“Tch tch tch.” Kerry hiked herself up and kissed Dar on the lips, then rolled over and reached into the drawer next to the bed. She pulled something out and dropped it on her lover’s naked chest.

“What’s that?” Dar asked, in a small voice.

“My tickets.”

“When did you get those?”

“Same day you did.”

Dar lifted the folder and examined it, then looked at Kerry. “Why didn’t you say anything?” she asked curiously, a look of consternation mixed with relief on her face. “Damn, Ker. I’ve been trying to find a way to ask you…”

Kerry curled her arm over Dar’s shoulder and put her head down.

“Well,” she exhaled thoughtfully, “you’re a very private person, Dar, and I know this is a very sensitive area for you.” She ran a finger down Dar’s jaw-line. “If it’s any consolation. I was trying to find a way all week to ask you if you wanted me there.” She smiled. “I’m glad you do.”

Dar let out an audible sigh of relief. “No wonder María looked at me so damn funny when I told her you were going to schedule a meeting tomorrow afternoon.” She gave her lover a wry look. “It’s not going to be pleasant, Kerry.”

“That’s all right. Coming to Michigan after me wasn’t very pleasant for you, was it?” Kerry inquired. “It makes me feel good to be able to give you something back that way.”

Dar hugged her suddenly, trading speech for physical contact.

Look down on Dar, would they? Kerry felt her protective instincts rising. Intellectual snobs? Uh huh. We’ll just see.

THE CHAPEL HAD, as chapels do, an air of reserved peace about it, a hushed stillness that came as much from the natural human instinct to defer to death than anything else. There were discrete floral arrange-ments placed around the room and a decorous bunting of midnight blue draped around the pale wood coffin.

The chapel employees were making their final adjustments, watched in silence by a slight, thin boned woman with pale, silvered blonde hair and even, delicate features. A tall, almost bald man entered, glanced around, then walked over to join the woman. “Evening, Ceci. Damn shame.”

Cecilia Roberts glanced up at him and inclined her head with studied grace. “Thanks, Allan.” Her voice was low, but vibrant. “She held on a Eye of the Storm 73

long time. I’m glad she’s finally at peace.”

The man nodded solemnly. “She was a strong woman.” His eyes flicked around the room. “They did a nice job.”

A faintly sardonic smile crossed Ceci’s lips. “If you say so,” she drawled, watching as people filtered in, most of them known to her. Most of them giving her sympathetic looks and nods. “Nice flowers.”

He grunted. “Mmm. That one there’s lovely. Are those orchids?”

“I believe they are,” the woman mused.

They were both comfortably silent as the room continued to fill.

Allan finally inhaled. “I hear your daughter’s going to show?”

A cool mask slipped down over Cecilia’s face. “She said she’d be here, yes,” she replied. “I gave my word to mama I’d ask her.” She paused. “I did.”

A short, coifed woman came over. “Ceci. I’m so sorry.” She held out hands, which the slighter woman grasped briefly, then released. “It’s been a long road, I know.”

“Yes, it has,” Cecilia answered. “I’ll miss her, though, despite how much I wanted peace for her.”

The short woman stepped closer. “Ceci. Andrea said…I’m sure she got this wrong, but she said your daughter was going to be here?”

Cecilia sighed inwardly. “Let’s not make this a side show, Elli. Yes, mama wanted Paladar here, and I asked her to attend. She said she’d be here. Enough?”

“Mmph.” Elli made a small face. “It’s just been such a long time. I hardly know what to expect.” She paused, delicately. “She was such an…individual person.”

“I’m sure she still is,” Ceci remarked dryly. “I only hope she decides not to disgrace my mother’s memory by coming in blue jeans.”

“I hardly think you’ve got to worry about that,” Allan remarked, a curious tone in his voice. “If the person who just came in the door is who you’re talking about.”

Cecilia turned her head and found her attention drawn immediately to the tall, strikingly attractive woman framed in the doorway, dressed in an impeccably cut black suit. The pale blue eyes stood out vividly against the tanned skin as they scanned the crowd, and, at last, met her own.

The sense of presence was almost overwhelming. Cecilia was almost slack-jawed in surprise at the sheer power of her daughter’s personality, which muted itself as their eyes touched and she received a single, gracious, inclination of the head.

“Goddess,” she muttered, under her breath.

“Well,” Elli’s voice vocalized her own surprise, “she certainly has grown up, Ceci. My god, she’s gorgeous.”

“Yes,” Ceci agreed absently, tearing her eyes away as a second woman appeared at her daughter’s elbow, apparently a friend of hers, and they moved to a rear pew, a little apart from the milling crowd.

“Andrew’s image,” Allan mused. “Always was.”

Cecilia didn’t answer.


74 Melissa Good

“IS THAT YOUR mother over there?” Kerry kept her voice almost sub vocal.

“Yes.” Dar folded her hands in her lap, trying to will them not to shake. She was cold and her stomach hurt, and it took an enormous amount of effort just to keep up a shell of composure around her. A very warm hand curled around hers and she drew in a breath and let it out very slowly as her nerves settled.

Okay. The hard part was over, that first eye to eye contact. She’d come out the winner in that one, at least, watching her mother’s face react in surprise and shock in that first, unguarded moment. Wasn’t what you expected, was it, Mother? “How’d you guess? Don’t tell me a family resemblance.”

“She’s watching you,” Kerry murmured, a hint of amusement in her voice. “She looks sort of stunned.”

“Figures.” Dar’s body relaxed a little, and she glanced around. Most of the attendees hadn’t noticed their entry, so she had a brief period to check things out before her family realized she was there. “Last time she saw me I…um…I was sort of still in a rebellious phase.”

