I sat at the table for awhile, thinking about what my father had said. To this point, I hadn’t given much thought to how my mom’s death had affected him. I’d been so caught up in my own grief, I hadn’t even considered his pain.
Suddenly, I felt guilty about my reckless behavior. I knew better than to speed, and I certainly knew better than to go off by myself to the river. At that moment, I resolved to use better judgment, and to try to be a little more understanding where Dad was concerned. Too, I would be more understanding about his job. I’d realized over the last few days how difficult it really was to be a law enforcement officer.
I remembered telling Dare I was angry with my dad. I realized now that I had been for a very long time. But Dad needed my support as much as I needed his. I would try to give him that support from now on.
I smiled. I would be a new me.
Chapter Nine
“Right on time,” Lieutenant Hudson said as he stood from his desk. Jennifer and I followed him into the conference room and watched as he took a clipboard off the table. “I’d like to get your uniforms ordered,” he told us. “L.E.C. is at the end of the month, so there isn’t much time. If I can order them tomorrow, I can probably get them by Friday.”
On the ride to the station, I’d told Jennifer what Dad had to say about L.E.C. Jennifer, who wasn’t especially eager to be involved in any of the events I’d mentioned, said somewhat hesitantly, “Uh, Lieutenant Hudson ... do we have to participate in L.E.C.?”
He smiled at her. “Well, generally that’s the idea, Jennifer. But since L.E.C. is only two weeks away, and since the explorers have already chosen their events, I won’t expect you to take part this year. However,” he continued, “as yet, we haven’t picked our team for the target shoot.”
Jennifer wrinkled her nose. “I abhor guns,” she said dramatically.
Lieutenant Hudson chuckled. “Well, Jennifer, it’s difficult to be a deputy without a gun.”
“Sheriff Taylor didn’t carry a gun,” she stated matter-of-factly.
He frowned. “Who?
“You know. The guy from Mayberry.”
I shook my head. My friend could be so silly!
Lieutenant Hudson threw his head back and laughed. When he finally stopped chuckling, he said, “No, but Barney Fife did. Is that show still in reruns? I can’t believe you kids watch it.”
“All the time. Anyway, I don’t really want to be a deputy,” Jennifer admitted.
“Oh,” the lieutenant said with a curt nod. I could tell he was trying to appear serious, but the corners of his mouth twitched upwards. “Joined the explorers to expand your dating pool, eh?”
Jennifer turned several shades of red before settling on a particularly brilliant crimson. “That’s okay, Jennifer,” he laughed, “it’s as good a reason as any. Okay, girls, I’ll need your sizes.”
Still chuckling, he passed me the clipboard. “Go ahead and write them down. I know how you ladies are about revealing that sort of stuff. I have five daughters, you know.”
He left the room, and Jennifer watched me, wide-eyed. “How’d he know I joined the explorers because of Keith?” she shrieked, and we burst out laughing.
Jennifer was still sputtering when the lieutenant returned. He surprised me by asking, “How about it, Laura? Are you interested in the target shoot?”
I shrugged noncommittally. “I really don’t know.”
“Willing to give it a try?” he asked me. “It’s actually the only time an explorer is allowed to use a gun.”
“Maybe I will give it a try,” I said hesitantly.
“Good girl! Okay, then, I’ll call you girls when I get your uniforms in.”
He left us then and Jennifer turned toward me, eyes wide with shock. “Laura, what are you thinking? Why would you want to shoot a gun?” She shuddered as if she found the mere thought revolting.
“I don’t know. Dad took me with him target shooting a couple times when I was a kid.” I shrugged. “Who knows? It might be fun.”
Jennifer looked unconvinced.
“Let’s go say ‘hi’ to my dad,” I told her, changing the subject.
“Okay,” she said, perking up. “So, does your dad still refer to me as your ‘responsible’ friend?”
“Yeah, but wait ‘til I tell him you only joined the explorers because of a certain guy named Keith.”
“You wouldn’t dare!” Jennifer squealed, as I dashed out of the room and toward my dad’s office. “Well, if you do,” she called from behind me, “I’ll tell him how much you like...”
