Just a Little Hope

by Amy J. Norris

  “Carter… I’m not so sure about this.”

  “C’mon. It’ll be fun. I promise.”

  Carter dragged her along behind him, as she was still a bit bewildered at the turn of events. The zoo? Really?

  Upon their arrival at the ticket window, Tori eyed her surroundings. Perhaps she was on some kind of hidden camera show. First the keys down the toilet, then her boyfriend takes her to the zoo. Tori didn’t do zoos. At least she didn’t think she did. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been to the zoo. Apparently, that was not the case with Carter. His excitement bubbled off him, and he couldn’t stand still.

  “Hi! I’d like two Safari Passes please. “

  Her mind raced. Safari Pass? Where was he taking her? Africa?

  Carter grabbed her hand again and squeezed. “All right. You ready?” A big grin lit up his handsome face.

  His smile was contagious, and Tori couldn’t help but return it. “I guess I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. Where are we going first?”

  The lady at the ticket window smiled. “You’re just in time for the sea lion show if you walk fast enough. It’s one of our most popular attractions.”

  “Sea lions? Awesome. It’ll be fun. C’mon!” He took off again.

  As she struggled to keep up, Tori couldn’t help but smile again. Carter was like a kid in a candy store. But she still didn’t understand how they were going to have a serious talk surrounded by furry and slimy creatures everywhere they went.

  Once they arrived at the amphitheater across from the park entrance, Carter purchased two tickets for the show, and they found their way through the arena to a pair of empty seats. Tori enjoyed it more than she thought would. The animal trainers knew how to draw out the best in the sea creatures, and the crowd responded to all of their tricks. Tori didn’t even mind getting a little wet from the sea lions splashing around the pool. The sunshine felt warm on her face, and the gentle breeze was soothing.

  Carter’s face brightened when he turned toward her. “Now, wasn’t that fun? What would you like to see next?”

  “I don’t know. I haven’t been to the zoo in so long. I don’t even know what there is to see.”

  “Really? When I first came to the city, I came up here whenever I could. There’s something innocent about a zoo, ya’ know?”

  “I can see how you enjoy it. You’re like a ten-year-old boy the way your eyes light up at every animal we see.”

  He waggled his eyebrows at her in response, his blue eyes shining more than usual. She shook her head and held out her hand. “Let me see the map.”

  After unfolding the paper, Tori studied the cartoon created map and tried to determine where she would like to go next. “Didn’t you buy some kind of Safari Ticket? What’s included with it?”

  Carter clapped his hands together and grinned. “We can go to the Children’s Zoo. We can interact with the animals there.”

  “Well, Carter, in case you haven’t noticed we aren’t exactly children.” She couldn’t get over how ecstatic this place made him. His actions only made him more adorable.

  “Don’t be silly. It’s for the young at heart as well. Didn’t you say I was acting like a ten-year-old?”

  The rest of their day was spent wandering through the various exhibits, laughing at the antics of all the creatures they encountered. Tori smiled a lot, some of which was due to Carter’s irresistible zest for life with every new experience. On occasion, she experienced a pang of sadness when the thought of her parents driving to North Carolina came to mind. But Carter had been right, the silly monkeys, the gigantic hippos, elephants, and all the other animals had only helped improve her mood.

  Eventually, he suggested they hop on the Zooline Railroad and ride around the park for the twenty-minute tour. It was a nice respite from all the walking they’d done earlier.

  Despite the joy of the day, Tori still wondered when and if they were going to have the talk Carter mentioned earlier. Or maybe, this was his way of “talking,” which was actually avoiding and pretending it hadn’t happened. Neither of those seemed like valid choices.

  She felt his arm fall across her shoulders as he relaxed against the back of the bench. He seemed to be enjoying the day so much. She watched him as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes, a silent sigh escaping his lips. She snuggled closer into his embrace and relished the quiet of the moment, determined to forget their earlier spat.

