Tropical Convergence (62 page)

He glanced up as Stewart Godson walked in, with Nelson Argos and a cameraman at his heels. "It seems we were taken down without warning, sir."

Argos pointed to the corner of the room, and the cameraman swung into place, turning on his light and pointing the camera at them. "Josh, make sure you get all of them," he instructed. "This should be a good clip as it plays out."

"Got it," the cameraman said, tightening his focus.

"Eh?" Godson walked over. "We were? Didn't notice." He glanced curiously at the group at the head of the table. "What's going on here? Didn't leave for but a minute." He turned toward Argos. "Brought this fellow in, seems he knows you all."

"Certainly do." Argos gave them both a smile. "Ms. Roberts, Ms. Stuart. I'm sure you won't mind having this on the record."

Kerry felt her heart skip as the big, round lens pinned them. She could see Meyer's angry profile from the corner of her eye, and sensed the tension in Dar's body.

"Not at all," Dar replied, in a deceptively relaxed tone very much at odds with the slight clenching and unclenching of her hands.

"Check the system? Oh, okay, sir," Bob answered. "Hang on."

Kerry shifted her hand, draping her arm over Dar's shoulder instead and moving a step closer, so her hip was brushing her partner's sleeve. Were they about to be hoisted on their own petard? Undoubtedly this would make a very satisfying news clip for Argos' story if the change Dar had made didn't work.

She wondered how Dar felt about it. She could see her reflection in the laptop screen, and for a second, the blue eyes lifted and their gazes met. Kerry grinned a little, and was rewarded with the flicker of a wink.

"I don't think we're going to be pleased at all with these results sir." Meyer shook his head. "And the entire company was disrupted. You know what I think? I think we need to..."

"Sir?" Bob's voice came back. "I don't know what you did, but boy, it's flying here. Wow. The entry people are all pretty excited."

Dar folded her hands together and smirked. "You need that translated, Hans?" she asked the programmer. "It worked."

Godson clapped his hands. "Wonderful! Bob, are you in Arizona?"

"Yes, yes...ah, is that Mr. Godson? Yes sir, we are." Bob sounded confused, but happy. "Are we a test group? I didn't get that email."

"No one did," Jason ground out through clenched teeth.

"That's great, Bob." Godson leaned over the phone. "Can you ask all your colleagues there how it's going? Life's not just one cup of coffee you know!"

"Uh." Bob rattled some papers, then muffled the phone. "Hey!" He could still be heard, though. "You guys try the system? No, I mean like now!"

There was a brief silence, then a yammer of voices. "Yeah, mine too! About freaking time!" He came back on the line. "Looks great here, sir. Big thumbs up."

"Fabulous," Godson said. "Thanks!"

"Of course it worked." Hans sniffed. "You are brilliant, I am brilliant, it is a wonder the room does not melt with the combined brilliance of us. Can we go have a beer now?"

Kerry felt her entire body relax, and she leaned against Dar quite unconsciously. "I have no idea what else he said, but I got the beer part. I'm up for it." She caught Argos watching them and almost stiffened and moved away from her partner.

Almost.

But something inside her rebelled, and instead she reached over and tweaked Dar's ear, giving her boss an affectionate look. "Rocket scientist."

"You want a beer for lunch?" Dar did a subtle little dance of triumph in her seat, shifting her shoulders and bumping Kerry with the left one. "Stewart, can you put a note out to everyone, and let's get a consensus before we close the books on this. I want to know that everyone's happy."

"Absolutely--just hold on a sec." Godson was on his cell phone. "Hello, Harry? Yes...yes, it's Stewart...listen, I think I've got our performance problem cleared up. Want to give it a go? What?" He listened. "It did? You are? Fabulous! Great to hear...what did I do? Oh, well, you know, it was all a matter of getting some of the kinks worked out...you know, new system and all that."

Dar snorted and rolled her eyes.

