Surprised?"
She bobbed her
head. "Scott seems … younger, I guess."
"Thanks,"
Nick said, in mock annoyance.
"No, I
didn't mean it like that. It's just that you seem more … Who knows, I'm
surprised, that's all."
Serious was the
word she thought, but didn't say, Nick knew. He'd heard the word often, always,
it seemed to him, said with an edge to it — part accusation. What was
wrong with serious, anyway?
"It must
be sort of strange," Meg went on, "you two started out together, now
you're his boss."
"Whatever
you do, don't let Scott hear you say that. As far as he's concerned I make
suggestions, that's all."
Meg grinned,
then said earnestly, "You two make an odd pair."
Nick shrugged
his shoulders. "Maybe, but we agree on most things. We just have slightly
different … styles is the best word, I guess."
"Yeah, slightly
different," Meg agreed sarcastically.
Nick looked to
his beer.Suddenly uncomfortable with the direction of conversation, he jumped
subjects. "So, how do you like the GAO so far?"
"To be
honest, right now it's sort of overwhelming. Less than a week and already I'm
staffed on four different projects. I thought government work was supposed to
be easy?"
"Everybody
feels a bit overwhelmed at first. After a couple of years, you'll be amazed how
many things you can keep up in the air at the same time."
Nick's eyes, as
if on their own, ran quickly down the length of Meg's body — toned, slim — and
for the first time in a very long time he wondered if it was worth it. Juggling
a couple of dozen projects but no personal life. He turned from her and pushed
his beer away across the bar — he'd definitely had enough.
They sat a few
moment in awkward silence until Scott reappeared.
"Meg's
been telling me how hard you've been working her," Nick said.
Scott ignored
his stool and leaned heavily against the bar. "Can't help it. It's the
curse, Meg. You have it, Nick has it. Not to brag, but I do to. You're smart,
logical, you use common sense. The makings of a good accountant. But you know
what your reward is going to be? More fucking work, that's what your reward
will be. There's so much dead wood in our department that when someone comes
along who can actually think, they get one hell of a lot loaded on their
shoulders."
"Lucky
me," Meg said.
"That's
not the worst of it. Maybe if they left it at that, dumped the work on your
shoulders and let you go about business, you could live with it. But they won't
do that. Control, egos, and politics — they get in the way every time. Nick
here is an exception. Want to a take a look at the mold? Set up an appointment
to see Dennis."
Nick frowned,
indicating Meg's presence with a quick glance. "C'mon, Scott."
"The hell
with it, Nick. Dennis's an asshole — she's going to find that out soon
enough. We've got the Monday meeting with him on the Yünnan Project audit — if
I know Dennis, he's not going to disappoint."
"Maybe you
don't know Dennis as well as you think. According to Carolyn, Dennis pushed me
for the promotion. Gave a great recommendation."
Scott's eyes
widened. "No offense, but if Dennis did that, he's got a reason, and it
has everything to do with helping Dennis-fucking-Lindsay."
Nick shrugged,
not altogether in disagreement. "Maybe. … Hey, look it, I've reached
my limit for tonight. Time for me to crawl under the covers."
Scott looked at
Meg expectantly. "What do you say, want me to show you the late night
haunts? Turn it up a notch or two?"
Nick felt
strangely pleased when Meg shook her head. "I don't think so."
"All
right, you're all party-poopers," Scott complained. "I'll be a good
boy and head on home. Where do you live, Meg … want to share a cab?"
"Georgetown.
Off Wisconsin and O."
Nick and Scott looked at each other. Scott lived to the west of Dupont
Circle, not exactly on the other end of town, but hardly close to Meg's. Nick,
on the other hand, lived just off O, within three blocks of Wisconsin.
On the ride to
Meg's apartment,
She bobbed her
head. "Scott seems … younger, I guess."
"Thanks,"
Nick said, in mock annoyance.
"No, I
didn't mean it like that. It's just that you seem more … Who knows, I'm
surprised, that's all."
Serious was the
word she thought, but didn't say, Nick knew. He'd heard the word often, always,
it seemed to him, said with an edge to it — part accusation. What was
wrong with serious, anyway?
"It must
be sort of strange," Meg went on, "you two started out together, now
you're his boss."
"Whatever
you do, don't let Scott hear you say that. As far as he's concerned I make
suggestions, that's all."
Meg grinned,
then said earnestly, "You two make an odd pair."
Nick shrugged
his shoulders. "Maybe, but we agree on most things. We just have slightly
different … styles is the best word, I guess."
"Yeah, slightly
different," Meg agreed sarcastically.
Nick looked to
his beer.Suddenly uncomfortable with the direction of conversation, he jumped
subjects. "So, how do you like the GAO so far?"
"To be
honest, right now it's sort of overwhelming. Less than a week and already I'm
staffed on four different projects. I thought government work was supposed to
be easy?"
"Everybody
feels a bit overwhelmed at first. After a couple of years, you'll be amazed how
many things you can keep up in the air at the same time."
Nick's eyes, as
if on their own, ran quickly down the length of Meg's body — toned, slim — and
for the first time in a very long time he wondered if it was worth it. Juggling
a couple of dozen projects but no personal life. He turned from her and pushed
his beer away across the bar — he'd definitely had enough.
They sat a few
moment in awkward silence until Scott reappeared.
"Meg's
been telling me how hard you've been working her," Nick said.
Scott ignored
his stool and leaned heavily against the bar. "Can't help it. It's the
curse, Meg. You have it, Nick has it. Not to brag, but I do to. You're smart,
logical, you use common sense. The makings of a good accountant. But you know
what your reward is going to be? More fucking work, that's what your reward
will be. There's so much dead wood in our department that when someone comes
along who can actually think, they get one hell of a lot loaded on their
shoulders."
"Lucky
me," Meg said.
"That's
not the worst of it. Maybe if they left it at that, dumped the work on your
shoulders and let you go about business, you could live with it. But they won't
do that. Control, egos, and politics — they get in the way every time. Nick
here is an exception. Want to a take a look at the mold? Set up an appointment
to see Dennis."
Nick frowned,
indicating Meg's presence with a quick glance. "C'mon, Scott."
"The hell
with it, Nick. Dennis's an asshole — she's going to find that out soon
enough. We've got the Monday meeting with him on the Yünnan Project audit — if
I know Dennis, he's not going to disappoint."
"Maybe you
don't know Dennis as well as you think. According to Carolyn, Dennis pushed me
for the promotion. Gave a great recommendation."
Scott's eyes
widened. "No offense, but if Dennis did that, he's got a reason, and it
has everything to do with helping Dennis-fucking-Lindsay."
Nick shrugged,
not altogether in disagreement. "Maybe. … Hey, look it, I've reached
my limit for tonight. Time for me to crawl under the covers."
Scott looked at
Meg expectantly. "What do you say, want me to show you the late night
haunts? Turn it up a notch or two?"
Nick felt
strangely pleased when Meg shook her head. "I don't think so."
"All
right, you're all party-poopers," Scott complained. "I'll be a good
boy and head on home. Where do you live, Meg … want to share a cab?"
"Georgetown.
Off Wisconsin and O."
Nick and Scott looked at each other. Scott lived to the west of Dupont
Circle, not exactly on the other end of town, but hardly close to Meg's. Nick,
on the other hand, lived just off O, within three blocks of Wisconsin.
On the ride to
Meg's apartment,
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