  The beeping of Tori’s cell phone broke the silence, and she rummaged through her bag to hurry and answer it before it disturbed the people around them. It was Pax.

  “Hey, girl!”

  “Tori, are you okay? I’m sorry I just got your message. I decided after the last car shopping experience I was going with Seb to the dealership. We’ve both had our phones off while we were looking. Are you okay? Do you still need us to come and get you?”

  “No. It’s fine. I’m with Carter, and all is well. Kinda. But it’s a long story. I promise I’ll tell you all about it later.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yep. Absolutely. Hey… did you get a car?”

  “Oh! Yes. A nice sensible SUV. Not an Army tank. Although Seb still thinks that’s my best option.”

  “Ha! I bet he does. I can’t wait to see it. Enjoy your afternoon, and I’ll call you later.”

  “Alright, sweetie! See ya’ later!”

  Carter nudged her with his shoulder. “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah. She just wanted to make sure they didn’t need to rescue me. She’d just listened to my earlier voicemail. Apparently, she and Seb bought a car today.”

  “Ah! No more army tank for Pax, then.”

  “You are correct. Call off the troops!”

  They both laughed and sat back to enjoy the rest of the ride.

  ****

  Carter felt immense relief in seeing Tori’s smile throughout their time at the zoo. He’d originally thought they would head to a nearby park and find a quiet place to have their talk. But when the signs advertising the zoo kept appearing along the roadside, he’d changed his mind. He’d decided the park and the talk could wait until he found a way to improve Tori’s day. In his mind, the zoo was the perfect choice. After she warmed up to the idea, Tori appeared to agree.

  They took their time walking from the zoo exit to his car after stopping at a food booth for some snacks. Carter delighted in Tori’s descriptions of the sea lion show and other shows they’d seen, her joy evident from her voice.

  “I’m glad you thought of this. I don’t know the last time I’d visited the zoo. I was probably in elementary school. I’d forgotten how much fun it could be.”

  He snuggled her close to him and gently squeezed her shoulder. “I’m glad you’re glad. I like seeing a smile on your face. It puts a smile on mine.”

  Tori’s cheeks pinked at his comment, and he laughed in spite of himself.

  “Would you like to go get some dinner somewhere?”

  “Dinner sounds nice. Did you have someplace in particular in mind?”

  “How about we grab something and go. We can run by Pax’s and get your spare key and eat at your place?”

  “That’s a fine idea by me. Let me call Pax and make sure they’re home.”

  After connecting with Pax and discovering she and Seb were both at Pax’s apartment, they stopped at a drive-thru to get dinner for all four of them.

  Tori rapped on the door. Pax answered almost immediately. “Hey, you two. Get in here and tell us about why you needed rescuing!”

  Carter looked at Tori before answering. “Oh, it was quite an experience for sure. But we’re starving. How about we eat?”

  They entered the apartment and spread out the dinner on the dining room table. Pax didn’t hesitate to ask about the day’s events.

  “Spill it, girlie.”

  “Well, you know I sent Mom and Dad off today. It was hard. Really, harder than I realized it would be. So then I went to Carter’s, and we had a little disagreement over som
ething and I left and headed to the mall. I might have encountered a small problem while I was there.”

  By the time Tori’d finished regaling them with the perils of her lost keys, all four of them were in tears from laughter. Carter was glad Seb and Pax didn’t ask about the disagreement. All thoughts of that aspect of the story perished with Tori’s dramatic storytelling.

  Seb wiped his eyes. “Tori, just when I think your world might start to be somewhat normal, something like this happens.”

  “I didn’t plan to flush my keys down the toilet. I can’t help the sensitivity level of those automatic flusher things!”

  They all laughed again at her plight until Tori eventually threw her hands up in the air and sighed.

  “Speaking of the keys, we ought to get those from Pax so we can make sure you can get back in your house.”

  “Yep! And my car. We’re going to have to go back to the mall and get it, too.”

