At a red light, it occurred to her to call security at the office, on the off chance that Dakota might not even be there. She hit the hands-free button.

“Call. Wells Corp. security.

“Wells Corp, security desk.”

“Hi there, this is Teresa Cummings from Development & Sustainability, could you tell me if Miss Anari logged out earlier this evening?”

There was a rattle of keystrokes as the pubescent-sounding guard brought up the log files on the computer. “No, M’am. She hasn’t logged out yet.”

“And no one thought this odd?” Teresa spat out. “Never mind, I’m on my way in. Meet me at the front door. I’ll be going upstairs.” She didn’t wait for an answer before ending the connection.

Her car shot even faster down the darkened city streets.

She braked even before the car had drawn abreast of the front door. The guard saw her come running and he scrambled to unlock and open the door. Wisely, he didn’t ask where they were going.

“Why did no one notice she hadn’t logged out?” Teresa asked him.

The young man shrugged. “We don’t ask questions of anyone on that level.”

“What if she’s been hurt? When I left, she was swimming, which anyone in security would have seen if they had checked. What if she’s been hurt, or worse?”

The security guard said nothing. As soon the elevator began to slow, Teresa spoke again. “She received an unexpected package this afternoon, so I want you to come with me just in case she had an unexpected visitor.”

“Oh, I don’t think you have to worry about that, M’am.”

Teresa spun toward him. “When I get a call from Miss Anari’s house at 4 am, I worry, and if you want to keep your job, you will too.” The elevator doors opened and she ran toward the gym with dread in her heart. She fumbled with her security clearance card and yanked the doors open with such force that the security guard had to jerk back or be hit by the door.

“Oh thank the Goddess…” Teresa whispered.

The water was empty and still.

Teresa spun, narrowly missing the guard and took off at a run toward the office. She bolted through the outer door and stopped short before bursting through the second one.

“Please don’t let her be dead.” She whispered.

She was not dead. She did look it, however. Dakota was lying on the sofa, on her back, with her hands folded on her chest. Teresa moved to her side and shook her shoulder gently.

“Dakota? It’s Teresa. Wake up.”

Dakota’s eyes opened slowly, focusing gradually on her assistant’s features. “Teresa? I thought I told you to go home?”

“Which I did, hours ago. You, however have not. Hanna called me a little while ago. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. You say Hanna called you?”

Teresa turned to address the young security guard. “You can return to your duties now, but our conversation is not over.”

“Yes, M’am.” He left the office quickly.

Teresa had to clear away snack food wrappers, water bottles and files before she sat on the coffee table. “Hanna noticed you didn’t return home and called me at 4 am. I think your house worries about you, boss.” She rested her elbows on her knees and asked, “Do you feel any better after swimming all night?”

Dakota sat up and scrubbed at her face with her hands. “I feel exhausted; even with the nap.”

“You should go home. Get some good sleep, reassure Hanna and come back when you’re ready.”

Dakota studied her for a minute. “Wait, Hanna called you and you just raced over here?”

“Pretty much, yeah.” Teresa nodded. “I know you said you weren’t usually manic, but I thought… actually, I didn’t think, I just…reacted.”

Dakota smiled slightly. “It’s good to know that someone worries about me; even if it is just my house and my assistant. Thank you for making sure I was okay. Now go home.”

“Only if you do the same.” Teresa smiled as she crossed her arms.

Later that morning, both the Director and her assistant arrived at the same time.

“I heard we had a bit of excitement here earlier this morning.” Len said in the elevator.

“Yes, and I was wondering if it’s procedure for day watch to inform night watch who is still in the building?” Teresa replied.

“No, M’am, it’s not.”

“I think that should change.”

“That would be Mr. Wells’ call to make, M’am.”

“My thoughts, exactly.”

Len looked quizzically at Dakota, who only shrugged.

At the outer office, Dakota hesitated only slightly before turning the knob and entering her own office. Thankfully, everything was as it should have been. As she fed her fish, Dakota nudged her mouse and her monitor came out of sleep mode. There was a myriad of email that needed her attention; all of them marked “urgent”. One of them caught her eye though, one from Miss Morriseau’s former supervisor.

