I think he's technically my boyfriend."
     "... Okay, and this is bad because ... ?"
     "I can't have a boyfriend!" Christina exploded. She stood on her tip-toes and looked over the counter to see if her uncle had heard that comment. Convinced that he didn't notice, she looked back at Steph and insisted, "I can't have a boyfriend."
     "Why not?"
     "... Because ..." Christina stuttered, "Boyfriends ... and girlfriends ... they do boyfriend-girlfriend things!"

Being Christina Chase
Chapter 40 - Partners
by Admiral Krunch

 

        Christina came into her bedroom wearing her robe, a towel wrapped around her wet hair. The sun had yet to rise, and the only illumination came from a small lamp that sat next to her jewelry box on the nightstand by her bed. Removing the towel, Christina sat down at her vanity and started blow drying her hair.

        Her mind began to wander in the constant hum of the hair dryer. She slipped out of the moment and relived pieces of last night, over and again in her mind. She kept trying to come to terms with what had happened. She couldn't understand why she'd felt the way she did, but she was past the point of denying it. That did nothing to abate the fear she felt in her gut when she took in the big picture. That fear was also intercut by another feeling that lived just to the left of her gut, in her stomach, that could only be described as "butterflies". Christina had never been able to understand why people felt that they had butterflies in their stomachs, as it seemed highly improbable that butterflies would take up residence in such an unlikely place. Furthermore, it was common knowledge that had butterflies actually had been in her stomach, they would have most certainly be killed and thoroughly dissolved by powerful stomach acids. That, of course, was what logic told her, but now she realized that there was nothing remotely logical about the situation in which she found herself.

        When she thought about what had happened, she had a nagging sense of what could only be called "happiness". Also in the mix was an odd sense of excitement. She found these unwanted feelings incredibly annoying, but there they were undeniable. As she remained lost in her thoughts, she continued feeling afraid, happy, excited, and annoyed all at once. Logically, it wasn't possible to feel all of these things at once, but when you had butterflies actually living in your stomach, your only choice was to throw logic out the window.

        As Christina returned to the moment, she realized that her hair had been dry for a while now, and she'd simply been blowing hot air onto her head for several minutes. This was a continuation of the unknown amount of time she'd pondered the situation while laying in bed, followed by an unusually long and contemplative shower. Glancing back at the alarm clock, Christina realized that she should move faster or she'd make herself and her uncle late for work.

        Christina approached her closet and looked for something to wear for the day. She ignored her favorite pair of jeans and looked through her ever increasing collection of dresses. Since she'd returned to Oak Grove, Christina had nearly stopped wearing pants altogether. It was a strange reversal, in that it was Nina who'd taken to wearing jeans more often than not. Christina pulled out a plaid jumper and held it in front of her. She looked at herself in her full length mirror and wondered if her uncle would like it. This was why Christina had spent so much time in dresses. She suspected that her uncle preferred them, and even though she now spent her entire days with the man, Christina had not grown tired of her uncle complimenting her on her appearance.

        Deciding that she didn't want to wear that particular dress, Christina took it back to her closet and returned to the mirror with two more. She held up a yellow cotton dress that she thought would show off her legs. She sized it up and then tried the second one. Holding a green jersey dress, she examined herself from different angles, wondering if her uncle would prefer it. Of course the man had seen her in it before, so it was likely that he would approve of it. As she continued her contemplative indecision, she realized that Richard had never seen her in that particular dress, and she wondered if he would think it was attractive. Looking back at the yellow dress that was laying on her bed, she wondered if Richard would like that one more.

        Realizing what sort of rogue thoughts were running amok in her brain, Christina slowly lowered the dress she was holding, and stared at the girl in the mirror. There it was again: fear, happiness, excitement, and annoyance. It was clear that the butterflies that had taken residence in her stomach had started construction on luxury condominiums. She was certain they were also building a school for their tiny butterfly children, and a tacky, but conveniently located mini-mall where the butterfly families could shop on Saturday afternoons. The butterflies were digging in for the long haul.

        It's happened again, Christina thought as she realized that she had zoned out. She was supposed to be getting ready for the day, but it all she could think about was last night. Deciding that she didn't care what Richard found attractive, she took her dresses back to the closet and took out her favorite jeans. She removed her robe, put on her underwear, and started to step into her jeans. Stopping midway, she took the jeans off, threw them onto her bed, then went back to her closet for the yellow dress. As she put it on she said aloud, "I don't care if he likes it or not. I like it, and that's all that counts."

