Page 42 of Axe Backwards
“I will.”
She patted Vic’s cheek. “Use protection!”
With a gasp, Vic reared back. “Aunt Lou.”
“I mean it. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” She gave us a saucy wink and headed into the building.
Chapter 13
Victoria
Iwas suffering from a major hangover. Not from alcohol, but from the stress of the past weekend. I had an outrageous amount of work to catch up on and the volunteers had done a great job, but there were always a dozen more tasks waiting for my attention. Now that we were past Memorial Day, the clock was ticking, and I had to get reoriented before the kids were out of school for the summer and families needed more support than ever.
The weird dance I’d been doing with the Huxleys had not paid off yet, so the mobile food truck I’d dreamed of was off the table for the season.
I’d had visions of pickups at local parks and bag lunches for kids and families. But there were capital and operational costs to consider, and so far, none of my grant applications had borne fruit.
I wasn’t giving up. I was pivoting. Denis had invited me to lunch today, and as much as it turned my stomach, I was determined to win him over. I’d spent my entire sleepless night obsessing about it. Though the man was not a topic I particularly liked to dwell on, thoughts of our upcoming meeting were awelcome distraction from the wedding insanity and my new fake relationship with Noah.
I leaned closer to the bathroom mirror, examining the dark circles under my eyes. I’d sleep eventually. Someday. Maybe when I’d figured all my shit out? A girl could hope…
I was inspecting the pores on my nose when I heard a knock.
With an annoyed huff, I padded to the door. But when I swung it open and saw who was waiting for me on the other side, my mood changed instantly.
“Ick.” My favorite kid dove for me, almost flying out of her dad’s arms.
I hugged her and spun in a circle. “Did you have fun with your grandma?”
In response, she gave me a sloppy kiss on the cheek.
I was still grinning at her when I caught sight of Noah. He stood in the doorway, dressed in mesh shorts and a T-shirt with the sleeves cut off. The simple piece of clothing highlighted the miles of muscle and ink of his arms. His body was strong and hard, but his face was lit with a big grin that caused the dimples just visible underneath the heavy scruff to pop.
“It’s early. Where are you going?”
“For a run.” He took off his hat and settled it on his head again. “We were hoping you’d come along.”
When I’d clawed my way out of bed this morning, I’d felt like I’d been hit by a bus, but Tess’s smile and Noah’s arms had perked me up.
“I’m slow.”
He shrugged. “I’ll be pushing the jogging stroller, so I don’t intend on breaking any records. It’s a beautiful day.”
He wasn’t wrong, and I was full of nervous energy that needed an outlet. Seeing my gorgeous sisters and mother this weekend definitely hadn’t helped my body confidence.
I passed Tess to him and took a step back. “Okay, I’ll get changed.”
When I stepped out onto the sidewalk, they were waiting for me. Tess was bundled up in a fancy-looking jogging stroller with a sippy cup in her hand and a handful of Cheerios on the tray.
“Let’s walk to the end of Main Street first. Then we can jog.”
With a nod, I followed his lead. “What are you wearing?”
He patted the dark green vest he’d strapped on over his T-shirt. “Weight vest.”
I picked up my pace. I was practically jogging already to keep up with his long strides. “So you plan to run up a mountain while pushing a stroller and wearing a weight vest?”
He nodded. “Fitness is a big part of my job. Was, I guess.” His face fell. Clearly he missed his old life. “We used to train by hiking in the mountains with sixty pounds of gear. This is nothing.”
