Running Home to You (The Running Series)

by Sweeney, Suzanne

  Fearful of what might happen if I don’t intervene, I immediately jump to my feet. “It wasn’t Evan, it was me.”

  Emmy whispers in disbelief, “Jette?”

  “I’m sorry. When I stopped by the house today to get your glasses Emmy, I ... found it.” I still feel badly.

  Adam swings around to face me and bites back, “Found it? No way. I know exactly where they were. You broke into my office and went through my files, didn’t you?”

  I bite my lip and nod, whispering, “Yes.”

  “Now I get it. It all makes sense now,” Adam angrily replies. “It’s not you, it’s her,” he says to Evan, rolling his eyes and sniggering. “You’re whipped. I never thought I would live to see the day. Evan ‘Big Mac’ McGuire is pussy-whipped.”

  “Watch your fucking mouth. That’s my fiancée you’re talking about,” Evan warns. “You brought this on yourself. I’m ending our contract immediately. You no longer work for me. You no longer advise me. It’s time for you to move on.”

  “You can’t fire me, you need me. We’ve been a team since college. Don’t let this woman come between us. She has been in your life for exactly five minutes. I knew the minute she showed up that she was going to complicate things. I warned you, but you didn’t listen. As usual, you allowed your dick to do the thinking for you.”

  That’s when the unthinkable happens. Evan moves so quickly, I don’t think there was any way for Adam to avoid it. Evan punches Adam square in the face. I hear a crunch when his fist connects with Adam’s nose. He must have broken it. The blood pours from his nose.

  Emmy and I race to the kitchen to find a rag. I hand her one and she runs to Adam with it, holding it up against his bleeding nose. Together, they head for the front door.

  Evan calls to Adam as they are leaving. “Keep the rag. Consider it your severance package. I mean it, Adam, stay the fuck away from me at work.” They leave and I close the door behind them, locking it. I do not want a repeat performance.

  When I find Evan, he’s frantically pacing the room. I pull out the bottle of Bourbon he opened earlier, and pour each of us a glass. Silently, I hand it to him. He takes it, downs it, and smashes it against the stone fireplace. Glass flies and Maddy runs away, hiding in the bedroom. “God damn it!” Evan growls.

  Still not saying a word, he retreats upstairs to his gym while I stay behind to clean up. He turns on the music so loudly, he cannot hear me slink upstairs to check on him. He’s taking out his aggression on the punching bag, venting his anger towards something that cannot argue or hit back. I tiptoe back out, leaving Evan to work this out in his own way.

  Early the next morning, Evan’s alarm wakes us from a fitful sleep. He tossed and turned all night, keeping me awake as well. The restaurant is closed today, but I decide to get up early with Evan anyway. Last night was difficult in so many ways. My heart breaks just thinking about it. How will they handle working together? Everyone knows how close he and Adam were. Suppose people start asking questions? I imagine these are the things that kept Evan awake last night.

  When he leaves, I head upstairs to the home gym for a run. I would prefer to run on the beach, especially on a beautiful day like today, but Evan and I have agreed that given Ryker’s fondness for surf fishing, it’s probably not a good idea for me to run alone on the beach. We will have beach runs together on the weekends. It’s a compromise we both can live with.

  Maddy joins me upstairs for my workout. I have a lot on my mind and there’s nothing better than a long run to calm a busy brain. I plug in my iPod and my playlist booms throughout the room. There are some benefits to working out in a state of the art home gym, like a built-in sound system and air conditioning, not to mention privacy and security.

  I decide to spend my day off with Auggie. I haven’t seen him in a few days, and I’m anxious to show him the video and my ring. He hasn’t seen either one. Besides, I have a lot to get off my chest and Auggie is always a good ear.

  Before getting in the shower, I grab my phone to call Auggie. In typical fashion, it seems he and I are on the same page. There’s a missed call from him that arrived just minutes ago. I listen to the message and sure enough, Auggie is inviting himself over for the day. Eagerly, I call him back to make plans.

  “You know, Jepetto, we could make a day of it. I can call Reese and we could just lounge around and get some sun. How long has it been since the three of us spent any time together?” he asks excitedly. “Besides, I have some news of my own to share. What do you say?”