        Christina took a look at herself in the mirror and appraised herself. She did, in fact, like the way she looked. She examined different angles and poses in the mirror. For her third pose, she turned her side to the mirror and shot a seductive smirk over her shoulder. When she realized for whose benefit that imaginary flirt was intended, she frowned and her shoulders sank. Being a crazy person was not fun, she decided.

        After she'd fixed her hair and her makeup, she went into the hallway and headed downstairs. As she placed her foot on the top stair, she saw, from the corner of her eye, that Andrei's door was open. Andrei's door was never open; not even when he was in his bedroom. Unable to ignore her curiosity, Christina went into Andrei's room and saw an enormous lump under the covers that could only be her older cousin. In all the time Christina had been home, she'd never seen Andrei in the morning before he'd left for work. Considering that she herself was running late, it was all the more strange that he was still asleep.

        Even though Christina was taking care not to trip herself as she stepped around barely visible mounds of dirty clothes and trash, the narrow heel of Christina's high heeled boots crunched down into a discarded Coke can, and the mound under the blankets stirred.

        Trying to do no further harm to her cousin's slumber, Christina gingerly lifted her foot and started to step backward out of the room. In the dim light from the hallway, Christina saw a thick arm emerge from the cocoon on Andrei's bed and grasp the alarm clock on the adjacent night stand. The arm turned the red digits inward and Christina heard a sleepy, "Dammit!" emerge from within.

        Andrei threw the clock across the room, and it smashed against the floor not far from Christina's right foot. She squeaked as she recoiled, and Andrei sat up in his bed when he heard the high pitched noise. He tried to focus on the silhouette in front of him for a moment before he reached over and turned on the light on the night stand. "Christina?" he asked, as he realized who was in his room.

        "Hey," Christina responded, after a moment of hesitation. "I'm sorry I woke you up," she apologized.

        Andrei started to get out of bed, but stopped when he scanned the dirty clothes on the floor. "It's okay," he said. "You actually did me a favor. I shouldn't have slept so late."

        Since she had already intruded upon her cousin, Christina saw no additional harm in sitting down on the edge of the bed. "I know you're a morning person, Andrei," she said, "but this is ridiculous."

        "I took off from work early to be with Steph last night-"

        "Oh, good," Christina interrupted.

        "And," Andrei continued, "the plan was to get an early start to make up for it."

        Christina placed her tiny hand on Andrei's bare shoulder and said, "Andrei, if you went to work any earlier, it would be yesterday." Andrei made an annoyed face, but Christina was still in a somewhat playful mood after last night. She placed her other hand on Andrei's left shoulder and said, "You have been way over-the-top serious lately." Andrei did not look remotely amused, so Christina stuck her tongue out and crossed her eyes.

        Andrei gritted his teeth in much the same way as his father, but he eventually collapsed into a smirk.

        "There's my guy," Christina beamed. She smiled at him for a moment, then added, "Hey, I know you're probably in a rush, but could you do me a favor?"

        "If you're going to say you want to talk about-"

        "No," Christina interrupted. "I'd really like it if you could drop me off at the store on the way to work."

        "That'll make you late." Andrei objected.

        "It's no big deal," Christina dismissed. She held up two crossed fingers and explained, "Me and the boss man are like this."

        Andrei let out a long exhale, "... I know you mean well, but-"

        Christina cut him off again and pouted, "If you don't want to drive me, you can just say so."

        Andrei smirked at his cousin's exaggerated pout and conceded, "Sure."

        Feeling as though she were finally making some progress, she continued sitting on the edge of Andrei's bed with a hopeful smile.

        "Okay," Andrei said after a few moments. "You have to, you know, go now."

        "Why?" Christina said as she resumed her overblown pout.

        Grimacing slightly, Andrei explained, "Cause I'm sorta ... naked ... under here."

        "Like, underwear naked?" Christina asked.

        "... More like naked, naked."

        Christina grinned devilishly, exclaiming, "That Steph is an ANIMAL!"

        "Alright," Andrei said as he went a little red in the cheeks. He pointed at the floor and said, "I got home late, and I must of taken every thing off when I got in."

