Caffey stood. Her eyes never left Caffey. “Hello, Jake,” she said when she was near enough to touch him. The general might as well have been invisible. “Long time.”
Caffey nodded. “Long time.”
For several seconds neither of them spoke. They just stared at each other. Finally, Roberts interrupted with a bright observation.
“So, you know each other, do you?”
Major Breckenridge broke away first. She gave the general a dazzling smile. “Yes, General. Maj — I mean, Colonel Caffey was one of my first students at Command and Staff. I was just out of the Point, and my first duty was teaching field-grade officers theory on the new PRC-82 intelligence coder.” She shook her head and glanced at Caffey. “It was a little intimidating, a brand new second luey surrounded by all that brass.”
“You got over it, I hope,” Caffey said.
“More or less.” She turned to Roberts. “I could use a drink, General. Where do I drop my quarter?”
Roberts gestured with his head. “That way.”
“Mind if I buy one for our new recruit? I won’t tell him any secrets.”
“No, go ahead.” To Caffey he said, “We’ve had our talk, haven’t we, Colonel?”
“Yes, sir.”
Kate slung an arm inside Caffey’s and led him to the wet bar. She dropped ice into a pair of glasses.
“Still bourbon straight up?”
“Yeah.” He glanced around for eavesdroppers. “I didn’t know you were here.”
She continued making the drinks. “I’ve known for a week. I figured sooner or later we’d bump into each other again.” She handed him his bourbon. “Drink to old times, Ma — God, I’ll have to get that right — Colonel?”
He took a long sip. “You still make them too strong.”
“You haven’t changed, either. Still tough as nails and twice as mean.”
“And older.”
“Any wiser!” She took a long swallow of her drink. “How do I look? Tough, mean or old?”
“Taller,” Caffey said. He smiled. “You look good, Katie. Very good.”
“Where’s Nancy?”
A captain moved in to pour two scotch and waters. He made some slurred comment about drinking while the moon was full and laughed to himself. When he was gone Kate’s expression had not changed.
“Is it a sore subject?”
“What?” Caffey said. He tried not looking at her.
“Mrs. Caffey.”
“She’s not coming this trip,” he said finally. “She doesn’t have a sealskin coat.” He glanced at her and tried to shrug it off but it didn’t work.
“Trouble?”
Caffey sighed into his glass. “It isn’t important. Okay?”
“Whatever you say, Colonel.” She put her glass down and waved at someone across the room. “Listen, Jake, I’m going to be social for about”—she glanced at her watch—”ten minutes. Then I’m going to get a headache or something and leave this boring little shindig. I have a jeep upstairs. If you want to talk or just ride in measured silence, it’s up to you.”
“Look, you don’t have—”
“Ten minutes.” She got up to leave. “Unless you have a better offer.”
Caffey shook his head. “Six years hasn’t dampened your determination. Do you ever not get what you want?”
“Once every six years or so.”
“Where’re we going?”
She smiled. “Backward.”
It was colder when he came out, even with some drinks in him, than when he went in, Caffey thought, as he trod out into the bitter night’s stillness. He glanced around, keeping the parka hood drawn tight, and was momentarily blinded by the headlights of the jeep.
“C’mon, get in!” Kate yelled from inside the canvas cab as the four-wheeled vehicle pulled up beside him.
Caffey pulled back the door flap and hopped in. “Jesus! I never knew such cold!”
She shifted into gear and the jeep lurched forward. Over the roar of the engine, she said, “Patience, Colonel. I’ll unfreeze you soon enough.”
“Determined, promoted and randy. That’s a dangerous combination, Major. Don’t you have a stud up here?”
“Got shipped to Meteorological Research in Seattle last month,” she said, keeping her eyes on the road.
She nearly had to yell to be heard above the engine. “Just as well, though. He slept too much.” She glanced over at him. “You still good in bed?”
The jeep hit a bump that jarred Caffey’s teeth. His head bounced against the canvas top.
“I didn’t hear you, Jake.”
“I didn’t say any—”
“What?”
“Yes,” he yelled. “And better!”
She gave him a knowing look. “We’ll see.”
Her place was exactly the same as his only reversed. It wasn’t particularly feminine, but nothing was in the army. They shed their parkas at the door and embraced in a long kiss in the center of the living room. For some inexplicable reason, Caffey felt enormously guilty. Just like the last time.