“Case in point,” I smirk as he struts away from the counter.
He laughs. “Maybe she could tell how hungry I am.”
I raise a knowing brow, before breaking into my own laughter. “Right. That’s it.”
After catching Max up about mine and Lana’s crazy night sleeping in the Walmart parking lot and him telling me how he called every Carpenter in the phone book the week after Memorial Day, it was time to head back to the hotel.
“So do we count this as our first official date?” I shout as dodge cars across the Strip again.
“Absolutely not!” he yells back. “Watching some guy pull down his pants to pee in a trashcan cannot count as our first date!”
I chuckle. “But I thought the drunk girl who smashed her tits against the glass was the highlight of the dinner.”
Everyone’s crashed out when we get back to the room, so we quietly make our escape to my room under the stars.
“Sleeping on concrete feels like I’m back in boot camp! My back’s going to feel like a ninety-year-old’s by the morning.” Max teases, trying to find a comfortable position on the balcony floor.
I slide in beside him. “We’ll be fine as long as a thunderstorm doesn’t pop up.”
He pulls me close. “Oh, I remember us handling the rain quite well in the past.”
“Very true,” I admit.
He wraps his arms around me and gives me a kiss on my forehead. I close my eyes and breathe in his amazing scent. Still shocked at this wonderful turn of events.
“Max?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for coming. I can’t put into words how much you coming here means to me.”
With my heart full and passion pulled from my core, I kiss him. A long, slow, intense kiss, leaving me breathless and yearning for more.
We’re nothing but lips and hands for a good twenty minutes. But force ourselves to stop. Both agreeing our first time together shouldn’t be on the dirty concrete of a hotel balcony. Instead, we stay up the entire night talking, laughing, kissing and holding each other. His Army Company will be out of touch for a few weeks for field training, but we make plans for me to come to Fort Benning as soon as they’re back home. We also make one hundred percent sure we both have each other’s “correct” phone numbers this time.
We lay entwined in each other as we watch the sun slowly rise in the horizon, bringing a silent sadness between both of us. With the beginning of the new day, comes the end of our whirlwind night together.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Lana’s 18th Birthday Weekend
Lana’s uncle Jack owns a small, but popular, pizza restaurant in Alpharetta, called DiMaggio’s. It’s been our summer job for several years and it works out perfectly since he gives us time off pretty much whenever we need.
With Max and Artie in training, Lana and I keep busy with extra shifts and the occasional night out with Jennifer and Ashley. But no matter how hard we try, nothing compares to our Fort Benning life. We talk about them incessantly, reminiscing about our crazy adventures. They’ve changed us, or at least brought out a part of us neither one of us knew existed. We’re passionate about things far greater than the little bubble we’ve always known. In our eyes, nothing compares to them or the happiness we feel when we’re with them.
Lana wipes pizza sauce off the prep line. “Is it me or has the last two weeks felt like an eternity?”
“Yes! And thank God there’s light at the end of the tunnel!”
“What do you think Artie has planned for my birthday?” she quizzes again, for the millionth time.
“Even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you, Lana. He clearly wants it to be a surprise.”
“Errrr! The anticipation is killing me!”
I adjust the tie on my apron and chuckle. “Good things come to those who wait.”
Unbeknownst to Lana, Max has already spilled all the details of Artie’s birthday plans. He made reservations for the four of us at a steakhouse in Columbus and bought tickets to see Journey in concert at the civic center. Since Lana has an amazing talent for getting things out of me, pretending I don’t know anything is the best option to ensure it remains a secret.
“Well, at least tell me what time you’re wanting to get on the road?”
“Jack doesn’t have anyone to fill my shift Friday night, so it’ll be nine or later before we can head out.”
Her nose crinkles. “Nine? Why can’t Carlos stay over?”
“I tried, but his brother’s getting married on Saturday and he has to be at the rehearsal dinner, and Rob can’t do it because he’s already covering Saturday’s shift for me.”
