Running Home to You (The Running Series) (26 page)

E
van walks directly towards me and gives me a kiss on the cheek.  “Juliette, I must say, you’ve outdone yourself tonight.  You are breathtaking.”  His eyes scan me from head to toe, making me feel like I’m standing here naked and alone. 

“Right back at you, Chief.”  I don’t even try to hide my smile.  It’s going to be way too easy for me to fall back into old habits with Evan tonight.  The difficulty will come later, when we both have to leave for separate beds.

Evan responds with a beautiful grin that shows off his perfect set of white teeth.  It’s been five days since I’ve seen him.  His cuts have healed, and his face is once again the chiseled perfection that I fell in love with.  “Here, Running Girl, these are yours.  I thought you’d like to have them tonight.”  He hands me the small box he’s been holding.

I walk over to the bar, lay the gift down, and try to decide what to do.  Do I accept his offering?  What message would that send?  “Evan, it’s a lovely thought, but I don’t think, considering that we, you know.”  He gets me so twisted sometimes that I cannot find the right words.

“It’s not a gift, exactly.  Just open it, you’ll see,” he tells me.

I look at him, puzzled, but reluctantly accept.  “Okay.”  I untie the bow, remove the simple wrapping paper, and find a familiar blue box hidden beneath.  After removing the lid, I slide out the black suede jewelry box.  I look up at Evan as he watches me, carefully gauging my reaction.  I flip open the box, and inside I find the diamond teardrop earrings Evan purchased for me during our trip to Atlantic City.  They are more beautiful than I remembered.

“Since you’re not going to be wearing them on the red carpet at the ESPYs, I thought you should have them tonight.  You left them on your dresser at home.  I hope you’ll wear them tonight, Juliette.  It would mean a lot to me if you would.”  He looks so hopeful. 

“Of course I will, Evan.  Thank you.  I really do love them.”  They are the last gift Evan bought for me, and because of that, they have a special meaning for me.  Carefully, I remove my small stud earrings, and replace them with Evan’s token. 

He affectionately sweeps my hair behind my ear so that everyone can see them, and whispers softly, “I would give my right arm to see you wearing nothing but these earrings and those shoes in our bed tonight, Juliette.”  And just like that, he walks away, greeting the rest of the staff and exchanging pleasantries with our friends.

The restaurant, bar, and kitchen are a flurry of activity as everyone finishes their last minute preparations.  The music is playing, the pictures are projecting, the surfaces are shining, and at last, I think we’re ready.  I pull together the people who worked just as hard as I did to make this day happen, and together, we get ready to step outside and greet the crowd.

Marcus, Emmy, Derek, Reese, and Natalie are all standing proudly, waiting for Evan and me to open the door.  Emmy shouts, “Wait!  Where’s Ryker?  He should be here, too.  Someone go find Ryker.  Hurry.”

Reese runs into the kitchen and comes out dragging Ryker by the arm.  “I found him!  Let’s get this show on the road, guys.”

Evan grabs my hand, weaves our fingers together, gives an affectionate squeeze, and opens the door.  The moment we step outside, cameras flash and the crowd cheers.  Wow!  The sidewalk is filled with people lining both sides of the street.

Adam is in control of the events outside tonight, and he expertly parts the crowd so that we can all get our picture taken in front of the restaurant.  Surrounding me are my dearest friends in the world who all worked harder than I ever imagined, helping to make this dream of ours become a reality.  Reporters and cameramen gather to take pictures, and just before the first flash goes off, Evan wraps his arms around me and kisses me passionately.  I am so lost in the moment, completely and utterly overwhelmed by all that is happening, that I greedily accept his kiss and demand more. 

Slowly, the fog clears as we break apart.  I can’t help but smile.  I don’t know what the right thing is to do anymore.  I don’t know why Evan has been acting the way he has.  I don’t know where tonight will lead.  All I know for sure is that I love this man with every ounce of my soul.  He wraps one hand around my waist, pulls me close, and I rest my head against him as we smile for our pictures.

“Thank you, everyone, for coming out tonight.  My name is Evan McGuire and the beautiful woman standing beside me is Juliette Fletcher.  We are the owners of Rush Dessert Bar.  Opening this restaurant together has been a labor of love in more ways than you can possibly imagine.”  Evan looks down at me, smiling. 