        Smoothing out her skirt as she stood up, she playfully protested, "Spare me the details, lover-boy." She enjoyed her older cousin's blush as she glided to the door. Closing the door behind her, she called, "Take your time." Christina turned towards the stairs, but was seized by a mischievous thought. She slowly opened the door to Andrei's room and peered in. She saw her cousin's bare backside as he climbed out of bed.

        "Very nice," she complimented from the hallway.

        Andrei grabbed a pillow to hide his privates and spun around to see the impish grin on Christina's face.

        "Okay, that's enough," he complained.

        Christina batted her eyelashes before closing the door again. Her mischievous energy still not spent, Christina opened the door a final time and taunted, "I'll show you mine if you show me yours!" She squealed as she closed the door just in time to block the pillow that Andrei had just thrown at her.

        "What's going on?" Nina asked as she came out of her bedroom.

        "Nothing," Christina laughed. "I'm heading down to breakfast. Wanna come?"

        Standing there in her pajamas, Nina let out a long yawn and nodded.

        The two of them went down the stairs and into the living room. While Nina continued sleepily into the kitchen, Christina wandered into the middle of the room when she saw what was on the couch. She picked up the plush bear that Richard had given her last night and toyed with the red bow around its neck.

        "Tina," Alek called from behind her, "we are running late."

        Christina faced her uncle and caught sight of the small frown he made when he saw what she was holding. After dropping the bear back on the couch, Christina apologized, "I'm sorry, uncle Alek. I wasn't sure what to wear today, and I guess I lost track of time." She paused, then added, "Do you like it?" as she held her hands behind her back and presented herself.

        Alek's face softened and he said, "Yes Tina, you are lovely."

        Christina's face glowed and she went to her uncle's side. She wrapped her arm around the man's thick torso and asked, "Is it okay if I drive in with Andrei today?"

        "Of course, Tina," Alek said as he led her into the kitchen.

        "Andrei's still here?" Nina asked as she ate her pancakes.

        Seeing Christina, Misha prepared another plate of food and set it down at the seat next to Nina.

        "Yeah," Christina said.

        "In that case, I'm not taking the bus to school today."

        Alek leaned down and kissed his wife on the cheek. "I am leaving. Christina is riding with Andrei today," he said.

        "Perhaps I will see my son for breakfast," she mused.

        After Alek had left through the side door, Misha joined her girls at the table. She gave them an inquisitive smirk as she sipped from her cup of coffee. "I take it you enjoyed yourselves last night?" she coyly asked.

        "I actually did," Nina said. "I didn't expect to, but I really did like spending Valentine's Day with James. It's funny though ..."

        "What?" Christina asked.

        "He's just so shy." Nina said as she smiled.

        "That is not a bad thing," Misha said.

        "When he dropped me off last night, I thought maybe he was going to kiss me goodnight, and we just kinda stood there for a while."

        "Really?" Christina asked. "How did you feel about that?"

        "Well, I ended up kissing HIM. I mean, it's different. It's like he's either super nervous, or super polite, or both. I think I kind of like it."

        "He must like you, too, Nina," Misha said shrewdly. "After your kiss, the boy slid down the stairs on the way back to his car."

        "Mom!" Nina whined, "You saw that?"

        Misha gave her daughter a wink and took another drink of her coffee. "And what of your date, Tina?" Misha said as she changed the subject to her niece.

        "My date ..." Christina started uncomfortably. "... Well ..." Turning to Nina, Christina said, "So Nina, I was thinking, you should really do this math thing at school."

        "Math Olympiads?" Nina asked. "I think I'm actually going to do it. You know, James was on the team for two years."

        "Good," Christina said, thrilled to direct the conversation away from her own date. "It's about time you were dating someone as smart as you."

        "The first meet is in a few weeks, and it's away."

        "That is excellent Nina," Misha said. "Perhaps we can come with you and watch." After waiting a moment and taking several more drinks of her coffee, Misha said, "Tina, I noticed your date had no problem with the stairs."

        Christina went beet red, and gave her aunt a look that pleaded with her to stop the interrogation.

        When Andrei entered the room, fully dressed for the day in his usual jeans and flannel shirt, the women abandoned their conversation and looked up at him.

        "Ah," he said as he grabbed a stack of pancakes and sat down at the table, "I've done it again."

