Midnight Run (10 page)

As soon as the words were out, his stomach
clenched, and Kingston wondered if he’d made the wrong choice, but
he pressed on, oblivious of the effect his words had on Nora.

She laughed when he said she reminded him of
PB, and her next words gave him a surge of confidence. “If it were
me, I’d date you,” she said with a smile.

For a moment, Kingston considered forgetting
all about PB and going for the beautiful girl sitting on the ground
in front of him, and time froze while he pondered on the best way
to tell her. But just as he was about to open his mouth, he thought
of his sister and her boys, and he clicked his teeth shut.
Sometimes,
he told himself,
a fantasy is safer than going
after something in reality.

As he waved goodnight to Nora, his heart was
heavy because he’d realized that no matter how attracted he was to
either woman, he wasn’t likely to make a move. He hadn’t known that
the mess with Rachel and Mark was holding him back, but as he
turned the key and entered his empty apartment, he realized that he
wasn’t so sure he believed in fairy tales anymore.

Nora didn’t get any
sleep after her disappointing conversation with Kingston, and her
eyes were bloodshot when she got to Books and Brew the next
morning. Luckily, she wasn’t opening with Laurel, so there wasn’t
any added drama at the coffee shop, but when she checked the
schedule, she realized with a sigh that Laurel would be there when
she came back on for the second half of her shift.
Maybe I can
talk to Todd about switching the schedule,
she thought
hopefully.
After all, he did say scheduling would be one of my
new duties.

The store hit an unusual lull around ten that
morning, and Nora took advantage of the time to look over the
schedule binder and see if she could find a way to avoid Laurel as
much as possible. There were more employees at Books and Brew than
she’d realized, and it seemed like everybody had a complicated list
of conflicts that kept the schedule nearly gridlocked the way it
was. It looked like the only way Nora could avoid Laurel and her
drama was if Todd switched shifts with her, and she didn’t think
that was something she could ask for yet; she’d only been in the
job for a few days.
Better wait at least a month before I pester
Todd
, she told herself, trying not to be too disappointed.

She called home during her break between
shifts, and was secretly relieved when her mom answered.
At
least that means she’s still okay,
Nora thought with a
sigh.

“How are you feeling?” She asked, dodging
around a pile of trash on the sidewalk as she walked.

“Fine, sweetie. Just a little bit more tired
than usual, that’s all. How’s the new job?”

Nora grimaced. “Okay, I guess.”

“What is it?”

“Nothing, Mom. Just one of the other girls
there isn’t really happy about my promotion.”

Her mom snorted softly. “Then she should have
worked harder, if she wanted it.”

Nora’s steps slowed. It had honestly never
occurred to her that Laurel’s cruel treatment of her could stem
from jealousy. “I guess,” she said slowly.

“You’re a good worker, Nora. Always have
been, and I’m sure the people at that shop have noticed. Well,
obviously, your manager noticed. But I’m guessing you make the
other girls look bad, even before you got this promotion.” Her
voice filled with pride. “You’ve always been so focused.”

She wanted to contradict her mom, but
thinking back over her time at Books and Brew, Nora wondered if she
was right. Other than the few times she’d been late after a run,
she was always early for her shift, and she was usually the last
barista to leave at night, even before she became assistant
manager. “Thanks, Mom,” she finally said. “I guess that’s her
problem then!”

“Darn right!” Her mom started to cough right
after she spoke, and the raspy sound made Nora glance at the phone
in concern.

“Are you sure you’re feeling alright?”

“Don’t worry about me, sweetie. Just keep
focusing on your work. Are you still running?”

The change of subject didn’t surprise Nora;
her mom had never liked the focus to be turned on her, even before
the heart attack. “Yup,” Nora said, smiling wistfully at the
thought of Kingston. “I joined a midnight running club, and it’s
actually a lot of fun.”

Nora could almost hear her mom shaking her
head. “I’ll never understand your definition of fun. Sticking your
hands in the dirt is fun. Running? Not so much.”

Nora chuckled. “To each her own, I
guess.”

“Absolutely.” There was a pause. “Look,
sweetie, I’m sorry to cut you short, but I think I’m going to take
a quick nap before your dad gets home.”

“Oh. Okay. Give him a hug for me, I
guess.”

