Dar stood and gave him a brief grin. “Thanks, have a nice, um…” She rotated her finger in a circle. “…ride.”
Kerry slipped past her and ducked outside the door, waiting for her boss to follow her and catch up before she laughed softly. “Omigod, what do they put in the coffee here?”
“They’re all like that,” Dar assured her. “I think it’s corporate policy.
Though your notion of drugs in the water fountains has also occurred to me.”
She followed Kerry down the long sloping ramp, then through the electronic turnstiles which took their tickets and spat them back out.
“Souvenirs.” Kerry held hers up and tucked it in her pocket. She took a deep breath and started forward, under the train station and towards the glimmering lights of Main Street.
Her smile half hidden in the darkness, Dar entered the park behind her younger companion. In front of them was a town square, with the train station at the front, two large buildings on either side which had signs indicating they were the fire station and City Hall, and the long street of shops heading down on the far side. They crossed the cobblestones, and turned down the main street, and Dar took in a breath as the castle rose before them, brilliant with light. On either side of them, old-fashioned store facades heralded shops of all kinds, and Dar stopped short at one. “Hey.”
“Wh—” Kerry watched her duck into a doorway and she followed. She was struck in the face with a strong blast of air flavored with taffy and chocolate. “Oh boy.” She ducked around a scurrying attendant and spotted her boss, leaning against the glass partition and watching a machine pull long strings of fragrant taffy out, over and over again. A case of chocolates caught her eye, though, and she detoured, finding herself in front of a neatly stacked display of assorted squares. “Fudge.”
Dar’s voice sounded just behind her. “Is that a conclusion or a curse?”
“Yes,” Kerry sighed. “I love fudge.” She smiled at the attendant, who gave her a perky grin. “Could I get a piece of the chocolate, please?”
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“Only chocolate?” her boss teased. “They have peanut butter there, too.”
“Nope, I’m a purist.” Kerry took her purchase and passed the girl the payment. “Thanks.”
The girl addressed Dar. “Anything for you, ma’am?”
Dar studied her choices. “A half dozen of those,” she pointed at the peanut butter cups, “a bag of the chocolate-covered cherries, and some toffee.”
Kerry tried not to follow suit. She folded her arms across her chest and balled her fists, one hand grasping the bag of fudge. “Boy, you’re a wild thing in one of these places, huh?”
“Don’t worry.” Dar tucked her packets away. “I’ll share.” She sauntered toward the door, dodging a few running children along the way.
Kerry sighed. “I was afraid she’d say that,” she murmured, but shook her head and followed as they returned to the street and walked along it. The air was filled with the smell of cotton candy and popcorn, mixed with pine and the warm scent of the tarmac under their feet. “Nice night.”
Dar didn’t answer for a few steps, as she looked around them. “Yeah,”
she said. “You hungry?”
“A little,” Kerry demurred. “I forgot to grab dinner.”
“Me, too.” The taller woman picked up her pace and headed for the tall, well-lit castle in the center of the park. “C’mon.”
“Okay. Hey,” Kerry pointed, “there’s a hot dog stand over there.”
Dar snorted softly. “No Pluto Pups and no Astro Burgers, okay? Those are my rules here. C’mon.” She led Kerry across the square at the end of Main Street and right up into the castle, where she abruptly turned into a small alcove, almost causing Kerry to crash into her. In front of them was a small stand, with a perky dressed woman in Medieval garb.
“Hi there, folks. Welcome to Cinderella’s Banqueting Hall. Would you like to have dinner tonight?” The woman greeted them. “We’ve got a table available just for you!”
“Two.” Dar informed her, with a smile, as Kerry tugged on her sleeve.
“Hmm?”
“There’s a restaurant here?” the blonde woman whispered.
Dar grinned. “Mmm-hmm. I hope you like prime rib.”
“Prime rib?” Kerry followed her as they made their way to an elevator and got out at the second floor. “But this is Dis…” She stopped, surprised. The second floor contained a wide, open dining space surrounded by tall windows. Sturdy wooden tables with pewter plates and cups were placed on two different levels, and quite a number of diners were already seated around the room. “Oh. Cool.”
The hostess led them to a small table near the windows, which was lit by a candle and already set. “Your waiter will be right with you,” she told them.
“Have a great dinner.”