        "Did what?" Nina asked.

        "Interrupted the girl thing."

        "The girl thing?" Christina asked.

        Andrei took a few bites and said, "Yes. Whatever it is that women talk about or do, that always stops when a man enters the room. This happens every time I walk into a room and Steph and Lisa stop whatever it is they were doing."

         Christina exchanged a knowing smile with Nina, then said, "You're just paranoid."

        "I'm sure," Andrei complained as he ate.

        "Andrei," Misha said as she affectionately touched her son on the cheek, "it is nice to have you for breakfast."

        Getting the message, Andrei rolled his eyes, though he did not say anything to his mother.

        "And so good of you to drop off Christina and your sister."

        "I'm driving Nina to school?" Andrei asked. He looked at his sister, who was still in her pajamas and complained, "You have to get ready. I'm leaving right now."

        "Fine," Nina sighed as she rose. "I'll be back in five minutes."

        As Nina left the room, Andrei balked, "Five minutes? It'll be half an hour, minimum."

        Misha rose then kissed her son on the top of his head. "Be nice to your sister," she admonished tenderly before going to the sink to clean some dishes and the frying pan.

        "I'm always nice," Andrei said. "I just don't see why it takes so long to get ready."

        Christina placed her elbows on the table and supported her chin with her hands. "Not everyone hangs their clothes on the floor at night," she teased with a grin.

        Pointing his fork at his overly playful cousin, Andrei accused, "You have never been ready in the morning in less than thirty minutes in your entire life."

        "Yeah ... okay," Christina laughed. She continued smiling her goofy smile at her cousin, which caused Andrei to abandon breakfast. He laughed at her in spite of himself, causing pancake shrapnel to rain down on his plate.

        "You know, I think I liked you better before," he joked.

        "Before what?" Christina balked.

        "Before you were happy."

        "I'm happy all the time!"

        "No. You're never happy. You're always gloomy ... depressed ... haunted ... melancholy."

        "You don't even know what 'melancholy' means," Christina teased.

        "Your face is right next to the word in the dictionary. But today, you're happy And some of us, we'd rather still be in bed."

        "Andrei ... " Misha sang. "Be good to your cousin as well."

        Andre rose from his seat and glanced at the back of his mother's head. He pointed his large finger at his cousin and mouthed, "You're happy," as though it were an accusation. He then went to the side door and put on his winter parka. "I'm going to start the car," he announced before he left.

        Misha turned to face her niece, still drying a mug with the towel in her hands. "He is right, you know," she said.

        Laughing uncomfortably, Christina blushed yet again. Slowly standing, she said, "I think I'm gonna go help Nina get ready. You know, I don't want to keep Andrei waiting."

        "As you wish," Misha said with a knowing smile.

        Fleeing to the living room, Christina started up the stairs, but was distracted by what was still on the couch. Making sure that her aunt was not watching, Christina retrieved her bear before going back upstairs. She took it into her bedroom and stood there, unsure what to do with it. She eventually decided to put it on her bed, between her pillows. She examined the intruder on her bed, and her mind worked overtime to find a rationalization for leaving it there.

        "I just like bears," she said unconvincingly.

        Unable to delude herself, she left her bedroom and went to help Nina get ready. Precisely twenty-eight and one half minutes later, Christina and Nina, who was now ready for the day, went out of the house and to the running Saab in the driveway. After Nina climbed into the back, Christina sat in the passenger's seat and bragged, "That was less than a half hour, I believe."

        "I stand corrected," Andrei said unconvincingly as he drove down the driveway.

        After Nina had been dropped off at school, Andrei started to drive Christina to the grocery store.

        Seeing the high school again filled Christina with strange feelings she was in no rush to confront. Both in an attempt to postpone that reckoning, and to figure out what was going on with her older cousin, Christina said, "Hey, you know how I keep saying we need to talk?"

        Andrei gripped the steering wheel tightly and said, "I knew you were going to start that again."

        "Well, I'm not. You know, I get it. You're not Mr. Talkie. And you don't like to share your feelings ... or whatever it is that's bothering you."

        Andrei looked at his younger cousin, somewhat surprised.

        She continued, "It's okay. You don't have to say anything. I just want you to know that, if at some point, you do want to talk, I'm right here."

