Wow! I thought. Lunch at McDonalds and dinner out, too! I smiled at my dad. He knew Mama Bittolis was my favorite restaurant. We always went there when we had something to celebrate. I guess it was his way of thanking me for the toy bears.
“Oh, my gosh!” Jennifer groaned suddenly. “What time is it?”
“Six,” Dad told her.
“I’ve to get home! We’re having company for dinner.”
“I’ll take Jennifer home. Okay, Dad? Then I’ll head home and get ready for dinner.”
“Okay, hon. I’ll see you there. Bye, girls. See you later, Dare,” Dad said.
Jennifer dashed out of the room, and I smiled slightly at Dare before following her. To my surprise, he began walking along with me. “Uh,” he began somewhat tentatively, “I was going to see if you’d like to catch a movie later. But I guess you’ll be with your dad most of the evening ... or...”
“Uh, yeah, probably,” I murmured.
Suddenly, Jennifer appeared at my side. “Laura, I have to go! My mom is going to freak if I’m late.”
I glanced at her and then back to Dare. “Dad and I will probably be pretty late,” I told him.
I was sure I didn’t imagine the hurt look that flashed in his eyes. “Oh, well. Okay. Maybe another time.”
I nodded, then hurried with Jennifer to my car. I was about to climb in when I spotted Dare in the doorway of the station, watching us. “Drive safely,” he called.
***
“You should have said ‘yes’! You could have made it back from dinner in time for a late movie,” Jennifer shrieked, when I told her that Dare had just asked me out. “Laura, why did you say no?”
“You saw him hug Courtney, too, Jen,” I reminded her.
“So?” she cried in a shrill voice. “What’s that got to do with anything? I’m telling you it was probably perfectly innocent.”
“I don’t know,” I mumbled. “I mean, one minute he’s hugging Courtney, and the next minute, he’s asking me out.”
“Not the next minute,” Jennifer grumbled. “Laura, he obviously likes you. Do I have to hit you over the head to make you see? For Pete’s sake, he asked you to pizza, he asked you to the carnival, he asked you out today...” She wagged her finger at me. “You don’t have to be a detective to pick up those clues.”
“If you’ll remember, Courtney was at the carnival, too. And, she was at the station with him the other day...”
“Doing research,” Jen reminded me.
“Right,” I muttered dubiously. “Research. And we can’t forget today when...”
“That’s right,” Jen cried, dramatically throwing her hands in the air, “the infamous hug! Oh, would you please stop being so suspicious,” she grumbled, shaking her head. “You like him, right?”
“Yes,” I admitted. “I like him. I ... think I even like him, like him.”
“So, go out with him.”
“I can’t,” I insisted miserably. “And besides, Jen, did you hear him when we were about to pull away?”
She nodded. “Yes. He told you to drive safely,” she said matter-of-factly. “So?”
“Right,” I said, nodding.
“So?” Jennifer shrieked, seemingly at the end of her patience.
“He just assumes I’m going to drive like a speed demon.”
“Oh, for Pete’s sakes, Laura. He does not. He was just being thoughtful. Besides, you are a speed demon,” she added huffily, and then snapped her head forward and fell back against the seat.
“I’m reformed!”
Jennifer ignored me. Neither of us spoke for several minutes, but I finally broke the silence. “I’m sorry, Jen. I can’t believe we’re fighting about this. I do like Dare, but I just wouldn’t feel right about going out with him if he’s dating Courtney.”
“All’s fair in love and war,” she said succinctly.
I shook my head. “No, I don’t believe that. I sure wouldn’t like it if Dare was my boyfriend, and some other girl was making eyes at him.”
“You don’t make eyes at him, exactly,” Jennifer declared. “You make eyes at his ... arms!”
We both cracked up laughing then. This was probably the most ridiculous argument we’d ever had.
“Laura, I really think Dare’s a decent guy,” Jennifer said, suddenly serious. “I really don’t think he would have kissed you if he likes Courtney.”
“Maybe...”