Her shoulders fall. “Well, shit! That sucks.”
“Don’t worry. If we’re on the road by nine-fifteen, we should be there by ten-thirty. The night will just be getting cranked up there.” I sling pizza dough in the air. “Let’s hope the damn hurricane brewing in the Gulf doesn’t screw up any of our plans.”
She throws her hands on her hips. “Oh, we’re going! Come hell or high water, we’re going!”
The remainder of the week inched by as slow as the last two have. But a late-night call from Max letting me know they’d made it back to Post and how excited he is to see me, helps to relieve the heartache I’ve had bottled up since our time apart.
After a quick chat about our travel plans, my curiosity gets the best of me. “So are things still awkward with you and Davis?”
“Eh. A little, but he apologized. Said it was a misunderstanding. Blamed the rest of it on booze.”
I pull the cordless off my shoulder as I climb into bed. “That’s good, I guess.”
“Yeah, it’s better than it was when we first got back. We have to work and live together, so we had to call some kind of truce. I love the guy, but I’m still leery about him being around you. Which is why I’m glad we have plans far away from Post this weekend.”
I kick my leg in the air. “Finally! This has been the slowest four weeks of my life!”
“You better rest up tonight because we have a month of catching up to do this weekend.”
I roll into my stuffed panda bear and smile. “And I can hardly wait!”
“Do me one favor though…” His tone grows serious. “Keep an eye on the weather, ok? Hurricane Alexander is headed toward Alabama, but it’s supposed to cause some pretty shitty weather for Georgia tomorrow.”
My heart melts from his concern. “I’ve been keeping an eye on it. They think it’ll just be some heavy rain. I’m sure it will be fine.”
“I’m serious, Kate. If it gets bad, promise me you won’t chance it.”
There isn’t a snowball's chance in hell I’m missing an opportunity to see Max over some rain. But I don’t want him to worry so say a quick, “We won’t, I promise.” Before saying goodnight.
“Beep. Beeeep. Beeeeeeep. The National Weather Service has issued a tropical storm warning for all counties in Georgia beginning at 6:00 p.m. Eastern standard time.” The message scrolls across the top of the local ABC channel as I and the other few employees at DiMaggio’s, sit in the empty dining room, playing cards.
“It doesn’t look too terribly bad,” I say, gazing out the restaurant window.
Jack looks at me like I’m nuts. “You’re kidding, right? Kate, the trees are literally doubled over.”
I sigh. “Wishful thinking I guess. I’m praying it eases up in the next little bit.”
“There’s no way you and Lana are still planning on going to Fort Benning tonight, are you?”
I worry he’ll rat us out to Lana’s parents if I say yes, so quickly play it off. “No. No, not at all. We canceled it yesterday. I was only hoping it might fizzle out in time for us to still make it.”
Relief floods Jack’s eyes as the power flickers off and back on again. “Well, it clearly looks like we aren’t going to get any business tonight, so we might as well close up early; get you three home before it gets any worse.”
My heart begins to race the seco
nd he has the words out of his mouth. Hurricane Alexander is not going to screw up our weekend. I make a quick call to Lana to tell her we’re going to be able to get on the road sooner than planned.
By the time I pick her up, the weather has died down to a slight drizzle and I feel confident we can make it to Fort Benning before the next band moves through.
“See! It’s not as bad as they’re saying. We’ll be fine,” I say as she climbs in.
Water flings across the dashboard as she fumbles her umbrella closed. “I sure hope your stick shift driving has gotten better because this might be one hell of a drive.”
We’ve made it thirty minutes down 1-85 when another weather advisory breaks over the radio. This time warning us of potential flash flooding. Within minutes, the rain begins to fall again.
Heavier and heavier each mile we travel until the cars in front of us are no longer visible.
