The Running Series Complete Collection: 3-Book Set plus Bonus Novella (8 page)

I
am thankful for the large crowd filling the bar tonight.  The in-house DJ is playing more great music.  It’s Emmy’s night off, so Derek and I are manning the bar alone.  We are so busy that I barely have time to think about Evan.  For some reason I can’t explain, I just know he isn’t going to just show up here out of the blue. 

I slide a bottle of Bud to one of my customers when Derek points over to the other side of the bar.  “That guy’s been asking about you, Jette.  What should I tell him?”  I search the bar and spot a well-dressed young man around my age talking to a group of guys. 

“I dunno.  Tell him whatever you want.  Not interested.”  I return to the crowd of customers lining my bar waiting for their drinks.  The male customers are easy to handle, most want a beer or a shooter.  The women, on the other hand, usually want a mixed drink.  Personally, I’ll take an ice-cold beer any night of the week.

With the crowd growing, the head bartender joins us, Marcus.  His looks are intimidating to anyone who doesn’t know him.  He has the body and presence of a lacrosse player, someone you just don’t mess with.  But the moment you look into his eyes, almond shaped with the most captivating shade of amber, you sense he’s more of a teddy bear. 

Marcus knows his way around a bar and with his help, the crowd becomes more manageable.  The guys obviously know each other well and are exchanging jokes and insults all night long.  Soon enough, I join in on the banter and find myself really having fun.

“Tell you what, Jette,” Marcus shouts.  “I catch this cocktail behind my back and you go out to dinner with me.”  The crowd’s watching the spectacle and they’re really enjoying the show.

“No way!”  Marcus has great reflexes and he knows it.  I wave him off and continue to work the bar.  Marcus, being the expert showman that he is, feigns a broken heart and goes back to flirting with the ladies.

Derek whisks me up in his arms, spins me around, and dips me so low, I can practically touch the ground.  “Keep your filthy paws off her, Marcus.  She’s all mine!”  Derek kisses my hand and I fan myself with my free hand.

“You know I only have eyes for you, Derek!” and I bat my eyelashes in my best Scarlet O’Hara southern belle impersonation.

As I make my way down the line, the guy that Derek pointed out appears with an empty glass.  “What can I get you tonight?” I ask while mentally calculating the number of customers waiting to be served.

“Whatever’s on tap ... and your number.”  He looks sweet and hopeful.  I have to let him down easy.

“Sorry, it’s really very sweet of you to ask, but I have a boyfriend.”  I slip the cash from his hand and he sulks away.  I don’t have time to worry about his hurt feelings, and I instead concentrate on making mojitos, cosmos, and martinis.

Derek grins and winks at me.  “You know it, babe!” and he smacks me on the ass.  I shoot him a look of disapproval and I hope he gets the message.  Flirting is one thing, but ass grabbing and slapping crosses a line.

The rest of the night continues with the boys acting like fools and the customers eating it up.  The tip jar is overflowing and the time flies by.

It’s close to closing time and the crowd has thinned out considerably.  There are a few stray customers sitting at the bar.  One guy’s been sitting here a while.  I vaguely remember serving him a few beers throughout the night.  Marcus busies himself cleaning up the bar and I walk around wiping down the counter, asking everyone for their final drink orders.

When I approach the guy sitting alone, something inside me doesn’t feel right.  Call it intuition, but I have this feeling that there’s going to be a problem.  It’s the way he’s sitting there, alone, watching my every move.  “Last call, what’ll it be?”

He grabs the hand I’m using to wipe down the counter with.  “How about we get out of here and grab something to eat at the diner, sweetheart?”  He grabs my hand in both of his, petting my knuckles.

“Sorry, I don’t date customers.  How about you let go of my hand, and I’ll get you another beer?”  I struggle to free my hand, but he’s not letting up. 

“Aw, come on. I saw you flirting with those guys all night.  You like to have fun, I can tell.  Let’s have some fun together.  I promise I’ll show you a good time.”  He grins at me, but his eyes remain steely.

“How about you give me some cash, and I’ll give you a beer.  That sounds like a good time, don’t you think?”  I look over to Derek for a little assistance, but it’s Marcus who shows up behind the jackass.

“Let the lady go, sir, NOW!”  Marcus is a very intimidating man.  If he wasn’t a bartender, he’d make one heck of a bouncer.

The jackass immediately releases me, throws a few dollars on the counter and calls back, “Slut!” as he exits the bar. 

Immediately, Marcus joins me behind the bar to check to see if I’m OK.  He hold my shoulders and looks me directly in the eyes, “Jette, hon, how ‘ya doin’?”

“Thanks, Marcus. I’m fine, really.”  I lie.  I’m actually a little shaken up by the whole situation, but no one needs to know that.  “Let’s finish cleaning up and go home.  It’s been a long night.”

Derek sees Marcus holding me in place, then comes over and asks, “What happened?”

“Jette just got a little manhandled at the bar.  I had to step in before things got out of hand,” Marcus explains.

“Guys, I’m fine.  Let’s not make a big deal out of this.  No harm done.”  I turn away and start wiping down the bar with my wet bar rag while my hands are shaking, probably from the adrenaline raging through my veins. 

I start to feel better with each minute that passes.  By the time we lock up and head to our cars, I’m feeling much better.  Marcus and Derek insist on walking me to my car, just in case the jackass hasn’t left.  Truth be told, I’m glad to have them hovering.

Once I get home and crawl into bed, exhaustion overtakes me and I’m asleep before my head hits the pillow.