I turned to see why Jennifer had stopped talking. I followed her gaze to the expansive window at the front of the station. My lighthearted mood was instantaneously spoiled. I saw Dare. His back was to us, and he was hugging ... Courtney!
When they finally pulled apart, Courtney spotted us inside the station. She shot me a smug little smile. I took a deep breath, turned, and hurried toward my Dad’s office.
Jennifer caught my arm just as I was about to go inside. “Laura,” she said gently, “we don’t know what was going on just then. It doesn’t necessarily mean anything.”
“It’s okay,” I told her, forcing a smile. “I mean, I suspected he might like her. It’s not a big deal.”
“Knock it off, Laura,” she said. “There’s probably a logical explanation. Please don’t think the worst.”
I slumped my shoulders in defeat. “Why would he like me, when he could date Courtney? She’s tall and beautiful...”
“And you’re beautiful! And nice and smart and...”
“Stop, Jen, please.”
She just shook her head. “Laura, talk to Dare. Give him the benefit of the doubt. If you don’t, you’re making a big mistake.”
“Maybe...” I replied and then opened my dad’s office door.
He grinned at us as we walked in. “Hello, girls.”
Pushing back from his desk, he stood up and stretched. “I’ve had a rough morning,” he declared. Spreading his arms wide, he asked me, “How about a hug for your old dad, hon?”
I realized then that I hadn’t hugged him for a very long time. His eyes were searching, and I found myself stepping into his open arms. Dad seemed to detect that I was hurting. When I stepped away from him, he seemed reluctant to let go of me. “Are you okay, honey?”
I attempted a smile. “I’ve had a rough day, too.”
“Well, how would you girls like to go to lunch? We could go to McDonalds for Happy Meals.”
Happy Meals! Maybe if we were four!
I turned to Jennifer and we burst out laughing. I laughed so hard I had to hold onto my sides.
Dad grinned sheepishly. “Well, they used to make you forget your troubles,” he said, chuckling.
“Dad, I’m afraid I’ve graduated to Big Mac-sized troubles,” I laughed, as we started for the golden arches.
***
When we got back to the station, Jennifer and I followed my dad back in. “Duty calls,” he said.
“Thanks for lunch, Dad.”
“Yeah. Thanks, Sheriff Tyler.”
“You bet.”
Dad started toward his office. He stopped suddenly, and reached for his wallet in his back pocket. “Oh, hon,” he said, passing me a twenty dollar bill, “would you mind running by the toy store at the mall and picking up a Teddy bear for me?” He gave a ruefully laugh. “I mean, for my patrol car.” He laughed again. “Oh, you know what I mean.”
“Sure, Dad.”
I took the money from him. He started to walk away again but stopped when I called to him.
“Dad, how come you pay for the bears yourself? I mean, have you ever considered asking the community to donate bears so you would have enough on hand all the time?”
He shook his head. “Actually, I’ve never thought about it. I wish the department had the funds to pay for them, but we just don’t. Your idea sounds like a good one, but it would take some work, and I just can’t spare the man power right now.”
&nb
sp; I glanced at Jennifer, and my eyes narrowed. She nodded, reading my thoughts.
“Woman power!” we declared in union.
“Can Jennifer and I do it?” I asked, as I turned back to my dad. He was watching me with a broad smile on his face.
“You mean you and Jennifer are willing to launch a ... a Teddy bear drive?”
I nodded. “Yeah. It would be fun.” And, I told myself, it would help me to take my mind off of Dare.
“What do you have in mind?” Dad asked, as he folded his arms across his chest.
“Well, we can make up some flyers to distribute, and make a few phone calls...”
“And we can see if any of the local department stores might donate any,” Jennifer added excitedly.
Dad appeared to be mulling over the idea and then smiled widely. “Sounds great. Have at it, girls! I mean, women!”
He left then, whistling, and Jennifer and I grinned at one another. “We’ll make a flyer first,” I told her. I found a piece of paper and a felt pen.
“What should we write on the flyer?” Jennifer asked.
I thought for a minute. “Well, we should definitely come up with something catchy. Hmmmm?”
