Love on Leave

by Leah McDonnell

  She drops her pen. “Of course I do, but what am I supposed to do about it?”

  I grin with pleading eyes. “We could always take a quick road trip.” Her head cocks. “When?”

  “Right now?” I ask, using her signature puppy dog eyes.

  “It’s nine at night, Kate. It’ll be almost midnight before we get there.”

  “Please? You owe me this for screwing up the number in the first place.”

  “That’s a cheap shot!”

  “Yeah. Well. I’m sorry. This is important to me.”

  She huffs. “You couldn’t mention this before I took my make-up off and got in my pajamas?”

  We didn’t pack bags, we just left. Making it to Columbus faster than we thought we would. Relieved the guard at the gate allowed us through, after checking our ID’s and giving Max’s name.

  Butterflies dance in my stomach the closer we get. Second-guessing my decision to come. What will I say? What if he isn’t happy to see me?

  “Kate, haven’t we already passed the rec center four times?”

  “Yeah, I think I missed a turn.”

  “None of this looks familiar. Are you sure you know where you’re going?”

  “I think so. But the first time through I was going where Max pointed and the second time we were being chased out by the jackass Drill Sergeant.”

  We drive in circles until the clock on the dash strikes midnight. “I think we’re lost.”

  “No shit! We’ve wasted an hour crisscrossing this damn place. We’re never going to find it in the dark. I think we need to throw in the towel. We can get a room and try again in the morning.”

  As much as I hate to admit it, she’s right. Driving around aimlessly is getting us nowhere. I reluctantly wave a white flag as we make our way past the gate and back into Columbus.

  “What the hell is going on? That’s the fifth hotel we’ve passed with their no vacancy sign on.”

  “Maybe we should stop and see what’s going on.”

  I pull under the awning of a crappy Red Roof Inn and let Lana out. I put the car in park and stretch my arms and legs. Reveling in the much-needed break from driving.

  She scowls as she walks through the sliding lobby door. “We have the shittiest luck sometimes!”

  “What?”

  “Well, between Father’s Day weekend and some big Army graduation ceremony, there isn’t a single room available in the entire city.”

  “You’re joking!”

  “I wish I was,” she huffs. “I swear, we have the shittiest luck sometimes!”

  It’s after one and we’re both too tired to try to make it home. Crashing in the car is our only option. I take the two-mile drive over the Alabama state line and find the most lit parking lot I can, praying we make it through the night in one piece. We lay the seats back and within minutes are both passed out cold.

  TAP, TAP, TAP…..TAP, TAP, TAP. What is that? I think as I start to rouse.

  “Ladies, y’all need to wake up!” TAP, TAP, TAP.

  My eyes pop open. Completely forgetting we’re in the car, I jump and bang my knees against the steering wheel.

  “Lana, wake up! The cops are here!”

  It’s daylight out as I swing the car door open. My eyes squint, adjusting to the light. People pass by and stare as shopping carts clatter across the lot.

  “You know you can’t overnight park here, right?” the pudgy officer asks.

  “I’m so sorry, sir. We came to visit friends and tried to find a room, but everything was booked and…” I’m rambling again.

  “It’s ok,” he chuckles. “Y’all need to move along now, ok?”

  “Yes! Absolutely, sir! No problem. We’re leaving right now. Thank you!”

  I jump back in the car and breathe a sigh of relief. “That scared the living shit out of me! What is it with us and the law in this town?”

  “Thank God he wasn’t an asshole about it.”

  “No kidding!”

  She looks around at all the cars. “What time is it anyway?”

  “It’s ten. I can’t believe we slept this late. No wonder they called the cops on us.”

  She stretches and rubs at a kink. “My neck is killing me.”

  Customers are still staring when I start the car and make our way out of the busy Walmart parking lot. “We get ourselves in the damndest messes sometimes, don’t we?”

  She laughs. “No shit! We could write a book and title it, ‘The Best Friend Journey of What NOT To Do.”

  We make our way back to Fort Benning for one last-ditch effort to find the housing area. And as luck would have it, I drive straight to it. “How the hell couldn’t we find this last night?” I say looking up at the white building in disbelief.

