“Kerry came back with you?” Ceci asked. “I thought she went out 60 Melissa Good to Chicago.”

Dar got up and stretched, the intriguing smells from the kitchen luring her over. “She ran into weather on the flight up...had some plane problems. They landed in Newark.” Her head poked around the corner of the kitchen doorway. “Ready?”

Kerry looked up from removing baked sweet potatoes off a tray, their tops bubbling with toasted marshmallow. She had on a Dilbert apron, and she met Dar’s eyes with a grin. “Why? Are you hungry?”

Pale blue orbs darted to Andrew Roberts, then back to Kerry’s face.

“Yes.”

“Right nice-looking bird,” he drawled. “Never saw one with slippers on before, though.” He fingered the white frilly caps on the turkey’s leg bones. The bird itself was done to a nice golden brown, and a mound of stuffing spilled out over its breastbone and tumbled down onto the plate. “Good job, kumquat.”

“Yeah,” Dar agreed, licking her lips. Chino poked her head between Dar’s knees and investigated as well, wagging her tail hopefully.

Kerry regarded them fondly, a proud grin appearing on her face.

For her first turkey, it sure had turned out better than she’d dreamed.

“Okay, let’s get it to the table, then. I’ll bring this stuff.” She indicated the side dishes.

Andrew took possession of the turkey tray, lifting its bulk with little effort and heading for the dining room. Dar sidled over and took a fingerful of sweet potatoes, sticking it into her mouth before relieving Kerry of the platter. “Mmm.”

“Know what?” Kerry sucked on the end of her spoon. “I am pretty darn impressed with myself here.”

Dar leaned over and gave her partner a kiss on the lips. “I am totally not surprised.”

Kerry leaned against her. “Thanks.” She licked a bit of potato Dar had left behind off her lip and bumped her partner with one hip. “Better get in there before those are all gone.”

“You can make more.” Dar grinned. “But let me tell ya, I’m damn glad we didn’t’ miss out on this. It’s a blast.” She disappeared with the platter, leaving Kerry to divest herself of her apron and wipe her hands.

She could hear the buzz of conversation in the dining area, and the oohs and ahhs as the food arrived made her grin a little, and blush.

“Ah, and I remember all those horror stories everyone told about their first Thanksgiving.” She leaned back against the counter, enjoying the moment.

Traditions were funny. She didn’t remember Thanksgiving being a particularily enjoyable time in her past, save perhaps for her very youngest years. In the latter ones, it had become a photo opportunity for the press, as her father displayed his perfect American family gathered around a typical loaded table.


Red Sky At Morning 61

She half closed her eyes, a memory of being dressed in pristine starched ruffles and standing against a dark, wood wall as flashbulbs popped in her face coming sharply into focus.

Not attending wasn’t an option. Kerry could remember those endless nights surrounded by preening extended family, stilted conversations and critical remarks. “Damn, I hated turkey.” She sighed, shaking her head at the realization she’d just willingly produced a cooked one of her own.

Traditions here had taken on a whole new meaning, somehow.

“Hey, Ker?” Dar’s head popped back into the kitchen. “You coming out here to take your bows?”

Kerry pushed off the wall and headed into the living room, the chill air brushing against her bare legs and shoulders as she emerged to a round of enthusiastic clapping. She felt a blush color her skin as she took in all the smiling faces.

“Kerry, I have to tell you I never expected to be present at an edible Thanksgiving in this family unless Dar paid off Emeril Lagasse to visit,”

Ceci pronounced, with suitable seriousness. “I certainly never managed one.”Everyone chuckled, eyes turning to look at Kerry’s tall partner. Dar half shrugged, grinning rakishly. “Don’t look at me. I ordered in pizza before,” she assured them. “If anyone here thinks I ever thought I’d see a cooked turkey from that kitchen…” She pointed over her shoulder.

“on that table.” She pointed forward. “You’re nuts.”

So totally different. Kerry welcomed Dar’s encircling arm around her shoulders as she joined the others at the table, remembering where she’d been a year ago this time. “Boy.” She leaned against Dar’s tall body. “This sure beats a chicken salad sandwich at the nut farm, huh?”

she muttered under her breath, knowing a moment of dark triumph as everyone started to sit down around the steaming plates of food.

Dar picked up the gleaming carving knife and fork and studied the turkey, giving the rest of the table a wryly speculative look. “This’ll be interesting.” She tapped the edge of the fork against the turkey breast.

