Love on the Run

by Lorana Hoopes

  “Sorry, I’m just trying to be respectful,” Ginny said, softly.

  “Hey,” Graham touched her arm. “You’re doing great. Why don’t we call it a day, and I’ll see you tomorrow?”

  Ginny nodded and tucked a strand of hair behind her ears. “Absolutely, I’ll be ready.”

  4

  Graham

  Graham watched as Ginny led customers to the table and handed them menus. She seemed to be a natural, picking up everything he had taught her yesterday. He wondered what the rest of her story was as she seemed confident in this role. How had she let a man run her life for so long?

  His cell phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out, wondering what Jordan wanted. He was supposed to work a shift later; he better not be calling to cancel. “Hey, Jordan, what’s up?”

  “Is Ginny there with you?” Jordan’s voice was low and stern.

  “Yeah, she’s on shift until closing. What’s going on?” Graham was used to the many voices of Jordan - his brother had so many different sides, he was more like an octagon than a square - but this was the voice that scared him the most. It was his serious, something bad is about to happen voice.

  “I looked into her ex. He’s bad news, Graham, and I got word that he left town. I don’t know how long it will take him to find her, but my guess is not long. Evidently this guy is pretty well connected in their town, and has a lot of people working for him.”

  Graham’s grip tightened on the phone as he glanced Ginny’s direction again. “What do I do?”

  “Can you take her to mom’s old cabin?”

  Graham thought back to the cabin on the lake where they had once gone to get away from the city every year before his father left. He wasn’t sure he’d even been out there since their mother passed. “Jordan, it’s been empty for ages. There’s no food there.”

  “Actually, there is. I keep it stocked just in case. You’ll find everything you need there including a gun in the safe. The combination is Mom’s birthday.”

  Graham shouldn’t be surprised by this tidbit of information. The cop in Jordan made him thorough if not a little paranoid. It would be just like him to have a safe house all set up just in case.

  “Try to sneak her out the back in case they’re already here surveying the place,” Jordan continued. “I’ll see if Tia can help with the restaurant until you get back, but Graham, you may have to stay there until we catch this guy.”

  “What about my other job, Jordan? I can’t just not show up for work.” Graham worked part-time in insurance. He’d cut back his hours at the firm after Fire Dreams began taking off, but he still worked mornings there.

  “I’ll stop in and let your boss know what’s going on. I’m sorry, Graham. If I thought there was another way…”

  “It’s fine. I’ll let the shift manager know and we’ll head that way. Just promise me you’ll get this guy, Jordan.”

  “I will.”

  Graham pocketed the phone and scanned the restaurant as he made his way to Daniel, the shift manager for the night. He was looking for anyone who seemed out of place or nefarious, but the truth was the people after Ginny could be anyone, look like anyone.

  When he reached Daniel, he leaned in to keep his voice low and informed Daniel of the situation. “Don’t react when we’re gone. Just business as usual, got it?”

  Daniel nodded, and though his eyes were larger than normal, Graham knew he would do his part. Daniel was ex-military and had a level head.

  Graham moved next toward Ginny at the hostess podium. She appeared to be arranging menus and tidying the area, but she smiled as he approached. “Hey, boss, what can I do for you?”

  Graham smiled so as not to alarm her. “Hey Ginny. Can you help me with something in the kitchen really quick?”

  Her smile faltered the tiniest bit, and he knew she was probably worried she was in trouble. Thankfully, she kept her cool and followed him without protest.

  When they were safely in the kitchen, he turned to her. “Jordan just called. Carl’s on his way here. We have to go. I can take you somewhere safe, but I need you to come with me. Please?” He held out his hand, knowing he could have demanded but with her past, he had opted to ask, hoping it would show how different he was from her ex.

  She looked from his hand to his eyes before nodding. “I trust you, Graham. What do you need me to do?”

