Melissa Good: Hurricane Watch

The secretary accepted the offer, picking up a piece of apricot and putting it into her mouth. “Is good, yes?” She indicated the dish.

Dar glanced at the mix and then she took another nut. “Yeah,” she said. “Just something different for a change.”

”They’ll be there in five minutes,” José’s voice came back on. ”And stop scaring the shit out of my staff.”

”If your staff did their jobs, I wouldn’t have to be calling you now, would I?” Dar replied silkily, before she disconnected. ”Asshole” she muttered, shaking her head. ”Okay. If you don’t get those reports by the time you get out to your desk, let me know.”

”Si. Dar, have you seen Mr. José’s new assistant?” Maria lowered her voice. ”I’m not the one for to be talking in corners, but I hear twice today he is very sharp, and they are looking for him to how you say...go against you.”

Dar leaned on her elbows and fiddled with the pen in her hands, then looked up. ”I’ve heard the same thing.” Her pale, intense blue eyes regarded Maria. “Here we go again, huh?”

”Dios Mio.” The older woman's brow creased. ”Is trouble, no?”

Her boss pondered the words, then gave a half shrug.

“Mr.

Fabricini and I have met before,” Dar said. ”In fact, we used to be friends.” Her lips quirked. “Sort of.”

“Si?”

“Mm. We’re not friends now,” Dar acknowledged. “He doesn’t much like me anymore.”

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Melissa Good

Maria sighed. ”Is bad.” She frowned. ”Why cannot everyone just come, do their work, go home, not spend all day making problems,” she exhaled.

“Yeah, I know.” Dar fiddled with her pen. “Kerry’s got a meeting with him today. Figured she’d at least start off neutral.”

“Poor Kerrisita.”

A quiet smile edged Dar's face. ”She’s tough. She’ll be fine, Maria,”

she said. ”Listen, I know I’ve got a meeting after lunch with the executive committee, but did we reschedule that client briefing for tomorrow or is it still at four?”

”I’ll check.” Maria headed for the door. ”And I’ll let you know about those reports.”

”Thanks.” Dar let out a breath, and went back to her task, concentrating for a minute, then dropping her pen down and leaning back, her expression thoughtful. After a moment, she got up and stretched, dropping her pen on the desk before she turned and strolled to the almost hidden door in the back of her office.

Pushing it open, she entered a long, utilitarian appearing hallway with walls on both sides, broken here and there by an anonymous door.

Whistling softly under her breath, Dar covered the length of it and paused before the door at the other end, then lifted her hand and knocked lightly on it.

The door opened so quickly she almost jumped back as a young woman of middling height and athletic build appeared in front of her.

“Whoa.”

“Hey.” Kerry Stuart entered the hallway, bumping her back a step and closing the door behind her. “I was just coming to look for you.”

She pushed the sleeves on her mint green linen shirt up past her elbows, and looked up at Dar, her pale hair ever so slightly disheveled. “What’s up?”“Word of warning. Maria heard rumors our new friend in Sales is after me,” Dar told her, with a wry expression. “And if she heard it, it must be white boarded over in Sales somewhere.”

Kerry rolled her eyes.

”Sorry.” Dar’s gaze dropped. “I didn’t expect that bit of my past to come back around and kick me in the ass this month.” She leaned against the wall and exhaled. “Like we don’t have enough problems.”

“Don’t worry about it, boss.” Kerry gave her a friendly pat on the side. “Thanks for the warning, but I can handle him,” she said. “I’ll let you know what happens in the meeting, okay?”

“Okay.” Dar stuck her hands in the slit pockets of her skirt. “See you later.” She gave Kerry a smile, then retreated back down the hallway to her own office.

Kerry watched Dar until she disappeared, then she leaned back against the wall, letting her head fall back against the hard surface.

“Well,” she said, after a moment. “No one ever said this job was going Hurricane Watch

5

to be easy now, did they?”

She pushed off the wall and re-entered her office, pausing at her desk long enough to pick up her mug and then heading out the front door into the hallway.

Unlike the back corridor, the walls here were covered in stately and expensive textured weave, and the floor was covered in dark carpet.

Kerry walked a few steps on it before she turned into the break room and proceeded over to the counter at the rear of it.

“Morning, Kerry,” a woman seated at one of the tables greeted her.

“Morning,” Kerry replied cordially. She removed a canister from one of the cupboards and took a tea ball from it, setting it into her cup and running hot water over it. A gentle steam of raspberry and cream emerged.

“How was your weekend?” the woman asked. “Do anything interesting?” She was flipping through a fashion magazine in a bored manner.

“Not really,” Kerry replied. “Just did some stuff around the h...apartment. You know laundry, that sort of stuff.” She half turned.

“What about you, Margie?”

The other woman was looking at her. “Same stuff,” she agreed.

“Thought you were away somewhere. I didn’t see your car in the lot,”

she added. “My boyfriend lives in your complex.”

Kerry picked up her cup and stirred it. “It was in the shop,” she answered, after a brief pause. “But it’s true. I’m not around a lot. This place keeps me pretty busy.” She took a sip of her tea. “How are things over in Marketing?”

Margie closed her magazine. “Same dry stuff, different end market.

You know the drill. Nothing exciting happening around here, I guess.”

She gave Kerry a faint, speculative smile.” Though I hear there might be some action over in Sales coming your way.”

Kerry shrugged. “Show me the money,” she remarked. “Then we can talk. So far all I’ve heard is some pretty unrealistic projections.”

Margie got up and brushed off her silk dress. “Well, that’s not my area,” she said. “See ya.” She detoured around where Kerry was standing. “Nice shirt,” she added. “Doesn’t Dar have one just like it?”

With a grin, she walked out and left Kerry alone in the break room.

“HELLO, STEVEN.” DAR stood quietly behind her desk, her hands resting on the surface, as he entered. “My assistant said you wanted a minute. That’s all I’ve got.”

”Well, well, well, look at what we have here. If it isn’t my old and best buddy, Dar Roberts.” Steven sauntered in, shutting the door behind him as he crossed the room towards her.

He hadn’t changed much, Dar noted. Still tall, with a sleek, runner’s physique, and thick, dark hair. His hazel eyes studied her as he 6

Melissa Good

came forward, and that slick, toothy smile creased his face as he held a hand out. ”Been a while, hasn’t it?”

Not nearly long enough. Dar reluctantly took his grip, and returned the strong handshake with one of her own. ”Certainly has,” she’d replied evenly. “I believe the last time I saw you was right after you were thrown out of school that last semester.”

”Mm...yes, and you enjoyed engineering that, didn’t you?” he chuckled. ”That’s okay, no hard feelings. After all, things turned out all right, didn’t they? Here we both are.” He’d spread his arms out. ”My office isn’t as nice as this one.” Now he turned his eyes on her. ”Maybe that’ll change soon.”

Dar had merely lifted an eyebrow and refused to take the bait.