  Carter frowned. “Oh, yeah. Well, let’s hit the road, Jack. We’ve got places to go and things to do!”

  Tori jumped up from the couch and saluted him. “Sir. Yes, sir!”

  Carter shook his head and reached out for her hand. “C’mon, Private. Hut, two, three, four.”

  Tori waved in Pax and Seb’s direction. “Thanks for having dinner with us. I guess we’ll check out your new car next time.”

  ****

  Sitting next to Carter on her couch, Tori stifled a yawn. She was glad to be home after all the activities of the day.

  “Hey there? I’m boring you this much?”

  Tori punched Carter in the ribs. “No. But after huge meal, I’m ready for a nap.”

  “You’re gonna nap at…” Carter paused to look at his watch, “seven thirty in the evening?”

  “No, silly. I’d like a nap, but even I know it would be ridiculous to take one now.”

  She snuggled closer to his side, glad the morning tension had all but dissolved after the activities of the day.

  “So…”

  The feel of his hand gently caressing her hair did nothing to alleviate her lazy demeanor.

  “Yes?”

  “Can we talk about what happened this morning?”

  Tori pushed to a more upright position and moved to face him. “I suppose we should. You go first.”

  “Okay. Well first, I think you know I find you attractive. It isn’t a lack of desire for you that precipitated my earlier actions. Honestly, it’s the opposite. I am so much attracted to you it scares me. I know we’ve talked about this before, but I wanted you to know exactly how I feel. If I don’t watch myself, I’ll get us in a situation neither of us would appreciate. I respect you too much to do that. I respect God too much.”

  “I understand. I feel the same way…”

  He pressed his fingers against her lips, stopping her from saying anything else.

  “Secondly, you think I don’t understand the emptiness you were feeling this morning. Like I’d never had to deal with sadness before. I have, Tori, believe me. Maybe not in the same way as you, but it’s happened to my family. It’s not a fun thing to deal with no matter what the cause. Maybe one day I’ll share some of my family’s problems with you.”

  She reacted as if she’d been burned. “Carter? Don’t you trust me?”

  “I do trust you. But it’s not all my story to tell. It affects not just me but other people… and well, it’s probably not a big deal anyway.”

  Tori didn’t like that answer. What was so important to Carter he could understand her feelings yet not be considered a big deal? He spoke in riddles.

  “But, Carter—”

  “Tori, trust me. It’s not a big deal. Leave it alone, okay?”

  She stared into his beautiful blue eyes, their depths begging her to leave it alone. How could she resist?

  “Sure. Whatever you want.”

  But part of her was determined to find out what he was hiding from her and why.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Carter laughed when he read Tori’s latest text. It seemed even though Pax had returned to work, Mr. Parker, the car dealership owner, had taken quite a liking to Tori. He only wanted to deal with her on the latest account. Tori was flustered, to say the least.

  And then he asked about taking me to lunch. He’s a million years old. Yuck.

  Poor Mr. Parker didn’t understand what he was getting into. All Carter could do is chuckle when he thought about the ornery senior citizen trying to flirt with the young redhead.

  Before he could pop off a reply, his phone rang instead. He grimaced seeing who it was.

  “Dani?”

  “Hey, bro! Howzit?”

  “I’m good. How are you?”

  “Great. I’m actually on a little vacation at the moment.”

  “Vacation? How did you swing that?”

  “Oh. The café job didn’t work out in the end. Before I started a new job, I decided to take a few days and visit some friends.”

  Carter read between the lines. “You got fired?”

  “It wasn’t that I got fired. The owner and I had a little bit of a misunderstanding. I’m not gonna put up with that stuff. I told him I was quitting, and I hit the road.”

  “Oh.” Carter had stopped being surprised by Dani’s actions a long time ago.

  “So anyway, CJ, I just wanted to check in. Where are you today? Minnesota? Mississippi?”

  “We’re in Cincinnati for a couple of days, and then we head to Houston for three days, before we’re back home.”