        "Okay," Andrei conceded.

        "You know, this is kinda nice," Christina said as she looked out the windows at the ice covered trees that glowed with the sun's rising.

        "What is?"

        "This is kinda like last summer when you drove me everywhere. I miss that."

        "I had a lot more free time then."

        "Yeah, I know, but I still miss it."

        Andrei did not answer as he stopped in front of the store.

        "Thank you for driving me to work, Andrei," Christina sang.

        Andrei shook his head and smirked. "I don't know about this happy thing," he joked.

        Punching Andrei in the arm, Christina joked, "Don't make me beat you up. I have a dangerous reputation in this town." She shot him a parting grin as she stepped out of the car.

 

        Christina spent the entire morning in an annoyingly agitated state. Every time she heard the bell on the front door ring, she found herself peeking at each customer in the hope that it may have been Richard. She hated the feeling of constant anticipation, but she couldn't make it stop. Even if Richard had walked into the store, she wasn't sure she would want to see him. Her brain was telling her to dump the man at all costs, but Christina had stopped listening to her brain sometime last night.

        Around eleven-thirty in the morning, Alek began stocking the shelves in the canned goods section while Christina helped the few customers in the store.

        There was another ring as the door opened, and Christina looked up in spite of herself. Steph shot Christina a two fingered salute as she entered the store and waited for Christina to finish ringing up her customer.

        Coming out from behind the counter, Christina went over to fruit case, where Steph was examining apples.

        "So, how was last night, Stretch?" Steph asked as she grabbed a few apples and placed them in a basket.

        "Nothing special."

        "So, was last night nothing special?"

        Christina insisted, "Last night was no big deal."

        Steph stopped pawing the fruit and leaned back against the case. She had a wicked grin that matched the red stripe that she'd added to her hair that morning. "So ... miniature golf is not your idea of a good time?"

        Christina's face froze in shock. "Richard told you about the mini-golf plan?"

        "Actually, Mrs. Edwards was in the salon this morning ... she's the sister-in-law of Pete Jacobs ... who runs public works at city hall, and she mentioned hearing something about someone busting the ol' mini-golf set up out of the town garage."

        "Sometimes, I hate this town," Christina sighed.

        "Don't we all, but inquiring minds want to know, who won the Tina Open?"

        Looking over her shoulder to make sure her uncle was occupied shelving cans, Christina grabbed Steph by the shoulders and took her to the opposite end of the store, behind a shelf of paper towels.

        "Okay," Christina began emphatically, "this is between us, got it?"

        "You got it, Blondie." Steph had a far too amused grin.

        "So ... last night ... Richard and I sorta ... kissed."

        "This sounds strictly PG."

        "Well," Christina clarified, "We kinda made out, I guess is the way to describe it."

        "That's a step up."

        "And I might have been sitting in his lap the whole time too. And, and I'm not sure about this part, I think it lasted fourteen hours."

        "Now we're talking PG-13," Steph joked. "That's great. It's about time you two got together. Frankly, I was getting exhausted by the whole thing, and I'm just a spectator."

        "I don't think you understand what I'm saying."

        Steph wrinkled her brow as she considered what part of the conversation she'd missed.

        "I think that I'm sort of his ... girlfriend now."

        "... And?"

        "And, I think he's technically my boyfriend."

        "... Okay, and this is bad because ... ?"

        "I can't have a boyfriend!" Christina exploded. She stood on her tip-toes and looked over the counter to see if her uncle had heard that comment. Convinced that he didn't notice, she looked back at Steph and insisted, "I can't have a boyfriend."

        "Why not?"

        "... Because ..." Christina stuttered, "Boyfriends ... and girlfriends ... they do boyfriend-girlfriend things!"

        "I think that's the best part," Steph laughed. "Don't you like having someone to go out with? Someone to shake your bacon? I mean, if I don't get some Steph time in the bedroom at LEAST, twice a week ... well, all work and no play makes Steph a stone cold bitch."

        "Stop," Christina begged. "I can't have Steph time with Richard."

        "Oh I get it," Steph said as she shook her head. "You know, you and Andrei are so much alike, sometimes it's scary. You both blow everything out of proportion."

        "What do you mean?"

