Love Is a Battlefield

by Annalisa Daughety

  Now it was time to panic.

  She reached for some pants but remembered the spray tan still glistening on her legs. No pants yet. Not unless she wanted Robert to wonder if she were part zebra. Instead, she grabbed her long, oversized robe and cinched it tight as she hobbled down the hall, toes held apart by separators. She hoped their fresh fire engine red polish only said “first date” and not “desperate.” Vickie and Ainsley made her promise to look her best tonight, despite her initial declaration that she was going on the date in her ranger uniform and ponytail.

  Kristy dashed out the back door, but Sam had already made his escape. Why did he have a knack for channeling Houdini whenever she had somewhere important to go? On second thought, maybe he was trying to get her back for forgetting to feed him earlier in the week.

  “Sam!” she hurried as fast as she could down the driveway, weight on her heels as she did the wet-toenails shuffle. Running barefoot in her fleecy robe wasn’t exactly her idea of ladylike behavior. At least she didn’t have a full set of rollers in her hair. Just one big Velcro roller at the crown of her head. But that was bad enough.

  Even minus the full set of rollers, she had a feeling she looked like a person interviewed on the news after a tornado. “When I saw Myrtle’s lawn mower fly by, I knew we were in trouble. All I got out with was this robe and my autographed picture of Elvis.” Hopefully there wouldn’t be any storms or news cameras along her way.

  “Sammy, you’d better come back here now!” she hadn’t even had a chance to put on deodorant yet and was practically running a marathon. If she ever caught up with him, the dog might not see a bone for a week as punishment.

  Kristy finally spotted Sam as she got near the visitor center. With any luck, all the park visitors had gone home for the day. She didn’t want anyone to recognize her as “the nice park ranger lady who gave us a map.” Living and working at a national park had some perks, but the possibility of running into visitors who expected to have their questions answered long after the park had closed for the day was definitely not one of them.

  Sam was sniffing around between a cannon and a plaque declaring that “one of the decisive battles of the Civil War” had been fought right here. Kristy wondered if this identical plaque was on battlefields all over the south. Every one she’d ever visited seemed to think its particular battle was a decisive one.

  She sneaked over to the historic spot and tried to coax Sam to her. “Come here, sweet baby.” she bent down and held out a hand. “Let’s go get a treat for my boy.” Sam regarded her with suspicion. He knew she didn’t coo at him unless something he wouldn’t like was about to happen. “Does my Sammy want a belly rub?” The instant the words left her mouth, the back door to the visitor center opened. Kristy froze. Maybe they’d think she was a cannon. A very eccentric barefoot cannon in a purple robe.

  “Kristy? What are you doing?”

  Forget about me being a cannon. Just shoot me out of one. Now.

  She stood and brushed a wisp of hair from her eyes, inwardly cringing as she remembered the lone Velcro roller sitting on top of her head. “Hello, Ace.”

  She pulled the robe tighter and prayed that the yards of material had all her parts covered. And that she seemed casual and confident. “Sam got out of the fence, and I’m just trying to get him to come to me.”

  Ace’s gaze took in the Velcro roller, the robe, and finally her toes. A slow smile spread across his perfectly chiseled face. “Big plans tonight?”

  She felt the heat as her face turned red. “Not really. Just going out to dinner.” she turned her attention back to the dog and willed him to come to her.

  Sam, the traitor, trotted right over to Ace and sat at his feet.

  Now it’s no bones for two weeks, mister.

  “Come on, Sam, let’s go home.” Kristy made a move toward him. He darted behind Ace’s legs and peered up at her. If she hadn’t known better, she would’ve thought it was a mischievous expression that stared back.

  We’ve really got to start obedience school.

  “I’m heading down that way.” Ace motioned toward the residential area of the park. “Why don’t you and Sam hop in my truck, and I’ll give you a ride?” He took another peek at her bare feet. “I don’t imagine running barefoot is too comfortable.”

