Pretense (42 page)

"Here." Mackenzie pushed a tissue into her mother's hands. "You'd better dry up or they'll know."

"That's true," Marrell said, but she couldn't manage it. When they heard the front door open not five minutes later, she stayed where she was.

"Is that you, D.J.?"

"It's Jack."

"Where's D.J.?"

"Right behind me."

"Can you send her into the kitchen?"

"Sure. Did you hear that, D.J.?"

"Yeah. What did you need?" Delancey asked as she came around the corner.

Jack was about three steps ahead of his stepdaughter, so both he and Marrell were able to see her face and hear her scream. A minute later the two girls were hugging, and for long moments neither one tried to speak.

Marrell had gone into Jack's arms, and Jack patiently waited for Mackenzie and Delancey to break up before claiming his own hug.

"Hi, Jack," Mackenzie smiled up at him.

"Hi, Mic. Nice surprise. You can do this anytime."

"All right."

"How long can you stay?"

"Until Saturday."

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He hugged her again when he realized she would be there for Thanksgiving. They had been invited to spend Thanksgiving in Sebastopol with Oliver's folks but had wanted to stay home this year. At the moment Jack was very pleased with their decision.

"You look so different," Delancey said.

Mackenzie grinned. "It's a lot of work."

"But you like it," her mother stated.

"Yes." Her eyes were alive with excitement. "I love it."

Marrell cocked her head to one side. "Wasn't the finance school scheduled for twelve weeks?"

"Yes, but there's been a change."

Marrell's brows rose. "Going to tell us about it?"

"Just as soon as I change into jeans and get a huge glass of Pepsi."

Marrell laughed. Some things would never change, and at the moment that was a tremendous source of comfort. The confident young woman who had left home had come back with more poise and awareness than Marrell had planned on. For a moment her mother hadn't known her, but then out came the jeans and Pepsi. This was her Mackenzie.

"Why don't I get your drink, and we'll talk in the living room," Jack offered.

"I won't pass that up," Mackenzie answered and made to leave.

"Do I have to go to school tomorrow, Jack? It's only two days until Thanksgiving break."

"We'll see. Did you get your homework done?"

"Yes."

"All right. Let me discuss it with your mom. Maybe we can take your homework in, explain the situation to the office, and then get your work for the rest of the week. We'll just have to see."

Delancey looked as though she could burst and swiftly followed on the heels of her sister. Marrell turned to find Jack's eyes on her. He was always so careful with her feelings.

"Is she really here, or am I dreaming?"

"Want me to pinch you?" he asked and used those mobile eyebrows of his.

"I think I do," she smiled back. "I'll take a Pepsi too, if you're offering."

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"I am, but aren't you afraid you won't sleep?" As soon as Jack said it, he shook his head. With Mackenzie home, sleep was the last thing on their minds.

"I drew something for you when I was at the Lacys' tonight," Delancey said as she came into Mackenzie's room without knocking.

"Let's see it," Mackenzie responded, pulling up the zipper of her jeans.

In soft colored pencil, Delancey had done a teddy bear. His tummy was round, and he was a bit on the scruffy side. Sporting a dark-blue bow tie and a matching vest, his face was turned to look at the viewer with an expression that was all at once confused and determined.

"Micah Bear," Mackenzie said softly.

"How did you know?" Delancey was shocked.

"How did
you
know?" Mackenzie stared at her younger sibling.

"We found some of your old stories, but how did you know it was Micah Bear?"

"Because this is exactly the way I would have drawn him if I had the talent. I can't believe how good this is."

Delancey looked very pleased.

"Can I keep this?"

"Sure."

"Thank you. It's wonderful. Do you still have the stories?"

"In my book bag."

"I've got to see them. It was so long ago. It'll be a riot to see what I wrote."

"Actually, some of them are very good. I think you might be surprised."

"I don't know about that."

"So what's going on, Mic?" Delancey couldn't stand it any longer. "Why are you here?"

"I've been transferred," Mackenzie said as she pulled on a pair of thick socks. "Come on. I'll tell you all at the same time."

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Twenty-Four

I'm headed to Arlington Hall Station in Virginia,"Mackenzie told her family, a huge smile on herface.

"What's the work?" Jack wanted to know.

"Army Intelligence and Security."

Marrell had already known this but the realization finally struck her.

"What's the matter, Mom?" Delancey asked, having just caught her mother's look.

"Your sister is going into national security," Marrell said softly.

"Is that what it is, Mic?"

"Yes, D.J."

"Can you tell us how this happened, Mackenzie?" Marrell asked. "Or is it hush-hush?"

"It's not hush-hush at all, Mom. I would have written you, but I had a chance for leave. I don't know when I'll get my next one, so I just came to tell you in person."

"Explain to me why it's such a surprise, Marrell," Jack asked. He thought he might understand but wanted a full picture.

"It's more the honor of the situation than any type of danger. For obvious reasons, national security is a tight field." Marrell looked at her daughter and smiled. "You might not have as much to write about in your future letters."

Mackenzie nodded. "It is an honor, and I'm excited about it, but you're right-it's not without its limitations."

"Tell us how it happened, Mic," Delancey pressed her.

Mackenzie nodded. "It was going well in Indiana, but it wasn't anywhere near as challenging as I had expected. One of my instructors asked to see me, and that was the first of four

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interviews. I know they reviewed my records, and I was certainly asked a lot of questions. Then they asked if I was willing to cut the finance training short and go to Arlington. I made myself think about it, but I wanted to say yes on the spot."