  “Follow me.” He took her first to the break room, grabbing a coat and hat and having her put them on before heading out the back. Perhaps if any of Carl’s men were watching the back entrance, it might throw them off. At least long enough for Graham to be out of town before they realized.

  He kept his eyes peeled as he led the way to his car. The evening wasn’t fully dark yet, and he saw no one looking their direction. Still, he asked Ginny to bend down in the seat so as not to be seen as they drove out of town.

  Though he’d never been in a police chase or a tailing, Jordan had talked about them enough that Graham knew to watch in his mirror for any car that followed them more than two blocks. Thankfully, by the time they drove past the Fire Beach city limit sign, he had seen no suspicious cars, and his heart rate slowed. But only a little.

  5

  Ginny

  “Where are we?” Ginny asked when the car pulled up to a quaint cabin surrounded by trees.

  “This is my family’s cabin,” Graham said as he turned the engine off. “We used to come out every summer before…” His voice trailed off as if he didn’t want to finish that story. Then he sighed. “I haven’t been here in ages.”

  “Should we have stopped for supplies then?” Ginny asked. She was used to living frugally, but if he hadn’t been here in ages, would they even have food?

  Graham chuckled and offered a half smile. “You don’t know my brother. Evidently, he’s been keeping the place stocked. Just in case.” He peered into the flower pots lining the porch rail and smiled triumphantly before reaching in one and pulling out a key.

  With a slight click, the door opened, and Ginny followed him inside. She’d expected the cabin to smell musty, but while the air was a little stale, it had obviously been aired out recently. “Your brother must come out here often.”

  “I had no idea he was still coming out here at all until tonight, but it doesn’t surprise me. Jordan’s always been the one to prepare, to look ahead, and once he became a cop, it was like all signs pointed to danger.”

  “It must be nice to have someone who looks out for you though,” Ginny said as she walked around the living room.

  The area was simple with a couch that looked like it could double as a bed and a plush chair. A small table with a lamp on it sat between the two, and there were a few magazines stacked on it. In one small corner was a bookshelf filled with novels, and on the top of the bookshelf was a framed photograph of a man, a woman, and two young boys.

  “Is this you?” she asked, holding the picture out to Graham.

  His face hardened, and his jaw clenched as he took the picture and set it back on the bookshelf. “Yeah, but that was a long time ago.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to pry,” Ginny said.

  “It’s okay.” Graham moved away from her and toward the couch. “What about you? Are you an only child?”

  “I am. My mother always wanted more children, but she grew sick when I was five, and there was no time. Even when she went into remission a few years later, they didn’t try. I think my mother knew her time was limited. She died when I was thirteen.” Ginny placed her hands on the back of the chair, unsure if she should sit.

  “I’m sorry. My mother’s dead too though she lived until I was twenty. What about your father?”

  Ginny sighed and bit the inside of her lip. “My father was a great dad until my mother got sick. Then he threw himself into her care. He was a ghost in my life most of those years, but that would have been preferable to what he became after. I think he blamed me for my mother’s death. He turned to drinking, and…” Ginny shrugged. “I�
�m not sure who he was after that.”

  Graham chuffed and shook his head. “You and I seem to have a lot in common. My father was an alcoholic too. My mother left him when I was ten, and though I visited him after, he never really felt like a dad after that. He died last year and left Jordan and I the restaurant.”

  A silence descended between them as Ginny was unsure what to say. How had he turned out so much better when their lives were so similar? Was it because he was a boy? Or perhaps because he’d had an older brother who cared for him?

  “Speaking of which, I’m getting hungry,” Graham said, breaking the silence. “Shall we see what’s in the kitchen?”

  Ginny followed, and as her stomach rumbled, she realized she hadn’t eaten since lunch. She had planned to grab some food during her break as Graham had told her that was allowed, but she’d never gotten the chance.

