Running Back to You (The Running Series, #1)
Read Running Back to You (The Running Series, #1) Online
Authors: Suzanne Sweeney
Tags: #romance, #beach, #football, #sports, #new jersey, #Humor, #fiction, #new adult, #contemporary, #coming of age
The Running Series: Book One
Running Back to You
By Suzanne Sweeney
Copyright © 2013 by
Suzanne Sweeney
All rights reserved.
Cover design by Suzanne Sweeney
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or
mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without
permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who
may quote short excerpts in a review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either
are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any
resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely
coincidental.
Suzanne Sweeney
Visit my website at http://suzannesweeney.wordpress.com/
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing: August 2013
ISBN- 978-1-304-25313-2
Dedication ~
To my friend Michelle
for all her support, encouragement, and
guidance.
Thank you!
Homecoming
“O
h, Auggie, thank you for everything. You’ve given me the best
graduation gift.” I
can’t believe that just a few days ago, I became a college graduate. Auggie
volunteered to fly out to Denver and make the long drive with me back home. I put up a bit of a fight at
first, I know how busy he is, but what alternatives did I have? Drive home
alone? Ask my mother to drive home with me? I don’t have the patience
necessary for that. It’s a fifteen-hour drive from Denver to Chicago, then a
thirteen-hour drive from Chicago to New Jersey. That’s a long time to be
sitting in a car with anyone.
Besides, Auggie’s Jeep Grand Cherokee is roomy enough to fit both of us, my
two year old mixed breed boxer Madeira whom I nicknamed Maddy, and all my
possessions comfortably for the long trip to New Jersey. I am so thankful to
have a friend like James August Deegen. I’ve always wanted a brother, and his
friendship is the closest thing to having a sibling I’ll ever know. The
purring of the engine as we drive along the highway is calming, relaxing even.
I rest my head on Auggie’s shoulder and repeat two small, but heart-felt words,
“Thank you.”
“What’s up, Jette, my Pet? You feelin’ blue?” He reaches over, grabs my
hand and gives me a comforting squeeze. We have a long drive ahead of us and I
am determined to enjoy every moment. I don’t answer him right away. I just shrug
my shoulders, shake my head, and give a small sigh. “Juliette Evangeline
Fletcher, if you don’t tell me right now, I’m pulling this car over until you
spill.”
“Oh, Auggie, nothing’s wrong. I’m just tired. I didn’t get much sleep
last night. Let me close my eyes for an hour and get some rest. You okay to
drive for a little while?” I was up all night sorting through all the mental checklists
locked up in my mind. I also have lists on my phone, on my computer, and in my
recipe book. Occasionally, my need to keep things organized interferes with
life, like last night, but mostly it helps me keep things in perspective.
Auggie lets me nap. I get to sleep for a solid hour, waking refreshed
and energized. After that, we take turns driving. We only stop when we need
to eat, use the bathroom, or let Maddy out for a stretch. Eventually, the
landscape begins to resemble the home I know so well. Evergreen trees mixed
with scrub pines and oak trees line the roads. An occasional deer can be
spotted looking for food, sometimes in pairs. When we see the sign for the
Jersey Turnpike, we both cheer out loud. It’s not that we love the Turnpike, no
one does, it just means that our long car ride home is nearly over.
We are home in Point Pleasant just as the sun begins to hang low in the
sky.
I will be staying at Auggie’s place until I figure out what I want to
do. He is renting a beautifully updated ranch style home near the Beaver Dam
Creek. I catch the first glimpse of my temporary home and I immediately fall
in love. When I spot my old jalopy of a car, a rust-colored Dodge Neon, parked
sleepily in the driveway, I wordlessly smile to myself.
As he gives me the grand tour, I immediately feel at peace. Although
modest in size, it has the essentials: two bedrooms and a recently remodeled
kitchen with antique cabinets, marble countertops, and all stainless steel
appliances. It has an open floor plan with a generous island that separates
the living area from the kitchen.
