Running Back to You (The Running Series, #1) (11 page)

Throwing
Caution to the Wind

I
t’s seven in the morning and I’m getting ready for my run.  As I flit
around my room gathering my running clothes, my phone beeps with a new text
message.  I quickly hop over and read it.

In a strange way, I’m glad I won’t be running into Evan during my run.  That
means I can relax and enjoy a good work out.  I quickly finish getting ready, and
then Maddy and I head out.

The beach is my happy place.  It always has been, for as long as I can
remember.  My earliest memory of the beach is from when I was very young. 

My grandfather drove me to see the ocean during a particularly fierce
hurricane.  It was the early stages of the storm, and he drove me to the
Manasquan inlet in his old Buick.  He parked right up next to the inlet wall
and we sat in the car while the waves crashed right up over the wall and onto
the hood of the car.  I thought it was the coolest thing in the world.  We
didn’t stay long, but I remember it like it was yesterday.  My grandfather’s
gone now, but he had a big impact on my life and I cherish the memories I have
of him.

By the time I was in middle school, my friends and I would ride our bikes
to the beach and stay all day.  We’d bake ourselves in the sun and eat lunch on
the boardwalk.  Come high school, we were sneaking onto the beach to avoid the
badge checkers and flirting with the lifeguards.  My earliest jobs all involved
the beach, too. I was an umbrella girl one summer where I got to hang out with
the lifeguards and bring beach umbrellas to the Bennies.  The pay was awful,
but tips were pretty good and I was, after all, on the beach all day every
day. 

The memories wash over me and before I know it, my car is parked and I’m
making my way to the beach for my morning run.  So thick are my memories, that I
barely remember driving here.  I guess I was on automatic pilot.  My childhood
friends have mostly scattered across the country.  Sometimes I miss them, but I
understand.  Not that long ago, I was seriously thinking about staying
permanently in Denver, but I’m here now and, frankly, I wouldn’t want to be
anywhere else in this exact moment. 

Today, I decide to push myself to resume my workout, no holding back. 
Maddy and I are making good time and I’m working up a real sweat.  I feel
mentally and physically sharp and ready for whatever obstacles are placed
before me.  I arrive back at my starting point, and I start to cool down.  To
keep my mind and body balanced, I decide to do a few yoga stretches.  As a
beginner, there are only a few poses that I am familiar with, so I opt for the
familiar downward facing dog.  Carefully, I place my palms into the firm sand
facing the ocean and I crouch down on my knees.  Slowly, I extend my hips and
straighten my legs.  I can feel the muscles in my calves stretch and burn. 
With a deep exhale, I push my thighs back and begin to slowly place my heels
back on the ground.

It’s at this exact moment that I hear an unfamiliar male voice, “You must
be Juliette.”  I look between my knees and see the inverted image of
stalker-hoodie-man walking towards me.  Really?  Now?  Crap!

Despite the position of my ass relative to his face, I remain frozen in
place and respond, “And you must be my creepy stalker-hoodie-man.  Oh, sorry, I
mean Adam, right?” Slowly I relax my thighs and place my knees on the ground,
then turn, stand, and face him. 

He hands me a bottle of water.  “Yeah – sorry about the creepy-stalker
thing the other day.  I didn’t mean to upset you.” 

As I take a few large gulps from the water bottle, I allow myself to
consider the man standing before me.  Could this be the person that I had
convinced myself was Evan?  Maybe.  He’s definitely got the same build, lean
hips, broad shoulders, easily six feet tall.  Throw a hood over his face, and
they could be twins.

“Oh, that’s okay.  I ran into Evan and he straightened everything out.” 
Maddy is not so sure about Adam, so she’s sitting right beside me in protective
mode.  I can see her ears are perked and she’s on high alert.  I give her a
little light pat on the head to reassure her.  “Well, I guess I’ll see you
tonight.  I should get going.  It was nice finally meeting you, Adam.”

“Um, Juliette, I was wondering if we could talk.  Can I invite you up to
the house for a cup of coffee or something?”  Now my curiosity is piqued. 
Today is my day off, and truthfully, I don’t have any plans until dinner.

“Yeah, sure, lead the way.”  Once again, I unexpectedly find myself
walking up the beach and onto the luxurious deck of Evan’s beach house.

Feeling a little more comfortable than last time, I choose a deck chair
and make myself at home. “So, Adam, does Evan know you’ve invited me here?” 
I’m wondering why he’s brought me here.

“Actually, no, he doesn’t.  And I’m hoping we can keep this between us,
Juliette.”  He sits down across from me and appraises me from head to foot. 
“Tell me something about yourself.  What do you do when you’re not scampering
around the beach?”  He leans back in his chair and waits for my response.

“Well, if you must know, I’m a part time bartender.  Listen, if you
brought me up here for some kind of weird job interview, I’ll save you some
time and be on my way.  I’m not after anything from your friend.  I like him,
that’s all.”  I stand up and continue, “I won’t say anything to Evan about
this, but I won’t lie.  If he asks me, I will tell him you invited me up here. 
I just want to be perfectly clear.”  I turn and head towards the steps that
lead back to the beach.

