Love Is a Battlefield

by Annalisa Daughety

He nodded. “It looks that way. I can come pick you up if you’d like.”

  Kristy shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll meet you in the parking lot. Fifteen till ten?”

  “Sounds good. If you change your mind, though, I’d be glad to swing by.”

  She smiled despite herself. “Thanks for the offer, but I’ll just walk down.”

  The phone was ringing as she unlocked her door after work. After a back-and-forth dance with Sam, she finally reached the phone.

  “Hello.”

  “Kristy?”

  “Yes.” Sam jumped into her lap and got a good lick in on her face before she could move from his reach.

  “It’s Robert. How are you?”

  “I’m doing great. How about you? Any luck with the house hunt?”

  “I’m still looking. I’ve at least narrowed down neighborhoods.”

  She grabbed Sam’s favorite toy from a wicker basket next to the couch and threw it across the room. He leaped from her lap to fetch it. “That’s great.”

  “I wanted to tell you what a good time I had at lunch the other day. And I thought maybe if you’re free one night this week, we could go to dinner. If you want to, that is.” Despite the even tone of his voice, uncertainty came through the line.

  Kristy thought for a moment. Robert was a nice, dependable guy. Maybe her heart didn’t pound when she was near him, but she had enjoyed their time together on Sunday. “Dinner sounds nice. I actually have to work some nights this week, but not until later. So if you don’t mind an early dinner, any night would be fine with me.” Hopefully tonight would be the night they caught the vandal, and she would be spared of many more hours alone with Ace.

  “How about Friday? say, seven?”

  “Sounds great. See you then.” And you’d better show up this time.

  CHAPTER 22

  Ace paced beside the pickup truck. They were supposed to be in place in five minutes or Mr. Bramblett would be grumbling. Where was she? He checked his watch one more time and shook his head.

  Jumping in the truck and driving to her house tempted him, but he had a feeling there was no better way to get their night off on the wrong foot. Finally, he spotted a figure coming up the path. It’s about time.

  “Did you forget? I know you aren’t looking forward to this, but both of us will be at fault if we’re late.”

  “Sorry.” she rushed over to the truck and climbed in the passenger seat.

  No arguments over who’ll drive? What’s going on here? Ace had been fully prepared to insist on driving this time, especially after her lead foot last week.

  “I had some trouble at home.”

  He glanced over at her as he headed the truck toward the Bloody Pond. She was definitely upset about something; he could see it on her face. “What happened?”

  “I’m not sure. You know those flowers I planted the other day?”

  “Yeah. They looked nice.”

  “Well, something dug them up. Every last flower, root and all, is gone. Do you know of any animal that eats impatiens?”

  “Maybe a raccoon?” He had no idea but hated to admit it. Wildlife wasn’t his area of expertise.

  “I don’t know. They were there when I got home from work, because I remember looking at them and thinking they were pretty. But when I let Sam out, I happened to see the empty space in the flower bed. I took a flashlight and looked all around the house.” she sighed. “But I didn’t see a trace of the flowers, or of a critter. It just makes me so mad.”

  “I think there are some traps in Steve’s office. You can set one out and see what kind of animal you come up with. I’ll help you release it if you end up catching something.” He parked the truck along the side of the road, the pond visible in the distance.

  “Thanks. I may do that tomorrow.” she drummed her fingers on the truck door and gazed out the window.

  Ace rolled the windows down. “I brought some mosquito repellent.” He handed her the orange bottle.

  “Thanks. I always know summer is finally here when the mosquitoes come out.” Kristy hopped out of the truck and sprayed her arms and legs. “Here you go.” she threw the bottle across the pickup bed to the driver’s side, where he stood waiting to catch it.

  Once they were back inside the truck, a long silence ensued. Ace felt like each minute dragged on for an hour. He looked over at Kristy. Did she think the silence was awkward? she probably hated being stuck out here with him. He’d been happier than normal all day and had known the reason behind his happiness. It was the prospect of spending time alone with her. Ever since the day he’d fixed her fence, he couldn’t get her off his mind. He wished she’d at least give friendship with him a fair chance.

