Melissa Good - Tropical Convergence

Kerry exhaled, her eyes flicking to the lobby elevators as she spotted Dar exiting from one and heading their way. Her partner appeared relaxed as she ambled across the marble floor, her characteristic slightly rolling walk almost succeeding in returning a smile to Kerry's face.

"We're outta here," Dar said, as she reached them, repeating the sentiment in German for Hans. "You ready for that beer now?" she asked Kerry, giving the back of her hair a little ruffle. "We've got time for that, before we have to go grab real clothes and head for culture world."

The touch reassured her. Kerry nodded agreement, indicating the door with one pointing finger. They walked outside, into the moist heat and started off down the sidewalk together.

"I think I embarrassed your girlfriend," Hans told Dar, in a bemused tone, after they'd walked about a half a block in relative peace.

Dar glanced at him. "She's not my girlfriend."

Hans colored visibly, a somewhat startling sight against his pale skin. "Then I have embarrassed myself and I must apologize," he said. "I assumed..."

"She's my wife." Dar draped an arm over Kerry's shoulders. "You're not embarrassed by that, right?" she asked Kerry in English.

Kerry shifted the strap on her briefcase, having suspected she was being discussed. "By what?"

"Being married to me?" Dar repeated the question in German.

She almost stopped walking. "Did you get some hallucinogenic in that last cup of coffee? Of course not," Kerry replied. "What made you ask that , you goofball?" She hooked a finger inside Dar's belt loop and tugged it, to take any sting from her words. "Just because I don't have my 'I'm with her' shirt on today?"

Dar chuckled. "Hans thought he embarrassed you back there," she explained. "He assumed you were my girlfriend."

"Oh."

"So I corrected him."

"Eh." Kerry gave her a sheepish look. "Yeah, I was being a little obvious upstairs. Sorry about that. I wonder if those other guys noticed it too...maybe that's why Meyer was being so obnoxious."

Dar cocked her head in a puzzled attitude. "Huh?"

"Oh wait, there's my T-shirt." Kerry pointed. "That one, right there."

Dar peered at the window. "My girlfriend can beat up your girlfriend?" she asked, with a snort of laughter. "Jesus, Kerry."

"Pick one. I'd rather be Kerry," her partner replied. "Jesus was a sweet guy, but I don't have a thing for suffering and splinters."

"Hang on." Dar slowed down. "What did you mean about you upstairs?" She lowered her voice a little.

Dar hadn't noticed? Kerry wondered, then conceded she hadn't either. A bus roared past, spitting the scent of diesel. "Never mind. We'll talk about it later." Kerry bumped her partner with her hip. "Where are we going?"

They stopped at a corner and waited for the crossing light to change. Hans stuck his hands in his pockets and looked around, then turned inquiringly toward Dar. "Hotel bar is good for you?"

Dar had wandered toward a street cart, sniffing the air. "Yeah, that's fine," she called back over her shoulder. "Ker, want some nuts?" She walked over to the stand and examined its contents, pointing at the cinnamon covered pecans as she dug a few bills from her front jeans pocket.

Having had nothing since breakfast save several cups of coffee, Kerry found the nuts sounding pretty darn good. "Sure." She joined her partner at the cart. As they paid for their purchases, a familiar voice trickled through the surrounding bustle and Kerry turned to see Jason Meyer standing at a pay phone nearby arguing into it. She gave Dar a poke and jerked her head toward him.

Dar turned, putting a nut between her teeth as she looked inquiringly in the direction Kerry indicated. "Ah." She grunted. "Jerk doesn't even believe in cell phones? Now there's a technologist."

It was curious, Kerry knew. Cell phones had become so woven into society it seemed very odd to see a man who had any number of them, and an entire corporate PBX at his disposal using a street side pay phone in the middle of a Friday afternoon crowd in Manhattan.

Why?

"Look! I don't care what you do! Just do it!" Meyer yelled, and then slammed down the phone. With a disgusted look he stalked off, hauling up as he came very close to crashing headlong into Hans. "Excuse me."

He brushed past and kept going, apparently not recognizing the programmer. Hans stared after him, then looked at Dar and Kerry. He shrugged both shoulders and held his hands out in a universal message, which they returned in equal measure.

They rejoined Hans at the corner, and watched Meyer head back toward the entrance to his company's building. He shoved rudely ahead of a woman carrying two boxes, and nearly knocked her down, but didn't even look back as he let the door close behind him.

"What in the heck flew up his butt?" Kerry wondered. "You know, I talked to him a few months ago, Dar. He seemed fine then. Wonder what happened?"

Dar chewed her nut and swallowed it. "Beats me." She nudged Kerry in the direction of their hotel. "Who knows? Maybe I happened. He stepped on my last nerve the second I got there and I went off all over him." She started across the street with Hans at her side, going with the flow of heavy foot traffic. "Maybe he's just a jerk."

"Huh." Kerry followed her, idly nibbling her treat. "Maybe he's related to Shari. Same kind of backwards jackassedness."

Dar stopped short and looked at her. "Been talking to my father again, huh?" she drawled, giving Kerry a very playful grin. "That sounds damn bizarre in a Midwestern accent."

"Heh." Kerry chuckled under her breath. "I'll become Southern yet. You wait and see."

Chapter Eighteen

KERRY GLANCED AT herself in the mirror and grinned impishly, adjusting the strapless front of her dress with careful fingers. The one nice thing about New York was, if you wanted fast, stylish shopping, you had it in spades all around you. She and Dar had gotten in and out of the stores in under forty five minutes, and now she was reviewing the results.

"Nice," she complimented herself. The dress she'd found was a deep, forest green silk with a tiny embroidered pattern, classic and plain, reaching just down to her knees. It was sleek, and fit her curves nicely, and even the prospect of sitting through an opera couldn't put a damper on her mood. "Hey, sweetie?"

"Yes?" Dar's voice floated out from the bathroom.

"How about we find us some place to dance after the show?" Kerry asked. "Go out and party. I think we're due it, after your brilliant solving of the problem here."

Dar poked her head out of the bathroom. "You consider dancing with me a party?" she asked in a quizzical tone.

Kerry looked over at her. "You are not a bad dancer," she stated. "So don't give me that. C'mover here."

Obediently, Dar eased around the door jamb and came over to join Kerry in front of the mirror. She was dressed in a snazzy blue number an inch or two longer than Kerry's, but with much the same cut. "But sure, if you want to, I'm game." She picked up Kerry's brush and started brushing her partner's pale hair. "That looks really good on you."

Kerry turned her head and looked up. "Likewise, and thank you." She smiled warmly. "Shall we go the opera, madame?"

Dar tossed the brush onto the dresser and gestured toward the door with a grand flourish. "After you." She picked up the small clasp purse that held her wallet and electronics, and followed Kerry as she half walked, half danced toward the hallway.

"Heh."

Kerry turned as they reached the elevator. "What's so funny?"

Blue eyes blinked innocently. "Nothing."

The doors opened. "Uh huh. Go on." Kerry indicated the opening.

"Oh no. Ladies first," Dar drawled. "Please."

Kerry gave her a suspicious look, but she entered the brass and glass lined car and waited for her partner to join her before she pressed the button for the lobby. They started down, and halfway she found herself having to equalize her ears. "Oh, egh."