Balk (Home Stand #2)

by Lacy Hart

  “Grandma was thrilled. I’m glad I got to talk to her,” Izzy said. “We should go and get Dad.”

  Kristin rose from the couch, bent down, and gave Wyatt a peck on the cheek. Izzy followed her and did the same thing.

  “Wow, you ladies, have made my night. Enjoy your sushi,” Wyatt grinned.

  Izzy got back behind the wheel, and Kristin got in alongside her.

  “Take it slow up the hill, please, Izzy. Your father will kill both of us if you hit his car with mine,” Kristin pleaded.

  Izzy nodded and moved the car slowly up the hill before bringing it to rest quietly next to her father’s. Izzy grabbed her bag off the back seat and ran up the steps to get inside. Kristin could hear her yelling, “Dad!” before she even closed the car door.

  Kristin collected her bag and moved slowly up the steps, hearing Izzy clamoring away to Wes in the kitchen.

  “We’ll have rehearsals after school most days, but I know some of the other kids in the show so I can get rides home, so you and Kristin don’t have to come out and get me all the time, at least until I get my license,” Izzy said excitedly.

  “License?” Wes said, startled. “You’ve had your permit for a week.”

  “Kristin let me drive home today, and I did fine, right, Kris?” Izzy asked.

  Kristin cracked a smile and gave a thumbs up. “She did fine for the first time on the road.”

  “See? I can get my license, and then my own car, and you guys won’t have to worry about a thing,” Izzy stated proudly.

  “Now you’re getting a car too?” Wes’ eyes went wide. “Let’s get through dinner tonight and then we can worry about the rest, okay?”

  “Fine, Dad,” Izzy said with an eye roll. “I’m going up to change my shirt, and then we can go.”

  Izzy dashed off to change, and Kristin came over and gave Wes a hug.

  “Sounds like quite the exciting ride home,” Wes said, holding Kristin.

  “Exciting is one way to put it. Hey, you’re walking around without your cane today,” Kristin noticed.

  “I know. The ankle feels fantastic today. I went up and did some hitting and exercise. It was great. I feel exhilarated.”

  Wes bent down and gave Kristin a deep kiss, pulling her into him.

  “Let me go grab my wallet and keys so we can get ready to go,” Wes said as they broke their kiss.

  Kristin watched as Wes walked into the bedroom without a limp or any trouble at all.

  Seems like everyone is taking two steps forward today… except me, Kristin told herself.

  8

  A crowded mall on a Friday wasn’t the ideal place for either Wes or Kristin, but they both knew that it made Izzy happy to go out and celebrate her accomplishment. Izzy worked hard to gain her spot in the musical and letting her know it was a meaningful moment for the family mattered. Wes and Kristin, however, both faced distractions, caught up in their own thoughts as the three of them ate their dinner at The Emperor’s Palace, the nearest restaurant for sushi. The restaurant featured all the tacky embellishments that one would expect to find in a Japanese place in a mall, but the food never failed their expectations as outstanding.

  While Izzy filled up her order with all kinds of sushi and sashimi, Wes kept his choices simple, going with a couple of the rolls he always favored and nothing more. Both Izzy and Wes were surprised when Kristin opted to go for the negimaki instead of having any sushi at all.

  “No sushi tonight?” Wes commented, arching an eyebrow.

  “No, I feel like trying something different tonight,” Kristin said quickly. “It always looks good on the menu, so I figured why not?”

  Wes shrugged and nodded, not thinking any else of it. The dinner went on with Izzy talking all about the play, the cast, and what the plans existed for rehearsals, costumes, and more.

  “Did Bradley get a part?” Kristin asked as she took a spoonful of the miso soup that served as a first course.

  Izzy’s face contorted a bit.

  “No, he didn’t,” she pouted. “He had tried out for Prince Eric, but once he found out that the part had singing involved, he didn’t want to do it anymore. I complained to him about it, but I didn’t get very far. In the end, Justin Madlock got the part of Eric. He’s a senior who’s done other musicals in the past. He’s really good. I think we’ll be perfect together.”

  “Sounds like everything is well planned out. I’m sure between your Dad and I, we can make sure you get all the rides you might need, right, Wes?” Kristin added.

  Wes busily poked gently at his salad more than ate it, and the forkful of lettuce and cucumber he held in front of him kept dripping the thick ginger dressing back down into the bowl before some of it hit the table.

  “Dad? Are you listening?” Izzy said. She waved her hand in front of her father to get his attention.

  “Sorry,” Wes answered, “I guess I zoned out. What was the question?”

  “About giving me rides to rehearsals,” Izzy repeated.

  “Sure, I should be able to help out with that. Of course.” Wes went back to poking at his salad before the waitress returned to the table carrying all the dinners with her. She quickly placed plates where they belonged and whisked away soup and salad bowls so that everyone could enjoy their meals.

