"What is the last item here, Lieutenant Dixon?" Alex asked, perusing the inventory list from his desk.
"That would be a machete." Edith smirked as he glanced at her, "Just one of those, Captain."
Alex shook his head with a sigh, "Perhaps I should be more specific in the future."
"Perhaps."
"Well." Alex smoothed out the paper before closing the folder, "This should be detailed enough. Even for Burk Lane."
"I actually only met him once before back in France. But all the stories I have heard proceeding the man, is he someone I should be concerned about?"
"You? No, you shouldn't be concerned about Captain Lane, Lieutenant Dixon. I have every faith you will keep him in line."
Edith gave a soft laugh. Once CO of Item Company, Captain Burk Lane had received a promotion soon after winter in the Ardennes. He was now a supply officer. He had been put into Item Company by the Brass who saw him as their pet. He needed combat experience and had gotten it, much to the chagrin of the rest of the enlisted men. He was a notorious sadist who was called Hitler’s heir apparent by more than a few of his men. The past year had taken some of the edge off of her, but Edith felt confident she would be able to handle him.
Edith took the folder from Alex’s outstretched hand. He held her gaze for a second before peering down at a nearby mess of paperwork. She bit her lip and tucked the file under her arm.
"It looks like you have quite an afternoon ahead of you so I'll leave you to it then." Edith commented, making her tone as congenial as possible.
She knew if she lingered, the silence would fall so heavy between them that it would end up driving her away. Edith was glad she had reached an amiable place in her relationship with Alex. It had taken a couple weeks before they were able to toss a joke about work back and forth.
Despite the awkwardness between them, she longed for the time she could spend with him. Whether Alex realized it or not, Edith knew she was at his whim. They never used first names. Never asked about the other's weekends or nights off. It was only business. But she hungered for any word she could glean from the man.
"Very well." He replied without looking at her.
Alex rose to his feet, pacing over to a nearby file cabinet. His expression was as clandestine as ever. As he opened the drawer, he ran his fingers over his shining black waves. Edith studied him with barely concealed fascination, reluctant to leave. His presence was like spying warm light from a porch down a long dark road. He peeked over his shoulder at her with raised brows. Edith jolted, realizing she had been staring.
"Good day, Captain." She managed.
"Good day, Lieutenant Dixon." He turned his back.
She made her way down the busy sidewalk. Edith paused on the other side of the street from the building where she worked. A truck stopped and allowed her to cross. She waved a hand and trotted over. Not slowing her pace, she became aware of someone catching up to her.
"Edith." Michael Porter raced up alongside her.
"Captain Porter."
"One of these days, you are going to call me Michael again."
"I guess we'll have to wait and see."
Since arriving in Austria, Porter had made several more passes at her. Unlike Colonel Bentley, it seemed the man couldn't take a hint. If anything, her cold rebuttals only egged him on. She had to hand it to him, he had tenacity.
"Where are you off to in such a hurry?"
Edith slowed her pace as she approached the entry to her building, "I'm late for a meeting. I left my aide to handle what she could but the overseeing supply officer just arrived. I believe he is an old Item Company man of yours."
"Really?" Porter flashed her an inquiring smile as they stopped.
"Burk Lane?"
Porter let out a brief, short chuckle, "Good luck. You'll need it."
"So I've heard. Good day, Captain." Edith replied with a sigh as she opened the door.
"Wait, Edith." Porter reached out and grasped her elbow. "Have you heard about the little party tonight in the park by the lake?"
Edith shook her head, her gaze drifting indoors. She was itching to be gone but Porter wasn't concerned.
"It'll be mostly enlisted men but there will be plenty of officers present as well." He grinned, catching her eyes, "I wasn't planning on going unless you were."
"Captain Porter, I need to know." Edith shut the door, almost sending him back a step with the force of her tone. "Is your wife aware you say things like that to other women?"
Porter's mouth gaped open. Recovering his composure, he shrugged and glanced over her shoulder.
"She wasn't while we were married. But I just got the telegram today that the divorce papers went through so I don't see how it matters anymore."
Edith cut her eyes to the side with a heavy breath, "I'm sorry to hear that."
Porter snorted. His gaze drifted to the ground. For a moment, he had the fleeting air of a lost little boy. Though it wasn't usually anything that had won her sympathy in the past, Edith felt a brief tug at her heart.
"I mean it, Michael. I’m sorry." She felt his eyes fall on her but didn't meet them.
He chuckled, "See, I told you that you'd call me Michael again."
Edith shook her head with a smirk before opening the door, "Good day, Captain."
She could hear the raised voices coming from her office as she ascended the stairs. Edith picked up her pace. From what she could tell, it was definitely Samantha's shrill Southern drawl. Though most of the time she was sweet natured, Samantha had a snap temper that left witnesses stunned. If this Lane character was as difficult as she had heard, Edith could only imagine what was going down. She wondered if it had been wise to leave Samantha to meet the man.
"You are exactly the kind of Yankee my father warned me about!" Samantha bellowed on her tip toes, nose to nose with a much taller officer.
"Sergeant Quincey!" Edith interrupted, forcing herself not to find the scene funny. "I think it would be best if you went and brewed us a fresh pot of coffee in the other room."
Samantha straightened her uniform jacket with a swift jerk. She swung her flashing, mossy eyes to Edith with a sniff.
"I think you're right, Lieutenant Dixon." She grumbled, stomping past her out into the hall.
"I apologize for Sergeant Quincey, she can be rather green-"
"Miss Dixon?" The man whipped towards her, his hands clasped behind his back. His nose wrinkled with disdain, "I am Captain Burk Lane. I had hoped to find you here but instead I was surprised to be met by your secretary."