  “Look, Kristy. About the other day...” He trailed off.

  “I really don’t want to talk about it. Mark had some of my things he needed to drop off, that’s all. I’m just sorry I acted like such a baby.” she didn’t look at him as she spoke. Instead, she focused on the radio that lay in her hand, ready for use in case they saw anything out of the ordinary.

  “Not a problem.” He shifted in his seat. “I’ve got an idea. I know this isn’t exactly a fun way to spend an evening, trapped in a truck with the guy who has your job and all.” He looked over at her and was pleased to see her lips turn upward a tiny bit. Finally. “Who knows how many nights Mr. Bramblett is going to have us out here, though. So I was thinking. We need a way to pass the time.”

  She looked at him with interest. “And what exactly do you propose?”

  “I used to hang out in coffee shops a lot, believe it or not. There is nothing better than a good cup of coffee and long conversation. Anyway, some friends and I used to play a game every time we met at the coffee shop. I was thinking maybe you and I could play.”

  “If you suggest we play Truth or Dare, I’m getting out of this truck right now and walking home.”

  He laughed. “Not Truth or Dare. It’s actually a game we made up. We called it the one-question game.”

  “Go on.” she turned toward him and propped her elbow on the back of the seat.

  “The theory is this: in every relationship, no matter what the circumstance, whether you’ve known the person for a day or for a decade, there is always one question you want to ask them. Nothing is off limits. The only rule is that you have to answer honestly. You can go into as much or as little detail as you want. And the person who does the asking has to answer the same question.” He raised one eyebrow at her. “Are you in?”

  She gave a loud sigh. “I guess. It’s better than just sitting here.”

  “Great. Do you want to ask first, or do you want me to?”

  “Since you’re the inventor of the game, I’ll let you do the honor. But be gentle. Don’t ask anything too hard at first.” she smiled at him.

  Ace leaned his head back against the seat and thought for a moment. There were a million questions he wanted to ask this girl. But the limited knowledge he had of her told him not to start out with anything too personal. Hopefully they’d build to that later. He sat up and looked over at her. “Okay. I’ve got it. What scares you? And I don’t mean like spiders or snakes. Or animals who eat flowers.” He grinned.

  She bit her bottom lip and was silent for a moment. “What scares me?” she glanced at him. “That’s kind of hard. A lot scares me.” she took a deep breath. “I guess waking up one day and completely regretting the choices I’ve made. Losing my mom. That scares me a lot.” she looked thoughtful. “Being separated from God. You know. Sometimes I go through times when my relationship with Him is stronger than other times. It’s scary to think about what it would be like if I fell away completely.”

  He nodded.

  “I could probably go on.” she smiled. “But I think that’s enough for now. And how about you, Mr. Kennedy? What scares you?”

  “My, aren’t we formal? Well, Miss O’Neal, I also have a long list of scary things. Don’t let my macho exterior fool you.”

  She laughed. “D
on’t worry, I won’t.”

  “Okay, here goes. Being a disappointment to my family. That’s scary. The brevity of life scares me a lot. We take it for granted that we’ll be here forever, that we’ll have all the chances in the world to do the things we want to do. And life can be wiped out so fast—a speeding car, a crashing plane, a heart attack. And poof, it’s gone.” He shrugged, wondering if she thought he was crazy and surprised that he cared. “And I actually agree with you about fearing being separated from God. I went through a time in my life when I did fall away. I lived every second in fear. I knew I wasn’t living right. And I knew the consequences. Thankfully, I realized my life meant nothing without Him in it.” He met her gaze and gave her a slow smile. The tense expression had finally faded from her face. Maybe she was enjoying spending time with him.

  Kristy reached up and turned the dome light on. She held her wrist up and checked the time on her watch. “Not too much longer.”

  Or maybe not. “Do you want to check in with the boss men? see if we get the all-clear to leave our post for the night?”

  “Good idea.” she reached for her radio.