  Izzy dove right in and started dunking pieces of sushi into a mix of soy sauce and wasabi, while Wes picked up a bit of dragon roll and ate it. He watched Kristin as he ate, and wondered when he might have the right time to tell her about his phone conversation with Randy today. Kristin took small bites of her beef, barely nibbling at it.

  “Your beef okay?” Wes asked her. “You don’t seem to be that into it.”

  “No, it’s fine,” Kristin replied, putting down her chopsticks. “It’s just a lot more than I thought it would be. I’m sure I’ll end up taking some home.”

  “Great!” Izzy said over a mouthful of salmon. “I love the leftovers from here.”

  When dinner finished, and Kristin’s leftovers had been boxed up, Wes, Kristin, and Izzy all waded out into the sea of people at the mall. Since Wes’ retirement, he did find it easier to go out in public more without getting instantly recognized by people in the Pittsburgh area, so he moved freely among the crowd and took Kristin’s hand in his as they walked along.

  Izzy stopped in front of one of the clothing stores, looked in the window and then she turned to Wes and Kristin.

  “Hey, some of my friends from school are in there. Is it okay if I go in and hang out with them for a little bit?”

  “I don’t know, Izzy,” Wes said. “It’s been a long day for Kristin; she probably wants to get home,” Wes said. He hoped Kristin did feel that way, so they didn’t have to stay at the mall all night.

  Izzy turned her pleading eyes to Kristin, and Kristin gave her a smile.

  “It’s fine with me,” Kristin told Wes. “Let her have time with her friends.”

  “Okay,” Wes relented. “But leave your phone on. When I call, you answer, got it?”

  “Thanks, Dad!” Izzy shouted before she ran off into the store.

  Wes and Kristin continued walking along, engaging in minimal conversation. They stopped to browse and window shop in a few places, but without any real interest in what they looked at. Neither one seemed to be able to come up with just what to say.

  As they moved through the mall, Kristin heard a familiar voice yell from behind. She turned quickly and saw Karen there, smiling.

  “What are you guys doing here?” Karen said with surprise.

  “Izzy wanted to celebrate getting the lead in the musical, so we came down for dinner. She went off with her friends, so we’re just walking around, taking in the sights.”

  “Well, why don’t you guys come with me?” Karen offered. “I’m meeting Brian at the restaurant for drinks. He’s getting off work early. We can sit and relax for a bit.”

  Kristin looked over at Wes to see if he wanted to go. Kristin knew Wes usually wished to opt-out of things like
this, so she was stunned when he readily agreed to go along. Kristin was somewhat disappointed since she wished for some alone time with Wes to talk about all that went on in her day and find out more about his.

  When the group arrived at the casual restaurant Brian worked at, he already stood leaning against the wall out in front waiting for Karen. Brian smiled as soon as he saw Karen coming and gave her a kiss as she came to him.

  “Wow, I didn’t know you guys were coming,” Brian remarked as he greeted Wes and Kristin, shaking Wes’ hand.

  “I just ran into them on my way over. You don’t mind if they join us, do you?” Karen said, fluttering her eyelashes.

  “If you guys would rather be alone…” Kristin started, noticing that this might be a way out.

  “No, it’s fine. It will be nice to hang out with you guys. Come on,” Brian insisted.

  Brian led the way back into the restaurant, heading over to the bar area where a booth sat empty. Brian nodded towards the bartender and pointed to the booth, and the bartender gave a quick “OK” sign to indicate Brian could have it. A small crowd of people looked on, a bit annoyed that someone had gained preference over them.

  “Pays to know someone,” Karen said with a laugh as she slid into the booth next to Brian.

  A waitress came over and took a drink order for the table. Karen readily ordered a margarita, while Brian and Wes both got draft beers. The waitress turned to Kristin, who politely ordered a ginger ale.

  “Ginger ale? Really?” Karen said. “I thought you would want a drink to forget about the day you had.”

  “Well, I didn’t know we would run into you, and one of us has to drive back home,” Kristin said, defending her choice.

  “What happened today?” Wes asked concernedly.

  “It really wasn’t that big of a deal,” Kristin said, as she tried to gloss over the events of the day.

  “No big deal?” Karen said with a raised voice. Karen turned to Wes to tell the story.

  “Kris went to the monthly board meeting and got into it with Fred Clark. He told her she needed to get cozy with you to get you to come to the fundraiser dinner this year. She spat nails and wanted to quit over it.”

  Kristin gave Karen a light kick under the table to get her to shut up.

  “What?” Wes turned to Kristin.

  “Why didn’t you tell me about that? I would have gone down to that barbershop and…”

  Kristin cut off Wes.

  “That’s precisely why I didn’t say anything to you yet,” Kristin answered, putting her hand on Wes’. “You don’t need to go down there fighting an old man like Fred Clark. Besides, I’m capable of dealing with it all myself. I calmed down, and I am taking care of it.”

  The waitress came back over with the drinks and passed them out to everyone. There was a bit of awkward silence as everyone stared at their drinks before Brian decided to propose a toast.