“Of course. Love you.”

“You, too, Mom.”

When Nora hung up, she stared at the phone in
concern. Never in her life had her mother taken a mid-afternoon
nap; the woman always seemed to have boundless energy, even though
Nora never saw her drink more than one cup of coffee a day.
If
she’s napping, maybe she really isn’t feeling well,
she
thought, chewing on her bottom lip.
Maybe I should take some
time off this weekend and go home
.

But her worries about her mom were pushed to
the side when she got back to the apartment; a guy she’d never seen
before was sitting on the couch, and Nora let out a little scream
after she let herself in the door.

“Who are you?” she snapped, wondering if
anybody would hear her if she stepped into the hall to call for
help.

The guy stood up, unfolding his tall,
muscular frame from the sofa and towering over her. “Reggie. I’m
sure Carl’s mentioned me.”

Nora glared at him. “He hasn’t said much,
actually.”
Other than that you broke his heart.

Carl came out of the bathroom and stopped
when he saw Nora. “Oh,” he said, his voice hesitant, “I forgot
you’d be home right now.”

Her eyes searched his, but she couldn’t tell
how he was feeling about seeing Reggie again. “I guess I’m sorry I
intruded?”

Carl shook his head. “No, it’s not like that
at all! Reggie was in town visiting a buddy, and he asked if he
could stop by so we could talk.”

Reggie moved toward the door. “I was getting
ready to leave. It’s nice to meet you,” he offered to Nora,
sticking out his hand.

After a beat, she shook it. “You, too,” she
said, raising an eyebrow at Carl.

He ignored her. “Call me later, if you
want.”

Reggie nodded and closed the door behind
him.

For a moment, nobody said anything, but Nora
finally broke the silence. “Are you getting back together with
him?”

Carl shook his head, but he flushed slightly.
“No. I don’t know. I’m not sure.” He paused. “Do you think I
should?”

“Carl,” she said gently, “I still don’t know
why you two broke up in the first place; you’ve barely talked about
him since you moved in.”

Carl fiddled with the gauge in his left ear.
“It’s complicated.” He paused, and then he shook his head. “No,
it’s not complicated. He cheated.”

Nora moved to hug him, but he pulled back.
She patted his arm awkwardly. “I’m sorry. Has he—has he at least
apologized?”

Carl nodded. “Today was the first time he’d
bothered, but still, he came all the way to New York to say he’s
sorry.” His eyes shone with hope. “That counts for something,
right?”

“I thought you said he was visiting a
friend?”

Carl rolled his eyes. “I said that because I
didn’t want to have to explain all this to you with him standing
right here. He made the trip just to see me, Nor.”

She glanced back at the door. “I’m sorry I
chased him away, then.”

“It’s okay. I’m actually relieved; if you
hadn’t come home, I might have done something I’d regret later.”
Carl checked his watch. “Do you have time for a drink before you go
back to work?”

Nora laughed. “Carl, it’s barely after
twelve!”

Carl’s smile looked a little sad. “I really
need to talk some of this stuff out, and I think I need some liquid
courage to do it.”

Nora hesitated another moment, but then she
linked her arm through his. “Come on,” she said, turning toward the
door. “Drinks are on me.”

The bar on the corner of their street was
already open, and Nora was a little surprised to see a handful of
people tucked into the booths, but she tried to suspend her
judgement as she glanced across the table at Carl. He’d been her
best friend for years, but this was really the first time she could
remember that he’d been willing to drop his shell and have a heart
to heart.

Carl ordered a beer, and Nora opted for a
glass of red wine, which she sipped quietly while Carl talked about
Reggie.

“I’m pretty sure he might be the one,” he
admitted. He was on his second beer by that time, but Nora was
still nursing her first glass of wine.

“Do you really believe in that?” She asked.
“Isn’t it kind of like a fairy tale, something to tell kids until
they’re ready for the real world?”

Carl took another swallow. “If we aren’t here
to find our match, then what the hell’s the point?”

“I don’t know. Work. Family. Friends. That
kind of thing.”

He shook his head. “Admit it,” he said,
slurring slightly, “you want to believe in the fairy tale as much
as I do.”