“And that changed—when?” Kerry inquired mildly, getting a hint of a smile on Dar’s strained face. “Was I supposed to have noticed this streak of conservatism?” The fabric across her partner’s shoulders shifted, then relaxed a little as Dar sat back. “You going to register as a Republican next?”

“Kerrison.” The pale blue eyes flicked her way, warming with quiet affection.

“That has such a nice ring when you say it.” The skin under Kerry’s fingers lost its chill, and she looked around deliberately, eyeing the carved, polished wood. “This is a really pretty chapel.” She hesitated, then questioned. “Is this where…um…”

Dar nodded. “The service, yes.” She got lost in the memory for a moment. “Her family has a big plot here. She wanted the memorial stone close by.” She sighed. “Listen. I’ll be right back. I’m going to,” Dar inclined her head towards the front of the chapel, “pay my respects.”

“Okay.” Kerry released her hand and watched as Dar rose and walked up the center aisle. The subdued lighting in the room kept her in shadows until she reached the front rail, where she entered a soft pool of illumination. She rested her hands on the polished wood and gazed into the casket, her face quiet and composed.

More interesting was the reaction of the rest of the room. Kerry watched her neighbors’ eyes fasten on the tall, still figure, and a low murmur buzzed her ears. She listened to the some of the comments and her green eyes narrowed, her fingertips twitching as she fought the desire to butt in to some of the conversations going on around her.

Dar gazed down at a face her mind hardly recognized. Death did that, she knew, but she’d last seen her grandmother before her last illness and remembered her older, but not gaunt, weathered, or ravaged, as the sickness had left her.


Eye of the Storm 75

Her eyes closed and she took in a breath. Sorry, Gran, she silently whispered. I should have called you, at least. Dar studied the quiet form. I started to, a dozen times. But every time I did…the thought of having Mother answer stopped me. I did send cards, though. Did you get them? Dar felt the pressure of eyes boring through her back and sighed.

A small rustling behind the curtains to her left caught her attention.

Time to go, Gran. At least you’re in a nicer place now. And if you can hear me, I hope some day we can meet up. Maybe just sit down and talk for a while. I really wanted to tell you about Kerry, Gran. I finally found that one you told me was out there. Dar’s eyes dropped for a moment, then she turned and walked back down the aisle, avoiding the avidly curious stares that hit her. She resumed her seat and resisted the urge to slide down and hunch her shoulders.

There was an expectant rustle of motion. Dar glanced to her left and realized her mother had chosen to sit down in their row, taking a place right next to her. Her blood pressure skyrocketed, but she folded her arms over her chest and fastened a calm, disinterested look on her face.

“Hello, Paladar.” Her mother kept her voice to a low murmur.

Dar turned her head slightly. “Mother.” She knew her tone was even, but she was desperately grateful for the pressure of Kerry’s hand against her side, giving her little, friendly scratches.

“Glad you could make it.”

Dar merely nodded.

The minister stepped out at that moment and cleared his throat, providing a very welcome distraction. For the moment, at any rate. However, with this and the reception afterward, it was, Dar realized soberly, going to be a very long night.


Chapter

Nine

“THANK YOU.” KERRY accepted the two glasses and turned, pausing a moment to survey the crowd before she made her way back to Dar.

Her lover was against the far wall, making polite conversation with two or three of what Kerry assumed to be uncles and aunts. Certainly, they were of her mother’s generation and had a similar set of features.

“Excuse me.” A voice to Kerry’s right caught her ear and she turned to find the short woman with silvered chestnut hair at her elbow, smiling politely. Kerry smiled politely back at her.

“Yes?”

“I’m sorry. Forgive me for asking, but are you a friend of Paladar’s?”

Kerry briefly toyed with the notion of flatly denying it, then decided she should be nice. “Yes, I am. Why?”

“It’s just been so long since any of us have seen her.” The woman disregarded Kerry’s question. “I’m Elli. Elli Bainister. I’m a good friend of her mother’s, you see. We’re so glad Paladar decided to join us here.”

“That’s nice to hear,” Kerry responded. “It’s too bad it had to be such a sad occasion.”

“Yes. Isn’t it? We’ve been wondering how she’s doing.”

Kerry blinked mildly. “Why don’t you ask her?” She glanced at her partner.

“Oh. I don’t want to bother her. She’s talking with her uncles. I was just wondering…are you in the computer business, too?”

Kerry caught the clue that had been wandering aimlessly around.

“Yes. As a matter of fact, I am.” She put down one of the drinks and held a hand out. “Kerry Stuart.” She waited for the woman to return her grip hesitantly then smiled.

“Really. Well, my husband works for Ethrington Consulting. Have you heard of them?” Elli edged a little closer. “They do work for the government.”

“Sure.” Kerry nodded. “We’ve done some co bids with them, in fact, I’m the operations director of ILS.”

Elli’s eyes widened. “Oh. Then you work with Paladar?”

“I work for her,” Kerry replied, with a kind smile. “She’s my boss at ILS.”

“Ahh.” The woman smiled, evidently figuring out whatever it is she Eye of the Storm 77

was fishing for. “And what part are you director of? My husband special-izes in retail.”

“All of it,” came the prompt, amiable reply. “I’m the Executive Operations Director.”

There was a long pause as the woman’s head tilted to one side. “And you…work for…”

“The Chief Information Officer for ILS, mmhmm,” Kerry agreed cheerfully, pointing across the room. “That’s her, my boss. She’s great.”

Elli put a hand on her arm. “Excuse me a minute.” She turned and scurried away, as Kerry lifted her hand and waggled her fingers at her retreating back.