The Running Series Complete Collection: 3-Book Set plus Bonus Novella (155 page)

It’s still well before lunchtime when I call Adam’s cell phone, and I’m relieved when he answers.  “Sparky, I need your help.”

“Jette, the last time you started a sentence like that, we both got ourselves into hot water.  Sorry, but there’s no way I’m going to be able to get in the middle of another one of your ridiculous antics.”  He’s adamant, and I can’t say I blame him one tiny bit.

“You don’t have to say a word. Just listen, and if you think it’s a good idea, you can either help me or hook me up with someone who can.”  As I begin to recount my plan for a special surprise treat for Evan, a wave of excitement and enthusiasm washes over me that I haven’t felt in a long time.  I begin to feel alive again.  “And Evan doesn’t even have to know it was me who arranged it all.  Don’t you think he needs this right now?”

There’s a moment of silence on the phone while Adam considers my plea.  Finally he answers with two simple words. “I’m in.”

We go over the details, and Adam seems to think he can pull it off.  Now it’s time to contact my second accomplice, and I’m terrified she will want nothing to do with me.  Evan is very close to his sister, and I’m not at all sure she’ll be willing or able to see past the fact that I caused Evan pain and anguish.

She answers the phone and surprises me with her greeting. “Juliette, I’m so glad you finally called.  I was worried I’d never hear from you again.”

“Hi, Callie.  I guess Evan’s filled you in on everything.  I’m actually a little surprised you’d even take my call after all that’s happened.”

“I’ll always take your call, no matter what happens between you and my baby brother.  And just for the record, he’s not always right, you know.  He’s got an ego as big as the Empire State Building and he’s not used to getting it bruised.  He’ll come around, you’ll see.”  Her voice is calm and reassuring.  It’s exactly what I need to hear.

“Well, I have a lot of work to do if that’s ever going to happen.  That’s why I’m calling.  I want to do something special for Evan and I was wondering if you could help me.”

Quick as a flash, she jumps right in. “I’ll do it.”

I can’t help but smile and laugh a little.  “I haven’t even told you what it is yet.”

“It doesn’t matter.  Count me in.  What do I have to do?”

I spell out my plans for the surprise, and Callie loves it.  “Oh, Juliette, I think it’s perfect.  It’s exactly what he needs to take his mind off all this crap the two of you have to deal with right now.  Let me make a quick call to make sure he’s not busy, and I’ll call you right back.”

By noon I not only have a plan, but a team of co-conspirators to pull it off.  There are so many people who love and care for Evan who are helping me to pull it off, very little of the credit will actually come back to me.  It’s beyond perfect; it’s heartwarming.  I just wish I could be there to see the look on his face when it all takes place.

At four o’clock, Auggie comes home and stops dead in his tracks when he sees me.  “Holy macaroni, Batman.  Is that lasagna I smell?”

I wipe my hands on my apron and give Auggie a big, warm hug.  “It is.  I’ve had a very busy day today and I’m hungry.  I hope you don’t mind.”

“Mind?  I haven’t seen you eat, much less cook anything, in days!  What happened at therapy this morning?  Did you get electric shock treatment or just a big ol’ bottle of Prozac?”

“Neither, actually.  But thanks for the never-ending confidence you have in me and my ability to get my shit together.”  I grab a dishtowel and snap it, making him jump back to avoid the sting.

“Oh, Jepetto, I do believe in you.  It’s just that I also believe in getting help when you’re in over your head, and from where I’m standing, you’ve been swimming in the deep end for a long time now.”  Auggie walks over to the pot of sauce I have simmering on the stove and samples it.

“Well, I’ve learned my lesson.  In fact, you’d be very proud of me.  Dr. Falkowski gave me a homework assignment and the first thing I did was to call Adam and Callie and ask them to help.”  I pour myself a glass of Cabernet and pull up a stool at the kitchen island. 

“Homework, huh?”  Auggie pours himself a glass and joins me.  “Spill.  And don’t leave out any of the juicy deets.”

