It was a week later before I managed to make it to the Hilltop. All hell had broken loose at the office with Rabb defending a Marine Sgt. of Afghan descent charged with espionage. With Roberts still out of commission, we were shorthanded, so Singer was prosecuting. It was a public relations nightmare, and the SecNav, in his ultimate wisdom, dumped the whole mess in my lap. I swear that man was determined to give me an ulcer. I think he was succeeding.
I came in around 1900 hours to the shock of my life. Here, in my little out of the way hideaway that no one I worked with knew about, sat Clayton Webb, talking to the woman who'd been in my thoughts all week. I remembered that he'd been here before, when he'd tracked me down to tell me about Bud's accident, but what the hell was he doing acting like he and Dottie were old friends?
As they talked, he reached over and squeezed her hand. I felt like I'd been kicked in the gut. Must have been the chili at lunch. Realizing I was standing in the door like a fool, I walked over and took a seat a little ways down the bar from them. The brunette who'd waited on me last week came over.
"Hi, can I get you something?" Her smile looked strained.
"Yeah, um, Rachel, isn't it? Just a draft."
She kept glancing at me as she poured my beer until she placed my face. "You were in here last week, right?"
I nodded at her, then toward Dottie, who was still engrossed in conversation with Webb. "How's she doing?"
"Oh, just fine, tonight. I was supposed to leave thirty minutes ago, but her good looking friend came in and she hasn't stopped talking to him yet." Something told me her aggravation wasn't so much about having to work late as it was about Dottie monopolizing Webb's time. Webb. Some people's taste just amazed me.
Finally, the two of them managed to pry their attention away from each other and acknowledge the rest of the world. I heard Webb's unusually cheerful voice call out. "Admiral! I didn't see you come in."
Well, that was obvious. "I hope you're more careful out in the field, Webb. I'd hate to see you get my people hurt, again."
"I'm always careful when I'm on assignment, AJ. You should know that by now." His voice was still friendly, but more guarded now.
I ignored his comment. If I had my way, I'd ignore him all together. I turned my gaze to his companion. "Dottie. How are you?"
Her smile was decidedly uncomfortable. "Better. Thanks."
"Good." God, this sucked. And my vocabulary was suffering from too much exposure to Tiner. "So, you two know each other?" Smooth, Chegwidden, real smooth.
Clay was the one to speak up, damn him. "We've known each other most of our lives. How old were you when we met, Doro?"
Doro?
I could barely hear her answer. "About eleven, I think."
"Yeah, that sounds about right. Doro's mother worked for my mother, and she'd come with her most of the time. Nothing like being a nine year old and having a crush on an 'older woman' who thinks you're a bratty little kid. But eventually we became friends," Clay explained.
Rachel spoke up. "So this is your friend Clay you've told me about?"
Dottie nodded, and seemed to regain a little of her usual personality. "Yes. Clay, this is my best friend, Rachel Little. Rachel, Clayton Webb, my sorta kinda big brother."
Big brother. That knot in my gut loosened a bit.
I recognized the look in Rachel's eyes and bit back a smile as she moved in for the kill. As she proceeded to claim Webb's attention, Dottie wandered back down toward my end of the bar.
Both of us took turns looking at the other, then looking away. Finally, the silence got to both of us, because we spoke at the same time.
"Listen, I want to apologize for..."
"I'm sorry if I did something..."
We both stopped and I smiled. "Ladies first."
"I just wanted to apologize for being such a basket case the other day."
"Dottie, you were just being human. There's nothing for you to apologize for. I, on the other hand, owe you one."
"What the hell for?"
"You were upset and I was almost tempted to, I don't know, take advantage of the situation? I'm really sorry about that." God was I glad I had that beer in front of me.
"Almost tempted? What stopped you?" When I looked up, surprised, her expression hit me like a freight train. Her eyes told me almost everything I needed to know.
"When I do kiss you," her eyes lit up, "it will be about you and me. Not about Travis, or Neely, or trying to comfort you."
"When? Not if?"
"When."
She gave me the first real smile I'd gotten all night. "Be careful, or I'll hold you to that, AJ."
I was tempted to walk around the bar and prove it to her, but Webb, with his usual impecible timing, stood up, getting her attention again.
"You leaving, Clay?"
I noticed him slipping a piece of paper into his pocket, and knew from the look on Rachel's face that it held her phone number.
"Yes, I promised Mother that I'd come by to see her tonight. It was good to see you again, Doro. Let's not wait so long next time."
She'd come around the bar and hugged him briefly. "Count on it. Tell your mother I said hello."
"I will. AJ, good to see you."
"Webb. It's been interesting, as usual." I shook his hand and watched Dottie watch him walk out.