  Lana grabs her stomach. “Whoa! I’m nervous all of the sudden.”

  “Me too. It’s going to be pretty damn embarrassing if they were the ones who had us ran off and we go knocking on their doors like a couple of clueless dumbasses.” I admit, pulling the keys from the ignition.

  “Kate, look! Isn’t that Max?”

  I focus my eyes on a guy across the parking lot. He has Max’s build but his back is turned to us.

  “I can’t tell. He’s too far away.”

  He slides on a helmet and climbs on a black Harley Davidson.

  “It’s probably him. You better yell at him before he leaves.”

  My face twist as I grab the door handle. “When did he get a motorcycle?”

  “Who fucking cares! Just yell! Jesus!”

  I roll down the window and wave. “Max!”

  His engine is cranked and can’t hear me.

  I jump out of the car and try again. “Maxxxxx!”

  “Dammit!” I throw my head back as he speeds off. “He doesn’t know this car, and it’s too far for him to tell it’s us.”

  Lana climbs from the passenger's seat. “Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll be back soon,” she says, hoping to reassure me. Let’s go in and visit Drew for now.”

  It’s Saturday afternoon and the halls are eerily quiet. We tiptoe our way to the end of the hall and immediately see Drew’s things are gone through the crack in the broken door.

  Her shoulders fall. “Damn, I thought he had another week.”

  “I’m so sorry, Lana. I know how much you wanted to tell him goodbye.”

  She lays her head against the wall. “It looks like this was an entirely wasted trip.”

  I sigh. “It definitely looks that way.”

  Her feet drag as we walk the dark, glum hallway. Sunlight peers through an open room door as we pass. We glance inside but continue on without speaking.

  “Hey! I know y’all!” he shouts.

  We stop and turn in unison. “Ya do?” Lana asks.

  “Yeah. You’re those girls from up around Atlanta, right?

  She eyes him cautiously. “Uhhh, maybe...”

  He chuckles. “Oh, you two are infamous around here!”

  “Why? Because we got ran out of here by your boss?”

  “Well, that and the fact Andrews had two women in his bed.”

  “Literally scared us half to death,” Lana laughs and invites herself in.

  “Max told us about all the crazy stuff that happened in Panama City. We cracked up for days over it.”

  “Is he here, by chance?” I ask, taking a seat on his worn out, beige loveseat.

  “Nah, you just missed him. Left about five minutes ago.”

  “Yeah, we thought we saw him. He was on a motorcycle, right?”

  “Yep! That was him. I’m Sam by the way.” He reaches out his hand. “But everyone around here calls me Artie.”

  “So let me guess. Your last name is Artsfield?” Lana asks.

  He smiles. “Close. It’s Armstrong, actually.

  Lana twirls a sprig of hair as she sashays next to me. “I hate you missed out on all the Memorial Day weekend fun.”

  Artie looks different from the rest of the guys we’ve met. He’s shorter than the oth
ers and has a runner’s build. There’s a gentle spirit about him and a kind, soft, tone to his voice. He’s good-looking but doesn’t seem to realize it. I see a small spark between him and Lana, but I’m too focused on Max to pay it much mind.

  Someone’s coming up the hall and it makes my stomach flip.

  “Well, well, well. Look what the cat drug in.” An unfortunate familiar voice says as he walks into Artie’s room.

  “Good to see you too, Davis,” Lana says, jumping up to hug him.

  I give a quick wave but I don’t speak.

  “You know Drew was discharged two days ago, right?”

  “No, but figured it out when we saw his room cleared out.”

  He props on the arm of the loveseat and sighs. “I’m going to miss that little bastard. He was one hell of a guy.” For the first time since we met, he actually sounds genuine.

  I glance at my watch and tap Lana’s arm. “As much as I would love to stay, we need to get on the road.”

  She turns her hands up. “I thought you wanted to wait for Max?”

  “You’ll be waiting a while. He’s on a date,” Davis says, back in his usual cocky tone.

  “Oh. Okay.” I manage to mutter. Hoping to sound cavalier.