  Kristy decided then and there it was all her mother’s fault. She was the one who had always harped on good manners. And it seemed as though ever since Kristy’s life had imploded, those manners had been getting her into one situation after another. She should’ve just hung up when Robert called to ask her out. But no, she had to politely accept. She should’ve called him later and told him that she couldn’t go, but again, she knew how rude it was to cancel a date at the last minute. And now she couldn’t think of a way to say no to Ace’s offer without being completely boorish. “Thank you,” she mumbled.

  When Ace opened his truck door, Sam hopped right in. Kristy climbed in behind him, and he jumped onto her lap and pushed his head out the window.

  Ace put the truck into gear and snickered softly.

  She whipped her head around.

  He grinned and motioned toward the dog. “It looks like he’s decided he likes you again.”

  In spite of her embarrassment, her own lips couldn’t resist turning upward. In less than a minute, they were in front of her house. She glanced over at Ace and considered apologizing for her appearance. But she was pretty sure it was one of those situations where the less said, the better. “Thanks for the lift. My feet appreciate it.”

  “Not a problem.” With that smile, he could’ve easily starred in a toothpaste commercial. Or any commercial for that matter. But no matter how he looked, she couldn’t forget that he had her job. And no matter how immature it was, she planned to hold it against him.

  Kristy hoisted Sam from the seat and attempted to walk with dignity up her front path. Not an easy feat, all things considered. Once on the porch,she turned and waved good-bye to Ace.

  “Have fun on your date!”

  Kristy was pretty sure she saw a wink as he pulled away.

  She closed the door behind her and leaned against it. One look at the living room clock and she jerked upright. Only thirty minutes to finish getting ready. Sam scampered to his favorite perch on the back of the couch where he could look out the window.

  Just as she walked into the bedroom to find an outfit, the phone rang. She hit the speaker button and made her way over to the closet.

  “Hello.” Kristy flipped through her overstuffed closet in search of a perfect first date outfit. It had been so long since her last first date, she wasn’t sure what to choose. For the millionth time, she wished there were a way out of it.

  “Hey girl.” Vickie’s voice filled the room. “Are you ready for tonight?”

  “Actually, no. I had a little mishap, but I’m back on track now.” she pulled out her favorite dark denim skirt and wiggled into it.

  “A mishap?” Vickie laughed. “That’s so unlike you.”

  Kristy was known in her circle of friends for being the one “things happened to.” They found it very funny and often told “Kristy stories” to people who didn’t even know her. There was nothing worse than meeting a friend of a friend and having her say, “Oh! Kristy. Aren’t you the one who...?” Fill in the blank.

  “What do you think about my dark denim skirt?” She changed the subject. Fashion had always been one of Vickie’s strong points, and Kristy desperately missed living with her and getting her stamp of approval before setting foot out of the house.

  “Sounds good. And maybe strappy sandals. Try those metallic ones from Ann Taylor Loft that you bought the last time I was there.”

  Good idea. Kristy pulled the shoes out of the closet and slipped them on. Perfect. Her red toes were a good contrast to the metallic of the shoe, and the spray tan looked pretty natural. And only streaky in a couple of places. Not bad considering the unscheduled marathon.

  “I was thinking of short sleeves,
but I’ll take something to wear over it in case the restaurant is cold. Maybe a cardigan?” Kristy picked up a black cardigan out of her closet and threw it on the bed.

  “No, Grandma. Not a cardigan. Take your brown leather jacket. And definitely wear a blue top. It will bring out your eyes.”

  She grabbed a light blue top with capped sleeves and a square neckline. Perfect. Hopefully no one could tell she didn’t have to pick out “real” clothes to wear very often. She spent most of her time in a green and gray polyester uniform and sometimes wondered if her fashion sense was a little skewed as a result. “Hey. You’re off speaker now, and I’m officially dressed. I just have to fix my hair and I’m all set with time to spare.” Kristy click-clacked down the hallway to the bathroom, which was still in disarray thanks to her rapid departure earlier. She hoped Robert wouldn’t need to use the facilities.

  “Okay. I’m sure it will go fine. Don’t worry.” Vickie hesitated, and Kristy sensed a pep talk coming on. “You’re smart, funny, and beautiful. You are moving on with your life. Leaving the past behind. Your future starts today.”