"When do you report?"

"The Wednesday after I get back."

"Thank you for coming home, Micki," Jack said softly. "This wouldn't have been nearly as special to learn about in a letter."

She smiled at the stepfather she adored and asked, "Will you come to visit me?"

"Yes, we will. We'd even talked about coming to Indiana but then thought it might be better to wait until after your schooling."

"I didn't think that," Delancey put in firmly, and Mackenzie laughed.

"You have too much time on your hands, Deej."

The younger girl looked thunderstruck, but Mackenzie did not let up.

"Now if you join the Army, you won't have time to miss anyone."

"All right, Mic," her mother cut in. "Let's not overdo this."

Mackenzie only grinned unrepentantly.

"You've got some nerve, Mackenzie Rose Bishop," Delancey came back at her. "You wrote back and told me that we would probably never see each other if I joined."

"And that's true, D.J., but at least you wouldn't have time to miss me."

Delancey snorted. "That's a great consolation."

"What was your favorite part about basic training?" Jack interjected, stemming the other conversation with a well-timed question.

"Graduation," Mackenzie joked. "No, I think I liked the fact that my dad was stationed there. It gave me time to think about him, although not much time, since they keep you so busy. But when I'd see troops of men somewhere, I would picture him, and I liked that."

"Do you have any idea how long you'll be in Virginia?" Marrell asked.

"No, not right now. There is a chance that I won't be what they're looking for, but that's all speculation at this point."

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"What exactly are they looking for?" Delancey asked.

"I think someone who catches on to things swiftly and can analyze information in an orderly fashion. I'm not sure what they saw in me at Ben Harrison, unless it was the fact that I understand how systems work. Numbers weren't a problem either." She stopped for a moment. "I hope it works out. I'm not sure what else I'd be interested in right now."

"Weren't you interested in finance?"

"Yes, until they offered me intelligence."

Marrell nodded with understanding. She was certain that most people would feel the same way. A glance at her younger daughter gave her pause. Staring at the flames in the fireplace, Delancey seemed deep in thought. Could she be taking Mackenzie seriously? Marrell forced her mind not to dwell on that possibility. If Delancey was thinking of enlisting, it would happen and that was all. Worrying and telling God what to do would accomplish nothing, and on top of that, it would be a sin. However, Marrell did ask God to help her cope, all the while reminding herself to be thankful that He was in control.

Arlington Hall Station, Virginia March 1987

Mackenzie had not expected a job in the files. She knew from her father that the military required mounds of paperwork and that her rank was very low, but when Mackenzie heard the word
intelligence,
her mind had run off like a gleeful child's. It wasn't that she was bored-there were always a dozen things to do, and some of the case files were fascinating. But the inactivity and the hours every day that she spent at a desk or in front of a file cabinet were driving her nuts. She had even gone so far as to join a health club. She was headed there right after work, when three of her female coworkers, who also happened to be her roommates, stopped by the file room on their way out. While all the same rank as Mackenzie, the others had various duties, none of which included the files.

"You're not going to sit at home this evening, are you, Micki?" Janelle Price asked. Janelle was older, and Mackenzie knew she liked to be in charge.

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"I haven't had a better offer," Mackenzie said lightly. She had yet to open up to any of these women.

"Well, your luck has just changed. We're going out in search of male companionship, and we want you to join us."

Mackenzie had to laugh.

"Come, Micki," Aimee Langford said softly. She was as young and wet behind the ears as Mackenzie. Beth Hughes was just the same, but she was quiet. Aimee and Mackenzie had their own rooms, and Beth shared a room with Janelle.

Janelle didn't bother with an answer. "How long before you can be ready?"

Mackenzie took a moment to reply. She might have to bow and scrape to those who outranked her, but that did not include her contemporaries. "Maybe 20 minutes," she said at last.

"Make it 15," Janelle ordered.

Mackenzie watched them wander off and shut down her computer for the weekend. She wouldn't be ready in 15 minutes, but they would wait. And if they didn't, that was all right too. Yes, it was a Friday night, and yes, she'd been on her own every night all week, but right now that was okay.

Why did I think this was going to be the answer to every problem?
Mackenzie asked herself, not for the first time.
Why didIthink that being out on my own was just what I needed?

No answer floated out of the air, and Mackenzie felt herself rushing. Suddenly she didn't want to be left alone tonight. She didn't know these women very well and wasn't sure she wanted to, but the thought of being alone right now scared her to death.

The East Coast was vastly different from the West. Mackenzie had been noticing this for weeks, but it was never more evident than this night. In the 20 minutes the women had spent at the apartment, the other three had transformed themselves into elegant creatures. Two wore black pantsuits, and another had on a deep green jacket and matching slacks. They were dripping with jewelry.

Mackenzie had freshened her makeup a little and put on navy slacks and a light blue oxford-style blouse, but she added no extra jewelry, and in fact, she'd used only the bare necessities on makeup. Her earrings were nice, a Christmas gift from Jack and

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her mother, but she hadn't even bothered with a necklace. Her watch was more functional than elegant.

They had gone to Serge's. It was a little on the pricey side, but the food was wonderful, and the bar area always had good music. At least that was what Mackenzie had been told. She had never been there.