“Let’s see if my reputation as a butcher has any legs.”

More laughter. Kerry leaned back in her chair as she watched her partner bravely hack at her creation as everyone else helped themselves from the dishes of vegetables, and Duks poured glasses of rich, red wine.

“Hey, Kerry, heard you ran into some bad weather. How bad was it?” Mariana asked, as she buttered a roll. “Any problems?”

Kerry hesitated a moment, catching Dar looking right at her, the taller woman’s hands still for a moment. “No problems,” she answered briskly. “I lucked out. We had to land in New York, and Dar changed the plan.” She picked up her glass and took a sip of the wine. “To a much better plan…don’t you all agree?” She held up her glass and indicated the dinner.


62 Melissa Good

“Definitely.” Duks held up his own glass, and the others followed suit. “Here is to Dar’s plans. May they always be as successful.” He paused. “And result in delicious meals for us.”

Everyone laughed again, and Kerry joined in, releasing the troubles of the moment to the future with the faintest of shrugs and a much lightened heart. The choice was, as Dar had said, in the past. What ever happened next would happen.

“For a novice, you’re doing a great job carving that breast, Dar,”

Mariana observed.

“There’s a breast novice joke in there somewhere,” Dar replied dryly. “But my parents are here.”

“Dar!”


Chapter

Four

DAR WOKE JUST before the alarm went off and silenced it before it had a chance to ring. It was still dark outside, and by the scant starlight coming in the window, she could just barely make out Kerry’s features, peaceful in sleep.

For a moment, Dar debated not waking her up. They’d meant to go to bed early, since she knew she had to leave for the base first thing, but somehow they’d ended up watching a Croc Hunter special, and before she knew it, two AM was staring them in the face.

Whoops. Dar rubbed her eyes, wishing she could close them and go back to sleep.

The movement, however, woke Kerry, and she gazed up at her with half-opened eyes, a smile sketching its way across her face. “Can I come with you?” she said.

Dar spoke at the same time. “You want to come with me today?”

They both stopped and blinked.

“Wow,” Kerry remarked mildly. “The invisible psychic fiber hub’s up and passing packets, huh?”

A laugh escaped from Dar. “I guess.” She rolled over onto her back and stretched. “I was just thinking I’d like to have an outside opinion while I go through there. I know I’m biased.” Was that just an excuse to have Kerry along, though? Dar examined the thought carefully and decided it could go either way, but the fact that she wasn’t impartial was incontrovertible.

Kerry reviewed her schedule. “Well, I’ve got a marketing meeting I can reschedule, two conference calls that are just follow-up, and some small odds and ends. Yeah, I can clear my day,” she decided. “And, come to think of it, since you’re going to be allocating my resources right and left to Uncle Sam, I think I’d better be there to see how much trouble you’re going to get me into.”

Dar turned her head and regarded the dimly visible profile in amusement, remembering the agony Kerry had gone through not so very long ago and wondering if she was qualified to do the job Dar was asking her to. Since her promotion, Kerry had blossomed into the position, exceeding even Dar’s admittedly biased but high expectations for her. She felt briefly like a mother bird watching its offspring soar 64 Melissa Good proudly. “You don’t seriously think I’d overextend you, do you?”

A soft chuckle came out of the darkness. “No. C’mon, Dar. You know our systems and infrastructure better than anyone else, including me. I was just kidding.”

“Mm. You’re pretty close,” Dar told her. “I’d say, if I had to judge both of us, you’re doing a better job than I was as VP.”

There was absolute dead silence from the other side of the waterbed for several long heartbeats. “I think my brain just exploded,”

Kerry finally spluttered.

“Good thing this is a waterbed, then.” Dar rolled up out of it and stood. “C’mon. I know I need the run this morning or I’m not going to be awake enough to drive south.”

“Start the coffee. I’ll just suck up my neurons and be right with you.”

“You’ve got it,” Dar agreed before heading out of the bedroom and through the living room with Chino frisking at her heels. She opened the back door for the dog, then started the coffee running. By the time she turned around, a sleepy Kerry was trudging into the kitchen. “That was quick...use the vacuum?”

“Sucked them up with a straw.” Kerry pulled open the refrigerator and removed a jug full of juice, sloshing it around a few times before she popped the top open and poured herself a large glass full. “Can we stop talking about brains while I drink this? It’s got pulp in it.”