‘Miss Anari,

Shanis is a great person to work with. She’s organized, outgoing and very committed to her work. She’s also driven and focused, which can be interesting if she disagrees with you. However, she doesn’t hold a grudge when a project goes in an unexpected direction. You asked about her shortcomings… at one time I might have said that her family was her shortcoming, but at some point that ceased to be a problem. To my knowledge, she drinks very little, does not smoke and is deeply spiritual, however she is very private about this. It took me months to find out even a little of her beliefs. If my firm weren’t so pigheaded, and we could drop contracts and hire outright, I would hire Shanis back in a nanosecond.

Hope this answers your questions,
Mark Edso’

A knock at her door startled Dakota from her email.

“Ready for those cookies now?”

“You bet!”

Teresa entered bearing a tray and set it on the coffee table. “I’m glad we’ve been able to meet like this. It’s a good jumping off point for the day.”

“Even if this day is getting started later than normal.” Dakota added as she kicked off her shoes. “I want to thank you again for making sure I hadn’t drowned. I’m not used to being cared about.”

Teresa turned pink and offered Dakota a small plate of cookies. “You know, the research I’ve been doing on Miss Morriseau has gotten me thinking about one of my bosses I had not too long ago. She used to take us all out for working lunches once a week. We used the opportunity to clear the air on the tougher projects we had. We’d brainstorm, debate and make notes and by the end of a two-hour lunch, we’d all leave feeling as if we’d accomplished so much more than at the office. We’d laugh a lot too, sometimes we’d all cackle like hyenas. Her only restriction was that we all swore to never tell a word if we heard anything personal about our co-workers at that table. Well, that and no alcohol.”

“What was she like?” Teresa tucked her legs under her and sipped from her mug.

“She was dedicated, unorganized, funny, helpful, interested in the unknown, passionate and a heavy smoker.” Dakota paused for a moment. “In a lot of ways, she shaped who I am today. I miss her.”

Teresa waited; she had a feeling that Dakota wanted to say more.

“She died of lung cancer two years after I became her assistant. We were all heart-broken. I was angry for a long time because she never said a word about the cancer to us. She was off work sick frequently, but none of us ever suspected. Her husband called me late one Saturday night to tell me that she’d died in her sleep. Work was never the same after that.” Dakota took a big swallow of coffee before continuing. “I should be used to loss, but it’s different each time. That photo yesterday…I was that little girl. That was my mother. Not long after that photo was taken, I went off to school one day, I was in grade one then, and no one came to pick me up. My teacher took me to the office to wait for my mother, but when it became obvious that no one was coming, child services were called. They took me somewhere, tried to occupy me and called the police to track down my parents. They told me that my parents had died, but I never really believed them until I got to be a teenager. Once I was old enough to start asking the right questions of the right people.”

“My parents had been killed in a home invasion. My father had come home unexpectedly in the afternoon, presumably for an afternoon of adult time from what the police told me. Both had been shot. My father was shielding my mother’s body, but in the end, it didn’t matter. From the day I had been dropped off at school by my mother, I never went home again. I was not allowed. There were no relatives left to make sure I got my belongings, an officer packed my room…” Dakota’s voice trailed off.

Both women were silent as they absorbed the emotion of the moment, but after a few minutes, Teresa remembered something.

“Oh! I almost forgot! Jake asked me to give you something!”

“Jake? Your son?”

Teresa smiled and handed Dakota an envelope. “You don’t need to worry about unpleasant surprises in this one.”

‘Dear Miss Anari,

I wonder if you could help me with a school project. I have to write an interview of someone I find interesting in the business world, and Mom has spoken so highly of you that she makes you sound like a Titan or something. Anyway, I was wondering if you would be able to join us for dinner and an interview tonight, at our house.

Sincerely,
Jake.’

Dakota grinned. “A Titan, hmm?”

