Chapter 2
Seated on the arm of his couch, Harm watched with amused sympathy as Mac paced the small confines of the living room. He always enjoyed watching Mac when she got really riled about something. Right now, she paced back and forth with frantic strides, her head down and her hands hooked into claws at her sides. He wondered if she were envisioning throttling Daniel Steiner. The occasional muttered comment he could hear seemed to point in that direction.
"Look at the bright side, Mac," he offered. "We get to spend six weeks on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. When would either of us ever get to take a six-week vacation?"
Mac paused to glare at him. "Traitor."
Harm chuckled and held up his hands. "Hey. I don't like it, either. I'm just trying to be positive."
"You aren't the one he was mentally undressing."
Harm grinned. "I wouldn't be so sure of that."
Mac ignored him. "Have you watched any of the episodes yet? The show is absolutely disgusting. It's morally reprehensible, degrading to women, and-- and-- just plain tasteless!" She stopped short to stare at Harm. "Why aren't you upset about this assignment? Don't tell me you actually want to be involved in this cockamamie scheme?"
"Not really, but I don't have much choice." This time, there was no humor in his voice. Mac could get very aggressive when she felt threatened, something he had little patience for.
Mac's tirade ended with a long-suffering sigh. She reached up to massage her eyes. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm just so angry…"
"Why, Mac? Because it rubs salt in old wounds?" It had been a while since Mic, since Renee, and since the near-miss conversation that might have changed their lives forever.
She nodded without looking at him. "That, and because I don't like the idea of pretending with you." Her gaze darted to his, then away. "We're best friends. We're honest with each other. That's important to me."
And playing at being in love for the next few months is going to blur the lines beyond recognition. He sighed. He, too, feared their new assignment would only make things worse between them.
"Come here, Mac." He held his arms open.
For a moment, he thought she might refuse. But then she came to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, laying her cheek on his shoulder. Harm held her close.
"We'll always be friends, Mac. No matter what."
He could feel her smile against his shoulder. "I'm going to hold you to that, sailor."
#
A few days later, Harm and Mac once again found themselves in the Admiral's office with Daniel Steiner and a tall, perky blond woman who reminded Harm just a bit too much of Renee for comfort. She was Steiner's assistant, but other than handing out papers and distracting the male members of the JAG staff from their duties, she seemed to serve little purpose.
Harm scanned the sheets he'd been handed while keeping his ears tuned to the Admiral.
"Your cover identities will be modeled as much after reality as possible," Chegwidden was saying, "to avoid any possible mistakes or conflicts in your stories. You, Commander, will be Harmon Ray, a partner at a small D.C. law firm. The Colonel will be Sarah McPherson, also a partner at the same firm. Your personal histories should remain as close to reality as possible, editing out all references to military service or undercover investigations."
Mac looked up before Harm. "Mitchell, Bloomberg, Moore?" she asked, noting the name of the law firm they supposedly worked for.
Harm nodded to himself as the name registered in his memory. "Isn't that where Commander Bailey went after he retired from JAG?" Bailey had left JAG several years before Harm's arrival, but his exploits in the courtroom were still talked about.
The Admiral nodded. "Yes. He's the senior partner there. He has agreed to let us use his firm for a cover. Your respective aliases will be on the books at MBM within the next few days."
Harm shot his partner a sideways glance, but her face remained impassive. She was all business. He tried to match her. It was the safest choice.
Steiner sat forward, hands clasped together. "These covers will play beautifully on the show, particularly with Tony." He was a serious as Harm had yet seen. "If he is fixing the results-- and I'll personally rip his throat out if he is-- he'll be sure to pick some other couple to win." The smarmy grin appeared for a moment. "After all, who wants a couple of lawyers to get the prize?"
Before either litigator could respond, he went on. "So, as long as you two can stay on the straight and narrow, he'll eventually be forced to take matters into his own hands to get you out of the running."
Harm stifled a groan. The plan was sound, but that meant they had little hope of getting off the show before the entire six weeks were over.
"So when does all this start?" he asked instead.
The blond assistant hopped up to hand each of them another piece of paper.
"Here's the tentative schedule," Steiner told them. "The first real event will be the meet-the-other-contestants dinner in two weeks. It's an informal affair-- no reporters or cameras allowed. Besides ours, of course. You'll both need to do a costume fitting in the next few days so wardrobe can have something for you by then. And you'll have to have your contestant packets filled out by then as well."
The assistant plucked two thick document envelopes from the stack of papers beside her and held them out toward Harm and Mac.
"I'll take those," Admiral Chegwidden said, reaching across his desk. The assistant handed them over. "You two have more important things to do, like wrapping up your caseloads. I'll get someone else to fill these out."
Harm was still thinking about the dinner. A thought struck him. "Should Mac wear an engagement ring?"
Mac turned to him in surprise as Steiner frowned. "We don't provide rings and such, assuming all of our couples intended to get married anyway. You'll have to take care of that yourselves."
Mac smoothed her skirt, a nervous gesture. "That's all right. I… have a ring I can use."
Harm winced. He couldn't help it. If Mac noticed, she gave no sign, and Harm was forced to wonder once more if she had really gotten over Brumby. After all, he'd left her, not the other way around.
Steiner continued, giving no indication that he'd noticed Harm's reaction. "Going back to the schedule… After the dinner comes the early photo shoots-- People, Cosmo, and Teen Beat all want spreads to go with their articles. Cosmo also wants one of the ladies for their cover, though they won't decide who until after the first shoot." He winked at Mac. "I'd say you're probably going to be in the running, Colonel."
"What? Me?"
Harm pushed his thoughts aside and studied his partner. Was that a flush creeping up her cheeks? Mac didn't blush easily.
Steiner didn't pause. "The television spots won't happen until later, after the advertising campaign really kicks in. You'll do the filming for the ads sometime early next month, but the Tonight Show and Letterman spots won't happen until a week or two before you board."
Harm's thoughts had begun to spin. He wondered if he looked as dazed as he felt. It was Mac, however, that best expressed his sentiments. She looked imploringly at the Admiral.
"Sir, you realize that after this, no one is ever going to take us seriously again."
