The Running Series Complete Collection: 3-Book Set plus Bonus Novella (9 page)

“Juliette, wait, why don’t you sit and join me?”  Evan is now standing and facing me with his hands in his pockets.

“That’s OK, Evan.  I’m sure you’ve got a million things to do.”  I give him a half-hearted smile, and turn with Maddy to leave.

“Juliette, stop, please.  Something’s obviously wrong.  Have I done something to upset you?”  He stares quizzically at me like he’s trying to solve a puzzle.

“No, of course not.  Thank you for the flowers, by the way.  They were really a lovely gesture.”  I should have thanked him right away.  He has a way of getting me flustered.

“Good, then sit.”  Evan plops himself down and pats the chair beside him. 

Unable to come up with a reason not to stay, I give the slightest nod and join him.  In order to avoid trying to make small talk, I begin to drink my tea and wait for him to continue.

“When I didn’t see you on the beach yesterday or today, I was worried that you were more seriously injured than I thought.” 

“I’m sorry.  What did you just say?”  Does he think I’m blind?  Is he going to pretend he didn’t see me this morning?  It’s one thing to avoid me, but it’s an entirely different thing to lie to my face, and that I won’t abide.

“I said I was worried about you.  I don’t understand your reaction.  Talk to me, Juliette.”  His brow is furrowed and there is a genuine look of concern on his face.

“You
know
I was on the beach today.  You were looking right at me.  I saw you standing there on your deck watching me.  Look, if you don’t want to spend time with me, that’s fine.  Believe me, I understand.  But don’t sit there and pretend you didn’t see me.”  I will not be played the fool by anyone, not even Evan.

Evan takes my hand and looks directly into my eyes and when he speaks, it is clear that he is being sincere. “Juliette, listen.  The person you saw on my deck was not me.  I have a friend staying at my place for a few days, and it must have been him that you saw.  Can you describe what he looked like?”

Now that I think about it, I never did get a look at his face.  I’m immediately brought back to my first sighting of Evan, right here in this very place.  He wasn’t alone.  He was with someone I presume was his friend.  Although this unknown stranger was blonde, he was every bit as fit and toned as Evan.  Both men were about the same height, age, and size.  “Well, he was
your
height,
your
build and
your
age, walking around on
your
deck.”  Guilty until proven innocent.

“And his hair?  What color was it?”  He still hasn’t released my hand.

“I couldn’t tell.  He was wearing a hoodie.  If it wasn’t you, Evan, who was that?” 

“That was my best friend, Adam Cooke.  He works for the team, too.  He relocated to New Jersey with me and he’s closing on his house in a few days.  I’m letting him stay with me until then.  I’d love for you to come over and meet him.  That is, if you’re still speaking to me.”

I still have one big unanswered question.  “Then why was he staring at me and watching me on the beach, Evan?  Is your friend a creeper or a stalker or something?”

Evan releases my hand and laughs at me.  He actually laughs at me!  “I suppose that’s because I told him all about you.  The moment he saw a beautiful brunette running with her dog early in the morning, he came in to tell me.  By the time I came out, you were gone.”  He reaches down to pet Maddy and smirks.  “Do you believe me?” 

I can’t find any holes in his explanation.  Perhaps he’s telling the truth.  “I guess it’s possible.  But I really thought it was you.”

“That means there’s only one thing left to do.  You have to meet Adam.  When’s your next day off?” 

Suddenly, I feel my heart beating rapidly.  The caffeine from the tea and chocolate are kicking in and my mind is reeling from the recent developments.

“I have to work tonight and Saturday, but I’m off Sunday.  What do you have in mind?”  If I’m being honest with myself, I have to admit that I wouldn’t mind seeing him again.

“How about dinner?  At my house.  You can meet Adam and we can hang out.” 

It sounds innocent enough.  “OK, but I’m bringing dessert.”

“Do you have your phone with you?  I’d like you to take my number in case something comes up.”

“Yeah, it’s in the car.  Can you watch the dog?  I’ll be right back.”  As quickly as I can, I retrieve my phone and sit back down.  I start a new contact entry in my contact list and it occurs to me, “Evan, I don’t know your last name.”