  CHAPTER 23

  Kristy cradled the phone to her ear as she loaded the dishwasher. How did one person use so many dishes?

  “So what exactly happens on these stakeouts?” Vickie asked. “You just look out the window and wait on something to happen?”

  “Pretty much. They don’t make us do it every night, but since tonight is Friday, we’ll be out there again later. They haven’t been all that bad, actually. Ace has this crazy game for us to play while we sit in the truck.”

  “Game, huh? That sounds fun...” she trailed off. “So are you guys friends now, or what?”

  “Friends might be pushing it. I’ve accepted the fact that he has my job. I’m just trying to make the best of an unpleasant situation.” Kristy watched Sam out her kitchen window. He was running in little circles, chasing a fly. Silly dog.

  “That’s very grown-up of you.” Vickie laughed. “So what about the church guy? Any news there?”

  “Actually, he’s taking me to dinner tonight. It’ll be an early evening, though.” Kristy opened the patio door, and Sam bolted inside.

  “Right. Because of the covert undercover operation. With the handsome ranger. Boy, your life is tough.”

  “Stop it. You make it sound much more exciting than it is. Anyway, I should go. I’m not close to being ready, and Robert should be here soon.”

  After all the effort she’d put into what she thought was going to be their first date, she couldn’t bring herself to get too fixed up for this one. Dark jeans, a red sleeveless sweater, and her favorite black heels would have to do. She raked a brush through her hair and swiped some rose-colored lip gloss on her lips. When the doorbell rang, she was ready.

  Outside, Robert walked her around to the passenger side of the Honda and opened the door.

  He climbed into the driver’s seat and carefully fastened his seat belt. “How does Chinese food sound? There’s a pretty good place in Savannah,” Robert said once they were out of the driveway.

  “That sounds perfect.”

  Kristy racked her brain trying to think of something to say. Savannah suddenly seemed very far away, and she wished they’d just gone to Hagy’s. “Have you had a nice week?” she finally asked.

  “It was uneventful.” Robert adjusted his rearview mirror. “How about you? Has it been an exciting week at the park?”

  “Actually, we’re still trying to find out who is vandalizing some of the monuments. Even though the vandal hasn’t struck since Memorial Day, the park superintendent is afraid it might happen again soon. So I’ll be putting in a lot of extra hours these next few days, on top of my regular schedule. It’s not bad, really. And of course, the overtime pay is nice.”

  Kristy kept a steady stream of small talk going until they reached the restaurant. Finding something to say to him was a lot of work. Or maybe she was just out of practice. She had been out of the dating game for a long time, after all.

  Robert finally found a parking spot in front of the China Garden. Based on the number of cars in the lot, everyone in Savannah must’ve had a craving for kung pao chicken. The tangy aroma of Chinese food greeted them as they stepped into the packed restaurant. After a twenty-minute wait, they were seated at a table near the kitchen.

  “So have you had any more luck with the house hunting?” Kristy asked once their plates were piled high from the buffet.

  “I’m actually getting ready to make an offer on one.” Robert wiped his mouth with a napkin. “It’s a fixer-upper, but I think it has a lot of potential.”

  “That’s great.” Kristy concentrated on her food. The conversation wasn’t quite as easy as during their impromptu lunch. Maybe the fact that it was a real date made Robert nervous or something. “This food is really good.”

  Robert shrugged. “I’ve had better, but for a small town I guess it’s okay. My mom is the one who told me about it.”

  Another long silence passed, and Kristy heard uproarious laughter from an adjacent table. Too bad we aren’t sitting with them. Time to take a page out of Ace’s playbook. “So, Robert, how about we play a game?”

  Robert didn’t seem too enthused about the one-question game, but he was a good enough sport to go along with it.

  Kristy finished explaining the rules. “I’ll go first. What scares you?” she asked.

  “Tax season. And a stock market crash.” Robert chuckled. “How about you?”

  Kristy bit her lip and tried not to compare Robert’s face-value answer to Ace’s articulate and thoughtful one. After all, Robert didn’t invent the game. “Oh, you know. Spiders and snakes. Stuff like that.”