“There’s an easy way to handle this,” Jennifer said, as we pulled into her driveway.
I watched her curiously.
“Ask him,” she said. “Ask him if he likes you.”
“Oh, that’s so ... junior high,” I said, shuddering.
“It is not. It’s an honest, quick approach to your problem.”
“Maybe...”
***
After I dropped Jennifer off, I headed home. Dad was waiting for me in the living room.. He had changed out of his uniform and was dressed for dinner out.
“Hi, hon,” he said, “ready to go?”
“Just give me a sec.” I dashed to my bedroom and grabbed a sweater.
Dad grinned at me when I returned to the living room. “You know, Laura, I’m really proud of you and Jennifer,” he said.
I watched him, my eyes questioning.
“When you girls decided the department needed Teddy bears, you sure didn’t waste any time getting them. I appreciate it. And I want you to know that I appreciate how you helped out with little Joey the other night, too.”
“No problem, Dad,” I told him as we walked out to his truck. We climbed in and Dad drove out of our driveway.
Suddenly, I began thinking about Dare again. I recalled my conversation with Jennifer in the car. Maybe she was right. Maybe honesty was the best approach. Maybe I should just march right up to him and ask him who he liked—Courtney or me. I opened my mouth to ask my dad his opinion. The words were on the tip of my tongue, but I quickly clamped my lips together.
What was I thinking? I couldn’t talk to my dad about boy stuff. It would be so embarrassing!
I glanced at my father. “Why is life so complicated?” I asked suddenly, surprising myself as much as my father.
Dad turned toward me and watched me with a funny expression on his face. He seemed to stare right through me, then he shook his head and resumed staring ahead at the roadway.
“Hon, I don’t know why life has to be so tough,” he said finally, “but I do know something about you and me.”
I watched him curiously. “What?”
“You’re all I have, Laura, and until very recently, we haven’t said more than two words to one another the rare times we’re together. I think we’re off to a pretty good start now, but we have to continue talking to each other.”
I nodded my head slowly.
“And we need to start talking about your mom. I know it’s painful for both of us, but we need to keep her memory alive—together. ”
All the emotions I’d kept bottled up tightly for over a year came flooding out. For Dad, too. He pulled the truck over to the side of the road. I leaned over and hugged my father. We both cried. Finally, when we pulled apart, Dad smiled at me through his tears.
“We’re going to be all right,” he said as he wiped his face and started up the truck.
Chapter Eleven
“How do these look?” Jennifer asked expectantly, dangling the earrings under each ear.
I tilted my head back and chewed my lip thoughtfully. The earrings were large, round—white with green specks—and definitely not what I would have chosen. “Well, Jen..,” I began, but just couldn’t think of anything diplomatic to say.
“Oh, I give up,” she sighed, defeated. Shaking her head sadly, she groaned, “I can’t believe I can’t find anything to match my uniform.”
And I couldn’t believe we were in a mall searching for earrings to match her uniform. “Jen, do you really need special earrings? Any earrings will do, I would think.”
She watched me, dis
believing. “Laura, you have to admit that our uniforms are a fashion catastrophe. We definitely need to accessorize.”
“Jen, I might have expected this from Courtney, but you...”
“Hey, don’t even think of comparing me to that girl,” she said with a shudder. “Besides, I just want to look nice for Keith.”
Jennifer smiled dreamily. She and Keith had really hit it off the night of the carnival, and had gone out three times since!
Jennifer remembered me and her face grew solemn. “Oh, Laura, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have mentioned Keith. It’s not fair I’m so happy when you’re not.”
“Don’t worry about it, Jen.” I forced a smile.
“Laura,” she said seriously, “I hope you’ll at least talk to Dare about your feelings for him. I really think he likes you.”
“I don’t know. We’ll see.”
She watched me sympathetically, but didn’t say anything else.
We strolled around the mall for awhile. “Maybe I’ll just wear my gold posts,” Jennifer said absently, as we walked to my car a short time later. “It probably wouldn’t be a good idea to wear hoops, if we’re going to be practicing self-defense again.”
