CHAPTER 19
July 4th
Lia brought a huge bowl of potato salad to Robert and Dilara Culver’s home for their annual Fourth of July picnic. She was surrounded by many of the people who were building Artemis Security, and the atmosphere was festive in their backyard.
About forty people stood around holding cold beers, iced tea or other drinks, chatting amiably with one another. Lia knew most of them, nodding hello as she skipped up the steps into the huge screened-in porch. Cav moved ahead of her to open the screen door leading to the kitchen.
“There you are!” Dilara called as she stood over the sink cleaning ears of corn.
“Sorry,” Lia said, “We’re running late. There was an accident on the freeway while we were trying to get over here.” Cav opened up the huge double refrigerator so that she could put the bowl of potato salad in it.
“Oh, dear,” Dilara murmured, wiping her hands on her dark blue apron. “Anyone hurt?”
“It didn’t look like it,” Lia said, coming over to the sink. “The ambulances were there and the police were just trying to get traffic past the area.”
“More like a stupid fender-bender,” Cav put in, leaning against the granite counter, nodding hello to Dilara. “Probably some careless kid who was texting while driving.”
“It’s an epidemic,” Dilara agreed. “I have about two dozen corncobs to husk, Cav. Would you like to take over? You have big, strong hands.”
“Sure,” he said. “Is there anything else I can do to help?”
“I’m sure Robert would like company out at the huge gas barbecues after that. He’s going to start with the hot dogs and hamburgers in one barbecue, and in the other, he’ll put all the veggies. When you get done here ask him what he wants to come out first.”
She pointed to the fridge. “All the meat is on the top two shelves. Veggies are below.”
“Got it,” Cav said. “You two take off and do what women do best,” he grinned, grabbing an ear of corn setting on the counter.
Dilara gave him a quick hug. “Watch it or I’ll talk you to death, Cav.”
Everyone chuckled.
“What can I do to help?” Lia asked.
“Nothing, actually. A lot of the wives are here and they’ve pretty much organized the chaos, so we’re in full forward motion.” She glanced at her delicate Rolex watch on her wrist. “In about an hour I think we’ll be ready to eat. The ladies have all the picnic tables set up with linens on them. Let’s go out back and sit on the porch. Do you want some iced tea? Wine?”
“Just iced tea,” Lia said. “Thanks.”
Dilara poured them each a glass, leaving Cav to his shucking duties. He smiled, watching the two women amble past the large windows in front of the sink. Lia looked particularly beautiful. Today she wore a capped sleeved bright red top, and white shorts that fell to just above her knees. She’d boldly worn clothes that clearly showed her scars.
Cav knew it was a huge step, and he was damned proud of her. Her hair was longer, curling softly around her face now, giving her a sensual look. Cav didn’t think women realized how much of a turn-on their hair could be for men. While he understood the need for short hair in a hot climate, he still liked a woman with longer hair.
He supposed it was stamped in his DNA. His mother always wore her hair long, too.
He spotted Robert out with the construction owners who had won the bids to build Artemis. They were all power players. Cav smiled a little. Robert was damned tall, standing over everyone, which matched his General status. Even in a pair of brown Bermuda shorts, sandals and a white polo shirt, he couldn’t hide his military bearing. He’d just flown in from France after a NATO exercise, and Cav was sure the man was reeling from jet lag. But if he was, it didn’t show.
He liked Robert and had seen him occasionally at Artemis, checking up on the building progress of the three upper floors, as well supervising the two-story digging going on where the basement used to be.
Cav, when he could steal a moment, was interested in the “underground bunker,” as it was called. The bunker was being built with the latest materials, which would make it immune to being opened up by an overhead satellite, laser intrusion, heat seeking infrared, or any other device. All the top-secret files, computers and equipment to hold and create security, would be in those two underground floors. The bulk of the construction was going on there right now, because without it being built first, other construction couldn’t move forward.
Cav’s gaze moved to his left, watching Dilara and Lia sit down on the large, comfy swing at one end of the enclosed screen porch. He felt light and hopeful. Over the past month, Lia had been steadily making progress regarding her scars. He noticed what kinds of clothes she wore, and more and more often, she was exposing her arms to the public.