A pager number. Dar smiled at it, and tucked it into her shirt pocket. Then she limped over to her briefcase, resting on a chair nearby and removed one of her own cards. She scribbled the home phone at the condo on the back and handed it to him. ”Fair’s fair,” she told him.

”Give us a call sometimes.”

He stared at the card, turning it over in his fingers. Then he tucked it away carefully without a word.

They both heard the sound of a car outside. ”Guess that’s them,”

Dar stated quietly. ”Thanks for sticking around today.”

”You can thank the kumquat for that. It was her idea,” Andrew mumbled. ”Well, I’ll go round back and wait for her. You take care of yourself, you hear, rugrat?”

Dar hugged him, feeling him tense for a moment, then relax and return the hug. ”I love you, Daddy,” she whispered. ”I missed you.”

He took a shaky breath, and patted her side. ”Same here.” He broke off and cleared his throat. ”Be good.” He gave her arm another pat, then slipped out the back door and into the darkness.

Dar watched until his shadow blended into the foliage, not turning until she heard footsteps outside the front door.

KERRY PARKED THE Mustang next to Dar’s Lexus, and glanced at her passenger. Alastair had been looking around with great interest, 154

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and it gave her a chance to study him in return.

He looked like a kindly grandfather, she decided. Except that he was deceptively shrewd and she suspected he could make the tough decisions when he really needed to. Certainly he had Dar’s respect and she knew just how much that counted for. “Here we are.”

”Nice place,” he commented, looking around. “Wasn’t aware we’d have to take a boat trip out here. I never realized this was where Dar lived.”

Kerry nodded. ”Okay, well, that’s the condo, so.” She opened the door and got out, waiting for him to join her before she led the way down the walk and up the stairs. As she approached the door she hesitated, lifting her hand to knock, then made a quiet decision and let her fingers drop to the keypad instead, keying in her code and unlocking the door.

Alastair made no comment. His eyebrows didn’t even twitch.

Kerry suspected he knew more about them than Dar figured. ”After you.” She opened the door and held it, gesturing with the other hand.

A quick peek inside showed her Dar was leaning casually against the back of the love seat, regarding them. There was no sign of Andrew.

”Hi.”Dar’s eyes flicked to hers, and she gave her a tiny wink. ”Hi.” Then her attention turned to Alastair. ”Hello Alastair, c’mon in.”

Kerry lifted a hand and moved a step back. ”Later.”

Dar lifted a hand in response, and watched the door close behind her lover, then she turned her gaze on her boss.

They regarded each other in silence for a moment, then Dar exhaled and stood up. ”Siddown. You want a drink?”

”I think I need one,” Alastair replied wryly, as he took the invitation and settled on the couch, leaning back and glancing around.

”Nice place, Dar.”

The dark haired woman nodded. ”Thanks.” She limped over to the cabinet against the wall and took out a bottle, pulling the top off and pouring a portion of honey golden liquor into two glasses. Then she put the top back on and made her way back, handing Alastair his, and settling in the easy chair across from him.

”So.” He took a sip, eyebrows rising at the taste. ”Very nice,” he added approvingly.

”Thought I remembered you liked scotch,” Dar commented, taking a sip of her own glass. The smooth twenty year old alcohol burned warmly on the way down.

”That I do,” Alastair agreed. ”That I do.” He looked around. ”You know Dar, not that I spent a whole lot of time thinking about it, but I never pictured you in a place like this.” His eyes fell on the space scape.

”High tech apartment in a high rise off Brickell, sure, but...”

Dar smiled briefly. ”An aunt of mine willed it to me.”

An awkward silence fell.


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”So,” Alastair said again. ”Where do we go from here, Dar?” He sipped his scotch and watched her over the rim of his glass. ”I think you probably realize I’ve got someone real hefty sitting on that resignation request of yours.”

Dar considered that. ”Flattering,” she commented briefly.

”Let’s not bullshit each other,” Alastair advised her. ”We both know I consider you an essential part of my management team, and it would kill me to lose you.” He paused. ”Especially over something as ridiculous as this.”

He waited, but she didn’t comment. ”So, what really happened here, Dar? I’ve heard Mari’s side, and José’s side, and I just don’t get it.

What made you up and decide to throw up your hands and walk out?”