“I had nothing to do with this note, other than to be asked permission before he wrote it.” Teresa smiled as she took another cookie.

“I’d be delighted. What time should I be there?”

“How does six-thirty sound?”

“Perfect! Now, what did you get accomplished while I was swimming like a fish yesterday?”

“I was hoping you’d ask.” Teresa’s eye lit up as she reached for the file that sat on the tray. “I did a bit more research and carried on with an idea you mused over. You talked about combining straw, sheep’s wool and cotton. So I came up with something…” Teresa handed Dakota a page of sketches and notes.

It didn’t take long for Dakota to understand what she was looking at, and gradually, a wide smile spread on her face.

“This is amazing…I didn’t expect you to take it to this level…wow…estimated R values, suggested dimensions…even an interlock system for stability and safety.” Dakota studied her assistant carefully. “How long did you stay up with this?”

“Not as long as you were.” Teresa smiled at her boss over the rim of her mug.

Dakota blushed and returned to the notes in her hand. “So, you’re proposing an interlocking system of blocks made of straw, sheep’s wool, and cotton manufacturing waste, coated in Portland cement?”

“Imagine a cement truck full of the organic matter, all tumbling in the drum with the cement. We know that each of the organic elements has a high R value, made higher by high rates of compression.” Teresa explained. “The blocks would be 98% organic, 2% cement binder. The binder not only adds cohesiveness, but also provides a pest barrier, as well as added fire retardant. Obviously tests would have to be done to see how long it took to smoke, as well as strength tests…”

Dakota laughed and held up a hand. “Whoa, Teresa… okay…I get it. We’ll move on this today.”

“We will?”

“Yes, we will.” Dakota laughed again and then drained her mug. “I think we’d better get to work though. I have to meet with Shanis again, and I’ll need a memo, text message and email out to all the brainiacs. Starting today, we’re having working lunches once a week, every Friday, on the company’s tab. Attendance mandatory, no alcohol.”

Teresa reached for her notebook and began taking notes. “Also, from now on, every meeting I attend for work, I’ll expect you there as not only my pen, but also my eyes and ears. I was going to mention this yesterday, but…things got in the way.”

“Understood.”

“I’m going to set up a face to face with the brainiacs for later in the day. Do you think you could explain your idea to them?”

“If I can get my hands on a few Lego pieces, I could.”

“You go ahead and get those, and when you’re done with them, send them down to the nursery.” Dakota reached over and picked up the phone that sat on the coffee table. “Len? Dakota Anari here. Could you come up and see me for a minute? Thanks.” She turned back to Teresa and rested her elbows on her knees. “I want to thank you for the invitation. It means a lot to me…really.”

Teresa reached out and briefly put her hand on Dakota’s arm. “It’s about time you allowed yourself to have a friend, Dakota.” Then she stood up and left the office, leaving Dakota to think.

Just as the door opened, Teresa finished text-messaging Jake to let him know that Dakota was coming for dinner.

“Miss Anari asked to see me?” Len stood fidgeting with his hat.

“Before you go in, I have an idea I’d like to swing past you, Len.” Teresa invited him to sit down while she leaned against her desk. “I’m sure you know that Dakota gave me quite a scare yesterday. I’m surprised that the day shift does not inform the night shift who remains in the building at the close of business day. I assume that only Mr. Wells himself has the authority to make that policy change?”

“Yes, M’am.”

“All right. I’m going to do what I can to see that happen. Also, I was wondering if you had any luck on tracking down the person who delivered that brown envelope to Dakota yesterday?”

Len nodded. “Yes, M’am, I’m going to give her that information now. Off the record, M’am?”

It was Teresa’s turn to nod.

“I’m glad you want to make that policy change. I’d hate if anything happened to her. I kinda like her.” Len surprised Teresa with one of his rare, warm smiles. She smiled in return and went to inform her boss that the head of security was waiting to see her.

“Thanks for coming to see me, Len.” Dakota reached out and shook Len’s hand. “Were you able to ascertain who delivered the envelope yesterday?”

