The Running Series Complete Collection: 3-Book Set plus Bonus Novella (12 page)

“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 OK 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.

“OK, 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.

“Do we have to watch with the lights out?  Really?”  I know I’m being a big chicken and I don’t care.

“Just sit with me, I’ll protect you.  I promise to warn you before the really scary stuff comes on.”

“But ...”

Before I can finish, he kisses me.  Our first kiss is tender and sweet, gently touching his lips to mine.  His lips are soft, wet, and delicious.  Desire builds up instantly inside me and my nerve endings are all firing at once.

He breaks away from the kiss and whispers in my ear, “I’ve been wanting to do that since the moment I saw you.”  He moves an errant strand of hair behind my ear.  “Now, about the lights?”

“This is fine.  I’m good,” I admit as I lean into his chest.

From the opening scene of the movie, I’m a basket case. Evan is a brilliant man, he has me in the palm of his hands the moment Freddy makes his first appearance.  At one point, I actually crawl onto his lap and pull the blanket over my head.

By the time Johnny Depp’s character is killed, I have to excuse myself to the bathroom.  I wish Maddy were with me right about now.  When I return, Evan holds out his arm and I return to my spot on the couch tucked beneath his strong arm. 

“Do you want me to turn it off?” he asks.

“No, why?”

“Well, you’re squeezing all the blood from my arm, and I might need to use that arm again someday.”

I immediately release him, “Sorry.”  I pull the blanket up to my chin, hoping it will offer me protection.  When the little girls show up on screen chanting their monotonous jump rope chant, I can no longer watch and I hide my face beneath his arm. 

Only ninety-one minutes of torture and my terror is over.  Evan releases me and reaches for the remote to turn off the TV.  “Come on, let me make you a drink.”  He offers me his hand and he helps me off the couch.

“I’m so embarrassed, Evan, you must think I’m a total dork.  I tried to be brave, but that movie really was scary.”

“Juliette, let me assure you, I enjoyed every moment of that movie.  In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed a movie so much in my life.”  He hands me a rocks glass, and I don’t even ask what’s inside.  “Here’s to new beginnings and throwing all caution to the wind.”  We clink glasses and I swallow the sweet liquid down in one gulp.

“Let’s go outside.  I think there’s a full moon tonight.”  He takes me again by the hand, this time we lace our fingers together and walk hand-in-hand out to the deck.

He releases me, placing his hand on the small of my back, and together, we gaze at the stars as the waves crash on the surf.  He turns me to face him, and I look deep into his eyes.  They are a brilliant blue shining brightly under the moon.

Gently, he places one hand under my chin and leans in to kiss me.  I place the palm of my hand on his chest and I can feel his heart racing, just like mine.  I release a slight groan of satisfaction and he deepens our kiss.  Hunger takes over, and I greedily open my mouth to let him in.  His tongue finds mine and we explore each other.  I gently bite his bottom lip and he wraps his arms around me, pulling me closer.  I can feel our bodies pressing tightly against one another.

He nibbles on the corner of my mouth.  He smells so good and tastes even better.  I run my hands up and down his arms, holding myself steady.

Our breathing becomes ragged and I am lost in the moment.  The entire world disappears, leaving just the two of us alone in the universe.  Our lips and tongues move together in perfect harmony.  He pulls me tightly against him and I can feel his arousal.  All I can think of is having him inside me, right here and right now. 

The intensity of our kisses eventually slows, and we stand under the moonlight in each other’s arms.  If I don’t stop myself now, I may not be able to stop at all.  Is this our first date or our second?  Either way, it’s way too soon to let things get too far.  “I have to go,” I breathe in his ear.  “Walk me to my car.”

On Cloud Nine

I
wake up before the alarm today.  There’s a lot on my mind and I need a clear head to consider the events of the last twenty-four hours.  It would have been so easy to stay last night, to give into my desires.  But that would not have been the wise thing to do.  I need time.  Time to figure out what I want from Evan and time to find out what Evan wants from me.  Time is something I have lots of.  The question is, will Evan give me the time I need?

For today’s jog, I’m staying away from Evan’s house.  If he wants to see me, he’s going to have to make the first move.  I will not present myself to him.  I’ve never thrown myself at a man and I’m not about to start now.  No accidental meetings.  No misunderstandings.  No wistful daydreaming.  Just the sun and the surf. 

I must look like a fool as I run along the surf.  Each time I think about my evening with Evan, a huge silly grin splashes across my face.  No sooner does an image of Evan appear in my mind’s eye, when it’s replaced by the memory of my cryptic conversation with Adam.  This must be what it feels like to have ADHD, unable to keep a single idea focused for very long.

Adam knew enough about me to be able to find me on the beach.  That must mean Evan was talking about me.  I wonder what he said.  Now I’m smiling again.