Page 43 of Blinded
“Are you sure this isn’t going to be too big for us to handle?” Marjorie hesitated.
“It will be fine, Mother. Since when do you get cold feet? We’ve got good staff. They’re all on board, and volunteers are coming out of the woodwork to help. Everyone wants a chance to meet Laurent Duvernay-Tardif. I’m confident that we can pull this off and when we do, it will raise the profile of the Foundation even higher.”
The Saturday of the run fell on a beautiful, warm spring day. GT thought he couldn’t have done better if he were in charge of the weather. He woke Sandra with a kiss that demanded her full attention but broke it off once he had it. “Time to get up. We have to be at the stadium at seven to supervise. Well, I have to be there. You can go back to sleep if you want and turn up at ten.” He smirked. “I’m sure your parents would be happy to give you a lift.”
Sandra walloped him with a pillow before he could say more. “I’m coming with you, GT. There’s no reason to drag my parents into this. You did that to get a rise out of me. I see that smirk. It had better be gone when I get out of the bathroom.”
After Sandra used the facilities, GT made sure to brush his teeth and take a quick shower before they got dressed. Although his attire was casual in a polo shirt with the Foundation logo and khakis, he was still overdressed in comparison to Sandra, who was in ratty white running shorts and an old white T-shirt. Her long hair was in a high ponytail, and he had to suppress the urge to throw her on the bed and have his way with her.
Instead, he took her hand and kissed the knuckles. “You can eat at the stadium, hana. We’ve set up a runners’ breakfast.”
Sandra nodded and her ponytail bobbed. “I know. I’m meeting James, Laura, Will, and Ruby there.”
GT smiled. She was going to meet somebody else as well, and he was curious about her reaction. They walked hand in hand to the car and drove quickly to the stadium. Traffic was still reasonable given the early hour.
At the stadium, Sandra hugged Laura and Ruby and received chaste kisses on the cheek from James and Will. “Hi guys, you’re early.”
Will grinned. “It’s James’ fault. He picked us up at an ungodly hour this morning.”
James shrugged. “There are advantages to getting here early, and it didn’t make sense to me to bring more cars than necessary.”
Laura stood on tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “You’re so practical.” She turned her attention to Sandra. “Are you ready for the run?”
“Oh yes, I run at least twice a week, most of the time between four and five miles, so a 5K should be a walk in the park. Isn’t Josh coming?”
“Oh yes, he’s going to support us during the run, but you know teenagers.” Laura chuckled. “He’s getting a lift with Suzie, Connor, and the kids – he wanted to sleep.”
“Smart boy,” Sandra remarked. “Let’s see what they have to eat?” Before they could turn and walk to the tent where the other early comers were headed, GT stopped them.
“First, I want to introduce you to Dr. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, who is going to join us on the run.” GT enjoyed the way all their eyes widened as they shook hands with the bearded Canadian. He enjoyed it a lot less when the man lingered over Sandra’s hand a bit too long and said something in French that sounded way too sexy. GT’s knowledge of the language was too little to know what Duvernay-Tardif said and he struggled to rein in his jealousy.
Sandra shook her head and answered – in French as well! Well, damn! GT scrubbed the back of his head as he contemplated the wisdom of introducing them. The next moment, Sandra pacified him by snuggling into his arms, and Duvernay-Tardif said in barely accented English, “That’s no problem, but your French is very decent. If you’ll excuse me, I promised Dr. Hawkins-Lewis I would speak to as many people as possible before the race. Good luck to you all.”
Gisela came downstairs for the run wearing a new white tennis skirt, with a matching blouse and designer white sneakers. Although they called it a Color Run, she had understood that everyone would be wearing white. She had even pulled out her white parasol because the sun was out, and she hated to tan. Thomas was wearing old tennis clothes that were more gray than white. He’d laughed when Gisela had suggested he wear something classier. “If you want to wear your best, feel free, but I’m going to be comfortable. This event is not about dressing to the nines.”
Gisela was still irritated with her husband as they arrived at the stadium. He knew how important appearance was. She swore their daughter was exactly like him. The slow drive over and the fact that they had to park far from the entrance added to her irritation as did the antics of the crowd. Her mood didn’t improve when she saw Sandra coming toward them in old shorts and a t-shirt more suitable for rags than wearing.
“I never expected you two to join in the run. Mother, are you planning on carrying your parasol?” Sandra asked.
“Yes, dear. You know I hate to tan, and it’s supposed to get up to eighty today. Besides, I understood it was acceptable to walk. I think I’ll do better at a slower pace. Your father has promised to stay with me.”
“You can go at whatever pace you like. There will probably be runners slower than you walk.”
“Excellent. I want to finish in time for lunch. Do you know what the menu is?”
“I heard, but I wasn’t paying attention. Sorry, Mother. But The Sweet and Savory Table is catering for the VIPs, so I’m sure the food will be great.”
Gisela twitched at the mention of the small cafe. She wasn’t impressed by it and wondered why the Foundation hadn’t asked Chef Cody from Lidia’s or Chef Colby from Bluestem/Rye. Since some friends of Sandra’s owned the café, she didn't voice her thought, and an uncomfortable silence fell.
Sandra cleared her throat. “Usually, you don’t participate actively, Mother. What’s different?”
“Well, I heard that smart Dr. Duvernay-Tardif was running, too, and I thought it an opportunity to meet him.”
Sandra rolled her eyes, but responded politely, “I’m sure you’ll get a chance. He’s very friendly and was wandering the grounds earlier talking to people.”
Gisela looked around. She hadn't thought so many people were going to run. She stretched her neck and tried to look for the famous football player. With her mind half on Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and how she could introduce her daughter to him, her mind didn’t register Sandra’s comment clearly. Pity he was Canadian, but at least he spoke decent English and Sandra knew French. “Good luck on the run, dear.” She turned on her heels, determined to hunt him down and drag him over to Sandra at the picnic.
Sandra took off at a moderate pace and hit the first checkpoint with the second pack of runners. She saw the red powder coming at her in time to close her eyes and mouth but otherwise kept going. She stopped for water on the far side of the checkpoint and decided to see what happened when her parents arrived. It was out of character for her mother to participate in the race instead of writing a check. Since no one was timed, she decided she’d wait and find out how her mother handled her first encounter with the color. Fortunately, she didn’t have long to wait. Gisela walked fast, and her father was right with her. Sandra moved to a strategic spot where she could see her parents but be out of their direct line of sight.
