“Oh.” Kerry played with her napkin. “Sorry. We could have gone somewhere else, Dar. I didn’t know.”

“No, it’s okay.” Dar smiled, feeling the truth in that statement with a sense of incredible pleasure. “It was my choice, remember? I thought it was about time I let that part of my past go and enjoy coming back to some place I used to really like.”

“Wow. Okay.” Kerry was a little confused, but pleased. “Well, I like it here. It’s got a great view.”

Dar nodded. “Yes, it does.” She gazed across the table, oblivious of the twinkling lights outside. She smiled as Kerry blushed faintly. “The last time I was here…Shari told me I was such a dysfunctional social moron, I’d never have a relationship that lasted more than six months.”

“What a stupid, clueless jerk.” Kerry snorted. “I mean, look. Our relationship’s lasted longer than that. She obviously had no idea what she was talking about.”

Dar cupped her chin in one hand and smiled. “Yes, ours has,” she agreed softly. “It’s a first for me and I just wanted to mark the occasion.”

Kerry’s jaw just dropped. She stared at her lover in stunned surprise, trying frantically to come up with some kind of response for that. “Buh.”

She rubbed her face with one hand. “Jesus, Dar.”

“What?”


194 Melissa Good

“You know what I was doing the other day?”

Puzzled, Dar shook her head. “No.”

“Planning what to do on our anniversary.”

“Oh.” She chuckled. “Our first?”

“Our fiftieth.” Green eyes met hers with quiet certainty.

Dar just looked at her.

Kerry lifted her glass and touched Dar’s with it. “I was thinking maybe a tour on the Space Station.” She took a sip. “They should have weekend packages by then, don’cha think?”

“Yeah.” Dar’s face creased into a smile. “Sounds great to me.”

CHARLES BANNERSLEY CAST a critical eye over the room, reluctantly approving the starched servers who stood patiently behind the buffet and the newly buffed hardwood floors that gleamed under the soft, carefully calibrated light of the gallery.

“They did a nice job.” His twin sister Carolyn eased up next to him, her ginger colored hair reflecting the light. “The exhibit looks good, too.”

“Mmhmm.” He nodded. “Not bad. Not bad. Press got some good shots, and Edgar Evans was making billing and cooing noises over Ceci’s last piece down there. I’d say we’ve got a budding success on our hands.”

“Speaking of. Where is she?” Carolyn asked, glancing around.

“Don’t tell me she isn’t here yet.”

Charles shrugged. “You know her. I was going to stop by there this afternoon, but I got tied up in a meeting. Elli was whining at me the other day over Ceci acting strange.”

They exchanged sibling glances. “When doesn’t she?” Carolyn inquired, arching a brow. “Did you find her a date for tonight, Chucky?

I’m so tired of seeing her wafting around alone like some kind of tum-bleweed.”

He sighed. “Hey, I do my part, Cary. She just doesn’t cooperate.

Apparently I can’t find the right kind of guy to interest her.”

His sister put an errant bit of hair behind one ear. “Have you tried the local trucker bars?” she sniped. “Maybe you’re just looking in the wrong places.”

They both laughed wryly. “Listen, I feel bad for the poor thing.” Carolyn shook her head. “She’s never going to leave that nightmare behind her until we can prod her back into some kind of social life and you know it.”

“I know, I know. I’ll keep try—ah, there she is.” Charles turned as he spotted their younger sister entering, dressed in a plain, but classic dress, in a dark aqua color that complimented her fair hair and pale eyes. “Well, she made an effort. What do you know?”

“Mmm.” Carolyn leaned towards him to watch. “Hey, she looks good. Got a little color to her cheeks for a change.”

“Yeah. Too bad I didn’t ask Bob to come tonight. I’ve been trying to get them hooked up for mo—oh my god.”


Eye of the Storm 195

Cecilia glanced behind her and held a hand out and tall figure entered, ducking slightly to clear the low doorframe. Their hands met and she drew her companion forward, turning to greet the tuxedo clad man who hurried forward.

Carolyn clutched her brother’s arm. “Chuck—”

“I see.” His voice was flat with shock.

“That can’t be Andrew.”

His nostrils twitched as he studied the man towering over his sister.

Dressed in pristine Navy whites, despite the dark hair more sprinkled with grays than he remembered, and a new set of ugly scars, he surprisingly didn’t look too different. “Apparently it is.” His voice hardened.

“I can’t believe it. After all this time? The Navy said he was dead.

Where in the hell has he been?” Carolyn hissed.