        "Look, this whole cloistered, Daddy's girl, virgin-until-marriage thing you have going is fine. It's not my thing, but you know, you wear it well. But, not everything is the end of the world. Just date the guy. You don't have to marry him. You don't have to play naked lumberjack games. Just go with the flow. If you don't like it, you can always bail."

        Christina thought about what Steph had just said, and much to her dismay, it seemed to make sense.

        "So, you think I should just be his girlfriend and see what happens?"

        "Yeah. See? No big deal."

        "No big deal," Christina repeated slowly. After taking a few moments to get used to the fact she had a boyfriend, she said, "I'm sorry, I'm so wrapped up in my drama ... What happened with you and Andrei last night?"

        "Your cousin is still driving me crazy," Steph complained, "but, the boy is making an effort, so I can't complain too much right now." Steph lost herself in recollection and added, "Besides, when you see his naked butt when he's walking to the bathroom, all is forgiven."

        "Oh, I know," Christina said absentmindedly as she turned to see who had caused the door bell to ring again.

        "You know?" Steph laughed.

        Remembering taunting Andrei this morning, Christina couldn't stifle a giggle and she promised, "I'll tell you later."

        "What's with the door?" Steph asked, noticing that Christina was still watching the entrance.

        "Nothing," Christina lied.

        Steph studied Christina as she continued to look towards the entrance for a while, then asked, "Did Richard call you yet today?"

        "... I don't care if-"

        "Did he call you?" Steph repeated.

        "No."

        "Okay, so you're doing the staring at the phone thing."

        "I am so not doing that!" Christina complained.

        "You know what they say, a watched phone never rings."

        Hearing the bell again as a customer exited, Christina glanced at the door, then quickly back to Steph, as if she were able to erase the gesture. "Alright," Christina conceded. "Maybe I'm waiting for Richard to stop in."

        "What are you waiting for? Just head over to his office and see him."

        "You mean, I should just drop in?"

        "Don't make such a big deal out of it," Steph explained. "See? It's the twenty-first century. You don't have to wait for the guy to ask you out to the malt shop."

        "Aren't you the one who waited, like a decade, for Andrei to ask you out?"

        "Hey," Steph complained, "I was sending out signals so strong that single guys three states over were getting unexplained headaches. You and Richard are past that stuff."

        "So, what should I do?"

        Steph reached into her basket, took out an apple, and handed it to Christina. "Go to his office and have lunch."

        "Okay," Christina said. "I guess I can do that." Noticing the abundance of fruit in Steph's basket, Christina handed the apple back to Steph and asked, "What's with all the apples?"

        "Don't get me started," Steph groaned. "Lisa decided she's gonna lose twenty pounds for the wedding. Which, frankly, is nuts. So she consulted her ouija board or whatever, and it told her to go on some weird diet."

        "An all apple diet?" Christina laughed.

        "Apples are just the beginning. Bitter foods, she said. Nothing but bitter foods. It's insane, of course, but since I'm around her all day, I'm roped into it too. She also says we're going jogging as soon as the ice thaws."

        "We?"

        "Don't think you're off the hook, Blondie."

        "Tina," Alek called from the other side of the store. "I need you up front."

        "I'm coming," Christina answered as she rushed to the front register. While she helped the two customers that were waiting, Steph continued to pick out foods that were in line with Lisa's new diet.

        By the time Christina had rung up the last customer, Steph had finished her shopping. She approached the counter just as Alek came up the aisle with empty cardboard boxes that had held various canned goods.

        "Hey," Steph said to Alek as she placed her basket on the counter and began to empty the contents.

        "Hello Stephanie," he said brightly.

        "Uncle Alek," Christina said. "Is it okay if I go out for lunch for a little while?"

        "But Tina, we always spend lunchtime together." It was true, Alek and Christina always enjoyed lunch together. Many times, Alek had closed the store so they would not be interrupted. It was the only part of the day where they were guaranteed some private time.

        "I know, I just thought today I would-" Christina stopped short of mentioning Richard's name. She stood there with her mouth open as though there was a word standing on the edge of her lips, and it was threatening to jump, like a crazed man from the top of a tall building.

        "We need Christina at the salon, Mr. L. You didn't think I was going to eat all these apples by my lonesome, did you?"

        Alek gave Steph a suspicious look, and Steph added, "It's wedding stuff."

        "Ah," Alek relented. "Of course, Tina."

