“Andrew’s image,” Allan mused. “Always was.”

Cecilia didn’t answer.


74 Melissa Good

“IS THAT YOUR mother over there?” Kerry kept her voice almost sub vocal.

“Yes.” Dar folded her hands in her lap, trying to will them not to shake. She was cold and her stomach hurt, and it took an enormous amount of effort just to keep up a shell of composure around her. A very warm hand curled around hers and she drew in a breath and let it out very slowly as her nerves settled.

Okay. The hard part was over, that first eye to eye contact. She’d come out the winner in that one, at least, watching her mother’s face react in surprise and shock in that first, unguarded moment. Wasn’t what you expected, was it, Mother? “How’d you guess? Don’t tell me a family resemblance.”

“She’s watching you,” Kerry murmured, a hint of amusement in her voice. “She looks sort of stunned.”

“Figures.” Dar’s body relaxed a little, and she glanced around. Most of the attendees hadn’t noticed their entry, so she had a brief period to check things out before her family realized she was there. “Last time she saw me I…um…I was sort of still in a rebellious phase.”

“And that changed—when?” Kerry inquired mildly, getting a hint of a smile on Dar’s strained face. “Was I supposed to have noticed this streak of conservatism?” The fabric across her partner’s shoulders shifted, then relaxed a little as Dar sat back. “You going to register as a Republican next?”

“Kerrison.” The pale blue eyes flicked her way, warming with quiet affection.

“That has such a nice ring when you say it.” The skin under Kerry’s fingers lost its chill, and she looked around deliberately, eyeing the carved, polished wood. “This is a really pretty chapel.” She hesitated, then questioned. “Is this where…um…”

Dar nodded. “The service, yes.” She got lost in the memory for a moment. “Her family has a big plot here. She wanted the memorial stone close by.” She sighed. “Listen. I’ll be right back. I’m going to,” Dar inclined her head towards the front of the chapel, “pay my respects.”

“Okay.” Kerry released her hand and watched as Dar rose and walked up the center aisle. The subdued lighting in the room kept her in shadows until she reached the front rail, where she entered a soft pool of illumination. She rested her hands on the polished wood and gazed into the casket, her face quiet and composed.

More interesting was the reaction of the rest of the room. Kerry watched her neighbors’ eyes fasten on the tall, still figure, and a low murmur buzzed her ears. She listened to the some of the comments and her green eyes narrowed, her fingertips twitching as she fought the desire to butt in to some of the conversations going on around her.

Dar gazed down at a face her mind hardly recognized. Death did that, she knew, but she’d last seen her grandmother before her last illness and remembered her older, but not gaunt, weathered, or ravaged, as the sickness had left her.


Eye of the Storm 75

Her eyes closed and she took in a breath. Sorry, Gran, she silently whispered. I should have called you, at least. Dar studied the quiet form. I started to, a dozen times. But every time I did…the thought of having Mother answer stopped me. I did send cards, though. Did you get them? Dar felt the pressure of eyes boring through her back and sighed.

A small rustling behind the curtains to her left caught her attention.

Time to go, Gran. At least you’re in a nicer place now. And if you can hear me, I hope some day we can meet up. Maybe just sit down and talk for a while. I really wanted to tell you about Kerry, Gran. I finally found that one you told me was out there. Dar’s eyes dropped for a moment, then she turned and walked back down the aisle, avoiding the avidly curious stares that hit her. She resumed her seat and resisted the urge to slide down and hunch her shoulders.

There was an expectant rustle of motion. Dar glanced to her left and realized her mother had chosen to sit down in their row, taking a place right next to her. Her blood pressure skyrocketed, but she folded her arms over her chest and fastened a calm, disinterested look on her face.

“Hello, Paladar.” Her mother kept her voice to a low murmur.

Dar turned her head slightly. “Mother.” She knew her tone was even, but she was desperately grateful for the pressure of Kerry’s hand against her side, giving her little, friendly scratches.

“Glad you could make it.”

Dar merely nodded.

The minister stepped out at that moment and cleared his throat, providing a very welcome distraction. For the moment, at any rate. However, with this and the reception afterward, it was, Dar realized soberly, going to be a very long night.


Chapter

Nine

“THANK YOU.” KERRY accepted the two glasses and turned, pausing a moment to survey the crowd before she made her way back to Dar.