Dar regarded him in silence for a moment, then she exhaled. ”Good question.” She paused, and gave a little shake of her head. ”It’s gotten to the point in the last month where I’ve been attacked more by my own company than any of our competitors, and maybe I started to wonder what in the hell I was doing here.”’

Alastair thought about that, sipping his drink slowly ”You're a high profile kinda gal, Dar. You’ve always attracted slings and arrows, you know that,” he ventured. ”Was this guy really that much of a needle in your shorts?”

A shrug. ”Maybe.” Dar regarded the table. ”Maybe because it was personal, not professional, maybe because I knew a colleague had brought him in deliberately to attack me.” She shifted the glass in her hands. ”But I think I could have dealt with that.”

Alastair nodded twice. ”But?”

”But he went after my people,” Dar concluded. ”And I’d just had enough.” She looked up at Alastair. ”I’d had enough of being the whore bitch from hell until someone needed something.”

Alastair leaned forward. ”Dar, the fact that most of the operation is at a complete standstill, and I have over fifty empty desks should tell you not everyone feels that way,” he replied, seriously. ”And I think you know that I don’t feel that way either, or I wouldn’t be sitting here right now. I’d be home in Houston, watching a ball game, considering who I was going to promote to VP Ops.”

Dar cleared her throat a little. ”I should have called you first,” she admitted. ”I owed you that.” She hesitated. “I’m sorry, Alastair.”

A tiny smile crossed Alastair’s face. “An apology from Dar Roberts.

Thank God I’m sitting down.” He kidded her gently. “I think that’s a first.”She studied her clasped hands. “Probably,” she agreed, in a mild tone.Alastair watched her for a minute. “For that matter, I think I owe you an apology,” he said. “Next time I’ll eat the cost and save myself a boatload of heartache.”

Dar leaned back and relaxed a trifle. “You know what the worst 156

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part was, Alastair?”

He shook his head.

“I’ve worked for you for fifteen years,” Dar said. “And I didn’t even get a phone call asking me what the hell was going on before I was carted off to the boondocks like I was a bad kid.”

Alastair considered that in silence for a while, his bushy brows contracting. “Well,” he finally said. “Y’know, I just didn’t think it was that big a deal, to be honest with you.” His eyes searched her face.

“Knee jerk, actually. If I’d really put two cents into what he was pitching, I think I would have called.”

“Mm.”

“It would have saved me a flight,” he added. “I think.”

Dar hesitated, then she half shrugged and nodded. “Probably.”

”But I’m glad I came anyway, just to see things first hand.” He leaned back. ”You have problems here, I’ll grant you. And I wanted to meet this mysterious assistant of yours who seems to be causing problems far out of proportion to her size.”

”She doesn’t cause problems,” Dar snapped. ”She solves them.”

Alastair chuckled softly. ”I realize that. It’s why I offered her your job.”It took all of Dar’s self-control to keep a look of mild interest on her face, and to not tense up. ”And?” she asked, forcing a lazy smile onto her face. ”She’d be good at it.”

The CEO watched her intently, then he nodded a little. ”That’s what I told her, and I got told to kiss her ass.” He remarked dryly.

”Which seems to be a departmental tradition of yours.”

The sense of relief almost choked her. Dar had to take a few breaths, masking it by sipping her drink, before she could answer. ”Part of the orientation,” she drawled. ”She picked it up faster than most.”

Bless you, Kerry. I followed my heart when it came to you, and you’re the first person who didn’t stab me in it. ”So who’s your second choice?”

Alastair exhaled, regarding his hands thoughtfully. ”I have none. I was hoping I could convince you to stay.” He paused. ”I just wanted to see what Ms. Stuart would say, and she basically said exactly what I expected her to.” He paused again, and looked up at her. ”I knew you trusted her, and I wanted to see why.”

Dar's expression softened a little. ”And did you?”

He nodded. ”Yes, I did.” He waited for her to go on, but she remained silent. ”So, how about it, Dar? I’d offer you more money, but I don’t think that’s really of interest to you.”

Dar cleared her throat. ”No, you’re right.” She lifted a hand and let it fall. ”I need two things.”

Alastair leaned forward expectantly. His eyes sharpened, and he waited.

”My organizational structure stays intact,” Dar enunciated Hurricane Watch

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carefully. ”Completely intact.”

The CEO pursed his lips. ”Policy wise, that’s murder,” he advised her. “The board’s going to roast me if it gets known.”