Kerry took a moment to look around them as she opened her napkin and laid it neatly across her lap. “This is adorable,” she murmured. “It’s got really nice, um…”
“Ambiance?” Dar gave her a wry grin.
“Atmosphere,” Kerry asserted. “Have you eaten here before? I guess you have.”
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Dar held off answering as a waiter came over, removing a pad from his apron and preparing to write.
“Evening, folks. What can I get you?”
Kerry glanced at the menu. “Hmm, wow. Okay, I’ll take the prime rib, I guess.” She deliberately bypassed the chicken from a sense of occasion. “With the potatoes, and some punch, please.”
“Same.” Dar leaned back and studied her. “Not everyone knows this place is here. It beats the fast food stuff they mostly sell. There’s also a good chicken and fish place near Liberty Square, but I was in the mood for beef tonight.”
“No arguments from me.” Kerry glanced up as a basket of rolls and butter was set before her. She examined the butter. “Oh, Dar, look. It has little Mickey Mouses stamped into it.” She picked up the pewter plate and showed her companion. “Isn’t that cute?”
Dar ruthlessly kidnapped a hapless Mickey and spread it on a roll.
“Adorable,” she agreed, munching on it. “Any place in particular you want to see, now that you conned me into coming over here?” Her blue eyes glinted gently.
“Me?” Kerry pointed her own chest. “But, boss, it was your idea!”
However, she grinned impishly at Dar. “Thank you for indulging my somewhat childish whim.”
The candle on the table flickered in the air movement and threw interesting shadows across Dar’s planed features. The blue eyes moved around a lot as the taller woman watched the crowd, and the skin around them wrinkled and smoothed as she did so. Her dark hair fell gently over her shoulders and framed her face and Kerry suddenly became conscious of the fact that she was staring. She found something else to look at, picking up a wide, two-pronged fork and turning it over.
Dar cleared her throat gently. “So, was there someplace you wanted to see?” she repeated.
Kerry thought about that. “Why don’t you suggest something? You seem to know this place well enough. I mean, the roller coasters would be fun.”
“Ah. Space, Thunder, and Splash Mountain. Okay, we can do that in a couple of hours,” Dar agreed. “Park’s open until midnight. It’ll get quieter after the parade goes by.”
As if on cue, a brassy march filtered through the windows, and Kerry pressed her nose against one, peering out through the wavy glass to see a band going by.
Dar watched her with an indulgent smile, taking the opportunity to study her companion’s gentle profile. Kerry had a small, straight nose, and a firm, even chin, with rounded cheekbones and soft, fair lashes. Right now, those lashes were fluttering as she studied the parade, catching the odd glint from the candle, which also caught the faint wrinkles at the corner of her mouth as she smiled.
It is,
Dar acknowledged to herself,
nice to just sit across the table from
someone who is cute, and intelligent, and has no ulterior motive in sharing dinner
with me.
Whoa
. Her breath caught, and she went back over that statement.
Intelligent, yes. Kerry was certainly that.
Cute? Where did
that
come from?
She
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peeked at the younger woman, who was still engrossed with the sight outside.
Well, she is cute,
the executive reasoned.
Just all kind of sweet, and nice and,
well…cute.
Her eyes traced the curve of Kerry’s ear, and she lowered her gaze to the plate in front of her, the roll taking on a sudden fascination for her.
C’mon, Dar, quit fooling yourself. You know she’s cute, and more than that, or it
wouldn’t have been an image of her in that bathing suit that you used to pick up the
old heartbeat this morning, hmm?
The executive let out a breath wryly, and dismissed the thought.
Well, she’s not your type, so find something else to look at.
Kerry cleared her throat. “Catchy tune.” She indicated the music outside.
“Your bread okay?”
Dar looked up, startled. “Yeah, I was just thinking.” She straightened sheepishly. “Sorry.” Green eyes suddenly met hers and she noticed the little golden flecks in them for the first time. They were interesting eyes, reminding her of sunlight underwater, and she studied them curiously until the raising eyebrow made her realize she was staring
. Okay, enough of that.
“Interesting parade?”
Kerry cocked her head. “Parade?” she asked softly, then she blushed a little. “Oh, yes, it’s very cute. They just had a float with Mickey and Minnie dancing on it.” She looked up as the server arrived with their dinner. “Good grief.” She eyed the plate as it was set down. “My god, that cow must have been the size of an elephant!”