        "Thanks," Christina said as her cheeks burned with guilt. She finished ringing up Steph's bitter foods, then left with her.

        "Thanks for covering for me," Christina said once they were out on the sidewalk.

        "No problem," Steph replied. "By the way, why are we not telling your uncle where you're really going?"

        "I don't think he's thrilled about the whole Richard situation."

        "You mean, your boyfriend."

        Christina pleaded, "Can we just call it my 'situation' for now?"

        "Fine," Steph laughed. When they reached the road where they needed to part company, Steph said, "Why don't you go get 'situated', and you can call me later and tell me how it worked out."

        Rolling her eyes, Christina answered, "Fine, but there will be nothing to tell." She shot Steph a wave as she walked down the road to Richard's office. After some time, she saw the small house on the edge of the center of town. Icicles clung from the hanging sign on the post in the front lawn, freezing it in place.

        Taking care not to slip, Christina walked up the icy path, then up the stairs to the front door. She was about to knock on the door when she thought back to the first time she'd stood on that porch. Grabbing the door knob, she found that the door was unlocked.

        Christina went inside and called, "Hello?" Walking into the sitting room she saw that a new layer of dust had settled on the bookshelf and the large globe in the corner. Across the way, she saw the desk with the old rotary phone. It too had reverted to it's previously cluttered state. Open books and papers obscured every inch. "Hey, it's me," she said as she continued down the hall way past the closed bathroom door and the kitchen area. Opening the door to Richard's office, saw that someone was sitting in the leather chair behind Richard's massive desk with their back to the door. Seeing the phone cord disappear behind the tall back of the chair, Christina tip toed into the room and waited.

        "That's right," said a curiously familiar voice. "I'll be out of the office for a few more weeks, but I'll have my assistant call you tomorrow and fax over the details."

        Christina froze as the woman in the chair finished her conversation. She watched the chair turn slowly around, and the woman she'd last seen in Steph's salon, hung up the phone and cocked her eyebrow upward.

        "Local Girl," she said without a hint of surprise, "you're just like a bad penny."

        Still paralyzed, Christina's mind searched for a rationale that explained why that woman was sitting in that chair, and none came to her. "What are you doing here?" she mumbled in shock. Christina heard footsteps behind her, and looked over her shoulder to see Richard coming into the office.

        "Christina," Richard said with a wide smile on his face. "I see you've met Diana."

        "Not exactly," Christina insisted.

        Richard slipped his arm around Christina's waist and explained, "This is Diana Van Buskirk, an associate of mine."

        Diana assumed a saccharine smile and walked over to Christina. She held out her hand which Christina reluctantly shook. "We've bumped into each other a few times," Diana explained, "but I had no idea this was your Christina. I suppose that's how it is in a small town."

        "I'm his girlfriend," Christina blurted. "Not his fake one, either." Christina gritted her teeth when she realized just how strange that last comment sounded.

        "How very exciting," Diana dismissed.

        Christina saw the exact same unwavering confidence in the woman that stood before her as she always saw in Richard. It was incredibly unnerving. "What does 'associate' mean exactly?" Christina asked.

        "Diana approached me last year to help out with a large client. There's a certain paper manufacturer that's bought up several thousand acres of land up north, and they running up against some state regulation regarding how much of it they're allowed to develop."

        Somewhat confused, Christina said, "I didn't know you did tree law."

        Diana broke out into a disingenuous laugh. "Richard," she proclaimed, "I like the sense of humor on this one." She went back to Richard's desk and sat on the edge. "No, dear girl, when I learned which state they were operating in, I wondered who could help me with the locals, and that's when I remembered old Richie-Bear."

        Christina's mind was still working overtime as she attempted to integrate all of this new information. "... Richie-Bear?" she asked as she looked up at Richard.

        He cast his hand into a dismissive wave and said, "We used to know each other in college."

        "Quite well," Diana clarified. She rubbed her fingers against her chin as she explained, "Richard went through a scruffy phase during the second year. It was quite uncomfortable for me, so I called him Richie-Bear until he shaved it all off."

        Christina looked down at her feet, saying, "Your beard scratched her cheek ... when you kissed her?"

        "My cheek ..." Diana laughed. Looking at Richard, she said, "This one is precious, isn't she?"

