Shoe Strings

Why did he have to kiss her last
night?   And not just kiss her, but kiss her , kiss her to the point where she couldn’t
concentrate on anything.   She’d been
in a daze since his car had pulled away from the curb and she’d been left to
handle the insurmountable tasks of daily living, like putting one foot in front
of the other and…sleeping and eating.   Having him kiss her was like touching the sun for one glorious moment
after being kept in the dark for years.
    But now what?
    Was she supposed to call him and thank him for a wonderful
evening as if nothing had happened?   If he popped into the restaurant after work like he usually did, was she
supposed to act normal?   Was she
supposed to pretend her whole world hadn’t tilted on its axis?   Damn him.   He’d asked her to think about the kiss
and then let him know if they’d been on a date.   Well, date or no date, that kiss had
left her thinking of nothing but him.
    What if she went to him?   What if she walked the two blocks to his
office and professed her undying love for him right there on the spot?   Then what?   Would he kiss her like that again or was
it all just a trick to prove the evening qualified as a textbook “date”?   She couldn’t stand the thought of him
laughing at her, saying it was all just to prove a point.   But she couldn’t imagine him laughing at
her expense, not Bryce.   There’d
been something there, a heat under the spark.   He’d never have kissed her like that if
there wasn’t.   But knowing that
didn’t make the next step any easier or any clearer.
    She could have jumped for joy when Lita walked through the
door, all duded up in a t-shirt that looked like a tuxedo top, a red and black
striped sweater jacket, and hip-hugging black jeans.   She’d completed the outfit with
three-inch patent yellow pumps.   If
Kerri Ann hadn’t been so distracted, she would have laughed.  
    “Thank God you’re here.” Kerri Ann dragged Lita behind the
bar and into the kitchen.   “I need
to talk to you.”
    “What in the world is wrong?” Lita pulled the sweater back
on her shoulders after Kerri Ann had tugged it off.
    “Where do you get this stuff?” Kerri Ann fingered the
ruffles on Lita’s t-shirt.  
    “We’ll talk clothes another day.”   She shooed Kerri Ann’s hand from her
shirt.   “Tell me about your
date.   I’ve been dying to know how
it went.”   Lita stood in front of
Kerri Ann, her face alight with excitement.  
    “I don’t even know where to start.”
    “Well, from the beginning, of course.   And don’t leave anything out.”
    So she told her everything, her nerves, the food prices, his
lingering looks, the interruption from Colleen Ferst, and their conversation in
the bathroom.
    “What?” Lita asked appalled.   “She actually asked if you were on a
date with Bryce?   The way you two
were dressed and seated at a cozy table by the fireplace?   I’ll bet she turned green with envy when
you set her straight.”
    Kerri Ann hesitated, fiddled with the sauce ladle.   “Well…actually, I told her we were just
friends.”
    Lita’s brows rose, her stare remained steady.   “Kerri Ann, please tell me you’re
kidding!”   When she shrugged, Lita
dropped her head in her hands.   “What am I going to do with you?”   She looked up, clearly disappointed.   “What happened?”
    “She left the restroom—after complimenting my shoes,”
she added hopefully.   “When I got
back to the table, she wasn’t there, but I saw Bryce tuck her business card in
his suit jacket when he stood up.”
    “Unbelievable.”   Lita shook her head.
    “I know.   Can you
believe her nerve?”
    “Not her, you idiot—you.   I can’t believe you told her you and
Bryce were just friends.   You
practically handed him over to her on a silver platter.”
    “What was I supposed to do?   Tell her we’re dating?   We’re not.”
    “Says you.   Tell
me the rest.”
    “Well, I turned down dessert because I felt sick to my
stomach and Bryce knew something was wrong.   But he never admitted Colleen came back
and asked him out.   For all I know,
they made plans to meet sometime.”
    “For all you know, he set her straight about it being a date
and sent her on her way,” Lita shot back with her hands on her hips.  
    She wasn’t giving the support Kerri Ann had hoped for.   “Anyway…he wanted to go get a drink and
listen to jazz, but I just couldn’t.   I felt