“No, Juliette, please don’t leave.  I’m sorry.  It’s just that Evan and I
have been friends for a long time.  We watch out for each other.  The past year
has been pretty rough for him for lots of reasons that I can’t share right
now.  I just wanted to make sure you aren’t one of those girls that just wants
to get her claws into Evan.  He’s got a lot of .... well ... assets, I suppose you
would call them, that make some people try to take advantage.”  He’s searching
for the right words.  “It’s hard to explain without giving too much away.”

“Really?  Evan doesn’t strike me as a weak person who is easily
manipulated.  He also doesn’t strike me as a poor judge of character.  What’s
really going on here, Adam?”  I sit back down.  There’s more to this story and
I’m going to try to get whatever information I can while I’m here.

“No, you’re right.  Evan is not a push over.  He never was.  He’s also a
great judge of character and he can spot these girls coming a mile away.  But
that’s not who he wants to be anymore.  He can’t afford to put himself into a
situation like that again.”

“Situation like what?  I don’t understand what you’re saying.  Actually,
I don’t understand anything about this conversation.  What do you mean when you
say he’s not like that
anymore
?  Are you trying to warn me about Evan or
warn Evan about me?”

“A little of both, I guess.  Evan said you were different.  I see that
now.  Forget it.  Have a good time tonight.  I guess I’ll see you at dinner. 
Thanks for your time.”  He walks me to the front door and watches as I make my
way to my parked car just down the street.  That was, by far, the strangest
conversation I’ve ever had in my life.  I’m getting completely mixed signals
from Adam.  Is he a concerned friend or a nosy interloper?  I guess we’ll find
out tonight.

I
return home with a chai for myself and a macchiato for Auggie.  He
hasn’t been around for a few days, so I’m thrilled when I pull up and he’s
still home.

“Jette, my Pet, you are a mind reader.  Is that for me?”  Auggie reaches
for the coffee and kisses me on the cheek. “Thank you, darling!”  He sits back
down at the kitchen island and resumes reading the morning news on his iPad. 
If I ever want to punish Auggie for some deplorable offense, it would be easy.  I’d
just have to hide his iPad and watch him freak.

“So, stranger, what’s been keeping you out so much?  You’ve really been
scarce around here lately.”  I’d love a chance to talk about something other
than my boy drama.  Maybe Auggie has some boy drama of his own.

“I’m sorry, Jette.  I didn’t mean to ignore you.  I’ve been a little
distracted lately.  I’m free tonight if you want to do something.  Dinner and a
movie, maybe?”

“Sorry Aug, but I have plans already.  What’s got you all distracted?”  I
raise my eyebrows and give him a knowing look. “Anything
special
you
want to share?”

“Maybe, it’s too soon to say, really.  Remember my friend, Anthony? 
Well, he introduced me to Brandon.  Brandon designs store displays for Anthropologie. 
He travels a lot, all across the east coast, setting up store displays and
consulting with local designers.  He’s got a trip to Boston coming up next week
and he wants me to go with him.  Isn’t that awesome?”  Auggie is beaming.  He
seems so excited and I’m happy for him.

“Can you take time off from work again?  You just got back from our
trip.  I don’t want you to drop everything and risk all you’ve worked so hard
for.  Is it a good time to go?”  Auggie’s been hurt before and I don’t think I
could handle it if anything happened to him.

“Oh, honey, it’s fine.  I just closed on three big houses.  I don’t have
anyone on the line right now.  It’s the perfect time.  Want to see some
pictures?”  Auggie flips through the images on his iPad and shows me photos of
Brandon.  There are pictures of the boys in the car, at a restaurant, in a bar,
at the boardwalk, and in someone’s house.  Wow.  They have been spending a lot
of time together. 

Auggie and I spend some time catching up and chatting.  When we both
finish our drinks, I slip away to take a quick shower.  Before I do, I warn
Auggie, “Keep your paws off my cake.  That’s for a friend.  I don’t want to
have to kill you over pastry.”

I have a nice relaxing afternoon hanging out with my roommate.  We make
popcorn and watch old eighties movies on TV.  St. Elmo’s Fire is on and we
spend half the movie making fun of the hair and clothes and during the
commercials, we go online to IMDB the stars and find out what they are up to
now. 

It’s an old tradition for us, watching Brat Pack movies together.  Auggie
and I spent many Saturday nights together throughout high school.  Auggie never
found his niche at school, and I didn’t really come out of my shell until
college.

Auggie makes getting ready for a date an event.  First, there’s the
runway.  I have to try on dresses, skirts, and pants until Auggie is satisfied
with my choice.  Tonight’s wardrobe eventually winds down to a simple
lemon-colored halter dress that shows off my shoulders, which I think are my
best asset.  I can wear my hair down so it sweeps across my bare back.  The key
is to find the right bra and panties.  No sooner have the thoughts entered my
brain, when Auggie is holding up my new lace panties from Victoria’s Secret.  I
snatch them from his hand, grab a strapless bra, and head back into the
bathroom to change.  When I step out, Auggie’s face tells me what I already
know, I look hot.  Not too hot, not slutty hot, not millionaire matchmaker hot,
more girl-next-door hot. 

“Get your bag, Jepetto.  We have to go over the checklist.”  Auggie read
an article once about the 10 things you should have with you on a date, and now
it’s a guide he lives by.  One by one, we go through the list together.