“Kate,” Lana says flatly. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”
Other than the light illuminated by the harsh lighting, the road is pitch black. We slow to fifteen as the blinding rain falls in sheets. The windshield wipers are no match for the intensity of the storm. We join a slow caravan of cars, all with our flashers on. Some fleeing to the sides of roads and under bridges. Trees whip violently back and forth, many snapped from their roots. Limbs, trash, and debris flies through the air and sweeps the road. The power of the vicious wind jostles the car. It’s all I can do to keep it on the road. I don’t dare speak, forcing myself to stay calm. I grip the steering wheel tight, knowing even the slightest of distractions could cause devastating results.
Hickory Creek is about to crest the top of the road as we cross the bridge outside Newnan. It won’t be long before the interstate is completely impassable. The car shimmies, then fishtails into a full hydroplane. I release the clenched grip on the wheel and lift off the gas.
Lana grabs at my shoulder in desperation. “Oh, God. Please help us.”
The car straightens, but this was a sign. The sinking in my gut screams at me to turn around and head home. No words are spoken as I get off at the next exit and turn back on the northbound side.
Heartbroken and disappointed, both of us know this is our only option.
To avoid any more time in the madness, Lana agrees to wait out the storm at my house. It’s late by the time we finally make it back, both mentally shot. The power’s out, adding to the ominous mood of the night.
By the light of a candle, we call the guys to break the unfortunate news.
After a long night of intense rain, destructive winds, and tornado warnings, we finally make it to morning. The power is still out but the worst of the storm is over. Leaving the great state of Georgia flooded, dark, and somber.
“Dammit! The line’s still busy,” Lana scoffs, slamming the phone down for the fiftieth time. “How can it still be busy?”
I use a flashlight to guide my way through the house. “The storm must have knocked their phones out. If it got this bad up here, imagine how it must be down there.” I shout from the kitchen.
“We were supposed to be there last night. They must be worried sick,” she says as I walk into the room.
“The storm was the last thing Max and I talked about. I promised him we wouldn’t chance it if it got bad. I’m sure they’ve figured it out and will call as soon as they can. In the meantime...”
I pull a honey bun with a single lit candle from my behind my back. “We have some birthday celebrating to do!”
Her face brightens as James, his buddies, and I break out in a terrible rendition of “Happy Birthday.”
“Sorry, I don’t have a cake. Thanks to Hurricane Alexander I had to improvise.” She blows out the candle and smiles for what feels like the first time in days. And with heartfelt sincerity, thanks me for bringing a little joy to this crappy weekend.
“Remind me to kick Alexander’s ass for screwing up my birthday,” she says, licking honey bun frosting from her fingertips.
Besides trying to get through to Max and Artie, we spend the remainder of the weekend trapped inside playing Uno and Scrabble with James and his friends.
Slowly things begin to improve and power is restored throughout the city.
With a serious case of cabin fever, Lana and I agree to pick up the Sunday night shift for Jack. Which turns out to be a blessing, because the restaurant is slammed. Busier than a Saturday night during college football season.
The bell on the door jingles as the last customer leaves. “Tonight was complete insanity!” I shout as clear off their table. “I guess everyone was sick of being cooped up.”
Lana flings her dirty apron across the counter. “I’m pooped! But I made $212.00 in tips, so totally worth it!”
I flip the door sign to closed. “I haven’t counted mine yet, but I’m sure it’s somewhere in the ballpark.”
“Are we going to try to call the guys tonight? Surely the phones are back up by now,” she asks.
“It’s midnight, Lana. Even if the phones are back on, they have to work in the morning. I doubt they’re still up.”
She sighs. “You’re probably right. As much as I’m dying to talk to Artie, I guess I’ll wait until tomorrow.”
After scrubbing the ransacked restaurant, I drag myself home, making it to bed around one in the morning. I’m dog tired, but unable to unwind. Restless, I toss and turn. Too curious to know if the phone lines on Post are back up. I give it a shot and squeal with happiness as the glorious sound of ringing comes from the other end. No more busy tone!
I hang up and fall asleep contently, knowing I’ll finally be able to talk to Max tomorrow.