“It’s actually Dumbo, ma’am,” the waiter stated in a smooth, even voice.
“He stepped on Minnie’s tail, and it was just all over for him.”
Both women stared at him, then burst out laughing. “Jesus, did your medication wear off?” Dar snorted.
“They don’t give it to
us
,” the man confided, placing Dar’s portion in front of her. “We have to handle steak knives and hot plates. It could be dangerous.” He made a little bow, flicking his long sleeves out of the way, and backed off. “Enjoy your dinners.”
It was difficult to know what to make small talk about, Kerry thought.
They could talk about work, but somehow she just didn’t feel like doing that tonight, so she cut a piece of her steak and nibbled it, gathering her courage before speaking. “Dar?” Those amazing clear blue eyes looked up at her, and the brow raised, which, Kerry realized, meant
Yes?
“Can I ask you a personal question?” she inquired shyly.
The darkness hid her flush, for which Dar was extremely grateful. “Um. I can’t guarantee I’ll answer it, but yeah, go ahead.” She felt a gentle nervous flutter hit her stomach.
Kerry leaned forward. “Is your name short for something, or is it just Dar?” “Oh.” The dark-haired woman speared a roasted potato and popped it in her mouth, giving herself a chance to think. She could just say ‘it’s just Dar,’
since legally it was. However… “Well, my mother was—is still, I suppose—an addict of Spanish romance
novelas
. She had a favorite character, Paladar. I’m named for that.” The executive cleared her throat in embarrassment. “I hated it. I had it legally changed when I turned eighteen.”
Kerry propped her chin on her hand, fascinated. “Paladar…I don’t know, 172
Melissa Good
I kinda like it. It’s got a nice ring to it.” She watched the look of alarm spread on Dar’s face. “Don’t worry, though, I won’t use it, not if you don’t like it.”
“B…um, well…” Dar fiddled with her fork. “It was just so stupid. I mean, the character was this insane woman who ran around falling in love at the drop of a hat and getting into trouble. I just…I didn’t see any likeness, so…”
She shrugged. “And the kids my age knew where it came from. I got teased a lot.” She speared another cube of rare prime rib and dipped it in the small boat of gravy. “What about you? Is Kerry short for something?”
A charming smile edged the younger woman’s face as she regarded her companion. “Kerrison. It’s a family name. Usually it’s given to the eldest boy, but my father was determined to give it to his firstborn regardless, so, I have to live with it.”
Dar considered the name. “I like it,” she announced. “Fits you somehow.”
“You think so?” Kerry sounded doubtful. “I never did.” She bit a green bean in half and chewed it. “I don’t use it much. Even my résumé has Kerry on it, and all my official work documents.”
“Mmm, I know. That’s why I asked.” Dar glanced up with a grin. “I could have just logged in and found out otherwise.”
Kerry’s brows knit. “That’s so weird. You know all that stuff about me, and I…it’s just strange.” She laughed a bit. “I mean, it’s not like I can just log in and find out about you.”
Dar gazed at her, a tiny smile playing around her lips. “Kerry, you already know more about me than you’d find in the company computers,” she answered quietly. “Most of your co-workers would be astonished to know what my house looks like or that I’m a diver, or what my real name is, for instance.” She glanced to one side. “Or that I eat Frosted Flakes for breakfast.”
Kerry felt a little out of breath for a moment. “Oh.” She blushed, this time more noticeably in the low light. “Well, yeah, I guess you don’t…” She fell silent.
“Socialize.” Dar completed her sentence with a faint smile. “It’s all right,”
she reassured her companion. “I don’t. I’ve just learned along the way the more you let out about personal stuff, the more it comes back to bite you in the ass.” She saw Kerry’s eyes jerked up to meet hers, the faintly hurt look swiftly hidden. “Sometimes.”
“Yeah, I guess,” Kerry murmured. “You know, not to bring up a sore subject, but your real name reminds me of something.” She changed the subject, a trifle awkwardly.
“Oh?” Dar took her own drink and sipped it. “What’s that, a package of marshmallows? That was a popular version when I was younger.”
“Oh, like Mallomar?” Kerry laughed softly. “Well, it’s sweet and tasty.”
This time the blush made her fair eyebrows stand out, and she winced in reaction. “Um, that’s not…I mean, I wasn’t, um…”