THE TAINTED TRUST (Volume 2 of The King Trilogy)

CHAPTER 28

     New York. Friday, December 23, 1988.

Kerri and Brian began a long anticipated one week vacation when they boarded a plane scheduled to fly from New York to Seattle. From there, they planned to rent a car and drive to Vancouver, spend Christmas with their parents, take a brief skiing honeymoon at Whistler, then return to Vancouver to attend a New Years Eve party at the Capilano Golf and Country Club.

When the 747 had climbed to its planned altitude, high above the thick cloud layer covering most of north eastern U.S., Brian turned to Kerri and reached for her hand. "Do you remember when you complained about being so lonely whenever I was away?" he asked.

Kerri nodded. "Sure. Why?"

"Guess you never thought our roles would be reversed."

"You poor baby," Kerri said, then smiled and stretched to kiss Brian's cheek. "Why is it so difficult for me to believe the great Brian Pyper could ever be lonely?"

Kerri's sarcasm failed to amuse Brian. "It shouldn't be any more difficult for you than it was for me," he countered.

"It certainly should. We're talking about two entirely different situations. When you go to work, you don't come home every night. I do. Besides, you have your friends and teammates in New York. You're a celebrity. All you have to do is walk out the door and everyone recognizes you. I was a nobody before I got a job. Now I have one and I'm still a nobody."

"You're not a nobody. You're the love of my life. You're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. When you walk out the door, I notice."

"Thanks for the compliment, but it's obvious you see the difference."

Brian nodded and looked away. "I guess I'm just feeling sorry for myself. I assumed we would live in Vancouver in the off-season. Now that you have that job, we can't."

"Brian, I love Vancouver. I miss being there for a lot of reasons, but I absolutely had to do something in New York. That job saved my sanity."

"Is it just a job, or something more?"

"At first it was just a job, but now it's more than that. Aside from meeting you, it's the most exciting thing that's ever happened to me. I actually look forward to going to work. Can you understand that?"

"I understand, but I have difficulty accepting it."

"You'll get used to it."

"Tell me about your boss. What's he like?"

"He's wonderful. He's considerate and incredibly patient. I still can't believe he picked me to work for him."

"Is he happily married?"

"He certainly is. Why?"

"I don't want any competition."

"Oh, God!" Kerri swore, annoyed by Brian's infantile jealousy. "You don't have any and you know it."

"I think you're underrating yourself. I've seen how men look at you."

"You have absolutely nothing to worry about. Miles is all business. He hired me because he saw I was genuinely interested in the commodities business, and prepared to commit myself to learn it."

Brian smirked. "Maybe when I'm retired from football you can keep me in the style to which I've always wanted to be accustomed."

"Maybe I will."