“Well, while you’re making the flyer, I think I’ll start calling some stores,” Jennifer said. “My dad’s friend is the manager of the toy store at the mall. I bet I could talk him into donating something. It would be good PR for the store,” she finished in a business-like tone.
“Great, Jen” I said, grinning.
I finished the flyer in time to hear a part of Jennifer’s conversation with the toy store manager. “That sounds like a terrific idea,” she said enthusiastically. “Yes, that’s right. The deputies keep them in the trunks of their patrol cars... Yes, they give them to little kids. That’s right... Calms them down....”
Jennifer glanced up and caught me watching her. She gave me the thumbs-up sigh. “Trunk Teddy?” she repeated into the phone, and then grimaced. “That’s an idea,” she said slowly, catching my gaze and rolling her eyes.
“Trunk Teddy,” I mouthed the words and giggled. Jennifer shot me a reproving glance and motioned for me to be quiet.
Jennifer continued talking. “Yes. Really? We would be happy to. Thanks. Thanks a lot!” She hung up the phone. “Laura! Guess what?”
“What? Tell me.”
“The manager told me he likes our idea. He said he intends to put a huge bin in front of the store where people can donate Teddy bears. And you’ll never guess what else.” Jennifer was bubbling over with enthusiasm.
“What?”
“He said he has a bunch of Teddy bears he can donate today—if we’ll just come and get them.”
I nodded eagerly. “Sure we can.”
“He said he ordered way too many of a certain type last Christmas, and he says we can have all of them.”
“That’s great. Let me make copies of my flyer, and then we can go.” I hesitated. “But first, I think I’ll call the local radio station. They always make service announcements for civic groups.”
“Sounds like a good idea,” Jennifer agreed.
Chapter Ten
When we arrived at the mall, I followed Jennifer into the toy store. We walked to a register and requested to speak to the manager. We only had to wait a few minutes.
“Jennifer!”
“Hello, Mr. Wakefield,” Jennifer said, smiling shyly. “This is my best friend, Laura.”
“Hello, Laura, I’m pleased to meet you.” We shook hands, then he said, “Well, follow me, girls, I have your Teddy bears ready to go.”
Jen and I grinned at one another as we stepped into the back room of the store. “Here they are,” Mr. Wakefield said.
We spied a huge box full of Teddy bears. “Wow, this is great,” I said, as I bent to pick it up.
“Yes. Thank you,” Jennifer said, turning to leave.
“Wait!” Mr. Wakefield cried. “You’re forgetting some.”
We spun around and he motioned toward several huge boxes in the corner of the room.
Jennifer and I glanced at one another sharply and our mouths dropped open. “All of these ... are for us?” I asked him incredulously.
“Yes,” he said, smiling.
I almost hugged him.
I moved toward the boxes. They were filled with Teddy bears—all the same type, but in a variety of colors.
“Thank you so much,” I said.
“Yes!” Jennifer said, “Thank you.”
“Why don’t you pull your car around and you can load up here?” Mr. Wakefield suggested. “That way, you won’t have to lug these huge boxes through the whole mall.”
I dashed out to my car, and drove around to the back door of the store. The door was open and Jennifer was stacking the boxes on the sidewalk, within easy reach. I opened the trunk, and hurried back inside to help Jennifer. After we thanked him again, Mr. Wakefield closed the door behind us.
Jennifer and I grinned at one another as we each picked up a huge box. Unfortunately, the boxes were just too big to fit into the trunk. And there was no way we could fit them in the car, either.
“We’ll have to take them out of the boxes,” I said.
Jennifer nodded and we began tossing the bears into the trunk. When it had filled to capacity, we began loading the car. Finally, we unpacked the last box. My car looked like a great big toy box! We had stuffed Teddy bears into every nook and cranny.
Jennifer and I giggled as we climbed into the car. She glanced around. “Wow, do we need to distribute the flyers? We’ve already gotten so many bears.”
“Might as well.” I pulled into a parking space. “Wait here, Jen.”
I grabbed my stack of flyers and dashed along the rows of parked cars, leaving flyers on each car’s windshield. When I ran out of flyers, I headed back to my car.
