The long strides shortened and slowed, and Dar glanced at her as she came along side. ”Idiots.”

”C’mon, Dar, they’re just doing their job,” Kerry admonished her.

”It’s for everyone’s safety.”

Dar held up her pager. ”I meant this. I got pages from half the office. Duks, Mari, what the hell did they all want, a personal explanation of what happened?”

She tossed it up, then caught it and stuffed it in a pocket again.

”There’s the gate. You want to keep hold of these?” She indicated the laptop. ”I’ll go get some coffee.” She settled Kerry in a padded seat 268

Melissa Good

near the gate window, then put down her laptop. ”Be right back.”

”Grab a paper, too,” Kerry requested, as she leaned back and watched her companion walk off. A grin wound its way onto her face as she enjoyed the little rhythm in Dar’s walk, too slight to be a swagger, but definite nonetheless. She was wearing a pair of worn, black stone washed jeans with her high top sneakers, and Kerry found herself wishing the company would allow casual dress in the office.

Not that Dar didn’t look good in a business suit, oh no, she certainly did, Kerry reflected. But she got the feeling Dar was most comfortable just like she was right now.

And so are you, wise guy. Kerry stretched out her feet and crossed her ankles, regarding her tan hiking boots wryly. She had her most comfortable pair of really nice, faded, soft jeans on, almost white from washing, with spots a little worn around her knees, and brass buttons with the letters rubbed right off them.

Her thick, warm flannel shirt was tucked in neatly, and she folded her arms across her chest, letting her head lean back against the chilly glass of the window.

It had been a good weekend, she decided. Despite the bumps, and the little moments of doubt, it still had brought them closer together, and put some truths on the table. They’d come out of it rested and pretty much relaxed, and, Kerry wiggled her fingers and regarded the ring on her hand. ”And pretty much committed to each other, I think.”

She took a moment out and allowed the joy she was feeling to bubble up, making her skin tingle.

”Kerry?” Dar’s hesitant voice broke her out of her dreamy state.

”Uh, sorry.” She pushed herself upright and took the cup her lover was holding out. ”I was just thinking.”

”Uh huh.” Dar dropped down in the chair next to her. ”I’m not going to ask about what, but based on that look you had, I hope it wasn’t the coffee.” She handed her the requested paper. ”Here, it’s tomorrow’s edition of USA Today.”

Kerry took it, and laid it down in her lap, then gave Dar a look over the rim of her cup. ”It wasn’t the coffee,” she admitted, taking a sip. ”I have this little ball of happy inside me, and I was just playing with it.”

Dar bit down on her cup edge, and her eyelashes fluttered in surprise. ”That’s an interesting way to put that,” she chuckled. ”Very poetic.”

Green eyes twinkled gently. ”I said you bring that out in me, didn’t I?” Her companion grinned frankly. ”Funny. Why do I bring out the worst in everyone except for you?” She leaned on the chair arm and pressed her shoulder against Kerry's, glancing down at the paper.

”Anything interesting?”

Kerry flipped through the pages as Dar relaxed, closing her eyes and taking slow, idle sips of her coffee.


Hurricane Watch

269

”Hey Dar?”

”Mm?”

”What’s a CIO?”

Dar regarded the popcorn ceiling reflectively. ”Chief Information Officer; it’s a person who sits on the board of directors of a company, charts strategy for IS, sets policy, that kind of thing.” She sucked down a mouthful of the mocha. ”Why?”

”We didn’t have one of those,” Kerry remarked.

”Nope. Alastair has been waffling on that for two years, since the last guy threw up his hands in disgust and walked off. He’s got to give up control for that, and he just can’t stand it.” Dar crossed her ankles.

”It’s worked for me, because it takes out a layer of pretty useless management between us.”

”Mm.” Kerry slid closer, and put her arm around Dar’s shoulders, putting the paper in front of her half closed eyes. “We do have one now.”

”What’s that...” Dar’s brow scrunched. ”Oh shit, he finally found someone? Damn it. Who in the hell...why didn’t he say something?”

Her eyes flicked to the page, and took in the headlines, scanning them impatiently. “Who is it?”

”You.”

Dar went absolutely still, her eyes wide and staring for a long moment, before she shot upright, and grabbed the paper, bending her head to read the text. Her jaw dropped open, and she took in and released several breaths before any intelligible words came out. ”That son of a bitch. I’m gonna kill him,” she managed to squeak out.