“Yes, M’am. This is a picture of the woman who dropped it off.” Len offered a black and white photo.

“I assume this is a still from the security tapes?”

“I know it’s not the greatest quality…”

“That’s okay, I know your systems aren’t perfect. Do you have the name she signed in with?”

“Alice Blunt.”

“I’m not familiar with her, either by name or by sight. Curious.”

“Indeed. If she comes by again…”

“I’d like to speak with her. Tell her whatever you have to, just delay her long enough for me to get down to the front desk.”

“You’ve got it. Anything else?”

“Not right now, thanks, Len.”

Dakota parked her car across the street from the address that Teresa had given her, and studied the house for just a minute. It was an adobe ranch-style house with a wrap-around porch and swing, the path to the front door lit by small lanterns. There was no front yard; all the grass that might have once been there was now a flower garden. Dakota smiled slightly when she realized how much the house suited her assistant. Not wanting to keep Jake waiting, she gathered up her packages and checked for traffic before stepping out into the street. As she waited for her knock to be answered, Dakota watched the flag flutter lazily in the breeze. The door opened swiftly, and Jake beamed up at her.

“You came!”

“Of course, how could I refuse an invitation from an admirer like you?” Dakota laughed.

“Let her in, Jake, before Miss Anari will think I didn’t teach you any manners.” admonished Teresa from within the house.

Jake flushed slightly but opened the door wide. “Sorry, Miss Anari. Please come in.”

“Thank you.” Dakota waited until Jake had hung her coat for her, then followed him into the living room. Teresa came from the kitchen wiping her hands on a towel, and full of smiles. “I’m glad you could come.”

“So am I, which is why I brought gifts.”

“You didn’t have to …”

“You should know by now that when I have a mind to do something, Teresa, I do it. And besides, the way I was brought up, when you visited someone’s home for the first time, you came bearing gifts.” Dakota winked at Jake, who smiled in return.

“For such a charming young man I brought this.” Dakota handed Jake a paper-wrapped package.

He thanked her politely and ripped into the brown paper, then made a small sound of delight. “Mom! It’s a model…a Honda Valkyrie Rune in Illusion Blue! This is so…wow…thank you, Miss Anari!”

Dakota laughed. “You’re welcome, Jake. I’m glad you like it. Now you have one your Mom doesn’t. For her I brought something else.” Dakota handed a similarly wrapped package to her assistant. Inside was no model though.

“Mom? You have a funny look on your face, what did you get?”

Teresa chuckled as she turned the box so Jake could read it.

“A Triops tank? What’s a Triop?”

“Triops are crustaceans that look like miniature horseshoe crabs when they’re fully grown. You see, your mother is an extremely smart woman, Jake, and an ant farm just wouldn’t have been the right thing. It had to be as unique as her.”

Teresa laughed and nodded. “Only you would have thought of such a thing, Dakota. Thank you.” Just then, a timer buzzed from the kitchen. “Go and wash, Jake, and then we’ll eat.”

After a dinner of lasagne and salad, Dakota turned to Jake and asked, “So, you have an interview to do for school?”

“Yeah” Jake made a face. “My teacher thinks we need to learn about business leaders, and Mom talks about this stuff you’re trying to make, and I thought maybe I could ask you…”

“Of course. I’m always happy to help make school a little easier. What classes are you interested in?”

“Well, science and math, I guess, but this business stuff is boring. But I like art and gym.” Jake grinned mischievously.

“Of course you like those; they’re your easiest classes.” Teresa added. “Why don’t you go and get your interview sheets while I pour Dakota coffee?”

Jake was back even before the desert was served and quickly got settled with his brownies and milk, pen in hand.

“First question?” Dakota asked.

“What business are you in?” Jake asked with a serious expression on his face.

“I am the Director of Development & Sustainability. I head the team of scientists and developers that make new products for Wells Corporation.” Dakota took a bite of her brownie while Jake wrote her answer down. “Gee, Teresa, could you have gotten any more chocolate sauce on here? Wow. I have to get your recipe, this is sinful.”