Exhausted and taking advantage of every minute of my day off, I sleep until noon. Spending the rest of the day in PJ’s, catching up on the latest scandal on Days of Our Lives.
Mom’s made my favorite dinner tonight. Her famous chicken and rice with fried okra and cornbread. I devour the amazing meal, monitoring the clock, counting the minutes to six.
I convince myself it's best if I let Max call me. As dad always says, ‘No one likes a girl who’s too needy.’ So when eight rolls around and no word from him, I start to get a little antsy. Not wanting to cave, I occupy the time by calling Lana instead.
“Have you heard from Artie yet?” I ask as she answers.
“No,” she whines. “I was hoping you were him.”
I chuckle. “Sorry to disappoint.”
“I wonder what could be taking them so long. You don’t think we should be worried, do you?”
“I sure as hell hope not. But won’t lie, I’ve had a weird uneasy feeling in my gut all day. I felt it when we were on the road Friday night too. I don’t know why, but I can’t seem to shake it.”
The line goes quiet. “I’m sure we’re just being paranoid,” she says.
I change the subject to ease our minds. “Did you hear about what happened at Carlos's brother’s wedding?”
“I did! He said they were literally saying their vows in a foot of water.”
“I know. Bless their hearts. Looks like we weren’t the only ones Alexander screwed this weekend.”
“That bastard!” she growls.
“By the way, you should have come for din…”
She stops me mid-sentence. “Hang on, Kate. Someone’s beeping in.” Quickly switching the line over.
Within seconds, she’s back. “Eeeeee! It’s Artie!” she squeals. “I’m sure Max is going to call as soon as we get off, so call me back as soon as y’all are done, ok?”
I hang up beaming with anticipation over the impending call. I haven’t been this excited over a guy in...well, ever.
Unfortunately, because there are only two phones in the building, it will take a while before it’s Max’s turn. So I nervously clean my room, hoping it will help the time go by faster.
I’m arranging shoes in the closet when to my surprise, the phone rings minutes later. A big stupid grin stretches across from ear to ear. Chill out! It’s just a ph
one call! I say to no one, taking a deep breath as I lift the phone.
“Hello?” I beam from ear to ear.
“Kate…”
My smile drops. Lana’s tone is flat and whittled with concern, causing that gut feeling to rush through me again.
“What’s wrong?”
She doesn’t answer right away. She sniffles. “I have something to tell you.”
I swallow the lump in my throat. “Did someone die?”
“No. No. It’s nothing like that,” she quickly says. “But it’s still not good.”
I don’t speak, waiting for her to continue.
She repeats, “I have something to tell you.” But this time adds, “And I’m going to need you to sit down.”
I’m becoming irritated at her stalling but I do as she says. Taking a seat on the corner of my bed. “Ok. I’m sitting.”
She is silent for a few seconds and I can tell she’s having a difficult time saying whatever she needs to say…
“Kate… Max...Max got married.”
Frozen. I’m completely frozen as her words swirl around in my mind. My hand slowly lifts to my mouth, unable to speak. The receiver slipping from my shoulder. My body begins to tremble as I try to fumble with the phone and process the words coming from her mouth.
“Wha...I… how?”
“There’s more,” she says, reluctantly. “Evidently, Jody showed up at Max’s door Friday night with a positive pregnancy test in her hand.”
Speechless, I slide off the end of the bed and onto the floor as every nerve in my body numbs.
“Artie said she spent half the night begging him to marry her. Said he could hear her crying and pleading through the walls. And by morning she’d convinced him marrying her was the honorable thing to do.”
“Lana, please tell me this is some sick, twisted, joke and this isn’t really happening right now?” I plead, gasping for breath.
“Kate, you know I would never joke about something like this.”
“But how? I don’t understand!” I shout.
“I guess fearing he might change his mind, she pulled together a quick shotgun wedding at the chapel on Post Saturday night. Artie told me he was the best man.”
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