“My homework assignment was to do something kind for Evan without getting anything back in return.  The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the happiest I’ve seen Evan was when he got to spend time with his cousin, Cole.  So Callie helped get him down here and delivered him to Adam’s house.  Adam got tickets on the floor to tonight’s Knicks game for the three of them and arranged for a driver to show up at Evan’s house.  The plan was for Adam to go inside and kidnap Evan while Cole waits in the limo to surprise him.”

“And he’ll never know it was you?  Adam gets all the credit?  How is that a good thing?” he asks.

“It’s good for Evan, and frankly, that’s all I care about right now.  Getting Brownie points isn’t part of the equation,” I point out.

For the first time in a long time, I’m able to talk to Auggie about things other than work and the weather.  We eat, we drink, and he listens as I bare my soul.  It feels like a purging and I immediately feel lighter.

As Auggie scrubs the pots and pans clean, I check my watch and see that it’s time for the game to start.  I turn on the Knicks game and crank up the volume so I can listen from the kitchen.  I press record on the remote so I don’t miss anything.  Wherever Big Mac goes, the cameras follow, and I’m sure that at some point they’ll find him in the crowd.

Once everything is cleaned and put away, Auggie and I settle in the living room in front of the television.  I curl up on the couch with my Kindle as I keep a watchful eye on the television. 

During half time, the sportscasters are rambling on about the stats from tonight’s game when I’m jarred from my novel by the mention of Evan’s name.  Auggie and I perk up immediately, giving the screen our full attention.

“And sitting courtside on Celebrity Row tonight, we have Evan McGuire, who’s taking a well-deserved break while he prepares for his first playoff game with the Sentinels.  Sitting beside him is a relative newcomer to the world of professional sports, Cole McGuire, a shining star in minor league baseball.  All eyes are on Cole as major league teams try to expand their roster with elite prospects they deem worthy of an early call-up.”

I can see Auggie’s head spin when he catches his first glimpse of Cole.  “Oh my God!  Will you look at that boy?”  Cole is, indeed, hot by anyone’s standards.  He, Evan, and Adam are sure to get tons of female attention at the Garden tonight.  I’m immediately regretting my decision to send them out in public together, wishing instead that I’d opted to send them a catered dinner to be eaten alone at Evan’s beach house.

The camera catches the trio as they get up to greet other notable celebrities at today’s game.  “Um, Auggie, is that ... Phil Collins the boys are talking to?”

“Damn right it is.  Isn’t Evan a huge Genesis fan?” Auggie asks.

“He is,” I tell him.  “Looks like Evan’s having a great night out.  It’s exactly what I was hoping for.”

“Jepetto, it’s me you’re talking to.  You don’t want to see him out there rubbing elbows without you.  Wouldn’t you rather see him rubbing elbows at home with you instead?”

Auggie and I watch the rest of the game, and from time to time the camera pans over to show Evan chatting animatedly with Adam and Cole.  He’s having fun; the dimples and the sparkle in his eye don’t lie.  I’m glad I could be a small part of it.

Hours later, we click off the TV and turn in for the night.  I switch off the light on my bedside table as I hear my phone chime with an incoming text.  I glance at the screen and see it’s from Evan. 

Evan:  thanks for a great nite

Jette:  XO

I wonder if he figured it out or if Adam outed me.  Either way, I’m secretly glad he knows.

Blood, Sweat, & Tears

W
hen I arrive at work the next day, I have a new outlook on life.  My day is now full of promise and I’m looking forward to finding another way to brighten Evan’s day.  I know he’ll be at practice until late as the team prepares for this weekend’s game against the Texans.  I’m sure I can think of something to surprise him with while he’s out of the house.

Unfortunately, my good mood is not shared by the rest of my staff.  Emmy, who is usually the most optimistic and hopeful person I know, is noticeably gloomy and heavy-hearted.  She’s behind the bar with Blaine today, and he can usually brighten anyone’s day with his Aussie accent and smiling face.  When the lunch crowd thins, I drag her into my office for a heart to heart.

I close the door and sit with her on the couch.  She doesn’t look at me and I can tell she’d rather not have this conversation.  But I have to try.  “Emmy, this isn’t you.  Something’s upsetting you.  It’s written all over your face.  Is there a problem with the baby?  Is it Adam?  Are you not feeling well?  Please talk to me,” I beg her.