  Robert took a sip of his soda. “Right. A typical girl, huh?” He smiled.

  She shrugged. “That’s me. Typical.” she looked at her watch. “You know, we’re really going to be pushing it to get me back to the park. We’re supposed to start our stakeout at nine. Since it’s the weekend, Arnie wants us out there earlier than last night.” she dabbed at her mouth with her napkin. “So I guess we should go.”

  “We can’t leave until we open our fortune cookies.” He passed her the tiny tray. “You first.”

  She gave him a small smile. Insisting they open their fortune cookies surprised her. And the fact that Robert had done something unexpected was even more astounding. She kept her eyes on him as she tore the plastic wrapper off of the cookie and pulled out the little slip of paper. She looked down at it and grinned. “Your luck is about to change.” she brought her gaze back up to meet his. “That’s good news. What does yours say?”

  He unfolded his own piece of paper. “You will soon find what you are seeking.” He snorted. “Sounds like a bunch of hooey to me.” He wadded his paper up and threw it on the table. “Let’s go.”

  ***

  Once again, Ace found himself pacing. And waiting on his blond stakeout partner. Where was she this time? Had the neighborhood raccoon eaten some more of her plants? Although he wasn’t convinced a raccoon was the culprit.

  Headlights in the distance caught his attention. Since it was after dark, no one should be on park grounds now unless they lived here. Or were visiting someone who lived here. A maroon Honda Accord pulled up beside him. Probably someone needing directions. Ace waited for the driver to roll down the window, but instead a well-dressed man emerged from the car. He nodded at Ace and walked over to the passenger side to open the door.

  Kristy climbed out, looking embarrassed. “Thanks,” she said to the man who stood awkwardly beside the car. She glanced at Ace waiting on the sidewalk. “Sorry,” she said sheepishly. “Our dinner ran long.”

  “Not a problem,” he said, stepping toward them. He stuck his hand out. “Ace Kennedy.”

  The tall guy clasped his hand and shook it firmly. “Robert Aaron. Nice to meet you.”

  Ace nodded then turned to Kristy. “You ready? We’re late.”

  She looked
at Robert. “Thanks for dinner,” she said. “I’ll see you later.”

  “Sounds good,” Robert said stiffly. He stood there for another second, as if unsure whether it was okay to leave Kristy with Ace or not.

  Don’t worry, buddy. I’ll take care of her.

  With another backward glance, Robert finally climbed back into the Honda and drove off.

  “Hot date?” Ace asked once they were in the truck. He tried to keep the jealousy out of his voice.

  She grimaced. “Dinner. Sorry I was late. I guess everyone was in the mood for Chinese tonight.”

  “Don’t worry about it. You look nice, by the way.” He started the ignition and backed out of the parking space. Nice was an understatement. She was beautiful in the green and gray uniform. In her sporty flower-planting clothes, she’d been adorable. But now, all fixed up, she was a knockout. He tried to push the thought out of his head.

  “Thanks. I thought I’d have time to run home and change.”

  “What? You don’t enjoy staking out in heels?” He laughed.

  “To tell you the truth, I don’t especially like wearing heels. Much less staking out in them.”

  Ace slammed on the brakes as they went by the road leading to the residential area. He put the truck in reverse. Maybe there was still time for him to get on her good side.

  “You don’t have to do that. Really. It’s my own fault for being late.”

  “I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. Tonight might be the night we have to chase on foot. I wouldn’t want you getting your heels all stuck in the mud and not being able to get any traction.” He pulled up in front of her house. “According to my watch, you’ve got two minutes before we need to be in place.”

  She hopped out. “I’ll hurry,” she called over her shoulder as she ran up to the door.

  What was the deal with the Honda guy? Robert, was it? based on her reaction to Mark showing up on her doorstep, he was pretty sure she hadn’t dealt with the breakup yet. So what was she doing on a date with some preppy guy? And how could he get over the jealous feeling growing inside him?