“Sure it is,” Lena said. “I mean, you ain’t had happen to you what I have.”
Kerry rested her chin on her fist. “Lena, they’re still your family, no matter what they did. There are things my family did to me that I didn’t like or appreciate either, but they’re still my family.”
Lena shrugged. “Mine sucks.”
“Mine does too, sometimes,” Kerry said. “When my father found out I was gay, do you know what he did?”
“Freaked?”
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“Threw me in a psycho ward.”
Lena’s eyes nearly popped out. “Yeah?”
“Yeah,” Kerry said with a sad sigh. “He hated my being gay.
None of my family likes it. Well, maybe my brother and sister don’t really mind, but…”
“Wow.” Lena pondered. “So you must be glad he’s outta here, then, yeah?”
Kerry took a breath to answer, the facile lie forming inside her mouth. Then she hesitated. Was she glad? “It’s not that simple. He was my father.”
Lena shrugged again. “Yeah, well, my old man’s an asshole, and if he jumped in front of a truck, I’d clap.” She got up. “Anyway, thanks for the help. It’s been pretty cool bringing home a like, real paycheck.”
Kerry managed a smile and also stood. “Well, glad things are going all right.”
“You going to be at the group thing next week?” Lena asked with a slight hesitation. “They were, like, asking me.”
“I’ll be there.” Kerry picked up the two cups. “I’m sure we’ll have a lot to talk about this week.”
“For sure.” Lena half grinned, then she disappeared, leaving Kerry to cross the hallway back to her office in silence.
DAR SAT QUIETLY in her office, just taking the time to look around and study the space as if it were new to her. Then she exhaled and focused on her visitor, who had just seated himself across from her desk. “So.”
“So.” Alastair nodded. “All’s well that ends to our advantage, eh?”
Dar lifted a hand and let it drop on the desk. “Something like that. Listen, I’m sorry about what happened with Senator Stuart. I should have talked to you before I did that.”
Alastair soberly nodded again. “Yes, lady, you should have.
I’m the last person who’s dinging you for getting a life, Dar, but y’know, you’re not the only one who’d have had their tail roasted because of that.”
Dar got up, walked to the window, and gazed out at the water. Her shoulder was back in its sling, and she leaned against the warm glass with her good hand, having no real response for what Alastair was saying.
“Now, I’m not saying anything about you taking off for parts north, hear?” Alastair joined her at the window. “Totally understood that, Dar. Totally.”
“Yeah.” Dar exhaled. “But when did I turn into Dudley Do-208
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Right, is that what you’re asking?”
“Er…”
Dar turned and leaned her back against the glass, feeling the sun as it soaked through her shirt. “Kerry was right.”
“Eh?” Alastair backed up, and hitched up his trousers to perch on the corner of her desk. “Right about what?”
“I was too close to the Navy contract.” Dar met his eyes. “I should have assigned someone else to do it. It was personal.”
Alastair rubbed his jaw. “Ah.”
“It was too personal.” Dar exhaled. “Getting those bastards meant more to me than protecting the company, and I can’t pretend that didn’t happen.”
Alastair folded his arms over his chest. “So, what am I supposed to do with you? If you recall, we got those contracts in the first place because it was personal to you, lady.”
“I know.”
“We’ve gotten more than one set of those in the recent past,”
Alastair continued. “Including the couple that, if my noggin’s working right, let you finagle keeping on some staff from an obscure little software house we picked up a while back.”
“Hmph.” Dar tilted her head. “Yeah, that’s true. I should have talked to someone about this, though. Not just handed that crap over to someone who hates our guts like the senator did.”
Alastair sighed. “Well,” he lifted both hands and let them drop to his knees, “I don’t know, Dar. From what Ham tells me, Stuart went hush on the whole investigation of us right after you tossed him those papers.”
Dar’s eyebrows lifted.
“So, who knows?” Alastair said. “Maybe you did us a favor after all.”’
“You don’t really believe that.”
Alastair shrugged. “Lady, I’m ready to believe anything at this point. That man’s going to hand me the keys to a couple of billion dollars tomorrow, and, in the long run, that’s what counts with the folks who write our paychecks.”
“Eh.” Dar made a face.
“How’s the arm?”
“Killing me,” Dar admitted, glad of the change of subject.
“It’s been a long damn week.” She paused, then looked up at him.
