Free The Ying on Triad by Kent Conwell Page A

slacks with a
white blouse. She had cut her brown hair short, an attractive complement to her deep tan. "You look great"
    She blushed and patted her hair. "You always knew
how to flatter a woman"

    I headed for the kitchen, still unable to decide what to
do. "Something to drink? Coffee, soft drink, club soda,
beer?"
    A tiny frown knit her brows. "Beer? You told me back
in Vicksburg you were on the wagon. You know, A. A"
    Opening the refrigerator, I grabbed a Diet Coke. "I am,
but there's some Old Milwaukee a friend left"
    "Sounds good," she replied, still standing in front of the
couch.
    I handed it to her and nodded to the couch. I remained
standing. I didn't want to suggest anything by sitting next
to her. "So, how was the trip?"
    "Boring" She took a sip of Old Milwaukee. "Am I glad
to be here. I almost got lost a couple times. This town sure
has grown since we started college here. How long ago
was that, twenty years or so?"
    With a shake of my head, I replied. "Hard to believe,
huh? Just you wait until you start driving around"
    She looked up at me seductively. "Whenever you're
ready."
    I gulped. The look in her eyes promised more, much
more than I wanted. And it wasn't driving around.
    They say God looks after fools and children. Well, he
must have been looking after me for at that very moment,
the doorbell rang.
    It was Jack Edney, the friend who, though he had
become a multi-millionaire, was still a pain in the neck.
And he was here to pressure me into taking on the monumental task of managing his campaign for city council.
But at that moment, I had never been so tickled to see
him. I yanked open the door.
    Jack blurted out. "Now listen to me before you say no,
Tony. I-"
    "Jack! Buddy! Come on in. There's someone here I want
you to meet" I grabbed his hand and dragged him inside.

    He jerked back, but I clutched his hand with a grip that
only death could tear loose. "Hey, what's going on?
What-" Then he spotted Diane. He stopped resisting,
and a broad smile leaped to his lips, splitting his round
face. He still wore his hair in a burr. His head reminded
me of a bowling ball.
    I made the introductions. "Jack, this is the young lady I
called you about last night, Diane Mays. And Diane, this
is Jack. You two have something in common. Jack is
W. R's brother."
    Her eyes widened in surprise, and Jack shot me a puzzled look. "Diane is from Vicksburg, Jack. She's
acquainted with W. R"
    She glanced at me, aware that I had said acquainted
instead of dated. I winked at her. She understood.
"Pleased to meet you, Jack" She stepped forward and
held out her hand.
    Forgetting all about his altruistic desire to make Austin
a safer place for the children, Jack stumbled over himself
to take her hand and delivered the classic line. "Talk
about a small world"
    Diane nodded demurely.
    "So, you know W. R.?"
    Glancing fleetingly at me, she replied, "Yes. We met a
few times business, you know"
    He took a shot at being charming. "Well, I'm the goodlooking brother"
    She nodded briefly. "I can see that"
    Jack blushed furiously.
    I suppressed a wry grin, knowing she would never
reveal the fact she and W. R. had been two sides of a love
triangle. And from the look on her face, I guessed she was
strongly contemplating comparing one brother to the
other.
    Like a love-struck boy, Jack stood transfixed, holding her hand while I explained. "After your call yesterday,
Diane, I contacted Jack. He owns a nice apartment complex out on Highway 290."

    "Oh, really?"
    "That's the road to Johnson City, which will make it a
convenient commute for you" I turned to Jack. "Diane is
with the National Park Service"
    Jack nodded, mesmerized by her beaming smile.
"That's nice," was all he said.
    "Her last assignment was the battlefield in Vicksburg."
    I didn't think it possible, but Jack's smile grew wider.
"That's nice."
    "She was transferred to Johnson City."
    Jack nodded again, keeping his eyes on Diane. "That's
really