  Vickie meant well, but she sounded a bit like one of those motivational speakers who speaks to high school assemblies.

  Kristy grimaced. “Thanks for that daily affirmation.”

  Vickie laughed. “Well, all those things are true, and it doesn’t hurt for someone to say them out loud to you.”

  “I appreciate it. And thanks for talking me through the fashion portion of my date. I’ll call you later.”

  Good-byes said, Kristy faced the mirror. Once the Velcro roller was out of her hair, she turned her head upside down for a quick brush. The roller gave the top layer of her blonde hair instant body, and with just a touch of spray, it was done. Her hair looked pretty good, but not like she tried too hard. Just the effect she’d been going for.

  “Vickie is right. You will be fine. It’s time to move on.” Kristy hoped talking to herself in the mirror didn’t constitute some kind of crazy. A glance at her watch told her it was almost time. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves.

  CHAPTER 12

  Kristy had opted not to tell her mother she had accepted Robert’s dinner invitation. Sure, she’d be a little mad when she found out, but Kristy didn’t need anyone else overanalyzing her social life. She did fine with that all on her own, and Ainsley and Vickie were glad to help when needed. Besides, Robert seemed pleasant enough last Sunday. And he was cute. Even better, he seemed like a good Christian guy, and Kristy knew those weren’t easy to come by.

  She plopped down on her overstuffed couch and flipped on the television. An episode of Friends was on. Maybe it would get rid of her predate jitters. Sam joined her on the couch, resting his head on her leg. “Oh sure, now you’re a good dog.”

  She kept a close watch on the clock. He should arrive in five minutes. She turned the TV off, then back on. There was no need to look like she was just sitting there with nothing better to do than wait for him.

  Another episode of Friends came on. Any minute. It was six thirty on the dot. She smoothed her hair and did a quick lipstick check. She was as ready as she could be. And starving.

  At six forty-five, she peeked out the window. No sign of him. Hmm. It wasn’t as if he could get lost. Aside from the large signs proclaiming the park entrance, his mother lived adjacent to the park. So Kristy was certain he knew how to get there.

  She started pacing at seven. She could understand being a few minutes late. Thirty minutes was pushing it, though. And she was on her third episode of Friends. A marathon maybe.

  Now she had a huge knot in her stomach. Partly hunger, partly anxiety. Any excitement she’d been feeling was gone. Where was he? Maybe he’d been held up at work. Maybe his car wouldn’t start. Surely he would’ve had the decency to call and let her know. Maybe his phone battery was dead.

  Thirty more minutes later, she was still sitting on the couch going over possible scenarios in her head. Finally, she flipped through her caller ID and found his number. She wasn’t sure if it was his home number or cell number, but it was worth a try. When she had everything dialed but the last digit, she chickened out. She didn’t want to seem overeager. Play it cool, Kristy, she coached herself. Breezy.

  Finally, she turned the TV off. She’d just seen Ross and Rachel break up, get back together, then break up again, and her date was still a no-show. Maybe there’d been a car accident. A family emergency. Maybe he was carjacked. In this rural Tennessee town? Doubtful.

  It had been long enough to justify calling him for real. She picked up the phone and bravely let the call go all the way through. On the third ring, it connected.

  “Hi, this is Robert. I’m unable to get to the phone right now. Leave a message at the sound of the tone and...” Frustrated, Kristy clicked the phone off.

  It was time to face the music. She’d obviously been stood up. Honestly, she’d never actually been stood up before. Unless you counted being left at the altar. But even Mark had the decency to show up on their first date.

  Did Robert decide I was ugly? Weird? I’ll bet it’s because I’m a Civil War buff.

  Before she could go through a mental checklist of all the reasons Robert probably didn’t want to date her, the phone rang. She jumped up to grab it. Surely it was him with an explanation.

  “Hey, Kris.” not Robert. It was Ainsley. She settled back down onto the couch.

  “Hi.” Kristy knew why she was calling and hated to tell her how wrong everyone had been with the whole “get back on the horse” theory.