  “News? Sounds intriguing. I’ll start making the drinks. Are we in a Margarita, Mojito, or Mai Tai kind of mood?” I feel better just planning to see Auggie.

  “Your call. Surprise me. I’ll call Reese. If she can drag her ass out of bed, we’ll be there in an hour.” Auggie knows how much Reese likes to sleep late, especially the day after she closes.

  “Tell her I’ll have beach chairs and cocktails waiting for her. I guarantee that will motivate her.” Growing up in Michigan and going to school in Colorado didn’t give Reese much of an opportunity to spend time lying in the sand. Even though she lives in Jersey now, she’s been working so hard, I know she hasn’t spent much time on the beach. We need to change that.

  After my shower, I head into the garage to find the beach loungers. Evan’s got a stack of folding beach chairs piled in the corner. I grab three and drag them onto the beach. By the time Auggie and Reese arrive, I’m all set with a cooler filled with ice and drinks, and a private beach full of sand and sun.

  When Auggie approaches, I jump from my lounger and throw my arms around him. “Auggie, you look amazing.” I hold him at arm’s length to get a better look. “How do you feel?”

  “Me? I’m fine, better even. I’m thinking that a little vitamin D and some fresh air will have me good as new.” He takes my hand and holds it above my head, spinning me for inspection. “But look at you, girl. I don’t recall ever seeing you in a bikini before. Va va voom!” Auggie does his best catcall whistle and I no longer need the sun’s help to turn red.

  The two of them make quick work of stripping off their clothing down to bathing suits and joining me for some early morning sun. I can see the taped bandages covering Auggie’s surgical scar peeking out from the waistband of his board shorts. It’s a reminder of an event I’d prefer to forget.

  Reese is sporting a lime green bikini that contrasts sharply with her long red hair. Her gray eyes even seem to reflect some of the green, making her more stunning than ever. She effortlessly pulls her long hair up into a loose bun, making her long neck even more pronounced. Auggie notices, too. “And you, Red – if you’re not careful, you’re going to kill someone with those long legs of yours. I hope you two didn’t invite me here just to seduce me, because it’s not going to work, no matter how hard you try.” We all get a little giggle from that.

  “So Auggie, what’s the big announcement?” I ask, curious.

  “Well, I’m cleared to travel and Lucas sent me a plane ticket so I can join him on the set. They’re filming on location in Alaska right now, shooting some big scene on top of a glacier, believe it or not. A bunch of them are flying out some of their families, and Lucas invited me.” Auggie is beyond excited. Who could blame him, really? What an adventure.

  “How do you get to a glacier?” Reese asks. “Are you renting a team of sled dogs?”

  “No, but that sounds pretty awesome. I’m flying into Anchorage, renting a car and driving to a small town called Seward a few hours away. There’s this sightseeing company they’ve been working with that provides helicopter shuttles to and from the National Park. The helicopter will fly us onto Bear Glacier. Lucas sent me some pictures. I can’t wait to see it for myself.” Auggie pulls up the pictures Lucas sent, and he’s undeniably right, it’s breath taking.

  After a nice long chat about Auggie’s love life, the tables are turned, and Reese asks as she refills our drinks, “So, Jette, how did it go last night? Did you tell him?”

  “Ooh,
I’m sensing a little drama, mama. Tell me more.” No one likes to dish the dirt like Auggie.

  “Well, I’ll tell you both, but you have to keep your mouths shut. You have to swear on your lives that you will never, ever, tell another living soul, no matter how much they torture you or how much money they offer you.” Auggie rolls his eyes. “I’m serious. You have to swear, or I’m not saying a word”

  Auggie’s eyes grow wide with curiosity. “Oh my God, Jette. Does Evan have a love child out there somewhere?”

  “No! Come on, I’m serious. Do you both swear? I can’t tell you unless you swear.”

  Auggie stands up and places his hand over his heart, “Miss Fletcher, you have my word as a gentleman to keep your secret safe.” He plops himself back down on the lounger and gives Reese the evil eye.