Now it’s my turn.  “We feel privileged to be standing here with an amazing team of people who helped make tonight possible.  There is not enough time in the day to thank you all individually, but Evan and I want to thank every one of you here and those who are not able to be here, for the incredible gift you have given us.    Each of us feels that the enjoyment of food and drink is one of God's greatest gifts in life.  It allows us to satisfy our hungers, quench our thirst, and awaken the senses.  When we sit together to enjoy a good meal with friends and family, we strengthen our bonds and build stronger relationships.  We hope that we have created a place where people will gather and enjoy the company of the people we all choose to share our lives with.”

Evan squeezes my hand, and then adds, “And now I would like to invite you all inside for dinner and dessert, and declare Rush Dessert Bar officially open for business.”

Evan holds the door open, allowing the staff to hurry to their posts.  He then ushers me in, followed by hungry guests.  There are two hostesses here tonight, and together they make quick work of getting everyone seated.  Evan and I walk around the restaurant, greeting the guests and posing for pictures.  He holds tight to my hand, and insists on sticking close by my side.

I pull him aside, out of earshot, so we can speak privately.  “Evan, we have a long night ahead of us.  It’s okay if we’re not together every second if it, you know.”

He looks at me, but this time, there’s no smile.  His eyes look hollow and full of sorrow.  There’s no sparkle there now.  “Juliette, you’ve left me.  We’re living apart.  You won’t give me a second chance.  If tonight is all we have left, please let me enjoy every moment of it.”

My eyes immediately well up with tears.  His words cut me deep.  “Evan, please don’t say things like that.”

He wipes away my tears, kisses me, and reminds me, “I can’t help it.  I’m a selfish man and touching you brings me more happiness that you could possibly imagine.  My life is empty without you, Juliette.  Please don’t push me away.  Not tonight.”

“Okay.”  It’s only for one night.  Besides, being with Evan has its benefits for me, too.  I feel like I can breathe again, like the room is filled with all the life-affirming oxygen I’ll ever need.

I allow Evan to lead me around the restaurant.  He introduces me to some of his teammates who have joined us tonight.  We gave exclusive rights for just one photojournalist to be inside the restaurant this evening.  He spends quite a bit of time capturing images of the Sentinels players enjoying their meal and chatting up the fans and customers.

From time to time, I snap a few pictures and text them to Auggie.  I wish he could be here with me tonight.  He would be so excited and thrilled to see how well everything is going.

When Evan’s phone rings, I follow him into my office as he takes the call.  Only hearing one side of a conversation is frustrating.  It sounds like someone is arriving within a few minutes and Evan’s going out front to meet them.

He hangs up and smiles, “Ready?”

“Ready for what?  Who was that?” I ask.

“Joey Griffin.  His car is pulling up out front.  He and Maggie are here like they promised, Juliette.  Let’s go greet our guest of honor, shall we?”  Evan drags me along as he gathers his photographer and we all scurry outside to wait for Joey’s car to pull up.  I fidget with my hair, tug on my dress, and straighten out my belt.  “Stop fussing.  You look beautiful.”  Once again, Evan sweeps my hair behind my ears, showing off my beautiful earrings.  “Thank you for wearing my earrings.  You can’t imagine how much it means to me.”

Joey arrives, handsomely dressed in khakis, a suit jacket, and a casual shirt.  His wife, Maggie, is wearing a tasteful little black dress.  They are barely older than Evan and me, and aside from arriving with a chauffeur, no one would ever suspect they’re rich and famous.  We exchange greetings, quickly get reacquainted, and pose for a few pictures.  I lead our little foursome into the restaurant and escort our guests to one of the booths in the back. 

The night is half over, and Evan and I haven’t eaten a thing all night.  When Joey asks us to join him for dinner, Evan looks over to me for a response.  I happily agree, and help our friends make their dinner selections.  I make suggestions on drink pairings, and for the next hour, the four of us chat about everything and nothing.  Joey has us laughing the entire time.  Evan has his arm resting on the seat around me, and we sit together closely, maintaining the constant contact that both of us seem to crave tonight.  Evan drops his arm and begins to draw soft, lazy circles on my bare knees, and my skin stings from the heat of his touch.

I begin to feel a little guilty for abandoning my crew tonight, so I excuse myself to check on things. I see Emmy at the bar cleaning some glasses, so I slip behind the bar to check in on her.  “How are things going so far, Em?”