  “So ... how’d the date go? Oh wait, I just realized what time it is. He’s probably still there, isn’t he?”

  Kristy gazed out the window, wishing she had better news to tell. “No. He didn’t show.”

  “Why not? is he sick?” Why were all of her friends such optimists when it came to love? she really needed to add another cynic to her group.

  “No. He just didn’t show.” she reached over and smoothed Sam’s ear. “As in, he stood me up.” There. The proverbial cat was out of the bag.

  Silence.

  Then ... “There’s got to be a logical explanation. Are you sure you got the date right? Maybe he asked you out for Saturday night instead of Friday.” bless her heart. Kristy knew Ainsley was only trying to make her feel better. Unfortunately, implying that she couldn’t even get the day of the week right only made her feel worse.

  “I’m pretty sure he just changed his mind. I was a little surprised he called in the first place. He didn’t seem too interested in me when we met. And when he finally called, it was like he couldn’t wait to hang up.” no sense sugarcoating this one. “It’s okay. I have to work tomorrow anyway. And besides, you know I wasn’t ready for this.”

  After a lot of work, she finally convinced Ainsley she’d be fine. All she wanted to do was get out of her cute date outfit. Ever since she’d realized Robert wasn’t going to show, Kristy felt like her clothing somehow mocked her. She slipped off her sandals and padded down the hallway, Sam at her heels. She carefully hung up her date clothes and threw on a pair of old sweats, a faded T-shirt, and flip-flops. Maybe not her best fashion statement, but she didn’t care. As Sam watched with interest, Kristy took off her makeup and brushed her hair back into a ponytail. With her comfy clothes and no-longer-made-up face, the image looking back at her in the mirror hardly resembled the glamour girl Robert would’ve seen if he’d bothered to show up.

  Aside from yet another blow to her self-esteem, the downside to her dinner date standing her up was that now she had to provide her own food. And there were no groceries in the house except for dog food and Pop-Tarts. Neither sounded appetizing. Once again, Kristy wished a restaurant would deliver to her house. Unfortunately, that was one of the drawbacks of living in such an isolated area. So even though she didn’t feel like it, she would have to go out.

  She took Sam along for company on the short drive to the grocery store. Kristy pulled into a space and rolled the window down a
tad so he could get some air. Judging from the nearly empty parking lot, she knew she was one of the few shoppers at the Four star General store. And that suited her just fine.

  She mindlessly filled her cart with treats to make herself feel better. Chocolate bars, chips, a honey bun; she was Denise Austin’s worst nightmare. As she rounded the corner to the frozen food aisle, she saw him. Ace Kennedy.

  Just my luck.

  She quickly opened the door to the ice cream section and held it open until it started to frost over. There were probably icicles forming on her face, but if she stayed hidden behind the frosted door, maybe he wouldn’t be able to see her. Please don’t want ice cream tonight. She could see his blurry outline as he made his way down the frozen food aisle. If she could’ve crawled into the freezer, she would have. And if she stood there much longer, she’d be frozen in place.

  He came right over and parked his cart beside hers.

  Go for the vegetables, Ace. Walk away from the ice cream. She tried to urge him, telepathically, to leave the area, but it didn’t seem to be working. Not that she believed in that, but she was desperate.

  He reached for the door she was hiding behind, and they had a little tug-of-war.

  He won.

  “Kristy?”

  She didn’t know which was worse, the possibility of him figuring out that she’d been stood up, or him seeing her again in a less than attractive state. At least this time she was fully clothed.

  “Hello.” Her teeth were chattering a little. “I’m just trying to decide which ice cream flavor to buy tonight.”

  “Right.” He looked amused. “Tough decision, but chocolate always gets my vote.”

  Maybe we do have something in common. She picked up the Breyer’s smooth-churned chocolate and put it in her basket. “Sounds good to me, too.” Kristy just wanted to get her calorie-filled cart out of there. “I’ve gotta go.” she finally closed the freezer door. It was highly possible that she’d just thawed out the entire section. “Thanks for the input on the ice cream.”