Page 6 of Cartel King

“It was nice talking to you again, Elodie.”

“Enjoy the rest of your run.”

He takes off as I turn back toward the house. I glance over my shoulder to see him one more time. “Hey, Will.”

I glance at my watch and hook the leash onto Constantine’s collar before heading out through the garage. I punch in the code, and the door shuts just as I reach the street. Out of habit, I glance back to make sure the door closes all the way, then I set off. I hope to be toward the top of the hill by the time Enrique catches up with me. I don’t know for sure he’ll be running while I’m out for my walk, but he’s been timing his runs pretty consistently since we met a week and a half ago.

They’ve deviated a little here and there, but never more than by about twenty minutes. I haven’t lived here long enough to know if this is a usual habit of his or if it’s anything different since he walked up my driveway. Part of me would love for that to be the case, but the realist in me says there’s no chance of that.

I want to “coincidentally” be at the top of the hill for another reason. I’m in good shape, but I don’t need him to hear me panting while I try to speak as we go up the incline together. My days of running are long over because I’ve torn my calf muscle twice, and I’m terrified of doing it a third time.

It also means to avoid straining them, I take longer to get up hills than I’d like. I’m putting way too much thought into this. He could run right past me and not even think twice about stopping to say hi. He’s waved the last few times he’s passed me while I’ve been working out in the garage.

I’ve had to go out to run some errands and for a meeting over the past week, so I haven’t been home every day he’s gone by. Twice, I’ve waved to him as he’s leaving the neighborhood, and I’m entering it. I don’t know where he comes from since I already figured out he doesn’t live around here. At least not in my neighborhood.

I live on the street that runs the length of it, and I’m toward the top. I’m far enough into the neighborhood to enjoy privacy and for it to be quieter than it is for those people who live near the gate. It makes me wonder how he can get in and out of the neighborhood if he doesn’t live here. The community’s fairly young. Most houses are only five or six years old, so perhaps he’s been running through here since before they built these homes. If that’s the case, then maybe the guards who work the gate already know him and just let him through.

I’m having a long conversation with myself, trying to occupy my mind as I crest the hill. It surprises me when I see him headed toward me. It’s not that I’ve been staring out my window to watch for him specifically, but I’ve been outside working in the garden for a while. He slows until he stops in front of me.

“Good morning.”

“Morning, Enrique.”

“Did you finish your flower bed?”

He must have seen me while my back was to the street. “That one. I still have a couple more to go.”

“You have quite the green thumb as you work on your garden. It’s more than what the previous owner had.”

“Yeah, I have the time these days. It’s something I’ve always wanted but hasn’t come true until now.”

“Are you and Constantine just setting off for your walk?”

He pats my dog between the ears. Constantine approves of Enrique. He barely made a sound when he saw Enrique stop at the mailbox the other day. Since then, he’s passed me while I’ve been playing with Constantine in the front yard. I have freshly laid sod in the back, so he’s not allowed out there right now.

“Yeah, we’re going to do a long loop today before it gets too warm. It’s been unseasonably hot here, hasn’t it?”

“Yeah, this is definitely June temperatures rather than April.”

“Do you think it’ll stay this way?”

“I hope so. I prefer it hotter than cold, but that’s what I’ve always been used to.”

I want to ask him about his past because I want to get to know him better. He definitely has a strong accent that tells me he grew up speaking Spanish before English. It’s not a New York or even a New Jersey Spanish accent, but I’m not sure we’re ready to jump into a background check when we’re just chatting about the weather right now.

“Have you gotten out on the water this week? I thought I saw you pulling in the other day with your single.”

He must have gone for an evening run on Tuesday. That was one of the few days I didn’t see him.

“I did. It was beautiful. I caught the last of the light just before the sun started to set. I’m getting to know my way around the cove and figuring out what workouts I enjoy.”

“Do you come up with your own, or do you use an app?”

He sounds genuinely interested, but Constantine tugs on his leash. He’s normally super well behaved, so that tells me he needs to go to the bathroom. Enrique notices too and smiles, turning in the direction I’m facing. I guess that means he’s coming with me. I set off, and he walks beside me to the left, keeping me closer to the curb. We continue to chat as Constantine waters the next five trees we go past.

“Did you say you’d been rowing for a while?”

He looks over at me as I stop again with Constantine, pulling a plastic bag loose from his leash. Fortunately, we’re close to the top of the road and the park where there’ll be a trash can nearby. Not exactly sexy carrying around a bag of dog shit.

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