Running Back to You (The Running Series, #1) (10 page)

“We have to celebrate.  I’m going to Derek’s tonight.  Why don’t you join
me?  He’s having a party.  It’s just a small group of us.  You’ll know almost
everyone.  I know Derek would love for you to come over.  We’ll have so much
fun.  Please?”  It sounds like fun.  I haven’t really been out much since I’ve
gotten home.  Dinner and the mall don’t really count.  If I say no, that means
I’ll be sitting home thinking about Evan.  I will not become that girl.  The
one that sits home waiting for some man to call.

“I’m in.  Will I have time to go home and shower after work?”  Working
behind a bar means that by the end of my shift, I’m a dirty, sticky mess.

“Absolutely.  You have one hour.  I’ll pick you up.  Want to bring your
roommate?  Everyone’s really cool.  He’ll have a blast.”  Emmy hasn’t met
Auggie yet and I think they really would get along well. 

“I’ll ask him.  He usually has plans, but you never know.”  I pull out my
phone and send Auggie a quick text inviting him to Derek’s place.  Just as I
thought, he has plans.  Now, I’m even more pleased to be going out tonight. 
Otherwise, I would be all alone with nothing to do.

The rest of the shift goes by uneventfully.  A steady stream of customers
make the time fly by and before too long, it’s time to hang up my apron and
head home. 

I barely have enough time to shower, feed the dog, and get myself ready. 
I throw on a pair of skinny jeans and a white lace tank, and dry my hair
quickly letting it flow naturally over my shoulders.  Now, without much fuss,
I’m good to go.  Just as promised, in exactly one hour Emmy arrives at my door
and ushers me to her car. 

Derek and his friends are renting a house not too far from me, just over
the bridge, and in no time, we’re there.  We make our way to the backyard,
following the sound of the music vibrating through the air. 

“Emmy!” an unfamiliar voice calls out from the patio where I quickly spot
Marcus sitting beside someone I presume is his fiancée, Camilla.  Marcus makes
quick introductions, and I immediately like Camilla.  She’s shorter than me by
several inches, but her killer heels readily make up for the difference.  She
extends her hand to shake mine, and I immediately notice the rock on her
finger.  It’s a beautiful diamond engagement ring that overpowers her delicate,
small hand. 

“What a beautiful engagement ring, Camilla.  When’s the big day?”  She
turns to Marcus and looks adoringly in his eyes. 

“In the fall.  September.  We booked the Manasquan River Golf Club for
the reception.  I’ve just started booking the photographer and florist.  We
haven’t found anyone to do the desserts yet, Jette.  Marcus thought maybe we
should talk to you before we make any decisions.”

Wow.  Could this be my first catering gig?  “Oh, Camilla, I’d love to
talk to you about your wedding.  I did some work in Colorado at a wedding cake
purveyor and I gathered some great ideas we could talk about.”  We exchange
phone numbers and I may have just booked my first client.  This day just keeps
getting better and better!

I excuse myself and find Derek at the patio bar mixing some drinks. 
“Hey, Jette.  I’m so glad you were able make it.  What can I get you to drink? 
Would you like an Orgasm?  It’s my specialty.”  He doubles over in laughter.  He
cracks himself up!

“Make it a Screaming Orgasm, and I’ll take it.”  Working at a bar on the
boardwalk has taught me the names of some very kinky cocktail names: the Sexy
Alligator, Naughty School Girl, a Wet Spot, and my favorite, the Dirty
Butthole.  Honestly, who thinks this shit up? 

Derek fixes us a couple of drinks and leads me over to the fire pit. 
Emmy, Marcus, Camilla, and his roommate Grant are roasting marshmallows on
sticks.  I’ve never noticed before, but there’s something about Derek that
really grows on a person.  He’s got a great smile that lights up his whole
face. He’s got a handsome but unassuming quality about him. 

They are in the middle of a conversation about movies that they would or
would not pay to see and the recent Hollywood fascination with fairy tales.  “Okay,
Jette, if you had to choose, which movie would you see, ‘
Goldilocks:  Locked
and Loaded’
or ‘
The Girl Who Cried Wolf’
,” Emmy quizzes me.

“No way.  I’ll pass on both.  But I’d pay to see ‘
Scary Mary Poppins’
. 
Does that count as a fairy tale?”  For the next half hour or so, the group
debates the merits of current movie trends.  By the end of the conversation, Derek,
Emmy, Grant and I have plans to go to the movies tomorrow after work. 

The evening winds down shortly after midnight when the rain that’s been
threatening to fall all day finally makes an appearance.  Emmy and I climb into
her car and call it a night.  “So Jette, what’s going on with you and Derek?”

“I don’t know what you mean.  He’s cute.  A nice guy and all, but there’s
definitely nothing going on.”  I wonder what brought that on.

“You may not think there is, but Derek is definitely interested.  He was
following you around like a puppy dog all night long.”

“Whatever.  He’s just a big flirt.  I see him flirting with girls at the
bar all night long.  It’s nothing.”

“Okay, if you say so.”   

Emmy drops me off at home.  Auggie’s not home yet, so I leave the porch
light on and get ready for bed.  I take off my watch, brush my teeth, and plug
in my cell phone to charge it.  There’s a missed message lighting the screen. 
I finally let myself have some fun tonight I never checked my phone once all
night.  I swipe the arrow to unlock the phone and there’s a message waiting for
me from Evan.