Auggie is staying in the master bedroom with an en-suite bathroom. That
means that the guest bathroom is completely my domain. My room is right beside
it. Since it is only a rental property, it is pre-furnished, including the
bedroom furniture. I am a very lucky girl, indeed.
I think I’m going to like living with Auggie. He has the whole house
organized and decorated tastefully. He’s added just the right amount of color
and flair to turn a pre-furnished house into a home. It’s simple, clean, and
subtle. I’ll have to surprise him with something special to thank him for
everything. Maybe I can bake him some cookies. I have to keep my baking
skills fresh, anyway. The payments on my college loan will be starting soon,
and I am not going to let my degree in Baking & Pastry Arts go to waste.
I plop myself onto my new bed and look around. The whole ride here,
Auggie worried that I wasn’t going to like this place, especially my room. He
couldn’t be more wrong. It’s true, none of the furniture matches, but that’s what
gives the room character. The desk is a deep chocolate brown. The headboard
is a repurposed whitewash door. The dresser is a painted six-drawer wooded
chest. It’s definitely a mismatch, but once I put my touches on it, the room
will definitely pass for shabby chic. I love a good challenge and this room
definitely has potential. I make a mental note of all the antique shops that
line the streets of downtown Point Pleasant. Most of them seem to have
survived the super storm last Halloween. Finding the right accessories and
mirrors will really bring the collection together. Now all I need is a job to
bankroll my wish list.
I’m immediately brought back to reality when Maddy paws at my feet. She
needs to go check out her new digs, too – the backyard. Quickly, I make my way
through the kitchen, into the laundry room, and find the door to the backyard.
Maddy gallops out into the fenced-in yard and immediately finds a marauding
squirrel that needs to know there’s a new sheriff in town. It looks like she
approves of our new home, too.
Auggie and I make quick work of unpacking the Jeep while Maddy joyfully
plays outside. Immediately, I start opening up the boxes, bags, and suitcases
that contain all my most treasured possessions. As I look around, I can’t help
but be impressed with my own packing skills. It’s hard to believe that all
these boxes fit neatly into the Jeep like the pieces of a three dimensional
puzzle, with every piece fitting tightly with the next and leaving no space for
anything else. The drive across country from Denver to New Jersey was a
challenge, but we all made it home in one piece. Now I have to reassemble my
life and my belongings.
I
wake up the next day and rather than unpack, I decide to turn on my
laptop and see if anyone from Denver is online. Sure enough, Reese is online
and I quickly send her a message.
Jette:
hey stranger!
Reese:
hey you. whats up?
Jette:
nm u?
Reese:
starting my new job 2morrow
Jette: I
hope u love it.
Reese:
me too. Find a job yet?
Jette:
no. soon I hope
Reese:
I’ll call you soon. gtg
Jette: OK. ttys
I miss Reese; she was a good roommate and a great friend. It’s not just
Reese that I miss; it’s everything about life in Colorado. Reese, Simon, Luke
and Sara were my best friends at school. We all came from different parts of
the country, but we really made a life for ourselves. Every weekend we would
embark on a different adventure. Sometimes it would involve finding a new
diner for breakfast or a unique restaurant for dinner. We were all culinary
students and had a passion for all things food.
Luke and I took the Baking & Pastry Arts track and spent most of our
time looking for bakeries. Reese, Simon and Sara were all vying to become the
next Top Chef and preferred to critique local restaurants. We rarely had
classes together. During our last year in Denver, we finally had an
opportunity to take the same class together in the fall – Beverage
Appreciation. When Simon first suggested it, I thought he was kidding. There
was no way this was a real class that would earn actual college credits. He
pulled it up online and sure enough – there it was! The description read,
“
This
intermediate course refines the student's knowledge of beverages served in a
variety of hospitality operations. Emphasis is placed on beverage sensory
perception and food pairings. Students develop and analyze strategies to
effectively manage, market and set standards for beverage operations. Both
alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are examined
.”