Chapter 13
"No, but I can tell I'm being watched and rightly so! I'm the new kid on the block, I didn't go through months of training, and I am guarding the President! It's like a secret club and just because I know the secret handshake doesn't mean they trust me enough to lower the rope to let me up the tree," Mac giggled.
Joe chuckled over the simile and agreed with her that it was how the Agents behaved. "Alright Mac, I'll let this one go, but I will be watching to make sure nothing further happens."
"Okay Uncle Joe," she sighed. No matter how much growing up she did, he would still see her as that kid with the skinned knees and ponytail. "Before I let you go, I did call to find out what to wear on Saturday."
"Ah, just like a woman!"
"Don't give me that! I just wanted to know if I needed to buy riding gear before we were sure if I could still stay on the horse!"
"The Stallion usually wears jeans and a polo shirt," her Uncle told her.
"Really? That must be a sight! What does the President wear?"
With a beleaguered sigh, Joe said, "You know what I meant!"
Laughing Mac admitted she did and ended the call. After throwing some leftovers in the microwave, Mac logged on to her computer to check her email. Unfortunately she had just taken a drink of ice tea when she opened a message from Bud Roberts. Her computer screen was sprayed from her burst of laughter. Bud's mail simply said, "This WAS priceless!" and included was a picture of General Creswell that he had taken when he'd made the announcement at the staff meeting of what Mac's new job was.
Picking up the phone she called Bud to thank him for the best laugh she'd had in a long time. She was still giggling as she made plans to drop in at JAG the next day and go to lunch with Bud.
Dressed casually, with the unaccustomed 'visitors' badge clipped to her shirt, Mac stepped off the elevator and entered the bullpen. Every thing looked the same, every thing but the people. Oh they were still in the familiar uniforms, but the faces were almost all new. She thought of all the dear and not so dear faces that had passed through the doors over the years. Lindsey, Singer, Manetti, Gunny, Brumby, Tiner, all of them gone quite a while and more recently Harriett and Admiral Chegwidden, then Harm and herself, and after them Sturgis too. Now she looked around and saw only Bud and Jen from the family and of course she recognized Vukovic.
Jennifer Coates hurried to greet her and asked excitedly about Mac's new job, but before she could answer, Vukovic came over and questioned, "Slumming AGENT Mackenzie?"
"Not until you got here Lieutenant!" she snapped.
Bud joined them and said he was ready to go if she was. Mac was grateful to get away from Vukovic. They stood waiting for the elevator when the doors opened and Creswell stepped out. He paused in front of them and said, "I heard about your new job Ms. Mackenzie."
With a smile she couldn't restrain as she remembered the picture Bud had taken, Mac replied, "Yes Sir, Bud told me he'd let everyone know."
"Do the Corps proud!" he ordered as he walked past them.
"I intend to Sir," she answered as she and Bud stepped into the elevator.
Lunch with Bud was a lot of fun as he updated her on all the news that he could think of, and Mac shared her story of how she'd handled the twins on that first day. Bud got a good laugh over that. He asked if Mac had made any headway with Laurel and she had to admit she hadn't.
The hour passed much too quickly and soon he had to return to work. Mac reluctantly headed back home to catch up on household chores she'd been putting off for the past week. Ordering a pizza so she wouldn't have to stop working to cook, Mac finally finished just before 2300 hours. Knowing that she would have to be up early, she decided to shower before bed so she could sleep those extra few minutes in the morning.
To be continued…..