Running Back to You (The Running Series, #1) (12 page)

“Chapstick?”

“Check.”

“Phone Charger?”

“Check.”

“Tissues?”

“Check.”

“Tylenol?”

“Check.”

“Deodorant?”

“Check.”

“Toothbrush?”

“Check.”

“Cash?”

“Check.”

“Breath mints?”

“Check.”

“Condom?  Condom?  Jette, you have
to bring a condom!”

Reluctantly, I accept Auggie’s insistence, “Check.”

“Deck of cards?”

“Check.”

It may sound odd, but carrying around a deck of cards can really come in
handy.  In large groups, it lends itself to drinking games.  In small intimate
gatherings, it’s a great way to keep the conversation going.  I hope I don’t
need to take them out tonight.

No more stalling,  It’s time to go.  I grab my cake, which is now wrapped
in a pastry box, and check my phone one last time.  I send Evan a text before I
leave.

Jette:  on my way – ready?  :)

Evan texts back immediately
:  cant wait ;)

He winked at me again
. 

F
ifteen minutes later, and I’m standing on Evan’s front porch.  The door
opens and I am speechless.  Evan is wearing a black V-neck t-shirt that is
untucked and hugs his arms and shoulders perfectly.  His jeans hang loosely on
his slender hips.  He has a grin spread across his face from ear to ear revealing
a set of perfect teeth, and those dimples.

He steps towards me and offers his hand to usher me into his home. 
“Juliette, you look ... absolutely beautiful.”  His eyes sparkle with mischief,
and I’m weak in the knees.  “Please come in.”  He places his hand on the small
of my back and escorts me to the kitchen.  Oh my, he smells good.

As we enter the kitchen, I see Adam standing at the counter grating fresh
cheese.  He wipes his hand on a dishrag and walks over to introduce himself to
me.

“Juliette, it’s nice to finally meet you.  Evan’s told me a lot about
you.  I feel like I know you already.”  We exchange knowing smiles and I take a
seat nearby.

“Evan, it smells great.  What’s for dinner?”  I scan the kitchen and spot
a large pot of boiling water on the stove.

“I picked up some meatballs and Alfredo sauce from Joe Leone’s this
afternoon.  I’m just making some fettuccine and garlic bread.  I hope you like
Italian.”  Joe Leone’s is an Italian specialty store that has the best prepared
dishes on the Jersey Shore.

“Sounds great.  I love Fettuccine Alfredo, it’s one of my absolute favorites.” 
If I could have Fettuccini Alfredo for dinner every night for the rest of my
life, I would die a happy woman. 

“What can I get you to drink?  We have beer, wine, iced tea, water.  What
are you in the mood for?”  I glance around and see the boys are enjoying an
amber beer. 

“I’d love a cold beer.  Do you have Blue Moon?” 

“Absolutely.  Do you want an orange slice, too?”  He makes his way over
to the bar and gives Adam a slight nudge with his elbow as he passes by.

“Only if you have it.”  I watch Evan as he expertly pours the beer in
the glass.  As the knife slices through the orange, his muscles flex and I’m
transfixed.  It should seriously be illegal to be this attractive.

He hands me the beer and for a moment, our hands touch.  I can feel the
electricity shoot through my body and stop right at the apex of my thighs.

“Thanks,” is all I can say.

Adam senses my nervousness and helps move the conversation along.  “So
Juliette, what did you bring for dessert?”

“Please, call me Jette.  I brought an Entremet of ginger mouse, orange
cream, cinnamon spiced cake, and Kahlua infused chocolate glaze.”  I almost
slipped and named the drink that inspired this creation.

“Wow.  Sounds incredible.  I can’t wait to try it.  Hey, Evan, how much
longer till we eat?  I’m starving!”  Adam peers over the pot of boiling
water.

Evan pushes Adam to the side, stirs the pasta, and nods his head.  He
seems pleased with the progress.  “Not much longer.  Wanna set the table?  We
can eat outside.”

Adam gathers the plates, silverware, and napkins and heads out to the
deck. 