        Trying to diffuse the awkward situation, Richard shot Diana a look, then asked, "So Princess, what brings you by?"

        Without looking up, Christina said, "I came by because ..." She didn't feel much like eating anymore. In fact, all Christina wanted was to leave. "... because I was just taking a walk. And I thought I would take a walk here."

        "My office?"

        "Yes. Your office. And now ... I'm here ... so, I guess I can start back now. So ... nice to meet you ... and ..." Christina made her way to the door, but she couldn't stop rambling, "... and ... um ... good day to you."

        As Christina rounded the corner into the hallway, Richard shot another look at Diana that said, "Play nice." Then he took off after his girlfriend. "Princess," he said as he caught up and took Christina's arm.

        "What?"

        "I just want to explain. I've been working with Diana on this project for a while. It could mean a lot of money."

        "And you never told me about it before?"

        Richard defended, "... I've mentioned it a few times. I didn't think you'd be interested in it."

        "Not interested?"

        "No," Richard chuckled, "I mean, forestry regulations aren't the sort of things you talk about over candlelight."

        "Did you think maybe you could have mentioned the part with your ex-girlfriend?"

        "I don't see how that's relevant," Richard countered in his courtroom voice. "The fact that we used to be involved has nothing to do with this."

        "Then why didn't you tell me about it?"

        "... I ... See, it's really not a big deal, and I figured that if I did make a point of discussing it, it would make it seem like a bigger thing than it was, and you'd get upset over nothing."

        Christina exploded, "That's the STUPIDEST explanation I've ever heard in my entire life!"

        "This is what I mean, you're taking this completely out of context."

        "Out of context? You're supposed to be my boyfriend! You need to tell me about stuff like this."

        "Princess," Richard crooned, "by your own account of things, we've never even been on a date until last night."

        "Don't you do that!"

        "Do what?"

        "Use your confusing words. You have a whole mouth of confusey words, and they are off limits."

        "Fine," Richard laughed. When he saw Christina's reaction to his laughter, he became more serious and said, "Princess, who is my Valentine?"

        Reluctantly, Christina answered, "... I am."

        Stepping closer, Richard continued, "And which girl have I been trying to convince, for almost an entire year now, to be with me?"

        Trying to put up a good front, Christina answered, "Me, technically."

        "Diana is just a business associate. I'm no more interested in her than I am in Saul. You're the only one for me."

        "You should have told me," Christina insisted.

        "I should have," he apologized. "Let me make it up to you tonight. We can do whatever you want."

        "Um ..."

        Richard held Christina and kissed her on the lips.

        "Okay," she relented.

        "Okay," Richard repeated. "Why don't you stay a while?"

        "No," Christina said, "I would, but you know, my uncle and I always have lunch together."

        "Of course," Richard said as he released her and walked her to the front door. As he stood with Christina in the doorway, he asked, "Can I give you a ride into town?"

        "No," Christina answered in an abrupt voice that recalled the manner of her uncle's speech. "I'll be fine."

        "I'll see you tonight, say seven-thirty?" Christina nodded, and Richard gave her a final kiss before she left.

        As Christina trudged through the snow back into the middle of town, she couldn't think about anything other than Diana Van Buskirk. When she had bumped into her at the ski shop in Dover, it was because she was in town to see Richard. Suddenly it all made sense. In the diner, when Richard said he was waiting for one more, it must have been her.

        Instead of turning down the sidewalk to head back to the grocery store, Christina went in the opposite direction to Steph's salon. Christina thought back to Diana's visit to the salon. She realized that the woman was indeed there to spy, but not on Lisa. Diana must have known who she was all along. Why else was had the woman asked her if she had a date that night? It made her completely furious.

        Inside the salon, Steph was having a lunch of mismatched bitter foods with Lisa. Choking on another sip of cranberry juice, Steph exploded, "That's it. Leese, I love ya, but you're killing me. I can't take the orange dresses, and the horoscopes, and, I swear if I eat any more apples ... I'm gonna-"

        At that moment, Christina burst into the front door. She stood in the entrance with her fists clenched and seethed, "I'm gonna scratch her eyes out!"

---

Edited into coherence by Holly H. Hart.
Thanks to Sephrena Miller for taking an early read.
Hope you enjoyed it. If you liked it or hated it, please leave a tasty comment.
Krunch Away!