“I’m taking some time off over the holidays. We’re going out on the boat.”
“Good!” Alastair nodded firmly. “I think you need it, y’know? Get some space around you, and all that.”
“Get my head together,” Dar said with a wry smile. “Thanks, Alastair.”
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Alastair got up and waved a hand at her. “I sure didn’t do a thing, Dar. Glad it all worked out.” He checked his watch. “You and Ms. Stuart free for lunch? I’d love to try some of that Cuban food you’re always telling me about.”
“Sure.” Dar sat down and exhaled, feeling a sense of belated relief. At least for now, things were all right.
At least, for now.
KERRY TOOK A slow sip of her coffee as she leaned on the railing and absorbed the early morning sun with a feeling of complete and total pleasure. It was just after dawn, and she was already dressed in her swimsuit, with a pair of cotton shorts and a tank top thrown over it, her bare toes curling against the stone balcony as she sniffed the clean, salt air.
“What a gorgeous day,” she said softly, then looked to her right as she heard the whine and hiss of the condo’s golf cart approaching. “Hey.”
Dar got out of the cart and headed for the garden gate. “Hey, yourself, cute stuff.” She opened the door and disappeared, to reappear moments later as she entered the kitchen and padded out onto the balcony next to Kerry. “All loaded up and ready to go.”
“Cool.” Kerry offered her a sip of coffee. “I made some breakfast. Want to bring it out here and share?” She waited while Dar obligingly ducked inside and returned with a small tray of eggs, toast, and fresh fruit. They sat down together at the metal and glass table and traded forkfuls as the sunlight poured across the space.
“You know,” Dar leaned back and propped her feet up against the railing, “I’m really looking forward to today.”
Kerry looked at her. “I can tell. You’ve been smiling all morning. I am too.”
Dar returned her gaze. “Was that a map of the Caribbean I saw in the study?”
Kerry grinned, her nose wrinkling up appealingly.
Dar chuckled, clasped Kerry’s hand over the table, and rubbed her thumb against the knuckles. “My little pirate. I can’t wait to sail the high seas with you.”
Kerry’s green eyes were fairly ablaze with an intense joy.
“If I’d known you’d react like this, I’d have suggested a cruise a lot sooner,” Dar remarked mildly.
“It’s not just the trip,” Kerry said with a tiny, wry smile. “It’s being out alone with you for a whole week. You have no idea how much I want that right now. It could have been a cruise, or a 210
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remote cabin in the woods, or a hike in the wilderness; I wouldn’t have cared.”
“I would,” Dar said kindly. “Mosquitoes and leaves for TP do not put me in a romantic mood nearly as much as salt air and you in that green swimsuit.”
Kerry blushed. “You must think I’m weirding out. It’s just that so much has happened in the last little while, I really want some time to just...” Her jaw shook a little, and Dar squeezed her hand in concern. “Live.”
“You got it,” Dar whispered, intently watching Kerry’s profile. The green eyes turned to hers with a look of almost painful vulnerability. “I think we’ve earned that.”
“Me, too.” Kerry nodded as she got up and walked to Dar, put her arms around her and gave her a hug. ”Dar, will you do me a very big favor?”
“Sure. Name it.” Dar enjoyed her hug, almost getting lost in the faint coconut and butter scent of the lotion Kerry was wearing.
A hand touched her cheek, and she looked up into Kerry’s face, surprised to see utter seriousness there.
“Please,” Kerry murmured, “please be careful and take care of yourself, Dar. If I ever lose you, I’ll die.”
Dar’s jaw dropped in alarm, and she half turned and took hold of Kerry’s body with both hands. “Kerry...”
Kerry’s forehead dropped to touch hers. “I had this nightmare the other night. The one you woke me up from?”
“Yeah?” Dar nodded anxiously.
Kerry fell silent for a moment. Then she sighed. “I was...in that hospital again. In the CCU. Only…”
Dar could feel her shaking. “Easy.”
“Only it was you in that bed, and I couldn’t...I couldn’t stop...you...I...”
Kerry’s knees buckled and she would have fallen, but Dar caught her, pulled her down on her lap, and held on for dear life.
“Easy, sweetheart. It was just a dream.” She could feel the jerks as Kerry sobbed. “It’s okay.”
Chino poked her nose under Kerry’s arm, snuffled worriedly, and licked the skin within her reach.
