Dare to Love (Young Adult Romance) (11 page)

“How would you feel if I became a
police officer or deputy?” I asked him curiously.

He sighed heavily and appeared to be
deep in thought.  When he finally spoke, he said, “Well, hon, to be honest, I
wouldn’t like it one bit.”  He shook his head sadly.  “I missed so much being
on call all the time.”

My mouth dropped.  I was stunned. 
I’d never heard my dad say anything like this before.  Inhaling deeply, he
continued, “It was hard on your mother—being married to a cop—but she
understood...”

Dad stopped talking and swiped at his
eyes.  They were moist with unshed tears.  I wondered if he was going to cry.

“I’ll tell you, though, we had some
plans...,” he said softly.  He shook his head, then pushed back from the table. 
“Done with your shake, hon?”

I nodded and he took it from me and
walked to the sink.  He rinsed it, along with his glass, and put them in the
dishwasher.  Turning toward me, he sighed.  “Honey, in answer to your
question.  I want you to be whatever makes you happy.”  He smiled suddenly. 
“And it sure won’t break my heart if you
don’t
choose a career in law
enforcement.”

He kissed me lightly on top of my
head.  “Hon, I think I will go on to bed.  If I don’t see you in the morning,
stop by my office tomorrow and say ‘hi’.  Good night, then.”

“Good night, Dad.”

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.

“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.”

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.

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.