Hey
running grl – can’t wait til Sunday

It’s too late to text him back.  Or is it too early?  I hug myself at the
thoughts of today’s developments.  I have a dinner date with Evan, a potential
wedding client, and a really cool new group of friends.  Sleep overtakes me and
I drift into a sweet slumber with dreams of fairy tales and movie stars.

E
arly Saturday morning my alarm wakes me from a sound sleep.  I peek out
the window and I am greeted with stormy skies.  Heavy rain has cancelled my
morning run and I get a chance to sleep in today.  I get back into bed, pull
the covers up to my chin, and close my eyes.

By ten o’clock, Jack calls to tell me I can have the day off.  The
outside patio is closed due to the pouring rain.  I decide to spend the day
creating a decadent dessert for tomorrow’s dinner date.  Scouring through my
recipe books, I decide on a Salted Caramel Entremet. 

An entremet is a classic French cake that is comprised of different
complementary flavors with a variety of textures.  There’s a layer of cake,
mousse, and crunch, each incorporating a unique flavor.  The result should be
an explosion of taste and texture that awakens all the senses.

As I start gathering my ingredients, I begin to think about the
ingredients for my drink of choice last night, a ‘Dirty Butthole’.  The main
ingredients are Kahlua and Jägermeister.  Perhaps I should incorporate those
flavors into a new creation uniquely my own.  Jägermeister has a complex combination
of orange, ginger and cinnamon, while Kahlua has a rich coffee base.  I just
know these flavor profiles will work really well together. Salted caramel glaze
and chocolate curls will give it the desired texture and visual appeal I’m
hoping for. 

Auggie never came home last night, so I find myself alone in the kitchen
cooking.  I put my iPhone music on shuffle and wait to see what Siri plays for
me.  She treats me to FUN., one of my favorite indie-pop bands.  As I’m dancing
around the kitchen cooking, singing, and baking, I’m interrupted by a new text
message.

Evan:  missed u this mrng running grl
;)

Jette:  im baking you something
special right now

Evan:  mmm  cant wait to taste your
sweet treat

Jette:  looking forward to tasting ur
main course :P

Evan:  we’ll have to see about that
2mrw

Looks like it’s going to be another great day.  I put my music back on
and resume my bake dancing.

J
ust as I put the finishing touches on my Entremet, Reese calls to check
in.  “Hey, Reese!  I’m so glad you called.  What’s up?”

“Nothing much, I’m bored.  I miss Denver.  Life here in Wisconsin sucks.” 
Like me, Reese moved back home after graduation.  She’s from a small town just
west of Milwaukee.  “How’s life at the Jersey Shore?  Meet any hot surfers
yet?”

“Well, I have a date tomorrow night, but it’s not with a surfer.  His
name is Evan and he’s a trainer with the New Jersey Sentinels.”  I still can’t
believe it’s really happening.

“Seriously?  A trainer?  Does he have a hot body?”

“Reese, you have no idea.”  I spend the next half an hour telling her all
about him.  She is giddy when I tell her about my accidental meeting on the
beach and chance meeting at the coffee shop.

“Jette, it sounds like kismet.  You know I don’t believe in accidents. 
You need to really give this guy a chance and see where it leads.”  Reese is a
true romantic.

“But he’s just so ... perfect.”

“Bull crap.  There’s no such thing as a perfect man.  You know, sort of
like the Loch Ness Monster ... they say he exists, but no one’s actually seen him.”

Reese always makes me feel better.  By four o’clock, I start to get ready
for the movies.  The four of us are going to the five o’clock showing of ‘Means
to an End’ playing at the local movie theater.  We all take our own cars so we
can be on our way afterwards.  Not surprisingly, I’m the last to arrive, and
when I do, I find Derek, Grant, and Emmy waiting in the lobby for me.  Derek’s
height makes it easy to find him in the crowd and I make my way over to join
them.

“I bought your ticket, Jette.  What do I get in return?”  Derek raises
his eyebrows and grins devilishly.

“Oh, Derek, you’re such a sweet talker.  You make my knees weak,” and I
patted my chest with a quick thrumming while looking up at him adoringly. 

The four of us head into the theater and take seats along the back wall
of the theater.  We’re just in time to see the trailers for other movies, which
is my favorite part.  There are some great blockbusters being released this
summer: romances, action/adventures, comedies, and cartoons.  I find myself
wondering what kind of movies Evan likes to see and what it would be like to be
sitting in a dark theater so close to someone who makes my pulse race and my
skin tingle.

A little over two hours later and the movie’s over.  We decide to head
over to Applebee’s to grab a few drinks and dinner. 

In a few weeks, Wilkinson’s is having a big event to raise money for
Restore the Shore.  I’ve heard there are going to be some famous people
attending, and I’m wondering if Derek and Emmy have heard anything specific.

“I heard Bruce Springsteen may stop in,” Emmy says.  “He rarely makes scheduled
appearances.  Last time he just showed up, played a couple of songs, and his
body guards snuck him right out the door.”  As a true Jersey Girl, I am an avid
Bruce Springsteen fan.  Making drinks for The Boss would really be a thrill.

“Jack told me some big names from sports will probably show up,” Derek
adds.  “Some players from the Devils and Sentinels are supposed to be here,
too.”  I’ll have to try to remember to ask Evan if he knows anything about his
team coming to our epic event. 

Derek asks, “Grant, you have to come out for this.  I’ll get a pair of
tickets for you and a date.  You in?”

“Hells, yeah!  I’m banking on Bruce showing up.  Count me in.”