  Heartache stabs me in the chest but I refuse to let it show. I want to know every single detail of who he’s with, what he’s doing, and what’s been going on since we left, but I don’t ask. It would hurt too much to know. And I refuse to look pathetic in front of Davis.

  Lana’s lip snarls. “Who the hell is he on a date with!?”

  “It’s fine. That’s his business.” Interrupting her interrogation. “But we really need to get on the road.” I glare at her hoping she gets the hint.

  She reads my face and crawls from the small loveseat. “Are you guys going to the beach for the Fourth?”

  “Yeah, I’m pretty sure we all are,” Artie says.

  She raises an eyebrow. “Good! We’re staying at the Sunspree this time. Hopefully, we’ll run into you.”

  Artie gives a bashful smile. “I sure hope so.”

  It’s all I can do to choke out a goodbye as I fight back tears. “Thanks for letting us hang out, Artie.” My eyes fall to his feet “Maybe it’s best you don’t tell Max we were here.”

  Tears flood my eyes before I hit the door and I pray I make it to the car before breaking down. I don’t want anyone to see me hurt. All I want to do is get the hell out of here as fast as I can.

  Lana grabs my shoulder as I scurry to the car. “You ok?”

  “This was a mistake. We shouldn’t have come here.” I say, between gritted teeth.

  “KATE?”

  “Keep walking, Lana!” I demand, recognizing Max’s voice across the lot.

  “Kate! Wait!” he yells, running towards us as I unlock the car door.

  I quickly try to dry up tears and pat the splotches from on my face.

  “Kate? Holy shit! You’re here!” he says, grabbing my arm.

  I slap on a smile. “Max. Hey...”

  “I can’t believe you’re standing here! It’s so good to see you!” He wraps an arm around my neck and pulls me close. His woodsy cologne envelops me and it’s all I can do to not break down in his arms. “I was so worried about you after that morning. The way things went down.”

  “We’re ok. Lana wrote the phone number wrong and wanted to say a proper goodbye to Drew, so we rode down. But it appears we missed him.”

  He’s sensing something wrong. I can see it on his face.

  “I’ve thought about you constantly. It drove me nuts I had no way of getting a hold of you. I tried calling every listed Carpenter number in Alpharetta.”

  “You did?”

  “Yes. Of course, I did. I knew I’d see you in a few weeks at the beach, but I didn’t want to wait that long. I wanted to make sure you were ok.”

  I toe at a rock under my foot. Was Davis lying to me about the date thing?

  “We saw you leaving. I yelled out to you.” I say, hoping it will prompt him to say where he’s been.

  He glances at the car. “I thought I was hearing things. You’re in a different car.”

  “This is my car.” I thumb towards the aging, silver Prelude. “Unfortunately, no more Beamer.”

  He laughs. “You finally got driving a stick shift down, huh?”

  “Pretty much,” I say, realizing he deflected his whereabouts.

  “Well, why don’t you come back in so we can catch up on everything?”

  “We can’t, Max. I’m sorry. We’ve already been here longer than we should have. We were supposed to be home hours ago.”

  He looks at me with those eyes, the ones that make me melt. “For a few. Please?”

  My heart wants to say ok so badly, but my head is saying no. I know who he was with. He loves her and I can’t compete.

  Nor do I have any desire to be mixed up in some twisted love triangle. “We’ve been here since yesterday and it’s Father’s Day weekend. We’re taking my dad out for dinner tonight.”

  His head cocks. “Since yesterday?”

  “It’s a long story. A long, crazy, typical Lana and Kate story.”

  “Ok,” he says, reluctantly. “But I’ll get to see you in a few weeks, right?”

  “Yeah, of course. We will be down Thursday through Sunday.”

  He takes a deep breath of relief. “Good! Y’all staying at the same place?”

  “I’m so sorry, Max. But we’ve got to get on the road. I’ll see you in a couple of weeks though, ok?” I say, avoiding his question.

  “Ok, Kate. I understand.” His eyes fall as he pulls me in for another hug. He knows I know, and he knows exactly who told me. But as he holds me, my guard falters enough to fall into his embrace.

