Running Home to You (The Running Series) (29 page)

We haven’t even opened yet, and I’m supposed to stay until closing.  I get the feeling it’s going to be a very long day.

S
aturday morning rolls around, and I’m jostled awake by Maddy.  She’s nudging me with her nose to get up and out of bed.  I look at the clock, and it’s only six thirty in the morning.  I get up to let her out, fearful that she needs to go to the bathroom, but she won’t go.  “What’s the matter, girl?” I ask.

Maddy goes running to the front door, scratches at the door, and whines.  She wants to go running.  I decide to throw caution to the wind, and go for a nice beach run.  I quickly get ready and jot a note for Auggie.  I sneak into his room and leave it on his bedside table.  We were up late last night, so I can chance leaving him home alone for an hour. I know he’ll sleep until at least eight or nine o’clock. I climb into the car and head down to the beach.  Maddy sits in the back seat with her tail wagging furiously.  If I had a tail, I’m pretty sure mine would be wagging, too.

I park a little south of Evan’s house.  My plan is to jog past his house towards the south end of the boardwalk, which is my usual turn-around-spot.  When I pull up and see all the trucks filled with fishing gear, it occurs to me that it’s not just Evan that I might run into – Ryker might be out this morning, too.

I plug in my ear buds and bring up my playlist.  I put it on shuffle, letting chance set the mood for today’s run.  Sure enough, American Authors starts serenading me with “The Best Day of My Life,” and my spirits soar.  The sun’s been up for a little while now, and the salty air blowing on my face feels wet and cool as it passes by.  The beach is very quiet, the only sound is that of the seagulls peacefully chirping as they soar overhead, singing and searching for food.  As I look back, the footprints I leave show my path.  As if on cue, a tide creeps up the shore, wiping away the marks I left, and then disappears.

As I approach Evan’s house, I see his lights are on. I pass by and Maddy pulls on her leash, trying to move me in the direction of our home.  She’s probably hoping to find a cool bowl of water on the deck waiting for her. 

Not to be deterred, I keep my focus on the shifting sand as we jog down the beach.  I try to stay close to the shoreline where the sand is hard and firm, but I’m careful not to allow the tide to wet my sneakers.

I pass by many surf fishermen today; the shore is blanketed with them, probably due to the holiday weekend.  I look carefully at each one, wondering if Ryker might be among them.  When I reach his usual spot, I see that it’s empty and I’m glad for it.  I don’t think I care to hear another lecture from him, not today.

Maddy and I make it to our pit stop without interruption.  I take the opportunity to stretch by doing a few lunges and Maddy goes sniffing around under the boardwalk.  Last night’s fireworks brought lots of visitors to the boardwalk, and I can only imagine what kinds of debris she might find.

After a few minutes of stretching and cool-down, we resume our jog.  I remove the ear buds, and try to focus on the sounds around me – the water breaking on the surf, the seagulls chirping, the wind whistling past me.  I refuse to think of this morning as a bust; I may not have seen Evan, but I got to rediscover my passion.  My days have been filled with the needs of others, particularly Auggie.  My nights have been occupied with preparations for the Grand Opening.  I haven’t done anything just for me.  I feel more relaxed and ready to face the day.

My morning jog is nearly to an end.  Evan’s beach house is in full view now, and that means that my car’s not far away.  With each step I take, I become aware of music playing in the distance.  The closer I get to Evan’s house, the louder the music becomes, until, finally, I can identify the sounds.  Booming from Evan’s deck is Aerosmith’s love ballad, “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing”.  There’s a tall figure standing on the deck, watching and waiting.  At first, all I can make out is the silhouette, but even still, there is no doubt who it is.  The muscular frame of a tall man with sharply chiseled features leaves little to the imagination, and plenty to admire.

I stop just at the base of the steps that lead to Evan’s deck.  When I release Maddy from her leash, she rushes up the stairs to greet Evan.  She jumps up on him and licks him furiously.  Maddy misses him.  She’s not the only one.  I stand and watch in joyful appreciation as Evan affectionately returns all of Maddy’s attention. 

Will I ever tire of looking at this man? He walks Maddy to a shady corner of the deck where he’s placed a bowl of cool water for her.  Evan’s wearing nothing but a pair of long shorts that hang low enough to show the sexy v-cut of his waist.  As he turns to walk away with our dog, I can’t help but admire the dramatic contrast between his trim waist and broad shoulders.  Taking in the vision of his perfect form brings me more happiness than I’ve felt in a long time.  How can he still affect me so profoundly?

Evan walks down the steps leading to the beach where I’m standing.  He stops at the last step and holds out his hand, “Join me for breakfast, Juliette?”

I nod, place my hand in his, and follow him up the stairs.  Just this simple contact with him has me walking on air.  He leads me to the table, which he has set with bottles of cold water and a bowl of fruit, along with a few granola bars.  He pulls out a chair for me and offers, “Can I get you anything else?”

The fresh fruit looks so good, I cannot resist grabbing a banana to snack on.  “No, this is great.”  I crack open one of the bottles of water and take a refreshing sip.  “I can’t stay long.  Auggie’s going to be getting up soon.” 

