"Hi." Rhiannon said slowly, a wide grin on her face.
"What are you doing here?" Diane asked looking at her watch. Even in her first months of working at Lockhart/Gardner when people usually try to make a good impression Rhiannon rarely arrived early opting instead to stay late when most people had gone home.
"I work here." Rhiannon said pushing herself off the door frame and entering Diane's office. She sat down and crossed her legs, wide grin still across her face. "So, how was your weekend? In as few details as possible please."
"It was okay. How was yours?"
"Fine." Rhiannon said rolling her eyes. "You can give me a little more details."
"It didn't rain like they said it would. That was nice." Diane said taking off her glasses. She laughed slightly when Rhiannon just glared at her. "Whatever you're thinking happened this weekend, didn't."
"Hmmm." Rhiannon nodded. "But you had breakfast with my Dad. I heard you laughing when I was on the phone with him."
"Yes. I had breakfast with your father. I didn't have the pancakes though. I had a spinach omelette. It was really good."
"Great, start a food blog." Rhiannon sighed. "You just had breakfast?" She furrowed her brow when Diane nodded. "How?"
"What do you mean how?"
"I mean how did that happen? If nothing happened between leaving my place on Friday and breakfast on Sunday. Breakfast with a guy is typically preceded by sex."
"I had dinner at the hotel he was staying at and ran into him. We agreed to have breakfast the next day before he left the city. No sorted story. Just breakfast. Nothing else will ever happen, don't worry."
"Why would I be worried?' Rhiannon asked sitting up. "And what do you mean nothing else will ever happen? Did you not like my Dad? What's wrong with him? He's delightful, I'll have you know. Is it the guns?" She shook her head. "It's the tea-party thing isn't it? I get it. He can really get going sometimes, but you just need to tell him to shut up and he'll reel it in. I do it all the time."
"Calm down." Diane sighed. "There is nothing wrong with your father."
"I know."
"I had a good time with him. We, well, I, just thought it would be best if nothing happened. It would be complicated. For you."
"For me?" Rhiannon said. She laughed as she shook her head. "Nope. Not going to work."
"What are you talking about now?"
"You can't use me as an excuse. My Mom's been gone for 16 years. I know he dates. I'm fine with it. I prefer it. It's depressing to think of him sitting alone out there with just his dog and guns. I like you. I like him. How would I be complicated by two people I like dating or whatevering?" She stood up. "See my Dad again or don't. It's up to you. But you can't use me as an excuse not to. If you don't want to see my Dad, you'll need to come up with something better."
\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\
"What are you doing here?"
Rhiannon looked up from her lap top and frowned at Douglas standing in the doorway. "Why do people keep asking me that? I work here."
"I meant here, in Diane's office. I wasn't expecting to see you in here."
"Sorry to disappoint. She's not here." Rhiannon shrugged. "I need her conference table."
"Where is she?"
"I don't know. She's my boss, oddly enough she doesn't report to me before leaving the office. Maxie would likely know. She can also take a message. I'm horrible at taking messages. I always right them down and loose them, or forgot about them for like a week."
"You don't like me to do you?"
"I don't know you." Rhiannon shrugged. "This is just how I talk everyone. Don't talk it personally. I am not the hand holder, it doesn't come off as genuine. I'm the sarcastic loud one."
"Explains why you and James get along so well." Douglas said pacing around the office, running his finger along the framed photo of Diane and Hillary. "I'm surprised Diane is okay with it. She was always so adamant her friends not sleep with her brother."
"What?" Rhiannon laughed looking up from her computer. "I'm not sleeping with James. He's the same age as my Dad!" Suddenly the image of Lauren Bates flashed in her mind. Douglas' wife was at least 35 years younger than him. She flashed him a guilty smile. "No offense. I just meant, uh, it doesn't matter, I'm not sleeping with James. When I first started here I worked on a case for him. Now we're friends."
"I'm sorry." Douglas said, his eyes still fixed on Diane's photos. "Do you know when Diane will be back?"
"Nope. I don't even know where she is." Rhiannon said pointing to the desk directly outside the office." Maxie."
"Will you tell her to call me?"
Rhiannon didn't look up from her lap top this time, instead just pointed into the hall again. "Maxie."
\\\\\\\\\\\\
"Hi." Diane said slowly talking off her sunglasses.
"Hello." Kurt smiled leaning against the door frame. "What's up?"
"May I come in?"
"Yeah, or course." Kurt said moving out of the doorway. "Come in." He said as she walked past him. He closed the door and turned to again question her visit, but before he could speak her lips were pressed against his. Rather than fight it, he returned the kiss, his hands moving to her back, pushing her closer to him.
Diane bit her lip slightly as she pulled back, his hands keeping her close. "Hi." She repeated.
Kurt laughed slightly. "Hi." He ran his hand down her back, smiling when he felt her react. "I don't normally protest when beautiful women show up at my door to kiss me, but what's going on? You seemed pretty clear yesterday that this was not a good idea."
"Do women often show up at your door and kiss you?"
He shook his head. "This is a first. I like it though."
Diane smiled, exhaling slowly when she realized she hadn't answered his question. "I couldn't think if another excuse."
"What?"
"Rhiannon said I couldn't use her as an excuse not to see you. So if i didn't want to see you again I had to come up with different excuse. I couldn't think of another one, because I wanted to see you again."
Kurt nodded. "Okay."
"Okay?' Diane smirked. "She said." Before she could continue Kurt put his finger to her lips and shook his head. "What?"
"I don't really want to talk about my daughter right now."
"Right." Diane smiled.
/
Diane tried not to flinch as Kurt shot the Benelli at the target. Her bare legs dangling off the edge of the counter as she watched Kurt work. She bit her lip trying to stop herself from smiling. As much as she told herself she hated guns, she couldn't deny the way her stomach flipped when she watched Kurt hold up the rifle to aim.
Or the way she felt when he smiled at her before entering his notes into his computer. "There is no reception in here." He said when he caught her checking her phone.
"I have three missed messages." Diane shrugged. "I guess people are wondering where I am. I'm playing hokey."
"You'll get reception through there." Kurt said pointing to the door on the back wall. "Go head."
"Sorry." Diane said easing herself off the counter. She walked through the door and looked at her phone watching as the bars increased. Just as she connected her phone rang. Sighing Diane answered, not looking at the call display. "Hello?"
"Where are you?"
"Um, what do you mean?" Diane asked feeling her cheeks redden. Blushing has become an unwanted habit lately. She would need to rectify that.
Rhiannon sighed loudly. "I mean what is you physical location at this exact moment. It's not Lockhart/Gardner. At least not boardroom B. I know because everyone else is here for the Van-Pen depo."
"That's not till 1."
"Yep. It's 1:07."
"What? No." Diane said glancing at her bare wrist. "Start without me. I'll be there as soon as I can. All my notes are on my desk. Maxie can show you."
"Um, okay." Rhiannon said. "Is everything okay?"
"Fine. I had an appointment, it ran longer than I realized." Diane said shaking her head when Kurt entered the room. "But you'll be fine without me."
"Okay. I've got this. I'll see you when I see you, I guess."
"Thank you." Diane said disconnecting the call. She looked up at Kurt and shook her head. "You just got me in trouble with your daughter. You had me so distracted I forgot i have a job. I should have been at a deposition twenty minutes ago. I've never been late for court in my life."
"I take that as a compliment."
"Shut up." Diane laughed. "I have a to go. Where are my clothes?"