Teresa grinned in reply.

“Okay, next question. Did your school experiences prepare you for your career?”

“Good question. I always wanted to be a scientist. I was very good at it while I was in school, and I was always fiddling with stuff outside of school. My first science fair, I tried to make a radio that would play underwater. My goal was to play music to tropical fish.” She took a drink of coffee and glanced up to see Jake looking at her in bafflement. “It’s true. I thought they would be happier if they could listen to music.”

“Did it work?” Teresa asked as she sat down with her own coffee and dessert.

“It did, only long enough to get a first place ribbon, then the pressure was too much and it began to leak.” Dakota chuckled.

“Cool. Did you have a mentor while starting your career?”

“I did indeed. Everyone should have a mentor. It can be a very rewarding experience for both people.”

Jake nodded and wrote as fast as he could. Teresa watched with pride as he attempted to get every word down on paper.

“Do you ever have days where you don’t want to go to work?”

“Oh sure, I’m sure everyone does. But I get to create, to dream up new stuff, make something out of my imagination. How many people get to do that?”

“What if you can’t think of anything? What do you do then?” Jake was leaning his head in his hand, studying Dakota.

“Even before I worked with your Mom, I always swam when I was stumped for an answer. It clears my head and helps me think.”

“What kind of courses did you take in high school?”

“I went as far as I could in science and math, I took art so I could draw my ideas, and in college, I took all the engineering courses I could. I also took business and marketing courses,” Dakota grinned as Jake groaned. “Without those classes, I wouldn’t have learned about market trends and merchandising. You can’t play the game unless you know the rules. If you want your company to be a household name, you have to learn how to recognize trends and flops, and try and get a jump on what people want.”

Jake only shook his head as he wrote down what Dakota had told him.

“What’s your favourite invention?”

“My underwater radio.” Dakota grinned as Teresa rolled her eyes.

“What do you wish you had invented?”

“Computers.”

“Wicked.” Jake scribbled madly. “Thanks, Miss Anari.”

“Now, wait a minute young man.”

Jake looked up like a deer caught in headlights.

“My friends call me Dakota, and I’d be pleased if you would, too.”

Jake smiled broadly. “Okay, Dakota. Thanks for your help. I’m done, Mom. Can I be excused?”

“You bet. Make sure you feed Turbo, then brush your teeth.

As he left the room, Dakota said to Teresa, “Do I dare ask what Turbo is?”

Teresa laughed and suggested they enjoy their coffee in the living room. It was a warm and cozy room. The hardwood floor was a rich honey colour, the two sofas were a chocolate brown and a small fire crackled in the fireplace.

“I’m going to make sure Jake has brushed his teeth, make yourself comfortable, Dakota.”

Dakota set her mug down on the coffee table that resembled a seaman’s chest made of wood and peered carefully at a series of black and white photographs on the wall. All six were landscapes filled with light and shadow. Two crammed bookshelves held a vast amount of cd’s, and Dakota was amazed by the variety. Diana Krall sat six away from Great Big Sea, who rested beside Leonard Cohen, who leaned against Shania Twain. Four discs away rested Long John Baldry next to Jim Kuddy. Dakota shook her head as she murmured, “Garnet Rogers, Buffy St. Marie, Joni Mitchell, Rita MacNeil, Gordon Lightfoot, Tamarack, Kashtin, The Fables, Anne Murray, Martha Wainwright…”

“You like it?”

Dakota replied without turning, “It’s a who’s who of Canadian music. This must have taken you years to collect!”

“Jake started it actually. One year at Christmas time, I was moaning about a lack of Canadian music on our stereo, so he bought me a handful of cd’s, all by Canadian artists he knew I liked. The collection grew from there.”

“Wow. I’m impressed. Who do you play the most?”

“It depends on the mood I’m in. When I’m cleaning house, I like to play The Fables. When I’m working on things for work, I play Kashtin.”