“I know,” Evan affirms.  Maddy curls herself into a ball at Evan’s feet.  He bends down to pet her, and I’m reminded of our once happy life here.  In moments like this, I feel certain we can find our way back together again.

Just as I’m about to say something, the music changes to Simple Minds, “Don’t You Forget About Me”.  This is not one of the usual songs from Evan’s playlist.  If he’s trying to get me to loosen up a bit, it’s working.

Throwing caution to the wind, I get up and walk straight over to Evan.  He turns his chair, and pats his lap, inviting me in for some much needed closeness.  He pulls me back against his bare chest.  His arms wrap around me as I settle against him.  I run my hands across his biceps and squeeze.  I didn’t realize how much I would miss the feel of his powerful arms.  He must have been working out in his gym, because he’s still slick with sweat.  He nuzzles my hair and groans, takes a deep breath, and utters, “Good morning, Running Girl.”  Just being so close to him and hearing the sound of his voice makes my body clench. 

“Good morning, Chief,” I whisper in his ear.  His smell is intoxicating, and it’s all I can do to keep my hormones in check.  “You’re full of surprises.  How did you know I’d be here?” I ask.

“I didn’t.  I was standing at the kitchen window when you ran by half an hour ago.  I took a gamble that you’d pass by again around this time.”  Evan is tracing small circles on the flesh of my tanned legs.  “You’re the one that’s full of surprises, Juliette.  I was positive I wasn’t going to see you again until Wednesday.  What would the good doctor say if he knew you were creeping around my house like this?”

“I can’t help it.  See, I heard this wildly sexy football star lives here all alone.  Rumor has it, he’s crazy good-looking.”  I crane my neck to look around the deck and into the house.  “You haven’t seen him around here, have you?”

“Do you mean that ego-maniac Big Mac?  Why would you want to waste your time with some dumb jock like that?  You could do so much better,” he teases as he twists strands of my hair around his fingers.

“Yeah, you’re probably right.  I hear he has a terrible temper.”

“True, but I hear he’s a God in the bedroom.  One night with Big Mac, and you’ll never go back.  Do you know how he
really
got that nickname?”

I give him a big smack across his shoulder.  “Oh, my God, Evan!  The things that come out of your mouth.”

“Have you already forgotten the things that I can do with my mouth, Juliette?  You’ll have to let me refresh your memory,” he hums in my ear, using his most seductive voice.  His hands travel up and around my leg, and rest on my ass, giving it an affectionate squeeze.

“Evan, stop.  You’re making me crazy.”  I get off his lap and return to my chair.  Uncapping my bottle of water, I take a swig, and then continue.  “When you look at me like that, it’s ... it’s ... it’s not fair.”

“Baby, nothing about this situation is fair.  I’m just so glad you decided to come to our beach for a run this morning.  It gives me hope.”

“Me, too.”

I
spend the remainder of the morning with Auggie, who’s still sound asleep when I get home, thankfully.  He still sleeps more than I’ve ever known him to before.  I think it’s good.  It must mean that his body is healing.  I can see him getting a little stronger each day.  Soon, he’ll be able to get around without help, but for now, he still needs assistance. 

Secretly, I’m glad to have a reason to refuse Evan’s advances.  This past week has been picture-perfect and I hope and pray that the old Evan is here to stay.  But only time will tell. 

Barking Up the Wrong Tree

E
van’s commercials for Top Dog Sports Drink started airing on all the major networks today.  Auggie and I saw his commercial twice in the two hours I was home with him before heading to work for the day.  I have a feeling Evan is going to be haunting me all day long.

As the crew and I finish cleaning and prepping for today’s lunch service, I notice Emmy’s not here yet.  It’s unusual for her to be late.  She’s never once, not in the entire time that I’ve known her, ever been late for work.  I hope there’s a simple explanation like holiday traffic or lack of parking.

I open the doors at eleven o’clock, and waiting outside is a small pack of young girls, no older than sixteen.  I seat them at a table and bring them a lunch menu.  They don’t even open it.  Instead, they are scanning the restaurant from end to end, clearly looking for someone or something.  A waitress approaches the table, jots down their order, and then walks away, shaking her head.  “Katie, what’s the matter?  Is anything wrong?” I ask.

“They all ordered a diet soda.  That’s it.  Nothing else,” she explains.

“Why would they come into a restaurant to get a soda?  They can get that cheaper and easier anywhere on the boardwalk,” I answer, equally confused.

Katie and I are distracted when another group of college-age girls enters.  I can tell by the hair, make-up and clothes that they’re not local.  They look way too ready for MTV.  They, too, scan the restaurant carefully.  One of them glares openly at me.  If looks could kill, I’d be six feet under in an instant.  “I think I know why they’re here,” Katie speculates.

“Yeah, me too,” I agree.

Derek’s face lights up when the small group of young women sashays up to the bar.  He immediately puts on his charms and starts greeting our guests warmly.  The female customers respond well to Derek.  It’s not hard to figure out why – he’s tall, clean cut, with a friendly smile and a great sense of humor.  I’m hoping that Derek can keep the girls entertained and happy.  When I see Derek checking their ID’s, I decide to accept their presence as a cost of doing business with a celebrity.