  A surveying of the cabinets revealed that Jordan had indeed stocked the cabin well, and after deciding on chili, she opened the can while Graham found a pot and readied the stove. Though there were no fresh vegetables, she also managed to find green beans and a can of mixed fruit, making her feel as if it was almost a balanced dinner.

  When the food was ready, Graham dished the chili into bowls and Ginny placed the green beans and fruit on plates for each of them. They found bottled water in the fridge, and each settled into a chair at the small wooden table.

  Ginny reached for her fork, but Graham stilled her hand before she could lift it. “Can I pray for us first?”

  “I’m not really the praying type,” Ginny said, “but if it makes you feel better then go ahead.”

  Graham nodded and bowed his head. “Lord, thank you for this food. Thank you for bringing Ginny into our lives. Thank you for this cabin where we could hide out. Please protect us and help us see the blessings amid all the pain. Amen.”

  Ginny cocked her head as she studied him after the prayer. “How can you pray after everything you’ve been through? Your father and losing your mother?”

  Graham nodded as if he understood her concern. “I understand where you’re coming from. I did stop praying for a time after we left my father, but my mother helped me see that even in the pain, God had plans. She showed me that I could do nothing alone but anything with His help, and she helped me look for the positive. Because of that my brother and I have grown closer, I’ve met some amazing people, and I’ve been given the resources to help you and others like you.” A soft smile stole across his lips as he shook his head. “If I’d let anger and hatred run my life, I wouldn’t have any of those.”

  Ginny let his words roll around in her head. She thought she had tried to stay positive after her mother died and her father turned in to someone she didn’t recognize, but she had certainly never leaned on God. Would her life be somewhere different if she had? Could she still change the trajectory if she followed his approach and stopped trying to do everything on her own? It was definitely something to consider, and she knew she would be chewing over that question long into the night.

  6

  Graham

  Graham gave Ginny a tour of the rest of the cabin after dinner. Not that there was much to it. Two small bedrooms, a laundry room, and a bathroom rounded out the floorplan.

  “You can pick whichever room you’d like,” Graham said as he opened the door to one of the bedrooms. “This is the one Jordan and I stayed in.”

  Graham wasn’t too surprised to find the room looked exactly the same. A single queen-sized bed sat squarely in the room with a night stand on each side, and a small four-drawer dresser was the only other furniture in the room. “It’s not much, but it will do.”

  “It’s more than I’ve had to myself in a long time,” Ginny said softly.

  Graham cleared his throat, unsure what to say in response to that. “Or, option number two is the room my parents shared.” He pushed that door open to reveal an almost identical bedroom. The only difference was the bedspread on this bed was covered with flowers instead of a solid blue color like the last room. “I’m afraid we have to share the bathroom, but I’ll let you have first dibs.”

  Ginny’s hand flew to her mouth. “I didn’t even get to grab my toothbrush or toothpaste.”

  “Don’t worry,” Graham said with a smile as he turned on the bathroom light. “If I know my brother, there are probably unopened toothbrushes in here.” He squatted down to open the cabinet under the sink and pulled out two brand new toothbrushes and a tube of paste. “Yep, I am never going to get on his case for being so prepared again. Would you like red or blue madam?”

  “Mademoiselle,” Ginny said with a chuckle.

  Graham’s face folded in confusion. “Huh?”

  “I’m a mademoiselle. Madam’s are married, and I’ll take red.” She plucked the red toothbrush from his hand and held it to her chest like a treasure.

  Graham grinned at her comical expression and felt his heart do a funny little dance in his chest. Though she was not classically beautiful, there was something in the innocence and sincerity of her face that he found refreshing and attractive. “Ah, well, you’ll have to pardon my rusty French. I took it in high school to woo the ladies, but I haven’t had much chance to practice it since.”

  Ginny’s eyes held his gaze as the corners of her lips lifted in a small smile. “Somehow I doubt you had trouble with the ladies in high school or any other time.”

  “Hah, I was the geeky one. Glasses, see?” He pointed to his face for emphasis. “Jordan was the athletic one who had women swooning all over him.”