She toyed with the stem of her wine glass.
“Yes,” she finally said, looking down, “but the thing that scares
me is what if it doesn’t happen? What if we can’t all have a happy
ending?”

“Sometimes, I think the only people who get
that are the ones who take risks.” Carl took a deep breath. “Like
risking taking someone back after they’ve cheated.”

“Or telling him you like him, even though he
wants someone else,” the words slipped out of Nora’s mouth before
she could stop herself, and Carl looked at her thoughtfully.

“Or that,” he finally said. “Who is he?”

Nora shook her head and tried to back pedal.
“Hypothetically, I mean.”

“You aren’t getting out of it that easy.” He
finished off his beer and leaned forward, his face animated.
“Spill, girl.”

“We’re not talking about me, we’re supposed
to be talking about you!” She protested.

Carl shook his head. “Talking about you will
help me take my mind off Reggie. So, tell me. Who is he?”

Nora sank back in her seat. “Just a guy,” she
said weakly, but Carl glared at her. “Fine. A guy from the running
group.”

He barked a laugh. “Girl, I told you! Is he
long and lean?” He raised an eyebrow suggestively, and Nora swatted
at him across the table.

“I barely know him, okay? I just—“, she
faltered, “I just think I’d like a chance with him, you know?”

“So why not go for it?”

She sighed. “He’s told me he likes somebody
else.”

Carl winced. “Ouch.”

“Yeah. For a minute, I thought he might have
meant me, but there’s no way.”

“Okay, back up. He likes somebody else who
might be you?”

Nora nodded, realizing how stupid it all
sounded. “I’ve seen him at the coffee shop, and he said he likes a
girl who works at the place where he gets coffee.”

Carl’s brow puckered. “He told you this at
the coffee shop?”

She shook her head. “No, during our run last
night.”

“Does he know you work at the coffee
shop?”

“I don’t think so. It’s like he hasn’t
recognized me or something; I guess because we’ve only run together
in the dark?”

Carl snorted. “There are so many better
things to do in the dark.”

“Hush,” Nora said, her skin heating up. “He
doesn’t even know I exist.”

“But he likes some coffee chick. Why do you
think it’s not you?”

She hesitated. “He did say I sort of remind
him of her…”

Carl slapped the table triumphantly. “So
maybe it is you!”

Nora frowned. “But he also said she was
gorgeous.”

“Nora, when will you realize that
you
are gorgeous?”

She scoffed, but Carl reached across the
table and grabbed her hands.

“Look at me. Nora, look at me.” She lifted
her gaze and met his intent blue eyes. “You are one of the
prettiest people I know, and you know what a bitch I can be about
beauty.”

She laughed, but she still shook her head.
“I’m nothing special.”

“And that, darling,” he said with a sigh, “is
part of your charm. You can’t see how special you are.”

Uncomfortable, Nora pulled her hands away.
“You’re just saying that because I bought your drinks,” she teased,
trying to steer the conversation into less serious waters.

Carl raised his empty beer bottle toward her
in salute. “For which I thank you.” He pulled out his phone. “What
time do you have to be at work?”

“Five,” she said, taking another sip of her
wine. “Did you want another drink, or are you doing okay now?”

“I’m fine, but girl, you better move. It’s
already four!”

“Shit!” Nora stood up, knocking over what was
left of her wine, and Carl scrambled away from the crimson liquid,
sliding out of the booth after her. It took Nora thirty minutes on
a good day to make it from their apartment to Books and Brew, but
she usually left herself an hour; she’d faced a few annoying delays
on the subway, and she’d rather arrive with time to spare than end
up being late. She gave Carl a quick hug before she bolted out of
the bar, heading for the nearest subway station.

The train was late, and she waited on the
platform, jiggling her leg.
Come on, come on
, she thought,
glaring at the tracks as if she could make the train appear by
wishing for it. Finally, the sleek silver engine pulled up, and
Nora bounded into a subway car without waiting for the other
passengers to get off.

She kept checking her phone obsessively, and
even though she ran all the way from the subway stop to Books and
Brew, she was fifteen minutes late for the start of her shift.
Laurel was at the register when Nora burst through the door, and
the girl looked pointedly at the clock before smiling wickedly at
Nora. “Todd,” she called out, “Nora’s finally here.”