The first part of Monday morning was spent catching up on emails and a hot coffee.

"Dee, you got a 10.30 with the Area Supervisor this morning." Brian, one of her guys, relayed the message.

"OK. Thanks." She had been expecting the meeting call.

At the appointed time, she walked into the office and got the details for a new client. They were leasing a Lot and Dee would set up their store system. If all went well, she could add potential new business when her company scooped the rest of the warehouses leased by the client.

The new site was an hour and a half out of town. Dee would spend 4 weeks establishing a system which should operate without a hitch. The client could not afford the logistics breaking down in any part of their operation.

The early days onsite were mainly to assist in the clean up of the building and not get in the way of the renovations. The wiring and hardware would be done by her team but she still had to data enter information and program the software to the client's specifications, all the while keeping an eye on the build up of the warehouse so that it's configuration would translate sensible on the system.

She was too busy to keep her regular visits with Ella, but that was understandable. She told Ella as soon as she got the job, "I won't be able to see you much over the next few weeks."

"Is this a new job?" Ella asked. "How long will it take? Where's it at?"

"I'll tell you everything tonight, we'll have dinner." Dee said before she rang off.

While Dee was hard at work, Ella was missing her slightly, even though she was used to the long hours and absences that occurred regularly. It made their time together more precious, and she tried to take care of Dee without being overly motherly. Butches weren't very good at looking after themselves, she felt.

A few days later, a dark green Ford rental entered the warehouse. One of the workmen met the driver and pointed up to the offices where Dee was working. Dee watched as the driver walked towards the stairs. The visitor was a slim woman in a tight, jersey dress. She had straight, long hair that flowed in tandem with the line of her body. Her legs made quick work of the stairs and she was soon knocking on the door.

"Hello, I'm looking for Debra Whiting." She said, not even out of breath.

Dee put out her hand even as she couldn't help looking over the newcomer. "I'm Debra." She said as she stood a little straighter.

The woman slid her sunglasses to the top of her head and shook Dee's hand. "I'm Lilian Clarke, Regional Manager for Arrow Shipping." She smiled deeply.

And that's how Dee met Lilian.

Continued in Part 4