  “Okay, okay. I, Reese Adelaide Barrett, do solemnly swear that I will never reveal the information that Juliette Fletcher is about to divulge to another living soul for as long as I live and breathe, so help me God.” She sticks her tongue out at Auggie, “Is that good enough?”

  “Yes, thank you.” I take a deep, cleansing breath, and then I just blurt it out, “Auggie, you already know most of this. Evan recently discovered that someone was feeding him steroids to speed his recovery, and I found evidence proving that person is Adam.”

  “Holy crap!” Reese exclaims. “That’s some serious, shit. Is that why Evan was on edge all the time? Was he all juiced up?” Memories of that difficult time come flooding back, and I just nod in agreement.

  “Jette, how can you be so sure it was Adam?” Auggie asks. “I know you’ve had your suspicions, but you better be absolutely certain about this.”

  After the initial shock wears off, I tell them everything, including how I rifled through Adam’s private files in order to find the evidence I needed. They ask about what Evan’s legal options are, and I explain how it’s in his best interest to keep things quiet.

  “And Adam admitted it, just like that?” Reese asks, horrified.

  “Not only did he admit it, he got defensive. He thought Evan should be thanking him, not criticizing him.” They both gasp when they hear that. “The worst part,” I add, “is that he blamed me. He said that Evan was thinking with his dick instead of his brain and that’s completely my fault.” I hesitate before revealing my biggest worry in all of this. “I don’t care what Adam believes. I just hope Evan doesn’t blame me for coming between him and his best friend.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  In the Dark

  This should be a happy time for Evan, full of excitement and pride. Unfortunately, the split with Adam is affecting him more deeply than I imagined. He misses his friend. Marcus and Derek show up Tuesday night attempting to take him out for a few drinks, but Evan won’t budge. He makes up excuses about needing to study his playbook, but we both know that he has every page of that book memorized forward and back. No one knows those plays better than him.

  I have been dreading going to work, unsure of what to expect from Emmy. I betrayed her trust and I deserve whatever consequences that may bring. She asked me for a favor and I took advantage of her kind nature. While it may be true that Adam is guilty and Evan has every right to know the truth, I have to ask myself, does the end justify the means? Is Evan better off now that he knows the truth?

  It’s been two and a half days since the blow out, and I haven’t heard a word from Emmy. She and I are working the lunch shift together, so there is no way to avoid seeing each other. Maybe it’s best if we clear the air without letting this simmer any longer than it already has.

  When Emmy arrives, she tosses her purse and keys behind the bar. Normally, she would stash her things in my office, but not today. I’ve been waiting in my office for her to arrive, hoping to “accidentally” get a chance to speak with her privately. She is definitely avoiding me. But she’s here, so that means there’s hope.

  Clare is behind the bar again with her today, so before it gets too busy, I come out and ask Emmy if she would join me in my office. I know Clare can handle the bar alone for a few minutes.

  Emmy sits and I shut the door to give us some privacy. “Emmy, I’m afraid that this situation with Adam and Evan is going to come between us. You’re already avoiding me and I think it’s a good idea for us to get everything out and in the open.” I frown as I recall the terrible things that were said.

  “You’re right. I am avoiding you, but probably not for the reasons you think.” She looks down at her feet rather than look directly at me. “I’m embarrassed. What Adam did to Evan was horrible. I know you’re mad at Adam, and I was afraid you wouldn’t want to talk to me, either.”

  “Oh, Emmy, I was afraid you wouldn’t want to talk to me because of what I did.” Swallowing, I continue. “What I did was wrong and it’s okay if you’re mad at me. You trusted me enough to send me into Adam’s house while he wasn’t home, and I took advantage.”

  “Yeah, that was pretty sucky,” she chuckles. “But I can forgive you. You did it for your future husband. I probably would have done the same thing.”

  Relief washes over me and I cannot resist the urge to grab Emmy and hug her. “I’m so glad we talked this through, Emmy. I feel so much better now.” Emmy smiles her usual perky and cheerful grin, and I know that everything is going to work out.

  “Yeah, I feel better, too,” she beams.

