"So, let's recap. What are his big crimes again?" Tanya asked. She quickly ate her pie. "He wanted you around for fun and not for work. Well. Look at it from another point of view. You're good for both. He chose the one he preferred."
"But I was there for work."
"But you're fun, too, from what I gather. Considering the total number of weeks you spent in his company and the six hours of combat, I come up with-" Tanya made some calculations with the help of her fingers. "Only three percent of the time was heavy duty. The remaining time, only light duty." She rolled over to lay on her back, her hands behind her head.
"What do you mean, light duties? I had to look over his shoulders, all of the time."
"But that wasn't all you did," Tanya said with a laugh. "You didn't just go to his bedroom to check and see if somebody was hiding on top of the tester, did you?"
"No…"
"…or dress up in high uniform to carry out a patrol around his bed." Tanya laughed harder, doubled over on the floor. "Be honest. At least, with yourself."
"Well…" Judith grinned. "You may have a point there, but just one minor point. But he…he made love to me the same night he tried to get me out of my assignment. And I let him. And I'm still mad at myself for that."
"This pie is exquisite," Tanya said. She helped herself to another piece. "He must have done something right, too, or he wouldn't be on your mind so much."
"He's not."
"Sure looks like it… He may not be the ideal partner for you in all aspects, but in others-he probably is."
Judith was silent for a while. "I built his psychological profile. Do you want to read it?"
"Sure. I'd be happy to look it over."
Judith and Tanya sat at the kitchen table, eating their chicken soup in silence.
"How are things with Kevin?" Judith finally asked.
"He was very sweet on the phone. He apologized for not giving me much time. His manager, Jeff Moore, was sick, on top of his lawyer being ill for more than a week. Kevin had to hurry to finalize the set up for the new lab. The discounts for the equipment are valid only until next week. That's why he was so busy."