Dakota nodded as she sat on the sofa. “Your home has a peaceful feeling. It’s very cozy.”

“Thank you. It’s my refuge.” Teresa took a sip of her coffee before adding, “I’m glad you like it.”

Both women were silent for a minute, content in their silence. Teresa rose and chose a cd from the cabinet, and as she was cueing the stereo she asked, “What’s it like living in a ‘smart house’?”

“It’s interesting, I’ll give it that. At first, it’s a little discombobulating hearing a voice speak from the ceiling, but at least it gives me someone to talk to at four in the morning when I can’t sleep.”

“Does that happen often?”

“More frequently than I care to admit. Your house seems to enjoy my company.”

Teresa returned to her seat on the sofa. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

Dakota nodded.

“Was it hard, growing up?”

“It was difficult to ignore the pitying looks. Sometimes, even months later, I felt as though the whole world was afraid I would shatter. I had a hard time at first, before I could understand how to rise above it. I fought out, I behaved irrationally at school, and I was a nightmare to my first three foster families.”

“Three?” Teresa gasped.

“But the fourth family they sent me to, their home was huge, rooms and rooms that were never used. Generations lived together there.” Dakota tucked her knees up under her chin. “There was a great aunt; her name was Plum. I stumbled into her room by accident one day. She was sitting by her window, sewing. She invited me to watch the rain with her. The room felt so inviting and warm, that I stayed with her for hours. By the time that my foster mother came to get me for bedtime, Plum and I had become fast friends. The next day was sunny and Plum decided we were going to picnic, just she and I. She fascinated me so much; I had forgotten to be suspicious of her. She was full of stories. She told me about life when she was a child, she talked about the Great Depression and learning to go without comfort. But she also told me about her first love, and about going to college as a young woman in those times. We walked along a creek and she taught me how to skip stones. After we had lunch under a twisted apple tree, she sewed while I watched the clouds. I asked her how sewing could make her so happy, and she told me that it was what connected the women in her family. Her grandmother had taught her how to sew blocks together, and how to make it all a quilt that would keep her warm for years. I remember lying on my stomach watching her needle flash in the sun, and wanting roots like that so hard it nearly made my head pound. When I asked her to teach me, she cried a little, and it wasn’t until I was much older that I understood; but I’ve never forgotten.”

“Did you learn how to sew?” a voice asked from the hall.

“I did. Plum and I went on to make many quilts together. She was my first mentor, Jake. My mother was killed while I was still very young, and I barely remember her. Plum taught me everything that gets me through the tough stuff in life. I learned how to survive, and how to excel at anything I put my mind to, because of what Plum taught me. She taught me how to cook a duck, how to sew and how to think for myself.” Dakota beckoned for Jake to come and sit beside her. “You see, Jake, no matter when we live, we all have challenges. Yours are different then mine, or even your Mom’s. Smoking, drugs, getting into trouble you know you’re supposed to avoid. Adults have different challenges, different choices to make. But it all comes down to following our hearts.”

“How do adults know what to do?” he asked, and Dakota suspected they were no longer talking about cooking.

“We weigh what’s right against what’s wrong. When I had those choices to make, I asked myself what Plum would do, would she be proud of me, or disappointed? People I thought were my friends teased me, but Plum’s approval meant more than they did, so I got over the embarrassment. When I graduated from high school, Plum threw a party for me. The quilt she gifted me with spoke volumes about how she felt for me. I knew she had sewed every stitch with love, even with her failing eyesight and shaking hands. It was that love that had kept me on the straight and narrow, that had kept me studying long after I wanted to quit, and it is that love that keeps me going even now.”

Jake nodded. “So you didn’t do anything wrong?”

“Oh sure I did. But I don’t think gluing the toilet seats down in the teacher’s washrooms seemed too bad compared to doing drugs and smoking.” Dakota grinned wickedly.

Teresa nearly snorted her coffee through her nose. “Okay, Jake, say goodnight to Dakota and off to bed before she gives you any more ideas.”

Dakota laughed out loud.