Her lover was against the far wall, making polite conversation with two or three of what Kerry assumed to be uncles and aunts. Certainly, they were of her mother’s generation and had a similar set of features.

“Excuse me.” A voice to Kerry’s right caught her ear and she turned to find the short woman with silvered chestnut hair at her elbow, smiling politely. Kerry smiled politely back at her.

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry. Forgive me for asking, but are you a friend of Paladar’s?”

Kerry briefly toyed with the notion of flatly denying it, then decided she should be nice. “Yes, I am. Why?”

“It’s just been so long since any of us have seen her.” The woman disregarded Kerry’s question. “I’m Elli. Elli Bainister. I’m a good friend of her mother’s, you see. We’re so glad Paladar decided to join us here.”

“That’s nice to hear,” Kerry responded. “It’s too bad it had to be such a sad occasion.”

“Yes. Isn’t it? We’ve been wondering how she’s doing.”

Kerry blinked mildly. “Why don’t you ask her?” She glanced at her partner.

“Oh. I don’t want to bother her. She’s talking with her uncles. I was just wondering…are you in the computer business, too?”

Kerry caught the clue that had been wandering aimlessly around.

“Yes. As a matter of fact, I am.” She put down one of the drinks and held a hand out. “Kerry Stuart.” She waited for the woman to return her grip hesitantly then smiled.

“Really. Well, my husband works for Ethrington Consulting. Have you heard of them?” Elli edged a little closer. “They do work for the government.”

“Sure.” Kerry nodded. “We’ve done some co bids with them, in fact, I’m the operations director of ILS.”

Elli’s eyes widened. “Oh. Then you work with Paladar?”

“I work for her,” Kerry replied, with a kind smile. “She’s my boss at ILS.”

“Ahh.” The woman smiled, evidently figuring out whatever it is she Eye of the Storm 77

was fishing for. “And what part are you director of? My husband special-izes in retail.”

“All of it,” came the prompt, amiable reply. “I’m the Executive Operations Director.”

There was a long pause as the woman’s head tilted to one side. “And you…work for…”

“The Chief Information Officer for ILS, mmhmm,” Kerry agreed cheerfully, pointing across the room. “That’s her, my boss. She’s great.”

Elli put a hand on her arm. “Excuse me a minute.” She turned and scurried away, as Kerry lifted her hand and waggled her fingers at her retreating back.

“Bye.” She scooped up the other drink and resumed her aborted trek across the room, arriving just as Dar was nodding a farewell to her latest group of questioners. “Here.” She handed the taller woman her glass.

“Is there alcohol in here?”

“Yes.”

Dar drank the entire thing down in a draft. She lowered the glass, then licked her lips. “Got another one around?”

Kerry handed her the glass she’d gotten for herself without a word and took the empty one from her lover. So far, at least, her mother seemed to be steering clear of them, letting the various family members come up and renew their acquaintance with what Kerry realized was their version of the black sheep of the family.

Who turned up, shockingly, with a snowy white fleece and golden hooves, and now no one knew quite what to do with her. It would have been funny, if it had been anyone other than Dar who was very obviously hating every moment of the affair. “Hey, Dar?”

Dar had been busy chewing on a piece of ice, and now she finished crunching and leaned back against her chosen wall. “Yeah?”

“This rebellious phase. Just how rebellious are we talking about?”

“Mmm. I wasn’t too bad at work. But off hours,” Dar chewed her lip a little, “I tended to leather and spiked collars.” Her eyes darted to Kerry’s face, which went slack with shock. “Yeah…and clothes with strategically placed rips.” She paused. “I almost had a tattoo.”

“Almost?” Kerry croaked, her mind still busy constructing a picture of her lover in leather and chains. “What stopped you?”

“Dad. He said, ‘Dardar, you kin do what you want, but so kin I, and if you put any damn pictures on any part of that body of yours, I’m gonna take steel wool and scrub ’em off.’”

Kerry covered her face with one hand and stifled a giggle. “That would have stopped me,” she admitted, glancing up as more people closed in on them. “Whoops. Next shift.”

“Paladar. It’s been so long. You look marvelous. What have you been doing with yourself?” A tall, willow thin woman with uniformly yellow hair wafted up, followed by a heavyset man that reminded Kerry of Duks.