She pulls me in for a tight squeeze and squeals with delight, “Oh, Jette, it’s so great to see you and Evan back together again.  I’m so happy for you guys.”

I quickly correct her, “We’re not together again.  It’s not what you think.  This is just for tonight, Em.  At midnight, I turn back into Cinderella and Evan goes home alone in his chariot.”

“Idiots,” she says.  She turns away from me and continues washing glassware. “You’re both a couple of idiots if you ask me.” 

“Excuse me?”  I’ve never heard Emmy talk to me like that before.

“Oh, you heard me, alright.  I love you, Juliette, but you are both too frickin’ stubborn to get out of you own damn way.”  She walks away and returns to filling drink orders.  I can’t argue with her, mostly because I know she’s right.

I wander away with my head in the clouds.  I’m more confused than ever.  As I walk around aimlessly, I literally bump into Marcus.  “Oh, sorry,” I apologize, “I didn’t see you standing there.”

He grabs me by the elbows to steady me.  “Are you okay?” he asks.  “You look ... confused.”

“No, I’m okay.  I just talked to Emmy.  She really has a way with words, you know.”

“You know, Jette, I haven’t seen Big Mac this happy in weeks.  Or you.  You guys really have a chance here to make things right.  Don’t worry about the restaurant tonight.  We’ve got this handled.  You go handle your man.”  Marcus walks away and back to his duties of overseeing the staff, leaving me to contemplate his remark – handle my man.

And then it hits me.  Evan’s been at my side all night.  He’s letting me make the decisions and set the limits.  I wonder ... here, tonight, could we, should we, negotiate?  There are certain things I know he wants from me and certain things I want from him.  Suppose there was a way we could both go home happy?  Under the right conditions, and at just the proper moment, I bet I could get him to do almost anything.  It’s certainly worth a try.

I amble into the kitchen, grab four plates, and find a spot out of Natalie’s way to plate desserts for my dinner companions.  I promised Joey a cheesecake, so I start there.  I head to the pastry cooler and slide the cake from one of the trays.  When I shut the door, I’m startled by Ryker, standing there, eying me with a judgmental expression of disappointment.  “Oh, Ryker, you scared me.”

“Sorry about that.  Here, let me carry that for you.”  He takes the cake from me and follows me to the food prep station.  I grab a tub of cherry brandy ice cream and begin plating Joey’s dessert.  “So, are you having fun playing Evan’s little game tonight?” he asks.

I stare at him, surprised by his inappropriate comment.  “Ryker, I know what you must think, but he’s not playing games.  We both still have feelings for each other, and it’s just, we thought we could, I wanted to see, I don’t know how to explain it so it makes sense.”

His eyes flash over to look at me, like he’s trying to solve a riddle.  “Believe me, it’s a game alright.  He’s testing you.  How far you’ll let him take this.  How quickly he can get you to cave.  He doesn’t respect you.  You deserve better.”  He takes the cheesecake from me and returns it to the cooler, returning with a small ramekin of brioche bread pudding.  He knows the menu well.

“Better than what?  You hardly know Evan and you don’t know the first thing about our relationship, Ryker.  It’s complicated.”  I know he’s only seen the worst side of Evan, but I don’t have the time or the desire to try to explain our relationship to him right here and right now.

“Better than putting yourself in harm’s way.  Better than living under a microscope, constantly subjecting yourself to media scrutiny, and repeatedly having your heart broken into a million tiny pieces.”  He glares at me.  “Do you want me to go on?  Because I could.”

“No,” I mutter coldly.  “I get your point.”  I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself, and walk away, looking for a big piece of chocolate cake for Evan’s dessert.  When I return to the counter, Ryker is still lingering, helping garnish the plates that I’ve completed and placing them on the cooling tray so the ice cream doesn’t melt.

“I know you don’t like hearing what I have to say, but someone has to say it.  Everyone else is so mesmerized by his looks, his charm, and his fame that they forget.  They forget he has flaws.  Don’t ever forget that, Jette.  Not for one moment.”  He lowers his voice and speaks softly enough so that only I can hear him.  “The minute you forget might be the minute your whole life changes.”

As I stare at Ryker, astounded by his words, I hear the kitchen door swing open.  When I look, I see Evan standing there watching.  He takes a deep breath, and then walks over towards us.  “Oh, there you are.  I was worried.”  He kisses me on the head, never breaking his defiant stare at Ryker.  “Is everything okay in here?”