Author's Note: I'm not from the Tenn. /Kentucky area, and I know that my directions in this story are probably totally off, but I had to get them lost someway. I hope you enjoy. Please read and review. Be kind, though. Thank you to everyone who reviewed the first few chapters.

I know she's not perfect but she tries so hard for me


And I thank God that she isn't 'cause how boring would that be


It's the little imperfections it's the sudden change in plans


When she misreads the directions and we're lost but holdin' hands


Yeah I live for little moments like that

May 2004

"I can't believe your mother bought a summer house in Tennessee. I mean, what in the world inspired her and your step-father to buy a house here? Not that Tennessee isn't great. I mean, it's beautiful out here but it just seems kind of….." Lucy was at a loss for words.

"Random?" Kevin offered.

"Yeah, random. Did she say anything to you?"

Lucy looked out the passenger window of their rental car. They were on their way to Tennessee to visit Kevin's mom and her new husband, Joe. They had decided to build a vacation home in the mountains of Tennessee, and she wanted Kevin and Lucy to take a weekend to come and see their new home. They had flown to Nashville, Tennessee from California and had rented a car to get them to their final destination, the house that was in the middle of the Great Smokey Mountains.

As Kevin drove down the interstate in the two-door sedan that was extremely small compared to his usual vehicle, he shrugged his shoulders. "I honestly have no idea. My mother has become a completely different person since she married that man." Kevin pressed down on the gas a little harder.

"I thought you had finally accepted him into your family. You even admitted you were glad that he was a nice guy. And coming from an overprotective guy like you, that says something."

"Yeah, I know. But she is just so different than she used to be before she married him. I mean, she spent a whole year in Europe. She never would have done that before she married him."

Lucy reached over and took Kevin's hand. "Well, let's try not to dwell on that too much. Let's look at the positives of this situation. Here we are, alone in a car, on our way to a much needed vacation in these beautiful mountains." She waved her hands around to display the green hills around them. "Isn't this just inspiring? And if it isn't, aren't you just thrilled to be here with me?" She gave him a toothy grin. "Come on, what do I have to do to make you smile? I can start telling stupid jokes. Although I'd rather not have to stoop that low. But I will if I have to."

Kevin laughed. Her attempts to make him smile were working. She was trying so hard to make him think about the positives of this visit. He hadn't seen his step-father since his mother's wedding, and he had only spent a short afternoon with his mother when she came home for his birthday. Lucy was trying so hard to point that out, and he didn't want her to think that her efforts went unnoticed. He picked her hand up, brought it to his lips, and kissed it.

"Thank you for making me smile, Luce."

"Hey, its my job. You'd do the same for me." She took a sip from the drink they had picked up at a gas station about 30 miles back.

They rode in silence for a few minutes, listening to the sounds of the car and watching the rolling hills pass by them as they traveled. Kevin was carefully watching road signs. His mother had given him thorough directions to the new house, but being in a completely new location, Kevin was carefully watching where he was going so he could make the appropriate turns and get off at the right exits.

"Here, Luce." Kevin said, handing her the email his mother had sent him with the directions. "I can't drive and read at the same time. Tell me what we are supposed to be looking for."

Lucy read over the directions. "Where are we now?" When Kevin told their location, she said. "We need to get off at Exit 142 and then you will take a left after the exit and go for about 90 miles."

Kevin looked at the signs around him. "Ok, well that is about 60 miles away." He glanced at the clock. They had been driving for about two hours and he knew that soon the rush hour traffic would be pouring in all around them. It would be dark soon and he would need her help in reading the directions.

"Why don't you try and get some sleep for right now? I'll wake you up when I need a navigator again."

"That's why I love you. You always are looking out for me." She reached over and kissed Kevin's cheek. She folded the directions and placed them in her purse and leaned her seat back to drift off to sleep.

Kevin continued driving on, and found Exit 142. It wasn't as far away as he had expected it to be, only about 20 minutes from when he had asked Lucy to read the directions, but he didn't know this area well. He probably just miscalculated. He got off on the exit and turned left, just as Lucy had told him to do. He continued to drive, thinking they might make it to his mother's house by midnight. He was extremely anxious about spending time with his mother's new husband. He liked the man, but it was still going to be very awkward at first.

Kevin became very deep in thought, and didn't even begin noticing when signs started popping around him that were staying "Kentucky Stateline, 20 miles."

Kevin had no clue where he was. He thought he had followed the directions as Lucy had read to him earlier, but he was lost. He turned off the exit that Lucy had told him to, but nothing around him looked remotely like what his mother told him to expect. It was beginning to get darker, and while Kevin hated to wake Lucy up, he needed to read those directions.

"Luce, wake up." He slightly shook her awake. She sleepily rubbed her eyes and looked out the window.

"Where are we?"

"That's why I woke you up. What did you do with those directions?"

She reached in her purse and handed Kevin the directions. "Are we lost, Kevin?"

"No, I don't think so. I just need to figure out which way we need to go next. I haven't passed any of the landmarks my mother told me to look for."

Kevin pulled over to an abandoned gas station to read the directions. As he studied them carefully, Lucy began to glance at their surroundings. She examined the building, looking at all of its details. It was old and run-down, decorated with old Coca-Cola advertisements from the fifties and sixties. Behind the building was what looked to be a mountain observation area because Lucy noticed the view of the mountains was especially spectacular at that spot. She saw a sign in the distance that startled her. It said, "Best view in Kentucky."

"Uh, Kevin?" She tugged on his sleeve.

"Not now, Lucy." He was comparing his mother's directions to a map he had bought earlier at the airport.

"No, Kevin, I think you are going to want to see this." She pointed at the sign. Lucy watched as Kevin's mouth dropped open.

"How in the world did we wind up in Kentucky?" Kevin exclaimed.

"I don't know. Don't you dare blame me, Kevin Kinkirk. I was just reading the directions."

Kevin looked at the map again and then back at Lucy. "What exit did you tell me to get off at?"

"Exit 142. I remember it perfectly." She said smugly. There was no way he was going to blame them getting lost on her. All she had done was read the directions.

Kevin began to laugh. His laughter first began as a small chuckle, but it gradually became a fit of uncontrollable hilarity. "It was Exit 124, not 142. That's how we ended up taking the wrong turn. We are about fifty miles away from where we should be."

The color drained from Lucy's face. "So it's my fault we're lost?"

"And mine. I should have paid more attention to the map. I let my apprehension about seeing my mom and Joe get to me. I helped us get lost."

He saw the look on her face and knew that she thought it was all her fault. "Come on. Let's make the best of this." He reached behind him to the back seat and grabbed his camera bag. He hopped out of the car and went around and pulled Lucy out of her seat.

The walked to the observation deck behind the old gas station, and Kevin set up the tripod he had brought along with him. He set the timer on the clock and ran to stand by Lucy. He grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes. She looked so beautiful with the glow from the sunset hitting her face.

"If I'm going to be lost, I want to be lost with you." Kevin said. He leaned down and gave her a kiss, just as the camera clicked to capture their "lost" moment in history.

I know she's not perfect but she tries so hard for me


And I thank God that she isn't 'cause how boring would that be


It's the little imperfections it's the sudden change in plans


When she misreads the directions and we're lost but holdin' hands


Yeah I live for little moments like that