  “Well,” Brian said, raising his glass, “Here’s a toast to celebrate.”

  Karen smiled and raised her glass, and Kristin followed suit. Wes sat there, with a confused look.

  “What are we celebrating?” Wes asked.

  “Our engagement, silly,” Karen said, wrapping her arm around Brian. When Karen saw Wes’ surprised face, she spoke again. “Kris didn’t tell you?”

  Wes turned to Kristin and looked at her. Kristin simply gave a weak shrug.

  “When did you get engaged?”

  “A few weeks ago,” Brian said, not catching on about the miscommunication just yet.

  “Congratulations,” he said, as the four clinked glasses.

  After Wes took his initial sip, he turned to Kristin.

  “How come you didn’t tell me about their engagement? Is there anything else I need to know?” Wes asked her.

  “I don’t know. You’ve been caught up in other things. Lately, there never seemed to be a good time to bring up anything. All you wanted to focus on was getting your ankle healed so you could hit again.”

  Kristin realized maybe she shouldn’t have brought up the subject in front of Karen and Brian, but Wes opened the door.

  “You’ve been hitting? That’s great,” Brian said with a smile as he took a drink. When Kristin and Karen both shot him glares, he pulled back on his smile.

  “He’s just tried to get into shape and see how it feels,” Kristin told the table.

  “Actually, it went really well today,” Wes replied. “Well enough that I gave Randy a call this afternoon to talk to him.”

  Wes kept silent as he took a long draw on his beer, drinking more than half in one swig. Karen and Brian both looked confused about the conversation, and Kristin turned to Wes now, with a look of shock and confusion of her own.

  “Who’s Randy?” Brian whispered to Karen, who quickly elbowed him to keep him quiet.

  “You called Randy?” Kristin shook her head. “Why didn’t you say anything? What did you call him for?”

  Now that it was out there, Wes knew he had to keep talking about it.

  “I called him to talk about… about me maybe getting a tryout with a team before spring training ends.”

  Wes finished what was left of his beer, just as the waitress was going by. Wes held up the empty glass to her and asked if he could get another.

  “So, you are going through with it,” Kristin nodded, unsure of what or how to feel.

  “I tried to call you, Kris, so we could talk about it, but you never called back, and then we came out with Izzy, and I just haven’t had the chance until now.”

  “I see,” Kristin said. She sipped her drink, squeezing the glass so tightly it felt like it would break or just slip out of her hands.

  Even in a restaurant filled with patrons, the quiet at the booth was deafening. Brian and Karen kept drinking their beverages while Wes went through his second beer before everyone else finished with their first drinks.

  The waitress came by and asked if anyone wanted refills. Wes smiled and indicated he wanted another, while the other three at the table looked at him.

  “I think Brian and I are going to take off,” Karen said, nudging Brian. “He worked a long day today, and we want to go and relax.”

  “You guys should stay,” Wes said. “Maybe you can find out more things that we haven’t told each other.”

  Kristin shot Wes a look and turned back to Karen.

  “You want me to stay?” Karen asked quietly.

  “No, you guys should go,” Kristin said as she arose and hugged Karen.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow,” Karen whispered before she grabbed Brian’s hand and towed him out of the booth.

  Kristin slid into the opposite side and stared directly at Wes.

  “What was all that?” Kristin asked him sternly.

  “What? I just thought they might want to stay to celebrate. Besides, it seems to be the only way for me to find out what’s going on in your life.”

  The waitress returned again and put the beer in front of Wes, and he immediately grabbed it and took a big gulp.

  “Wes, you need to slow down,” Kristin told him. Kristin called out to the waitress to ask for the check.

  “I’m fine, Kris, really. Is there anything else you want to let me know about while we’re here? Maybe you hit the lottery or are starring in a movie. Do you have another boyfriend on the side you want to tell me about?”

  Even though he was a bit drunk, Wes regretted that as soon as it came out of his mouth. He realized by the look on Kristin’s face that she was appalled.

  Kristin rapidly gathered up her purse and stood up.

  “You’re drunk, and you’re an ass,” Kristin scolded. “I’m going to get Izzy to take her home. Take your time to cool off, sober up, have another or whatever, but find a ride home.”

  Kristin slammed two twenty-dollar bills down on the table and stormed off, out of the restaurant and into the mall.

  Wes was too shocked to immediately do anything about it, and by the time he felt prepared to react, Kristi
n was long gone. Wes sat back and looked at his beer glass, holding it up and swirling around the half that remained. The waitress reappeared with the check and meekly handed it to Wes when she saw he was the only one left.

  “Did you want anything else?” the waitress offered, trying to sound perky.

  Wes sat back and polished off his beer.

  “No, I think I’ve had enough, thanks,” he told her. Wes took the check from her hands before he scanned it quickly. Wes reached into his wallet and pulled out a fifty, and then picked up the two twenties from the table.