“I don’t know, and frankly, I don’t care. But if he thinks he’s just going to walk back into Ceci’s life like this, he’s got another thing coming.” Charles twitched his jacket straight and headed towards the door.

“CECILIA, DARLING. SO glad I caught you coming in.”

Ceci held a hand out. “Hello, Edgar. Thanks for being here. It’s nice to see you.”

The art critic preened a little. “My privilege, as always. I wanted to tell you how much I love your work in acrylic in there. The seascape one, you know?”

“Yes, I know the one.” Ceci smiled at him. “Would you like to meet the inspiration for that one?” She turned and held a hand out towards a diffidently waiting Andrew, who still stood just outside the door. He entered, took her hand, and came up beside her. “This is my husband, Andrew.”

Edgar tilted his head back and gazed up. “A pleasure, sir. A pleasure…ah, Commander, is it?”

“That’s right.” Andy shifted a little inside the dress whites, a bunch looser than they had been, but all in all not too damn bad, considering.

Ceci had even given him a trim, though his hair was far from its usual regulation crew cut. He took the critic’s hand and returned his tentative grip with a solid one.

“Goodness. I had no idea you were married, my dear. But I’m so glad to meet someone who can inspire such wonderful art.” Edgar beamed at Andrew, who gave him a dourly reserved smile in return. “Congratulations, sir. Congratulations on such a lovely and talented wife.”

Andrew decided he liked the little penguin. “Thanks.” A motion caught his eye and he focused his peripheral vision that way. Well, well.

Cecilia’s older brother Charles was headed in their direction, and he didn’t look happy.

Charles was tall, almost as tall as Andy was, and had red hair liberally peppered with gray and thinning badly on top. He was about six or seven years Ceci’s senior and had always taken great pleasure in present-196 Melissa Good ing himself as the head of the family, after their father had died some fifteen years back.

He was, in Andy’s estimation, a half-assed jerkwad with more breeding than sense, and they’d never gotten along. He poked Ceci gently and jerked his chin towards her brother. “Here comes a man with a bee in his britches,” he muttered.

Ceci watched Charles approach and a tiny, vindictive grin briefly creased her face. “Hope it stings him right in the behind.”

“Wall, I kin think of some better places but he ain’t got none,”

Andrew drawled, as Charles reached them, his twin right behind him.

“’Lo, Charles, Carolyn.”

Charles stopped and inhaled, his lips twisting grimly. “Andrew. This is quite a surprise.”

“Ah bet.”

Ceci eased between them. “Sorry, Chucky. I didn’t really have time to prepare you. Things have been happening pretty quickly.” She glanced behind him. “Hi, Cary.”

“Cec,” her sister murmured. “Hello, Andrew.” She gave her brother-in-law a guarded look.

“Ms. Roberts.” A gallery aide came up looking a little agitated.

“Could you come into the display room, please? The press would like to speak with you.”

Ceci hesitated. “I—”

“G’wan.” Andrew gave her a little nudge. “Give me a chance to catch your kin up here.”

Cecilia gave him a look, recognizing the deliberate, slight exaggeration of his usual drawl for what it was. “I’ll be right back.” She curled a hand briefly around his wrist and squeezed it, then followed the aide out, leaving Andrew with her brother and sister in a silent tableau.

A SOFT KNOCK at the door brought Dar’s head up and she paused in her work. “Yeah?”

Maríana stuck her head in and smiled. “Got a minute?”

Dar leaned back and rubbed her eyes. “Sure. C’mon in.”

The Personnel VP entered and closed the door. She crossed the carpeted floor and seated herself in one of Dar’s visitor chairs. “How’s it going?”

“Not bad.” Dar folded her hands. “We got most of the new boxes in place and I think we’re going to start testing next week. It’s going a lot smoother than I’d planned for. Nice, for a change.”

“Good to hear.” Mari nodded. “Listen. Duks and I and Mark and Barbara were planning on taking a ride up to the fair tonight. You and Kerry interested?”

The Youth Fair. Dar was surprised at her tickling of interest. “I don’t know. Hang on.” She pressed the intercom. “Hey, Kerry?”

“Yeesss?” The blonde woman’s voice sounded a touch smug and def-Eye of the Storm 197

initely pleased.

“You up for the Youth Fair?”

A puzzled silence. “I didn’t know you were into cows, Dar. Or is this a continuance of yesterday’s conversation?”

Maríana clapped a hand over her mouth and turned pink from laughter.

Dar sighed. “You haven’t been to a youth fair down here, I take it.”