“Ohh.” Kerry finally took a deep breath and sniffled. “God, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Dar gently stroked her back. ”Take it easy, honey.
I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere. I won’t ever leave you, Kerry. Never.”
Kerry sniffled again. “I…don’t know where that all came from. I was just...sitting here thinking about what a great day it was and...” She sighed. “Jesus. What the hell’s wrong with me?”
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She impatiently wiped the tears off her face.
Dar hugged her tighter. “I…um…” She paused to collect her thoughts. “I think you’re just stressed out, Ker. It’s been a bitch of a week, and you’re on overload.”
Kerry remained silent for a bit, stroking Dar’s hair with an almost hypnotic regularity. “Yeah. I think you’re right.” She exhaled. “Boss, can I take next week off? I need to decompress before I go on a wild vacation with someone I love more than life itself.”
“Sure.” Dar smiled. She felt a distinct sense of relief at not having to order Kerry to do exactly what she’d just requested. “I’ll see what I can do about scaring you up some company.”
Kerry exhaled. “Only if the company is tall, dark, and daunting and has blue eyes.”
Dar waited a moment before asking, “You want to hang out with my dad?”
It worked. Kerry snickered through her remaining tears, her body shaking with laughter.
“I could arrange for that, I guess,” Dar went on with a sigh. “I was hoping you’d rather spend time with me, but—”
She was stopped by a gentle kiss on the lips. Then Kerry rubbed her cheek against Dar’s and smiled. “Thanks. I needed a laugh.”
“Mm.” Dar tilted her head and stole another kiss. “I needed
that
.”
They snuggled for a moment longer, then Kerry regretfully got up and ruffled Dar’s hair. “Okay. My head’s on straight now; let’s get ready to party.” She held a hand out to Dar and led her into the condo, with Chino frisking at their heels and occasionally between their legs.
DAR STRETCHED OUT her legs in the warm sand and wriggled her toes contentedly as she watched the crowd milling around the island. It was late afternoon and the party was in full swing, with buckets of assorted seafood on one side of the neatly made campfire, and a standing bar with plenty of ice, beer, wine coolers, and champagne for the guests on the other.
She herself had downed four or five Bacardi Breezers and was in a pretty darn good mood, sitting there in the shade with a plate of lobster, shrimp and rice balanced neatly on one thigh. Kerry was on the other side of the fire, talking with Maria, Duks, and Ceci, and another knot of guests was clustered around where Alastair and her father were trading tall tales.
Nice.
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Dar bit into a spicy shrimp and chewed it contentedly. The island looked great, nothing like she, in her childhood, had ever imagined it could become. There were comfortable beanbag chairs scattered around, and neatly dug in Lucite tables for drinks and dinner, and to one side the most incongruous looking Christmas tree she’d ever seen.
It was purple, for one thing, and had bright pink flamingo and bright green palm tree lights. And it was surrounded by piles and piles of presents. Some were theirs, some were their guests—
all of whom seemed to be having a great time.
Dar rocked her head a little from side to side and hummed along with the music emerging from the strategically placed speakers. It was one of Kerry’s favorite songs and Kerry danced a little to it.
Oo.
Dar grinned.
That is so cute.
She took a swig from her bottle and leaned against the tree, glad of the cool breeze and the gorgeous day, and another successful party.
“Hey there, Dardar.” Andrew appeared suddenly and plopped down beside her. “Penny fer your thoughts.”
Dar glanced at Kerry, then glanced back at him and blushed.
“Heh,” her father chuckled. “You having a good birthday?”
“Yeah.” Dar nodded. “It’s great. The best part is having you and Mom here, though.” She gave him a quiet, serious look.
“Means a lot.”
“Mmph,” Andy grunted. “Well, it means a lot to us too, honey.” He folded his hands and propped them against an upraised knee. “Sometimes ah just have to slap the side of mah head ’cause I can’t believe Ah’m having all this back, after going and losing it.”
Dar thoughtfully reflected on this very long speech. “Does it ever feel like a dream to you?”
“Yeap.” Andy nodded. “It does.”
“For me, too.” Dar adopted the same pose, resting her hands on her knee. “I look back to where I was a year ago, and it’s like remembering a whole other lifetime.” She gazed off across the ocean, its surface lightly ruffled with the odd wave. “It’s so hard to believe, sometimes I just have to think it’s a dream.” She paused. “A dream I just hope I never wake up from.”