  “Well, as much as I’m sure Jordan is amazing, he’s not the one here protecting me right now,” Ginny said, pointing her toothbrush at him.

  Once again, words failed Graham, and he felt his face heat up. “I’m not sure I’d say protecting. I haven’t had to do anything very dangerous yet.”

  “Let’s hope you don’t. I’m okay with low-key protecting,” Ginny said. “I think I’ll take the flowered room if it’s okay with you, but I’m not tired quite yet. Is there anything else we could do?”

  The way she looked at him was different than any woman ever had. Graham felt as if she could see every part of him, and he wasn’t sure what to do with that knowledge. “We could talk? I don’t know if there’s much else to do. My parents never wanted a TV here, so we wouldn’t be tempted to spend our time watching it instead of playing, but we might have some card games still.”

  Ginny’s eyes lit up. “Games? I would love to play a game. My mom and I used to play all the time, but I haven’t played any in years.”

  “A game it is then. Let’s see what we have.” He led the way back to his parents’ old room and to the small closet that resided there. That was where the games used to be at least. Sure enough, on a shelf was Yahtzee, Skip Bo, Scrabble, and a few others. “What’s your poison?” he asked, indicating the games.

  Her teeth chewed on her bottom lip as she scanned the offerings. “Yahtzee, please, but we may have to play all of them if we’re here too long.”

  He could not stop the smile that pulled at his lips. “We can play as many as you want.”

  They set up at the kitchen table and Graham handed her a pad of paper and a pencil. He scanned the paper quickly trying to remind himself of how it was played. It had been ages since he had played any games. In fact, it had probably been since the last summer they were here. His mother had been too busy after that, and Jordan had never really been into games.

  “This was the first game my mother taught me,” Ginny said softly as she picked up the dice. “She said it would be the easiest because it was just numbers.”

  Graham chuckled. He liked math, but he had known a lot of kids in school who would have said just numbers was hard enough. “What was your mother like?”

  Ginny bit her lip and her eyes glazed over as if focusing on a memory from the past. “She was amazing, although I always remember her being tired. When she first got sick, I couldn’t read yet, but she would still let me sit on her l
ap as she read the unicorn books I loved over and over to me.” A slight smile tugged the corners of her lips up. “I used to tell her that I loved her a million percent.”

  Graham smiled at her, wishing he had the perfect words to say. “I bet she loved that.”

  Ginny shrugged. “I think she did. Anyway, shall we start?”

  And just like that, the subject was closed for now. Graham hoped it would come up again. He sensed there was something special in Ginny but it was hidden behind all her pain. As much as he worried about being away from work and the restaurant, he kind of hoped they would be locked down long enough for her walls to lower.

  7

  Ginny

  Ginny couldn’t help staring at Graham as he tapped the pencil’s eraser against his lips while deciding where to record his round. He was so unlike Carl or any guy she had dated before, but maybe that was what she found intriguing. Though he did err on the “nerdier” side with his glasses and button-down shirts, he appeared completely comfortable in his skin - something she hadn’t been in a long time.

  Plus, there was his whole relationship with God. She didn’t understand it, but he definitely had a peace that she didn’t, even though their stories were similar. He was so different from what she’d known for the last several years that she wanted to know all about him.

  “I think I’ll take this as three of a kind,” he finally said, writing the numbers down.

  “Did you and Jordan always get along?” she asked as he pushed the dice in her direction.

  A chuff and a slight shake of his head answered her question before his words did. “Not at all. He’s older, so he was subjected to my father’s drunken rages more than I was and he remembered them more clearly. That kept us apart for a while because he wanted nothing to do with our father, and I just wanted to know him. Plus, Jordan and I are about as different as can be. I’m punctual, and he’s always late. I don’t mind staying at home, and he thrives on danger. Oddly though, it was the last act of Dad’s that drove us together. The restaurant.”