Melissa Good - Thicker Than Water

Dar didn’t say anything, but she felt her heart rate speed up even more.

“Fact of the matter is, Dar, I didn’t think the general was going to buy into us.”

“Yeah, well…” Dar heard the husky note in her voice.

“But he did,” Alastair said. “I thought he’d ask for ten acres of corroboration, but you know what, Dar? He said your word was good enough.”

Dar was a little surprised to feel the sting of tears in her eyes.

“Did he really?”

“Yes, lady, he did,” Alastair replied. “Never heard a man sound so relieved, I’ll tell you that. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know. And, by the way, he wants to make the announcement to the press at the base down there. You’ll be available?”

It was all too sudden. “Uh…yeah. I guess. When?”

“Friday.”

It was still too much. “You’ll be there?”

“Sure, I can be. Dar, are you all right?”

Dar felt more confused than all right. Everything had unexpectedly turned over again, and she needed time to sort it all out.

“Want to come to my birthday party? It’s this weekend.”

The long period of silence at least gave her time to right her mental balance, while her boss was thoroughly knocked off his.

She glanced down at Kerry, who had nestled back down with her head on Dar’s shoulder and was merely waiting, her fingers tracing an absent pattern on Dar’s belly. The important fact surfaced.

At least Kerry would be all right now.

“Uh, sure, Dar. I’d love to,” Alastair finally said, in a direly bewildered, but reasonably appreciative tone. “Should I bring flowers?”

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“Nah. A bathing suit.”

“B…Hey, how about I call you back later, huh? After breakfast?”

“Talk to you later, Alastair. And thanks.” Dar closed the phone and put it down, then put her arm around Kerry and hugged her.

“Everything okay?” Kerry asked.

No. Yes. Who the hell knew? “I love you. Everything’s perfect.”

Kerry made a happy sounding grunt and gave her a hug.

The rain eased back into a friendly rumble, and the soft gray light of dawn now became a welcome sight. Life, Dar acknowledged, is a damn, damn funny thing sometimes.

It really was.

Chapter

Twelve

“HEY, KERRY.”

Kerry turned, hearing a somewhat familiar voice. She spotted Lena approaching her, looking painfully uncomfortable in her linen skirt suit and pumps. “Hey.” She went back to stirring the two cups of coffee she’d been preparing. “How’s it going?”

“It’s okay,” Lena said. “I think I’m sort of getting the hang of working here. They haven’t thrown me out yet.”

Kerry stifled a smile. “I’m sure you’re doing fine.” She turned again and leaned on the counter. “How did things work out at home? Any changes?”

Lena was briefly silent. “You mean, did the bitch let me come home? No. She dropped the charges, though. Thanks for having those lawyer people talk to her.”

“At least that’s something.” Kerry gave her a sympathetic look. “And it was no problem for us to do that. I’m glad she took the advice.”

Lena nodded. “Hey, I saw you on television the other night.

Sorry to hear about your father and all that stuff.” She seemed a little uncomfortable. “But I’d be glad as hell if my parents croaked.”

Kerry took her cups, sat down, and patted the table next to her. She waited for Lena to take a seat. “You say that, but it’s not true.”

“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 Melissa Good 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.”