  Lana takes a swig of Dr. Pepper as we pass through the gate, headed home. “Maybe Davis was lying?”

  “He wasn’t. I’m sure of it. I read it on Max’s face.”

  “But he sure seemed happy to see you.”

  “Do you mind if we don’t talk about Max? I need some time to process all this,” I ask, hoping she’ll leave it be.

  “Of course,” she says, quietly.

  I feel bad and try to lighten up the mood. “You sure did look like a smitten kitten with Artie.”

  “He was a sweetheart, wasn’t he?”

  “Very! Pretty damn cute too,” I add.

  “I know! It’s like the hot guy capital of the world wrapped up in one damn building.”

  Lana falls asleep twenty minutes into the drive and I’m thankful for the silence. My mind’s in a million places and I’m not sure what to make of any of it. I can smell Max on my clothes and it triggers flashbacks of us kissing in the rain. I can’t be mad at him for going on a date.

  Hell, we aren’t together. We have no commitments to each other. But why does it hurt so much that he did? He appeared genuinely happy to see me, even though there was confliction in his eyes. Maybe I was the rebound? Or maybe our time together showed him how much he missed her? Ugh! I can’t do this to myself. Snap out of it, Kate!

  CHAPTER NINE

  Fourth of July Weekend

  “If I see one more fat, ugly, bleach blond, redneck degrading the American Flag with one of those bathing suits, I may lose my shit,” Lana says, peering over the balcony railing of our big, beautiful, clean, hotel.

  I pop open a Coors Light. “Aw, come on! I think they’re cute.”

  “They are! But not on ninety-nine percent of the girls wearing them,” she snarls.

  I take a big swig of beer. “Oh, don’t be such a snob!”

  “So this makes how many for you today?”

  “No clue. Lost count! HA!”

  “You know...just because Max didn’t come, doesn’t mean you have to drown your sorrows in booze the whole weekend.”

  “No! It’s exactly what it means!” Irritated she said his name. “I knew it was all too good to be true.”

  “Are you going to be able to handle Artie and them coming
up here?”

  “I’m fine, I promise. You two hit it off last night. I’m not going to let all this Max bullshit stand in the way of you two.”

  She slides her sunglasses up her nose. “There’s a chance Davis might be with them.”

  “Oh, joy!” I groan. “Because I was hoping we could see just how miserable this trip could be.”

  Lana and I, along with our two closest friends Jenn and Ashley, arrived in town yesterday afternoon. Within an hour, Artie had made his way to our hotel. We met Davis later on, who enjoyed telling me all about Max and Jody getting back together and how he stayed in Columbus to spend the holiday with her.

  We went to La Vela as a group and I tried my best to make the best of it. Trying to not let the news of Max ruin my trip. Lana and Artie hit it off right away and Davis and Jenn flirted all night. Which helped as a buffer since I wasn’t in the mood for his antics.

  “If he does grace us with his presence, it’s only to see Jenn. Those two were all over each other last night.”

  “Actually, that’s something I wanted to talk to y’all about,” Jenn says, joining in on the conversation. “Last night, after everyone went to bed, Davis and I went for a little stroll on the beach.” She lifts an eyebrow and grins.

  “I thought I heard screams coming from the beach last night!” I shout.

  “Well, that’s the thing. We got there. One thing leads to another and next thing I know Davis has my jeans and underwear pulled down…”

  Lana throws up her hand. “Ok, ok! We have the visual. Just get to the point.”

  I lean back in my chair. “Sounded like things were just getting interesting if ya ask me.”

  “Well, I had borrowed Ashley’s cute combat boots last night, remember? But her feet are bigger than mine, so I had to double-knot them to keep them on. Davis was having a hell of a time trying to untie them, so I told him to pull hard.

  Well, when he did, I bounced across the sand like a skipping rock, straight over a big ass blue crab! Who proceeded to pinch me straight in the taint!”

  Five seconds go by. Jaw dropped, we sit blinking.

  “Ummm. Did you say a crab pinched you on your taint?”

  “Yes! So now I have an entire beach coming out of my crotch and a cut straight across my no-man’s-land and still didn’t get laid!”