When we climbed into the car, I spotted the luminescent numbers of the clock on the dash. “The explorer meeting starts in forty-five minutes. We’d better hurry.”
Jennifer watched me speculatively. “For someone who was dead set against joining the club at the beginning, you sure seem excited about it now.” Jennifer smiled. “Or could it be a certain handsome explorer that you’re excited about seeing tonight.”
I shot her a reproving glance. I couldn’t deny that I was eager to see Dare. But the truth of the matter was, I was enjoying being a member of the club, too. Because of my involvement, I felt as if I knew so much more about my dad’s job—and so much more about him. It had actually brought us closer together.
As for Dare, I made a quick decision. I glanced at Jennifer. “Honesty, huh?”
She grinned at me, then nodded her head eagerly. “You’re going to talk to him?”
“Yep. Tonight.”
***
Once at my house, Jennifer and I dashed into my bedroom, and quickly got dressed. Standing side-by-side in front of the full-length mirror on my closet door, Jennifer and I burst out laughing at the sight of our avocado-clad images. “I hope nobody confuses us for guacamole,” she quipped, and I cracked up laughing again.
“I’ve never felt so ... bland,” I noted, screwing my features as I turned around, examining myself from all angles. “Geez, Jen, you’re right,” I admitted. “Maybe we should accessorize.”
Moving to my closet, I reached for a couple brightly colored belts. I passed Jennifer a red one, and chose a turquoise blue for myself. Grinning, we put them on and then turned back toward the mirror. “Much better,” we declared in unison.
I followed Jennifer out of my bedroom and into the hallway. I giggled when she began imitating a runway model. She glided along, exaggerating every movement. “I dare you to do that in front of Keith,” I said, laughing.
Dramatically, Jennifer burst into the living room and spun around. She didn’t see Dad sitting on the sofa, grinning.
“Uh, Jen..,” I said, nodding toward my father. She didn’t see me nodding either.
But she did spot Dad as she completed her final, sweeping turn. I don’t think I’d ever seen my friend so red-faced. “Hello, Sheriff Tyler,” she muttered.
“Hello, girls. I really like the uniforms,” Dad said, now trying really hard to keep a straight face.
“We should go,” Jen said suddenly. “Good-bye, Sheriff Tyler.”
I grinned at my dad as we left the house.
“Why didn’t you tell me your dad was sitting there?” Jen shrieked, as we headed for the station. “Great. He used to call me your responsible friend.”
“He still thinks you’re responsible,” I assured her, “only, now he thinks you’re silly, too.” I chuckled, and Jennifer shot me a mock, scathing glance, as she subsided into the seat.
Soon we were well on our way to the station and as we drew near, I experienced a feeling of sheer terror. What would I say to Dare when I saw him?
Dejectedly, I realized that a part of me wanted more than anything to go out with him—to be his girlfriend. I knew Courtney might have something to say about that. I steeled myself for the worst.
But then I felt more hopeful. I knew he liked me. Like Jennifer said, he had asked me to pizza. And he’d asked me to the carnival. He’d even planned to ask me out at the station the day we’d collected all the Teddy bears.
Maybe...
***
“Everybody, I need your attention!” Lieutenant Hudson shouted.
The group became quiet.
“Okay, explorers, I’ve arranged for two vans to take us out to the target range where we’ll be conducting this evening’s meeting.” He checked his watch. “First, though, I’d like to take a few moments to thank Laura and Jennifer for their efforts at supplying this department with Teddy bears.” The lieutenant spread his arms in a sweeping gesture.
I caught Jennifer’s eye and we couldn’t help giggling. The bears were strewn all over the department. They occupied chairs, covered desk tops, and sat on file cabinets. They were stacked high in corners. One small bear even hung from a light fixture!
The community had responded generously to our request for Teddy bears, and people were dropping them at the station by the dozens.
“This is amazing,” someone said.
“You should see the conference room,” Lieutenant Hudson laughed ruefully. “Anyhow,” he said, “Laura and Jennifer did a great job and we should thank them.”
