Page 30 of Runaway
As a rule, I rarely turned a woman down that seemed non-crazy and who also put effort into meeting. The women that expected me to do all the work had never been good news. Shanti was going two hours out of her way to meet me for dinner in Jackson City on her way across the country to see a friend in Seattle. We'd been writing back and forth for a few weeks now, and she always made me laugh.
Shanti:I'm still up for Mexican if you are. I'll be at the junction that takes me your way and need to know if you're still willing.
Mark:You bet. I'll send you a pin on where to meet on Maps.
Shanti: Yes! I'm excited to officially meet you tonight, Mark Bailey!
Her text was accompanied by practically 5,000 heart emojis, then the Mexican flag and what appeared to be a burrito. I sent back a thumbs-up as the front door opened and Stella peeked out. She wore her running gear and a questioning half-smile.
“Hey.” I shoved the phone back in my pocket. “Listen, the cat is back.”
Her eyebrows rose.
“You have a cat?”
“Not one I'd recommend you petting, and if you can hear it purr, you're probably already dead meat. Literally.”
I gestured to the prints with a toe, careful not to disturb them. Her eyes widened as she appeared to comprehend what it meant. Then I snapped a picture and sent it to Justin with a thumbs-down emoji.
Mark:Get back here before I have to buy myself a dog. Or at least send Atticus.
Stella grimaced, then shivered as she stared into the trees across the parking lot. “So that means a run by myself is not an option.”
“I just wouldn't recommend going alone while it's wandering so close. Once Atticus is back, you can run with him. He'll keep you safe.”
She shifted, warily eyeing the prints. I motioned inside.
“Let me change and we can go together.”
* * *
Stella was quiet for most of the run until we slowed to a walk not far from the parking lot on our way back. My concern over the cougar washed away with the exertion. If I didn't hear back from JJ, I might borrow Thor, a Rhodesian Ridgeback, from Ellie, Maverick's other daughter. That dog would scare off an African lion.
“Who is that?” Stella asked.
She froze. Her panting slowed to hard breaths. She had her hands on her hips as she inclined her head toward Adventura, where two people climbed out of a small, eco-friendly car. A cluster of trees mostly obscured the view of us from where we stood on the road. Such a hippie car meant only one person.
I forced a smile, but couldn't help a sudden tension all the same.
“My brother.”
Stella started to walk again but eyed me as if I had a weird look on my face. I tried to act like nothing unusual had happened. JJ and Lizbeth hadn't come around much since their wedding, which was probably for the best. I loved them both for different reasons.
And that was a bad thing because some love was strictly forbidden: like my twin brother's wife.
“Oh,” Stella said.
Lizbeth and her bright red hair appeared out of the passenger seat. JJ glanced over his shoulder as we turned into the parking lot, then waved. A bright smile from Lizbeth and a little squeak of surprise followed. She jumped a little, waving.
“Mark!”
I pasted a smile on my face and hoped they wouldn't be able to tell it was a tiny bit unpleasant. Seconds later, Lizbeth had run up to my side and wrapped her arms around me, sweaty clothes notwithstanding. My heart beat a little too hard, and I prayed she wouldn't notice. Instead, she stepped back, a woman full of sunshine, sparkles, and moonbeams. She turned to Stella with a bright smile, her hand stuck out.
“Hi! I'm Lizbeth.”
“Stella.”
“Good to meet you. Jim said he liked you, which is high praise.”
