Ornament

Scott finally leans back in his seat, letting Katie’s hands slip from his. A bit of humor sparks in his eyes behind the dullness. “How about cloning yourself so there’s enough Katie to go around?”

He shakes his head. “Oh, Katie…” He sighs. “What are we going to do with you, hmm? You’re just too good to be true…your heart is too big, and your goal to make everyone else happy is too lofty. But if there’s one thing I don’t want you ever to consider is leaving yourself out in the cold. You’re too good for that…and you deserve to have someone love you.”

He looks down for a moment, then back up at her, having grown serious again, the emotions still etched in his face. “No matter what…you can’t worry about hurting me anymore. Because no matter what…I’ll be okay, and I want you to know that. The last time…I was wrong to have reacted the way I did. I hadn’t trusted God enough, and I hadn’t realized that the me I’d become around you didn’t have to die when you weren’t around. Those are the things I see now… so I just think you should know that… well…”

He pauses again, not wanting to say these words, but knowing he must. “…if you wind up saying goodbye to me… I’ll hurt, but it’s not the end. I’ll always want to be your friend… I want more than that, but… being your friend is better than nothing, and…and I would be okay. I just want you to be happy… no matter what. And if staying with me is the answer, then you know I’m thrilled. But if going after Jason is the answer instead, then who am I to stand in your way?”

Scott pushes his plate further to the side, not knowing where to go from here. “I know that you probably can’t sort through all of this tonight, so…” The emotions come flooding back, pooling in his eyes again, though he wills them not to spill over anymore. “…so I think maybe…for now…we just sort of…lighten up a little. And I don’t mean not spend time together… I just mean…”

He shakes his head. “Maybe I don’t know what I mean. I guess I just don’t want to either of us to fall any further if the end result is going to hurt more, so… until you…we… figure this out… no future planning. I’m here for you like I always have been – that’s not going to change. But when you’re ready…when you can think about this and find your way… you need to settle on one path and one only. I wish it could go both ways, but it can’t. It wouldn’t be fair to me, to you, or even to Jason.”

Scott takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “How ‘bout it, Alice? Can we do this?”


Carson grins as Jess gives him a bad time, and just as she warns him, he backs into a light pole. Hitting the back of his head gives him a slight jolt and he spins around, staggering a little more than necessary as he starts to laugh. “I need some side mirrors or something.”

Giving a sigh, he starts forward straight this time, heading for the park. They walk through town, going by shops that were closed for the night, crossing intersections and dodging other pedestrians.

Arriving at the park, it’s lit with lights throughout, though there is no one else there. The sidewalks are well-lit, but the fountain has been drained for the cold season.

Ambling by some benches and around trees, Carson slows his walk, just letting the night air refresh him. He had a lot of time to think lately…too much time it seemed sometimes. But one of these days he was going to have to move on. It had been slow going so far… but it was time he started looking up again. He’d lost Misty…right now there was nothing much he could do about it, especially if she was now with Kyle. All he could do was try to keep himself going in the right direction and stay that way.

Coming up to another bench, Carson opts to stop walking, and eases himself down. Leaning back, he tilts his head up, searching for the moon. He finds it, though it’s hard. “Well…looks like there are about three stars out tonight,” he muses with a slight chuckle. The streetlights prevented too much star gazing, even when the sky was clear. “Ever wonder who else is looking at them the same time you are?”


“I could go for some good old fashioned wallowing time,” Bret agrees with humor. “But we’ll plan on day after tomorrow ‘cause I got a few things to take care of.”

He settles his head back and just looks into Charlotte’s eyes, her touch relaxing him, putting him in almost a trance-like state.

He blinks though, the moment broken as she goes for her bag, then hands him the necklace. Holding it up and seeing the coin, a wide grin spreads. It was more than just a necklace, it was more than just an inside joke. “I love it, and it’s not cheesy – not to me at least.” Though not one to wear anything other than a watch, he’s not going to just put it away somewhere. “My rearview mirror gets another ornament.”

Reaching up, he pulls Charlotte down for another kiss. “Thank you.”

Finally pulling himself up in a sitting position, he runs a hand through his hair and yawns. “Alright, Miss Lockheart. What’s on the agenda for tonight?