“Thomas.  Evan Thomas,” he gives me his number and I carefully program it into my phone.

“I’d like you to take my number, too.  You know, just in case.”  I try not to sound overly needy.  “You don’t have to call me unless something comes up and you need to cancel.”

After programming his phone, he stands and faces me.  He reaches out to take my hands and help me up.  “I wish I could stay here all day and talk with you, but Adam’s going to think I got mugged if I don’t come back with his latte soon.” 

Before I have any time to react, Evan is wrapping his arms around me and giving me a hug.  Instinctively, I hug him right back, enjoying the feel of his muscular frame in my hands.  My nerve endings are firing and I take a deep breath to try to clear my head.  He hugs me tighter. 

I feel his hand move from my lower back to my shoulders and I look up into his eyes.  He smiles and leans down, then kisses me gently on my forehead.  I close my eyes to shut out everything else around me to enjoy the sensation of his lips on my skin.  He sweeps the hair off my shoulder and whispers in my ear, “I’ll be in touch,” as he releases me and steps into the coffee shop.

I
get to work early for the lunch shift and begin filling the ice bins as Emmy joins me on the patio.  “Hey, Emmy, what’s new?” 

“Not much.  Jason and I broke up.”  She shrugs her shoulders and goes about readying the bar for customers.  I don’t know much about her relationship with Jason, other than he was the brother of one of her teammates.  Emmy never said much about him.  I don’t even know how she felt about him.

“Oh, Em, I’m so sorry!  Are you OK?”  I try to gauge her response.  She keeps filling the bar rack and going about her business.

“Yeah, Jason’s a great guy and all, but there was something missing.  I don’t know how to explain it.  He’s super sweet, we got along great, and we always had fun together.  But, I don’t know...” she just trails off.  I know what she means.  There was no spark. 

Despite the gloomy weather, we are pretty busy.  People-watching is one of the best parts of being a bartender.  Lots of people seem to be getting an early start on their weekend. 

At one table, there’s an older, gray-haired very well dressed man with a much younger woman.  She’s wearing tons of bling and is showing off what appears to be a very expensive set of new boobs.  I never could really wrap my mind around that one.

There’s also a young couple sitting at the bar that is obviously deeply in love.  Every time I glance over at them, they are touching.  I see him whispering in her ear, and she’s blushing.  They have a few drinks, order some food off the bar menu, and off they go. 

My mind drifts to thoughts of Evan.  I can’t stop thinking about how his arms felt wrapped around my waist.  Then there was the kiss ... his lips pressed against my skin, it makes me quiver just thinking about it.

“Emmy, can I ask you something?”  I’ve been dying to talk to someone about today’s misadventures and get her take on it.

“Shoot.  What’s up?”  She’s cleaning some rocks glasses while we chat.

“Well, this morning, I was running on the beach by Evan’s house and I’m pretty sure I saw him on his deck.  He ran back into the house before I had a chance to talk to him.  Then I ran into him at the coffee shop and he told me it wasn’t him.  How do I know if he’s telling me the truth?”  I give a heavy sigh and wait for her advice.

“Hard to say.  How did he act when you ran into him at the coffee shop?  Did he avoid you?”

“No, actually, he waited outside for me to come out.  He was really kind of cute about it.” I sighed at the memory of seeing him sitting there with Maddy waiting for me.

“Jette, if he was trying to avoid you, do you honestly think he would have waited for you outside a coffee shop?  Seriously?”  Now she’s looking at me like I’ve got two heads.

“I know, you’re right.  It’s just that when it comes to Evan, I can’t think clearly.  I want to believe him, but I don’t completely trust myself or him.  He’s got this pull on me I can’t explain.”

“Oh, honey, I know exactly what you mean.  That’s what was missing from my relationship with Jason.  It’s called chemistry and either it’s there or it’s not.  Sounds like you’ve got it bad.”  Emmy is right.  “When are you going to see him again?”

“Not until Sunday.  He invited me over for dinner.  I think he’s going to cook for me.”  A huge grin spreads across my face.  I can’t hide my delight at the thought of spending more time with Evan.

“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 supplier 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.  “OK, 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.