"Well, thanks, Harry." Godson beamed. "Glad you feel that way, and I hope to continue to earn that respect from you. Listen, if you hear any other feedback, let me know, hm?" He closed his phone and faced them. "Ladies and Gentlemen, so far so good. That was our CFO. He's been one of the biggest critics...he's in Boca Raton."

"We saved his ass," Dar translated for Hans. "Bet he gets a bonus out of it."

"Hah." Hans snorted.

"Well, I'm glad we could get the problem solved, Stewart." Dar continued in English. "Hans and I figured if we threw the change into production now, we'd know by the end of the day if there were any issues with it. If we did it off hours we'd have to wait till Monday to test and we knew you had a lot of pressure on you."

Stewart nodded briskly. "Good plan. Well, Jason? Let's go take credit for this, shall we? I told you it'd all work out. You should have more faith, sometimes."

Meyer looked like he was unsuccessfully trying to swallow a peeled lemon. "Yes, sir," he eventually got out. "I guess you were right," he admitted. "But I think we need to discuss how we put together our outsourcing contracts, to make sure we have more control over what this process is." He turned and walked off, without pausing to wait for his boss. "I won't forget how it was accomplished, regardless of the result." He left, and the door slammed shut behind him.

Godson chuckled. "He should lighten up." He glanced at the reporter. "That's what I was telling you about, see? These people? The best." He pointed at Dar. "I called 'em up, they came right here and fixed everything. Wonderful."

Dar smiled.

"He could mention I did some work also." Hans frowned.

"He could mention it was all your fault." Dar eyed him, with a grin.

"Details, details." Hans sniffed. "I will pretend I work for you then, so I can get some of this glory."

"Yes, I've heard a lot about how ILS operates," Argos said. "Maybe we can discuss it in your office?"

"Absolutely." Godson pointed to the door. "And I'll order in some lunch. Time to celebrate!" He led the way out, clearly expecting the reporter to follow.

Argos did, but he paused in the doorway and looked back at them. "I'd be curious to know how many rabbits you can pull out of your collective hats."

"Rabbits are prolific," Dar remarked. "They make their own supply."

Argos studied her. "You've kept ahead of me so far, Ms Roberts. You can't do it forever. There's a stink in your Danish pastry and I'm going to find it." He switched his focus to Kerry. "Nice to see you taking care of business, Ms. Stuart."

Kerry met his eyes squarely. "I'm not here for business." She let her hand rest on Dar's shoulder.

The reporter cocked his head, then he disappeared through the doorway and left them all in peace.

They were all quiet for a few minutes, Dar's fingertips tapping lightly on the table. Then Kerry finally sighed, and patted her lover on the back. "Let's go find a bar."

Hans looked over at her. "I understood the part about the bar," he told Dar in German. "And I am all for it."

"Me too." Dar leaned back, feeling the tension drain out of her. "Me too."

THE RAIN HAD finally stopped, and a pallid sunset was brushing the windows of Stewart Godson's office as Dar formally ended their visit. The executive was seated behind his desk, his hands behind his head, looking very pleased with himself, and consequently also pleased with Dar. "Well, Dar, I realize it was a tough spot, but it all worked out, didn't it?"

Dar aligned her forearms on the chairs precisely. "It did," she acknowledged. "Not the way we like to do things, but the bottom line is it got done and now you can move forward."

"You bet," Godson agreed. "Everyone I've heard from so far is very pleased, and I think now we can even find a way to really work with Hans' company if something like this comes up again. So, thanks, Dar. I owe you a big one."

There were times to gloat, and times when it was better just to be gracious. Dar didn't much like being gracious, and it was undeniably more fun to gloat, but she'd laboriously gained a small sense of propriety over the years and didn't like to waste it. "Glad I was able to work it out for you, Stewart."

He waved a hand at her. "Never doubted it," Godson said. "I've had people come in here, pitching me deals to do what you do cheaper, but I know when my keister's in a pickle, you people have always come through for me. Means a lot, and that's what I told that reporter fellow."

"Well, Stewart, you know we value you very much as a customer." Dar went through the requisite dance steps stolidly. "So I hope we'll always be there to come through for you."