The explorers began clapping, and Jennifer and I exchanged embarrassed glances. The lieutenant patted us both on the backs, simultaneously. “Before I forget, girls, could one of you call the radio station tomorrow? I think it would be a good idea to tell folks that since we’ve gotten so many Teddy bears, any that we don’t need at the department will be used for our Christmas toy drive. Okay, then, back to business,” he said.
“As I was saying, I’ve arranged for two vans to take us to the target range. Let’s move to the parking lot and load up. We’ve been allotted an hour and a half to shoot, and we’ve got a lot to do in that time.”
As we left the station, I glanced around. “I don’t see him, either,” Jennifer whispered, a knowing smile on her face.
I didn’t bother denying that I’d been looking for Dare, since I had been. I was surprised that he wasn’t already at the station.
Jennifer, Keith, and I got into one of the vans and moved to the back. It quickly filled to capacity and I found myself watching the other van. Soon, the door slammed shut, and Dare was still nowhere to be seen as the van began moving.
We were just pulling out of the parking lot when I spotted Dare’s car drive in. Hurriedly, he parked and climbed out of his car. I watched him jog over to the other van. It slowed to a stop and he leapt aboard in one easy stride.
I was disappointed that he wasn’t riding with us, especially when I realized that Courtney was in the other van with him.
At the range, Lieutenant Hudson quickly gathered everyone together. “Okay, gang,” he said loudly, “again, we don’t have much time, so I need your undivided attention. If you’ve already signed up for three or more events, you won’t be shooting today. That is, unless, you’d prefer this over one of your previously chosen events, in which case we’ll talk... Whew!” he said, grinning. “Okay, when I call your name, please step forward.”
The lieutenant called several names, including mine. I stepped forward along with the others.
“Today we’ll be shooting one at a time,” he said. “Normally, I’d line you all up and several of you would shoot at once. But since L.E.C. is only two weeks away, and since we have to make our final selection of shooters by...” The lieutenant snatched at his clipboard and hastily shuffled through several sheets
of paper. “...The nineteenth ... tomorrow ... tomorrow?” He glanced around sharply. “Okay, then, uh, Laura, why don’t you go first?”
“Me!?” I yelped in surprise.
He nodded. “Yep. Let’s get going. Our hour and a half is fast ticking away.”
I glanced at Jennifer and grimaced. She shot me an “I told you so look.”
Nervously, I listened to the lieutenant as he instructed me on the proper way to hold a gun. He told me that I’d be shooting from ten, fifteen, and twenty-five yards from the target. He turned me to stand facing the target, which was in the form of a man’s upper body. There were circular rings emanating from the center, which the lieutenant said were worth points depending on their distance from the center.
Next, he gave me brief instructions as to how to aim the gun at my target, and then he surprised me by putting the gun in my hand. I heard poor Jennifer gasp from behind me, and I turned around.
I was surprised to see Dare standing beside her, grinning at me. Perhaps more disturbing, though, was the sight of my dad standing at the back of the group, watching me intently.
Suddenly, I wanted to bolt for the van, but I knew that wasn’t possible. I willed myself to forget Dare’s smiling, handsome face, and tried to push Dad from my mind, as well. I jumped when Lieutenant Hudson put ear guards on my head, and passed me protective glasses. I gulped as I slipped them on. Lieutenant Hudson then indicated with a nod that I should prepare to shoot.
Inhaling deeply, I raised the gun and held it as the lieutenant instructed. Eyes narrowed, I focused on the center ring of the target. In my mind’s eyes, I visualized the bullet striking the exact center, and at that instant, I pulled the trigger. It felt as if a mini-explosion had occurred at the end of my arm. I realized then that my eyes were closed.
“Lucky shot!” I heard someone cry out.
My eyes fluttered open. I saw the lieutenant grinning from ear to ear. “Ten points!” he shouted excitedly. “Come on, Laura, do it again.”
Dare to Love (Young Adult Romance) Page 9