I take the opportunity to cozy up to Evan a little.  There’s a pot of
Alfredo sauce simmering on the stove that suddenly needs my attention.  Evan is
still standing at the stove checking on the pasta, so I walk over and stand
right beside him.  I take the spoon resting on the counter, remove the cover
from the simmering pot and stir.  Evan watches every move I make with great
interest.  Slowly, I remove the spoon from the pot, place my hand beneath it to
catch any drips and blow ever so lightly onto the remaining sauce to cool it. 
Lifting the spoon to his mouth, I offer him a taste, “Try it,” and I feed him. 
There is nothing sexier than feeding a man.  He places his hand on my waist and
opens his mouth just enough to taste. 

“Mmm.  I think we’re ready.  What do you think, Juliette?”  He takes the
spoon from my hand, and spoons out the smallest amount of sauce, and offers it
to me to taste.  I blow on it a little, then taste.

“Oh, yeah, we’re ready.”  Just as our eyes lock on each other, Adam steps
in and clears his throat.

“I don’t mean to interrupt, but I need the salt and pepper.”  He walks
past us, gathers the shakers, and returns to the deck.

The three of us start dishing the food into serving bowls and dishes. 
Evan drains the pasta.  Adam is slicing the garlic bread, and I’m dishing out
the meatballs.  We bring the food to the deck and Evan insists I sit.  He pulls
out a chair for me and I have a beautiful view of the ocean.

The boys excuse themselves to get our drinks and the Alfredo sauce.  When
they return, Evan sits to my right and Adam sits to my left.  We each start
helping ourselves and passing the food around the table.  There’s more than
enough for everyone, and the boys sure like to eat.  I don’t think they could
fit one iota more on their plates.  The grated cheese is passed around last and
we all dig in.  My nerves are gone, now I’m just hungry.

As we eat, I try to find out a little more about Adam.  Besides being
Evan’s friend, I really don’t know anything about him.  “So Adam, I understand
you work with Evan.  What do you do?”

The boys exchange glances before Adam answers.  “I’m mostly in the office
taking care of scheduling, appearances, and payroll.”  Adam looks over to Evan
for his consent, I think. 

I try to delve a little deeper.  I’m still not sure how I feel about
Adam.  He seems to be making an honest effort with me tonight.  “That sounds
interesting.  Is it hard to manage football players?”

“Well, Jette, some of the players can really be a handful.  They like to
live life in the fast lane and leave a mess for other people to clean up.  I
guess that’s where I come in.”  Evan is shifting nervously in his seat.

“I think it’s great that you both came out here together to work for the Sentinels. 
When do you start work, Adam?”

“It feels like I never stopped working really.”  Adam takes a break for
another forkful of fettuccine.  “Do you follow football, Jette?” 

“No, not really.  I don’t have any brothers and my father first took off
when I was really little.  No testosterone in my house growing up.  I hung out
with the soccer players in high school, football really wasn’t my thing. 
Sorry.”

“Would you like to meet one of the players?”  When Adam asks, Evan coughs
a little on his food and takes a big swig of his beer.

“I don’t think so.  I don’t know anything about football and from what
I’ve seen on TV, most appear to be more like grown men with the mindset of a teenage
boy.  Hey, that reminds me.  There’s this fundraiser in a few weeks at Wilkinson’s
for Hurricane Sandy Relief.  Rumor has it some of the Sentinels players will be
there.  Do you guys know anything about it?”  I almost forgot to ask.

Evan responds, “Well, Adam, you track the schedules.  Do we know anyone
planning on going?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure Carlo Rivera and the
team’s new back-up quarterback are both booked.  What’s his name, again?”  Adam
is speaking directly to Evan.

“McGuire.  They call him Mac.”  He shoots Adam a fierce look.  “I’m
sorry, Juliette, we must be boring you with all this talk about work.”  He
stands up and begins to clear away the dirty dishes.  “I’ll be right back,
please sit and relax.”

I ask Adam about the house he’s closing on in a few days.  It sounds like
a cute little house in the heart of Point Pleasant Beach.

