Chapter 23

"Don't you dare finish that sentence!" Miranda exclaimed. "I won't hear of any talk like that! You are only as old as you feel and I certainly don't feel childish when I am with you. So please know that to me age is just a number and don't think any more about it, okay?"

After several minutes of thinking about her words, most women would normally have gotten upset and demanded to know what was taking him so long to answer, but Randi knew that he was considering everything that she had said and assessing the truth of her words from the sound of her voice when she said them. She could wait for him to completely understand that she meant every word. When his response came, she was happy that he had done just that, "Alright, Miranda, I'll never mention it again. Now you never did answer the question that I asked on my card that came with the flowers."

Smiling she replied, "I would love to have dinner with you any time you say, AJ, the only night of the week that I'm not free is Thursdays because I watch Randy that night so Josh and Nora can have a night out to themselves."

"Well then how about Wednesday? Or is that too soon for you?" he asked hoping that she wouldn't think so.

"Wednesday's fine, what time?" she asked with a smile, knowing what he was thinking. Sometimes she felt bad about having an unfair advantage, but at times it was just fun to know ahead of time what was coming.

"1900 hours? And I'll need your address so I can pick you up."

She agreed to the time and then gave him her home address; they talked several more minutes and then hung up. Both were happy about the way the call had gone and went to bed thinking about the future.

Tuesday, June 7, 2005

0730 EST

JAG Headquarters

Falls Church, Virginia

AJ entered the bullpen and went up to the young man on guard duty for a report. He was told, "It was a very quiet night, Sir. The only one that came in after the staff was gone was Judge Love, she was looking for you."

"Did she say what she wanted?" AJ asked him.

"Yes, Sir, she said that she wanted to thank you for the flowers that you sent her, but would call you at home since she had missed you."

"All right thank you, Corporal," AJ said and went into the break room to start a pot of coffee.

Miranda was not surprised when she answered the knock on her door that morning and found Clayton Webb on the other side of it. "Hello Clay, to what do I owe this meeting?" she asked as she went back to sit behind her desk. Motioning him to take a seat, she took a sip of her coffee.

"I'm pretty sure that you know why I'm here Miranda. I want you to come back to work for the Company. We need your talents, now more than ever!" he said pacing the room.

"Sorry, Clay. I like what I'm doing now and I'm getting to old for field work anyway," she sighed.

"Hell I'm still doing field work and I'm older than you!" he snapped.

"I know that, but I have a family to consider and you don't. I loved my time with the Company and I learned a lot, but I'm glad to be out and in a more sedate position now. If you have something that you really need help with from time to time, I'd consider helping out, but no field work at all."

"But you are so talented! We need…"

"Clay you have my answer. If you don't like it, then we can have nothing at all to do with each other. Now what will it be?" she asked calmly, trying to let him know that she really meant what she was saying to him.

"Fine, special cases and no field work. Happy now?" he sulked.

"Yes, I am. Now have a good day Clay, I have to get back to work," she smiled and walked him to the door.

Clay almost stomped down the hall and ran into Admiral Chegwidden, who was coming to see Miranda; he had seen the spook leave her office. "What are you doing here Webb?"

"Nothing to do with you AJ," Clay responded.

"But it has something to do with Judge Love?" AJ wanted to know.

"Yeah, and if you know her, then all I can say is make sure that you listen to whatever she has to say!" Clay told him as he walked off. He managed to step into the elevator and disappear before AJ could ask what he meant by that.

To Be Continued….