"It’s Lieutenant Dixon, Captain." Edith shot him an icy smile as she approached. "I am sorry but I was detained at Captain McKay’s office-"
"Does your father know that you leave your office to the likes of that woman?" He snorted.
He was a tall man, about Alex's height, and not poorly built. If not for the air of poisonous pride, he could almost be handsome in his own way. But as Samantha would have said, he had his nose so high up he would could drown in a rainstorm.
Edith swallowed her dislike and focused on the task at hand. Letting a hand rest on his arm, she led him towards the two chairs in front of her desk. From the looks of it, the man would never swallow being dictated to by a woman behind a desk. She felt it better to deal with the likes of Burk Lane by appealing to his ego, no matter how odious the task.
"Captain Lane, I am regretful that I was unable to be here when you arrived. Your punctuality is impressive considering you only just arrived, am I right?" She continued, motioning for him to take a seat.
He did so with thinly veiled look of contempt, his mouth cringing on the sides. Edith lowered herself into the chair across from him and crossed her ankles. She laid the folder from McKay's office on her lap. Samantha carried in a tray with a utilitarian tin pot of coffee and two plain white cups with saucers. She set it down on the table between them.
"Thank you, Sergeant Quincey."
"Sure thing." Samantha groused.
Edith winced at her tone, "You may take your lunch if you wish."
"If you insist."
Samantha was gone like a shot.
"Now, Captain Lane-" Edith poured a cup of coffee.
"Lieutenant Dixon. You are aware that the only reason you have a secretary to begin with is because of your father's position." Lane interjected
"Would you like cream or sugar?" Edith replied, glancing over at him with a quirk of her mouth.
Blank faced, Burk Lane studied her for a moment, "Both. Thank you."
Edith shifted in her seat to reach for the creamer, "Of course, I was aware. There have been many added privileges considering my connection to the Colonel. Most men with fathers in high ranking positions receive the same treatment, do they not?"
After stirring a sugar cube into the cup, Edith returned her attention to Lane. His gaze snapped up from where he had been observing her outstretched leg as she had reached for the coffee. Blotches of red raced up his long neck in embarrassment.
"I'm not saying I deserve these things." She continued, picking up her own cup of black coffee, "I just don't deny them when they come my way. Would you?"
He managed a half smile after taking a sip, "I suppose not."
"I am looking forward to working with you, Captain." She set the cup on the table and picked up the folder. "I have heard nothing but the highest praise from my father about your abilities. I only hope I will be able to meet your standards of efficiency. I have been told they are high."
Lane shrugged. But his face lightened as she handed him the folder. Edith relaxed as he seemed to accept her compliments. "I'm sure you won't disappoint, Lieutenant."
"I certainly hope I won't."
He perused the paperwork with only a few corrections. After, Lane thanked her for the coffee and stood to leave. She showed him to the door.
"Lieutenant Dixon." He stopped in front of the door and wet his thin lips. "I hope this isn't too forward for me to ask, but I have recently gotten wind of a function down in the park this evening. I was wondering if you will be attending."
"I haven't decided yet, actually." Edith nodded, cringing inside at the thought of having to dance with him.
"Oh. Very well." He answered, his voice dropping an octave.
As before with Porter, Edith felt a strange tug of pity at her heart. She couldn't imagine what was making her so soft these days.
"I am considering it though. It depends on my work load this afternoon and what I get accomplished."
"Of course, I can respect that." He brightened and tipped his cap towards her, "Good afternoon, Miss Dixon."
"Afternoon, Captain Lane."
Edith returned to her desk. With a sigh, she settled down to review the final copy of the inventory from the Airport arms dump. Samantha soon returned from lunch.
"So did you put that Lane character in his place?" She asked, her shoulders still tense from her spat, "I knew you would."
"No but Samantha, you are going to have to keep that temper of yours in check. I have a feeling we wouldn't be working together anymore if I hadn't smoothed the man's feathers." Edith chided, glancing up from her work.
Samantha snorted, "Smoothed his feathers, huh?"
"Yes. I decided to put my mother's well worn phrase to work this time; you catch more flies with honey than vinegar."
"Honey, huh?" Samantha pushed again, grinning.
Edith ignored her, "It looks like our workload may be lighter than I had expected this afternoon."
"That's a mercy. Have you heard about all the doin' in the park-"
"The party tonight? Yes, from two sources actually."
"Two?" Samantha barked, "Glory be, that honey must be working for you! Dare I ask who?"
Edith grinned at the younger woman's reaction. "First from Captain Porter and then Captain Lane."
Samantha slapped her knee with a laugh. "I can't say much about that second choice but I'm sure Captain Porter would show you a good time."
"Oh I'm sure he would." Edith glanced back through the pages.
"So you going?"
"Not sure."
Samantha sat back in her chair with a huff. "Well, you are just going to have to slap some lipstick on and put on your dancing shoes. I just made the decision for you."
Shaking her head, Edith rose from her chair, "What makes you think you can do that?"
"Because I see you are wanting to go too." Samantha leveled her with a knowing glance, "But not because of Porter or, God forbid, Lane. Who is the lucky guy you are hoping will be there?"
Edith wondered how obvious she actually was or if Samantha was teasing. She meandered over towards the wide window. By chance, she caught a glimpse of Alex's lanky figure as he disappeared into HQ across the street. She bit her lip.
"Alright, I'll make an appearance." She conceded.
ns 15.158.61.11da2