"Me too." Godson got up and paced a little. "But what in the world did you do to get old Jason so miffed at you? I got an earful the size of the Empire State after we left that room." He sat down on the edge of his desk and looked curiously at Dar. "He's really got a problem with what he views as your ethics."

"My ethics?" Dar indicated her chest with her thumb. "Stewart, the man's got stock in a competitor of mine, and he wanted us out so he could bring them in. He talks about
my
ethics?" She half shook her head. "You better watch out for him. He's after this office."

A furrow appeared over Godson's brow. "You really think so? He's a good guy, Dar. Very sharp."

Dar sighed. "Stewart, he's a rat. You don't have to believe me, but at least watch your back because I sure as hell don't want to be negotiating with him when our contract comes up for renewal. We won't have a chance."

Godson looked doubtful, but he nodded anyway. "Well, I'll keep it in mind," he answered diplomatically. "You know we all can't be as friendly working together as you and Ms. Stuart are."

Dar lifted an eyebrow.

"But then you girls usually are chummier than us fellas are," Stewart continued. "Anyway, don't let me hold you up, Dar. I know you've got things to do and more people to help. You flying out tonight?"

"No." Dar got up and extended a hand, gripping Godson's when he took it. "Us girls are going out for a romantic dinner together then heading for a show at Radio City Music Hall." She released his hand, watching his jaw drop as he processed her statement. "We're leaving tomorrow morning. But thanks for asking. Have a great day."

"Bu..." Godson half stood as Dar turned and walked to the door, his hand still outstretched. "Ah...bye?"

The door closed behind Dar's tall form, leaving the room far emptier without her vibrant presence. Godson let his hand drop to his knee and snorted, shaking his head slightly into all that silence.

KERRY STUCK HER hands in her pockets as she waited on the ground floor of the big office building. The tall granite walls reminded her a little of their office in Miami, but she found the slate gray even more impersonal and cold than the copper and bronze shades they used down south.

She was glad the weather had cleared up, even though the hazy sun promised a muggy heat. At least they'd be able to go for their carriage ride and find someplace to have a nice, lazy dinner. The show that night was an opera, which neither of them were really partial to, but Kerry didn't care. They had good seats, and Dar had promised to take her strapless gown shopping.

Life was very good. She exhaled. At least, her personal life was very good. Although they'd fixed the problem, she had gotten the feeling there was trouble under the surface here. She knew for sure Meyer was going to be a thorn in their side from now on.

What would she have done in Dar's place, she wondered. Played it safe? Involved the client in the decision, and scheduled the testing based on their needs? Would that have been a better long-term solution?

Kerry sighed, and leaned against the glass, watching the traffic go by outside. What Dar told Godson about testing during business hours was quite accurate, in point of fact, and she knew it. But she also knew Dar's decision hadn't really been based on that at all--she'd simply wanted the problem over and done with because she had, in her view, better things to do.

From a business perspective, Kerry had issues with that. From a personal one, since she was the better thing, it was hard to argue with it since she really had no urge to spend the night sitting around in this building either.

Rats. Sometimes she really hated the duality of her life.

Hans cleared his throat slightly, and leaned next to her on the glass, giving her a polite nod.

Kerry nodded back, and added a tentative smile.

"Kerry, yes?" Hans said.

"Right," Kerry answered. "You did a great job." She wasn't sure exactly how much he'd understand, but nice words never hurt anyone regardless of the language. "Thanks for working with Dar on getting it fixed."

He seemed to get the gist, because his face eased into a smile. "It was much pleasure," he stated carefully. "Your Dar has strong talent."

My Dar. Kerry reckoned he didn't actually mean that in the literal sense, but she was glad to accept the compliment anyway. "Thanks. Yes, she is very talented."

"Also of good taste," Hans commented, blinking placidly at her.

Kerry stared at him for a second before she realized he could possibly be referring to her. "Ah...thanks," she replied, belatedly. "Thanks very much."

"You are very welcome." Hans watched as the cleaning staff started through the building, carrying buckets and mops, content to relapse into silence.

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."