Chasing Rainbows

I
skipped my run yesterday, so staying home again today is out of the question.  I look out the window to check on the weather, and I’m greeted by gray skies.  The skies reflect my mood. I’m still feeling a little off after last night’s exchange.  I’d love to be able to be lazy and head to the beach a little later, but the weather seems to be conspiring against me.

I put my iPhone music on shuffle as I get ready to go and Adele’s “Skyfall” starts playing.  It’s a beautiful song, but the tone is so solemn, I’m finding it hard to get motivated. 

Trudging to the bathroom, I try to wash away my somber state.  I turn on the faucet and splash some cold water onto my face.  Scrutinizing myself in the mirror, I attempt to see what Emmy sees.  Could this face be enough to capture the interest of someone like Evan?  When I examine individual features, it’s hard to find fault.  My teeth are white and straight thanks to years of braces and orthodontic work.  My eyes are bright and alert, a shade of green that dramatically contrasts with my brown hair.  There are no blemishes on my skin, but a few freckles dot my shoulders.  My eyebrows are appropriately manicured and my ears are not too large.  Collectively, I suppose one might consider me attractive, but it’s hard to see in yourself what others claim to see.

Maddy and I head to the beach and I park in my usual spot.  There are a few cars here today, but a lot less than previously, surely due to the dreary weather.  I don’t bother trying to guess which car, if any, belongs to Evan.  I imagine his car is safely tucked away in his attached garage.

Maddy and I walk down to the beach and warm up.  I sit on the ground and start to stretch my ankles with an alphabet stretch.  It’s a warm-up exercise I learned in soccer.  Normally, you’re supposed to point your toes into the air and spell out the alphabet one letter at a time and in the process, help relieve the residual ankle pain from my recent sprain.  My mood dictates my decisions, and I start spelling E-V-A-N, then M-A-Y-B-E, and finally H-O-P-E. 

Before starting my run, I check the horizon, and there are no other joggers in sight.  Now that I know exactly where Evan’s house is, I purposely jog in that direction hoping to give fate another chance to intervene.  In no time at all, I’m running right past his home, but there’s no sign of life.  The doors and windows are all closed and I can’t tell if there are any lights on inside.  I don’t let my eyes linger too long. I have to keep an eye on the terrain this time.

The prudent thing to do would be to make today’s run a short one.  There’s no sense in pushing myself and chancing another injury.  The next one might not heal as quickly.  After only fifteen minutes, I decide it’s time for a break.  Maddy and I play a little fetch. I stretch my muscles and joints, and again scan my surroundings.  No signs of life other than a few men with fishing rods and some scavenging dirty seabirds.

Disappointment settles in, and I resume my jog, heading back towards the car.  Every few minutes, I peer towards Evan’s house and the closer I get the more certain I am that someone is out on the deck.  At first, I can barely make out the figure, but little by little, I begin to recognize the familiar physique of Evan.  He even seems to be scanning the beach looking for something, or someone.

My mind is reeling.  Thoughts start filling my head.  What should I say if he approaches me?  Suppose he invites me back in?  What if he asks for my number?  What if he asks me on a date?  Then, it occurs to me ... what if he doesn’t?

I’m nearly to his beach house and I’m watching with one eye on the surf and one eye on Evan.  I can see him watching me.  He’s wearing a hoodie so I can’t see his beautiful face, but the shorts that hang low on his waist reveal the fit muscular body that I recall vividly.  I raise my hand to wave to him, but before I can get my arm above my head, Evan turns away, goes inside and closes the door.  My heart sinks into the pit of my stomach.  What the hell just happened?

W
hen life hands you lemons, hand them back and demand chocolate!  The only thing to do right now is to drive directly to the Green Planet Coffee Company and treat myself to a large chai and a double chocolate chip muffin.  It’s still early and parking is not a problem.  It hasn’t started raining yet, so I decide to let Maddy out of the car.  She can wait outside for me while I run in quickly.  After a quick scratch behind her ears, I attach her leash to one of the Adirondack chairs in front of the coffee shop and head in.

They are training a new barista, and everything takes much longer than usual.  The person in front of me orders a macchiato and the manager is explaining the difference between a latte and macchiato in excruciatingly complex details.  When it’s my turn, I place my order and wait patiently.  I refuse to allow myself to take out my bad disposition on this poor young girl who’s doing the best she can.  Not that long ago, I was in training myself, and I always appreciated when my customers gave me a little slack.  Offering the same in return is the least I can do.

As I’m waiting, I get an unexpected tingle down my spine.  My mind immediately returns to images of Evan ... of our morning spent together giggling, laughing, and flirting, the way I felt when his skin brushed against mine.  I push those thoughts to the side.  It’s time to move on.  When my order is up, I take a deep breath and head outside to face another day.

The moment I step outside, I am completely unprepared for what awaits me.  Sitting on the exact chair where I tied Maddy is Evan!  He is affectionately petting her back and she is clearly under his spell.  Crap!

I stand stock still while the image before me sinks in.  That familiar tingle makes a reappearance and I’m rendered speechless. 

“Hello, Juliette.  What a nice surprise.”  Evan seems genuinely pleased to see me.  A grin spreads across his face and is reflected with a glimmer in his eyes.

“Oh, hey, Evan.”  I try to reveal as little as possible.  “Let’s go Maddy.”  I remove the leash from Maddy’s collar so I can separate it from the chair.  As quickly as I can, I detached the leash from the chair and reattach it to Maddy’s collar.  Evan is studying me with a confused look on his face.  “Thank you for watching Maddy for me.  Take care.”  I turn on my heels and start to walk toward my car with my dog in tow.