”Dar, honey, the usual response to a promotion is ‘thank you’, isn’t it?” Kerry murmured, rubbing her back soothingly. ”Not ‘you son of a bitch, I'm going to kill you.’” She watched Dar’s nostrils flare, and her jaw muscles work. ”Hey?”

Blue eyes pivoted and met hers. ”He’s toast.”

Kerry touched her cheek. “Why? If anyone in the world deserves that, it’s you, Dar. We both know it.” She rubbed the soft skin gently.

”Why are you so upset?”

”He promised me nothing would change,” Dar snarled. ”Bastard.”

”Dar...” Kerry leaned closer, catching her eyes. ”Weren’t you just telling me this morning you didn’t want to go back to the same old thing? This gives you a chance to change things, doesn’t it? It makes you rank higher than everyone else?”

The long hands gripped the chair arms with convulsive strength, as Dar’s gaze turned inward, thinking. Finally her body relaxed, and she took a deep breath, returning her eyes to Kerry’s face. ”If he thinks I’m moving to Texas, he’s got a surprise coming.”

Kerry felt the tension drain from her. ”I’m willing to bet you won’t even have to change offices, Dar. He just saw a way to fix a problem, and you were it.” She gave her lover a smile. ”He put you in charge of 270

Melissa Good

everything, and everybody, didn’t he?”

The pale blue eyes blinked, considering.

”I just wonder why he didn’t do it before,” Kerry sighed.

Slowly, a grin started to twitch Dar’s lips. ”He knew he never had anyone who could step into my Ops job before,” She drawled softly, putting a finger on the very tip of Kerry's nose.

”Oh no, no. I’m not...um...” Kerry held up a hand. ”No Dar, I’ve only been here for a few months. No, I— No, Dar, no. Stop looking at me like that.”

A dark brow lifted in question.

”Dar, don’t be silly. I can’t do your job,” Kerry wailed softly.

”No.” Now Dar’s gaze was sharp, and appraising, and reminded Kerry very much of the cool judging she’d received on that very first day. ”You can’t do what I did the way I did it, but I bet you could find a way to do it your way.”

”I can’t.”

”Then I can’t accept this,” Dar stated quietly. ”Because you’re the only one I trust to replace me.”

Kerry felt breathless. ”Dar, that’s not fair.”

”No, it’s not.” Her lover replied. ”Life sometimes isn’t.”

They looked at each other in silence. Dar sighed. ”At least think about it,” she asked quietly. ”Please?”

Kerry glanced down at her boots, kicking the carpet a little, then she looked up.” All right, I’ll think about it.” She nibbled her lower lip.

”Give me a day or so, huh?”

Dar looked like she wanted to argue, but she nodded. ”Sure, take your time.” She settled back in her chair and shook her head. ”I’m gonna kill him.”

Kerry poked her lip out. ”So am I,” she muttered.

Slowly, they turned, and regarded each other seriously. Then Dar started to laugh, and after a moment, Kerry joined her. They wound down, then started up again, until Kerry just buried her face in Dar’s shoulder, and curled a hand around her arm, helpless with giggles.

”I got an idea.” Dar pulled her sneakered feet up and tucked an arm around her knees. ”Why don’t we change our tickets, and go to Houston, and show up at his house with rubber hatchets?”

Kerry peered up at her. ”You really are a brat, aren't you?” She laughed.

A wicked, sexy smile answered her. ”You bring that out in me,”

Dar told her, shaking a long finger at her. She looked up as the boarding agent was clearing her throat, and picking up her microphone. ”Ah, looks like it’s time to go.”

Kerry finished off her coffee and stood, flexing her arms and wincing as her shoulder popped into place. ”Ow.” She reached down for her laptop, but found it taken from her fingers, and a warm hand touching her back. ”Dar, I can carry my own bag.”


Hurricane Watch

271

”Yes, I know,” Dar told her, lowering her voice. ”But it’s my privilege to do it for you.”

”Ah. I see,” Kerry mused, allowing herself to be gently steered towards the airplane ramp. ”Privilege,” she murmured very softly, almost under her breath, as she handed over her boarding pass to the smiling agent. ”Thank you.”

She took back her stub, and entered the long boarding tunnel, along with a straggling of the few other passengers on the evening flight. She slid in to the window seat in the first row of the airplane, and watched as Dar put their bags in the overhead bin, then sat down next to her, letting her hands rest on her thighs.

”Be glad to get home,” Dar sighed.

”How’s your knee doing?” Kerry asked, as she leaned on the console between them. ”I noticed you weren’t limping anymore.”