  “Hey, how are things with Adam?” I wonder. “Is he still as upset with me as he was on Sunday?” Adam said some very hurtful things and I don’t know if I will ever be able to fully forgive him, but I would like to know if he meant all those things he said.

  “He was never actually mad at you. We had a ... I don’t know what to call it. I had just told him that I thought we were pregnant,” she says very matter-of-factly.

  “What?” I’m not at all certain if I heard her correctly.

  “I’m late, so we went to get a home pregnancy test. We just left the pharmacy and were on our way back to use the test when you called. Adam was a little freaked out, to say the least.”

  “So, are you ...?” I ask warily.

  “Oh, no. The tests were all negative.” She shrugs her shoulders. “Aunt Flow showed up yesterday.” She actually seems a little disappointed.

  “Should I tell Evan? I think if he knew why Adam ‘freaked out’, as you put it, he might feel differently.”

  “I don’t know, Jette. I think maybe it would be best if we stay out of it. It might be a good idea to let them work it out themselves. If Adam wants Evan to know, he’ll tell him.”

  I’m speechless. Emmy’s right. The last thing I should be doing is getting in the middle again. “Deal. So, are we ... cool?”

  “Yeah, I think so.” Emmy smiles at me and I have no choice but to grab her and hug her one more time. “I feel so much better. Let’s get back to work.”

  Emmy heads back behind the bar and I return to the kitchen with a little spring in my step. Although I don’t know what’s going to happen with Adam, at least I know I haven’t lost one of the most important friendships in my life.

  About halfway through the lunch shift, I get a call from Delaney Duffy, Troy’s wife. Some of the players’ wives and fiancées are travelling together to Friday’s game. When I explain to her how I thought families didn’t attend away games, she explains how the wives work around that policy.

  First off, she tells me that we cannot travel with the team. They have a private plane that takes them to their away games. With over fifty players, twenty coaches, a half-dozen trainers and managers, that’s nearly eighty people. She reminds me that many of the players require two seats, filling whatever empty seats there may have been.

  Since most of the games are just for one night, they don’t get together for too many away games, but they like to go to the special ones, and the first game of the season is definitely special.

  I ask about where we would stay and she confirms the rules, which I already know. There is a strict curfew and a tightly enforc
ed ban on female companionship in the rooms. Wives and girlfriends are barred from sharing a room with members of the team. Because of that, they reserve a bank of rooms in the same hotel, but on a different floor.

  Despite the fact that there’s little time for interaction with the team, it’s a great opportunity to be there to support the players and to remind them about the importance of family. Delaney gives me some statistics on the divorce rate in the NFL and it’s worse than I thought. The families that make it are the ones that realize what’s really important. It's not about the fame, and it's not about the fortune. It’s entirely about the family and the ties that bind them together. The more shared experiences a couple can have, the better the chances of a long and happy future together.

  It doesn’t take me long to decide that my answer is “yes”. I don’t even need to check with Evan. Troy’s wife Delaney and Carlo’s wife Willow are both going. It’s time I start behaving like an NFL wife, too. Besides, I’ve never been to Detroit before, so I guess I can cross that off my bucket list.

  When I ask Delaney about players’ girlfriends, she has a rather flippant answer for that one. It seems that NFL girlfriends come and go a lot. Delaney learned the hard way that many NFL flings were short-lasting. Girlfriends change so often that there’s no point in the wives dedicating too much effort to developing those friendships.

  Besides, it’s fairly expensive to lay out the money for First Class plane fare, hotel fees, and expensive dinners. Then there’s the shopping outings during down time. It’s often too costly for single women to afford. They decided some time ago that it’s best to only include wives, fiancées, or long-term partners.

  The main purpose for my question was to include Reese in our travel plans, but it doesn’t sound like that would be appropriate. Not yet, anyway. If things work out with her and Shaun, maybe she can join us at the end of the season, but not now.

  When I return to the kitchen, I tell Reese all about my new travel plans. She is so excited for me that she readily helps me coordinate coverage. I’ll be away tomorrow and Friday, two fairly busy days. Everyone is so willing to rearrange their lives for me that it’s humbling. In no time at all, I have both shifts covered.