  “Okay. Well, I don’t wanna keep you from getting your beauty sleep.”

  “Dani, wait. Are you by yourself on this adventure, or is he with you?”

  “Who, Dax? That creep? No way.”

  “What happened to Dax?”

  “He was always pushing me to do stuff for him. I got tired of it and told him to not let the door hit him on the way out.”

  “A permanent decision?”

  “What d’ya’ mean, CJ? Of course, it’s a permanent decision!”

  “Well, you’ve just seemed to have that kind of conversation with him in the past…”

  “No way. This time it’s over. I promise.”

  “That’s good to hear, Dani. I don’t think you and he were a match made in heaven.”

  Dani’s laughter rang through the phone. Carter felt a pang of happiness at the sound. It had been a while since he and Dani had shared a laugh.

  “I know. Speaking of matches made in heaven, last time I talked to Mom she said you were seeing someone. Anyone I know?”

  “No, not anyone you know, Dani. Tori’s from this area. We met through mutual friends.”

  “Oh! Tori is her name? Sounds like she’s rich with a name like Tori.”

  Carter closed his eyes and took a deep breath before responding. “No, she’s not rich. Why would you think she was?”

  “Oh, I don’t know. Just sounds like money to me.”

  “Well, she’s middle class, just like you and me.”

  “Ha, that’s a real laugher. You’re the farthest thing from middle class there is. You got money coming out your ears. And I’m not middle class. I might be able to be if you’d share your wealth a little bit.”

  “Dani—”

  “Look, I gotta go. Take care and have fun with your rich girlfriend.”

  Frustrated, Carter threw the phone down on the bed and stalked off to the hotel room window.

  Every time he felt like he might have an inroad with his sister, some kind of obstacle popped up. Always something she created out of a figment in her imagination. Carter pressed his forehead against the sliding glass window and sighed.

  Fear gripped his heart. For the first time ever, Carter had to admit to himself his relationship with Dani was broken. It might be beyond repair.

  ****

  Pax plopped into the seat in front of Tori’s desk and breathed a deep sigh. “Have you heard from your folks? How are things in North Carolina?”

  Propping her head in
her hand, Tori smiled. “Good so far. Dad’s been accepted into a trial there and has started on the medicine they prescribed. Thankfully, there are no real side effects yet.”

  “That’s great. I know you miss them terribly, though.”

  Tori swallowed hard. She felt her parents’ absence keenly. “I do. When I think about Daddy having those chemicals pumped in his body, it just makes me sick. I am so thankful Carter is in such tip-top health. I don’t think I could deal with any more sickness right now.”

  “Speaking of… when’s Carter back in town?”

  She shrugged and checked the calendar on her desk. “Um, I think day after tomorrow, and he doesn’t have a game the next day. I like how at the end of the season they have more off days. It will be nice to spend a few hours with him when he gets home.”

  “You have big plans?”

  “I don’t think so. He hasn’t mentioned anything. So, how you are feeling? Going back to work’s been quite a change, I suspect.”

  “Yeah. But Michael’s such an angel.”

  “He is for sure.” Tori leaned over her desk and lowered her voice. “Has he said any more to you about the girl he’s seeing?”

  “No. But I take his constant good mood as a sign it’s going well.”

  Tori giggled. “No doubt.” She pulled a pen out of the cup on her desk and started doodling. “Hey… what about wedding plans? I haven’t heard you mention anything lately. Have you nailed down something?”

  “Funny you should ask. Seb and I were talking about it last night over dinner. He had the big wedding once, you know, with his first wife. He’s not sure he wants to do another big wedding.”

  “Don’t you want one, though?”

  “Not really. When I was younger, I thought about it. But now, the actual wedding isn’t such a big deal anymore. We’re thinking of doing a destination wedding instead. Just having a few friends and family attend.”

  Tori perked up at the idea of going out of town. “What sort of destination are you talking about?”