there is much still to do,” she said. “And as for you,
Lieutenant -”
She dangled a pair of spiky gold heels at Taz. Up
laughed, and she stomped on his toe.
“Try it again, Lieutenant.”
“The – rain – in Spain -”
“No, no, more of a drawl, you’ve lived your whole life
in Alabama, listen to the Commander again.”
Taz was going to kill someone, Up could see it in the
tension in her fists. “You know, I think that’s enough for
today, Dr. Parlons. I’ll keep working with Lieutenant Taz,
we’ll get there.”
“But the Rear Admiral -”
“Tell the Rear Admiral it won’t be the end of the world if
Mrs. von Tuppington doesn’t have a perfect Alabama
accent. She’s supposed to be ‘exotic,’ isn’t she? Send in the
next torturer.”
The speech expert left, rather huffily, and Up put his
hands on Taz’s shoulders. The ball was two days away, and
she just couldn’t seem to drop her natural accent.
“It doesn’t matter, Taz. Dr. von Tuppington can have a
Mexican wife.”
“You don’t think someone at that ball will clue in that a
silver-haired Southern gentleman with a Mexican chica on
his arm might be connected to the G.L.E.E’s best-known
Ranger and his famous compañera Taz?” She buried her
face on the table. “I knew this whole thing was a mistake. I
don’t know why they picked you and me.”
“Trust me,” Up said. “No one’s going to recognize me
after all these dancing and etiquette lessons. And that
penguin suit they’re making me wear? Not a chance.”
She turned her head to the side and almost smiled at him.
“Just remember, wifey,” he said. “We’re in this