Evan returns with my cake and dessert plates.  For the next half hour, we
eat dessert and the conversation returns to more mundane topics.  “So, Juliette,
what kinds of movies do you like to watch?”  Evan inquires.

“Well, Auggie and I have been on a real eighties kick.  Today, we watched
St. Elmo’s Fire.  It’s one of those movies that will become a classic.  Don’t
you agree?” 

Adam answers, “Anything with Demi Moore is okay in my book.”

Evan reaches back and stretches.  Without much thought or concern, he
affectionately touches my back while talking to me.  “How about eighties
slasher movies?  You know, like Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween, or Friday
the 13
^th
?”  His fingertips graze my skin as he draws circles on my
flesh.  The sensation sends millions of tiny impulses through my body.

“No .  Never.  You?”  That’s the closest I can come to complete sentences
right now.

“I love them.  You have to let me introduce you to the world of Wes
Craven.  What do you say, Juliette?”

“What do you mean, like tonight?”  I look at Evan and he’s just so
irresistibly sweet.

“Yeah, tonight.  As soon as the sun goes down.  The only way to watch
Freddie Kruger is in the dark.  Hey, did you know Johnny Depp got his start in
the Nightmare on Elm Street movie?”  I contemplate the offer.  It’s almost dark
now, and I suppose I could stay for a few more hours.

“Okay, sure.  I’m in.  But if I’m going to watch scary slasher movies,
I’m definitely going to need another beer.”

This time, it’s Adam that responds.  “My turn, I’ll get this round.  Be
right back, kids.”  Moments later, he returns with only two bottles of Blue
Moon.

“Sorry, guys.  I hate to break up this party, but it’s time for me to leave. 
You two have fun.  Evan, I’ll be back around midnight.  Jette, it really was a
pleasure to meet you.  I hope to see you again soon.”

I get up and give Adam a hug.  He seems like a good friend and Evan’s
lucky to have someone like him watching his back.  I may have misjudged him.

Evan excuses himself and walks Adam to the door.  I walk over to the
railing to watch the surf rise and fall.  I contemplate the chain of events
that led me here, when suddenly, I feel Evan’s arm around my waist and I’m
snapped back to the present.

“Here, let’s sit and enjoy the view for a while.”  Evan motions to a
loveseat in the cabana.  He holds his hand out and leads me across the deck.

The cabana is on the north corner of the deck and there is nothing
protecting us from the cool ocean breeze.  A chill overtakes me and my body
shivers.

“Hang on, Juliette, I’ll be right back.”  He leans over towards an
ottoman and it opens, revealing a deep storage chest inside.  Evan pulls out a
gray woolen blanket and drapes it across our laps as he sits beside me.

“Come here, I won’t bite.  Not unless you ask me to, anyway.”  He
stretches out his arm and I find myself cuddling beside him.

Suddenly, my cell phone beeps in my pocket with an in-coming message,
which I ignore.

“Aren’t you going to check?  It might be important.  I don’t mind.  Go
ahead.”  Evan has resumed his gentle circular caresses on my shoulder.  I take
out my phone to check and there’s a text from Derek.

“So, was it important?”  Evan seems annoyed.  He obviously saw the text
and the name of the sender.

“Nope, just Derek, a friend from work.”  Derek is a friend from work,
nothing more.

“You sure he’s just a friend, Juliette?  I want to make sure I know what
I’m getting myself into.  You know, no surprises.”  He’s waiting for me to
clarify.  “If he’s just a friend, then would you be willing to cancel your
plans with him tomorrow and go out with me?”

“No, Evan, but you could join us.  I don’t cancel plans with my friends
because of a guy.  Boys come and go, but friends are there to pick up the
pieces when they break your heart.”

“Maybe I will.  Join you tomorrow, I mean.  Come on, it’s getting dark and
cold.  Let’s go inside and watch a movie.”

“So, what are we watching?” I ask as I settle into the thick, plush couch
in the living room.

Evan pulls up Netflix on the TV screen and starts typing in the search
box.  “I told you, Nightmare on Elm Street.  You ready?”  He walks around the
house, turning off all the lights.  He grabs the blanket from the deck and
joins me on the couch.