“We’ve done pretty well today,” Jennifer commented.
I had to agree with her. I couldn’t help giggling when I glanced in my rearview mirror and caught sight off all the happy, Teddy bear faces.
Back at the station parking lot, I unlocked the trunk and began stacking the bears into Jennifer’s arms. Then I filled up my own arms, and we made our way, laughing, toward the station. I somehow managed to open the front door, and I stepped inside. I crashed into a rock hard body!
Strong arms shot out to steady me, but not before Jen crashed into me! The Teddy bears went flying. “Shoot!” Jen muttered from behind me.
I watched the stuffed bears tumble to the floor and then I glanced up. Dare was watching me, eyes twinkling with humor. “Wow! Where did you guys get all the bears?” he asked.
“From the mall,” Jen said matter-of-factly.
“Did you win the lottery?” he asked.
I laughed. “Nope. Jen and I officially launched a Teddy bear drive today. These bears were donated by the manager of the mall toy store.”
Dare shook his head. “That’s incredible.” He nodded toward the floor. “There must be twenty bears here. You guys don’t waste any time, do you?”
“Nope,” I told him, and glanced at Jen. “We could use some help unloading the car, couldn’t we Jen?”
She nodded. “Sure could.”
“Hey, no problem,” Dare said.
“Wait ‘til you see the car,” Jen warned. She turned and headed out the door. I followed her, and Dare fell into step beside me.
As I walked beside him, I cautiously glanced in his direction. Why did he always have to look so handsome? He turned and smiled at me. Our eyes locked only briefly, but I couldn’t help noticing how his sparkling blue eyes appeared lighter in the bright sunlight—reminding me of two shimmering topaz’. I remembered how his eyes had seemed to darken just before he had kissed me on the ride at the carnival.
The kiss! My pulse quickened just thinking about it. Suddenly, I wondered if he had kissed Courtney, too. That particular thought was effective in quelling my romantic notions.
I was relieved when we reached the car and hurried
ly unlocked the door.
“Wow!” Dare said when he spotted the remaining bears. He grinned. “You girls are really something. Well, load me up,” he said, extending her arms.
Jennifer and I quickly began stacking bears into his outstretched arms. Since he was wearing a short-sleeved, cuffed shirt, I couldn’t help but notice how his biceps bulged against the constricting band of fabric. Suddenly, I got a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach.
When Jennifer turned to add another bear to the growing pile, I nodded slightly in the direction of his arms, and lifted my eyebrows. Jennifer immediately understood my meaning. She nodded her head vigorously and mouthed, “I know. Wow!”
I reached for another bear and spun around. Dare was watching me through a gap in the stacked bears that I hadn’t noticed before. He smiled crookedly.
Oh, my gosh! Had he seen me admiring his arms? I knew I would be as red as a tomato in two seconds flat so I turned away. When I turned back with another bear, Dare had a bland expression on his face. If he’d seen me, he wasn’t giving himself away.
When Dare held as many Teddy bears as he could handle, both Jennifer and I loaded up. I knew the three of us were quite a sight as we trudged back into the station.
When we reached the door, we found my dad holding it open, and grinning from ear to ear.
“Wow!” he declared. “Look at all those bears! Where did you get them?”
Jennifer and I glanced at one another and laughed. Quickly, I explained about the toy store.
“Well, that’s just terrific,” Dad said. “I’ll have to call over there and thank the manager personally. Now, where will we put all these bears?” He glanced around the station. “We’ll have to build another room onto the station just to house them all! Let’s see... For now, I think we’ll put them in the conference room.”
Dad picked up several of the bears off the floor, and led the way. We stacked the bears in a corner. Dad shook his head. “Incredible,” he laughed, as he draped his arm across my shoulder and gave me a squeeze. “I’m so proud of you kids,” he said, and I realized, I felt pretty proud of myself.
Dad checked his watch. “I think it’s about time to call it a day, gang. What do you say?” He glanced at me. “You think you’re up for some Italian food, hon? We could head over to Mama Bittolis.”
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