“Jette, I can’t,” she tells me. “Please don’t worry about me.  I’ll be fine.  The baby’s fine.  There’s nothing you can do.”  She takes a big breath and lets out a deep sigh.

I take her hand in mine and try to reason with her.  “Sometimes the best thing anyone can do is to just listen.  I’m here.  Talk to me.  Don’t keep it bottled up inside.  Believe me, that’s the worst thing you can do,” I tell her.

“I know you’re right and I guess you’re going to find out soon enough anyway.  Today, Evan and Adam had to report to the court-appointed lab for blood work.  The judge ruled that there’s sufficient evidence to believe that one of them is most likely Kai’s father.  Shea has until the end of the week to get Kai tested too.”

“Oh,” is all I can squeak out.  That wasn’t what I was expecting to hear.  “Isn’t that a good thing though, Emmy?”

“I thought so too.  But I’m afraid.”  She rubs her belly.  “I have time with my little Bean, here.  We can go slowly and I can learn how to be a mom.  All babies do is eat and sleep.  Once I get good at that, they start to move around a little bit.  I can work my way up.”  She jumps up off the couch and paces around the room.  “But a toddler?  I have no idea what I’m doing.”

“Listen, Em – all I can tell you is not to waste your time worrying about something you have no control over.  There’s a pretty good chance that Adam won’t be Kai’s father at all.  I’ve seen it with my own eyes; he’s so much like Evan.”

Emmy turns and looks at me like I have three heads.  “Other than the dimples, Jette, I don’t see it.”

“You’ll see if you get to spend time with him.  It’ll be kind of obvious,” I tell her.

“Oh, we have been spending time together.  Yesterday morning, as a matter of fact, we all went out to breakfast together.  Adam, Evan, and I met Derek, Shea, and Kai at IHOP.  Apparently Kai is crazy for pancakes.  Then Shea let us take him to Chuck E. Cheese for an hour.  You should have seen those two, doting on that little boy and waiting on him hand and foot.  It was adorable.”

I can feel the tears beginning to well up in my eyes.  I’m not going to hide from Emmy or anyone else anymore.  If I’m upset or in pain, I’m going to be brave enough to show it.  “That’s great,” I manage to say in a squeaky high-pitched voice.  I grab a tissue and wipe away the tears.

Emmy rushes over to me. “Oh, honey, I didn’t mean to upset you.  It must be hard for you to hear about it like this.  I shouldn’t have said anything.  I’m so sorry.”

I take a deep breath and steady myself.  “No, Emmy.  I’m glad you told me.  Did it go well?”

She nods, “It did, sort of.  It took Kai a while to warm up to Adam and Evan.  He was pretty shy and quiet most of the time.  Evan tried really hard to get him to laugh and play, but Kai just wanted to watch the other kids for a while before he was brave enough to jump into the ball pit with them.” 

She laughs a little before she goes on.  “It was almost like watching Evan talk to Adam, who’s very cautious and wary of new people.  Evan’s always ready to jump in with both feet, but Adam likes to stand back and assess the situation first, and Kai is the same way.” 

My mind rapidly races back to my first encounter with Adam almost a year ago.  I can picture it like it was yesterday.  He approached me during one of my beach runs and interrogated me.  He didn’t know me, and he certainly didn’t trust me.  It took Adam a while before he accepted my presence in Evan’s life.  I can definitely see a parallel there.

“Are you going to spend more time with Kai?” I ask.

“Definitely.  But Shea won’t let them take him very far unless they learn how to use an EpiPen first.  Apparently Kai has a bad allergy to bees.  Adam tried to explain to her that bees either hibernate or die during the winter and she has nothing to worry about, but she wouldn’t listen.”

“I never thought about it, but Adam’s right.  How does he know so much about bees?  That’s a pretty random thing to know about.”

“He’s super allergic to bees too,” she tells me. 

“Oh.”  Now I understand what she meant when she said that she sees a strong resemblance between Adam and Kai.

Our conversation is cut short when my cell phone rings.  I check the screen and it’s a number I don’t immediately recognize.  Cautiously, I answer the phone, “Hello?”