Page 7 of Moved
“Yep. I thought I’d go for a run.”
He heaved a sigh. “Fine. Just give me a minute.”
His door closed before I could look up. Did he want to go, too? Finishing, I stood and stared at his door. Was I really supposed to wait for him? The door opened before I could decide what to do.
“Come on,” he said as he closed his door. He wore loose nylon pants and a tight long sleeve shirt.
“Racer, I didn’t mean you should come with me.”
“I said come on.” Annoyance laced his words. He held the door and watched me impatiently. I fought to hide my reaction to his openly rude attitude.
“I’d prefer to go alone. I just need to burn off some energy. No big deal.”
“I promised your dad I’d keep an eye on you. No wandering around alone.”
This time I didn’t manage to prevent the slight narrowing of my eyes. Dad. He’d be getting a call from me tomorrow when he got home from work.
“Look,” Racer said. “If your heart’s not set on running, you can use some of my equipment and have all the alone time you want. Either way, you have to step out the door.” His tone oozed impatience and arrogance.
Holy heck, I wanted to strangle him. I stepped outside and followed him around the house to a pole shed. It was set back from the house by about ten feet. Enough room to fit a vehicle between the two buildings.
He opened the door and motioned me in. I looked around the twenty by thirty space filled with exercise equipment.
“Wipe your feet to keep the floor clean,” he said, pointedly looking at the floor mat that lay just inside the door. “I’ll be on the other side. If you need anything, yell.”
He headed for the wide, double-hung doors that partitioned the part of the shed we’d stepped into from the rest of the shed. He closed himself into that side, leaving me alone. Mats covered the majority of the cement floor. Out of habit, I took off my shoes and left them on the mat. Warmth seeped through my socks. A heated floor. Unreal.
I walked around and looked at the weight machine, free weights, stair climber, treadmill, and the punching bag hung from the ceiling. It’d be cool to come out here in winter to work out. But today I really wanted to run outside. I slipped my shoes back on and quietly left.
Outside, I breathed deeply. Fresh air filled me, the sun warmed me, and the birds talked to me. I quickly stretched then set out, enjoying the crunch under my feet.
When we’d pulled into the driveway late Friday night, I’d noted that the road was gravel, too. I liked the sound of it, the thump of my shoe and the crunch of gravel. Then, I heard it. The echo of my step. Looking over my shoulder, I saw Racer keeping pace twenty steps behind me and calculated how long it would take Dad to get home. My call might not wait until tomorrow night.
I stopped running and waited for him. My breathing wasn’t steady but I wasn’t gasping either. He seemed unaffected when he stopped by me.
“So what exactly did my dad say?”
“He asked that I keep an eye on you.”
“Did he say not to let me out of your sight or are you just being an overachiever here?”
He remained quiet. Interesting.
“Did he saywhyhe wanted you to keep an eye on me?”
“Some guy isn’t leaving you alone. It worried your dad enough he was willing to move his just turned eighteen daughter out of state. He said you’re his life and if anything happened to you…” He didn’t finish. He didn’t need to. Some of the anger and resentment I’d harbored toward Dad left me.
“So, I run, and you unhappily follow out of obligation. I stay put, and you can happily ignore me. Got it.”
He didn’t say anything but the frown finally disappeared from his mouth as he studied me.
“All right. Let’s go back. I don’t feel like running anymore, anyway.” I turned and began the walk back. He quietly followed.
When I veered toward the house, he moved toward the pole shed. At least I’d have quiet time in the house. At the door, I kicked off my shoes before bounding up the stairs.
I called Dad and left a brief message saying I was still safe and that Racer was definitely keeping an eye on me as he asked. I also told him I loved him. The first part would let him know I was still annoyed with him, but the second would tell him I was getting over it.
After that, I dug out a movie and vegged out for the rest of the night. Though I wasn’t holding onto my grudge, I didn’t mean to accept my isolation meekly.
