Page 19 of Caleb
Me:Whatever you need, Miss Murphy.
Miss Murphy:Is it safe?
I swallow hard and stare at the screen. It is morethan safe for her to go out for a run, especially if I’m going to be beside her the entire time. Aaron would probably join us too. But it’s heartbreaking to see that sheisscared to go out. And I don’t blame her. It makes me think of all the things she might want to do but doesn’t because she’s terrified. That the only reason she spends most of her time reading is that she feels like it’s the safest thing to do. Theonlything for her to do.
Yes, being an ambassador’s daughter, especially from the United States, does make her a target. What happened to her mother is not going to happen to her. But she doesn’t even know whatthatwas, so I get where her uneasiness comes from. I just wish I could take that concern and fear away from her altogether.
Me:Affirmative. That’s our job, Miss Murphy.
Miss Murphy:Ok, then. I’ll meet you out in the parking lot in ten minutes.
Me:Of course.
I slip into my running shoes and contemplate how to run this “impromptu” plan by Aaron. He’s not going to enjoy finding out that I was texting Miss Murphy directly, but there’s no way to go around it. He’ll know I texted her, and I’m ready to deal with the repercussions.
My phone pings again. It’s Miss Murphy, but she’s now texting Aaron and me on the group chat.
Miss Murphy:Good morning. I was thinking of going out for a run in ten minutes. Could you guys come along with me?
Miss Murphy just saved my ass right there. She’s a smart girl, not that I didn’t already know that. But this was unexpected. She’s covering for me when she doesn’t have to. I couldn’t thank her enough.
Aaron calls me a few seconds after receiving Miss Murphy’s text.
“Hey, man,” he says. I greet him back. “So, I was thinking you can run with her, and I’ll follow you in the car. You know I’m more of a weight-lifting kind of guy, and running isn’t really my thing. Plus, you know how my knee injury likes to act up when the weather’s changing, and I feel like it’s going to rain tomorrow because it’s been—”
I laugh, cutting him off.
“Shut up,” he says.
“I haven’t said a single thing.” I grab my toothbrush and add some toothpaste to it.
“You didn’t have to.” He snorts.
“Don’t worry. I’ll run with her. You can wait for us in the lounge with tea and chocolate chip cookies.”
“Very funny. I’ll take the car and drive around the area.”
“Sounds good. See you downstairs.” I end the call and brush my teeth.
My phone pings when I’m rinsing my mouth.
Aaron:Of course, Miss Murphy. We’ll see you in a few minutes.
Wonderful.
“My legs are killing me, and it’s only been a few hours since our run,” Miss Murphy says when she approaches the car. We’re all ready to leave for church. She’s wearing jeans, a white blouse, and a beige coat. Her long hair falls behind her shoulders. She looks beautiful. “At this pace, I probably won’t be able to walk tomorrow.” She chuckles.
“Running again tomorrow might help with that,” I say, opening the door for her. With a wince, she takes a seat inside the car. She’s not kidding about being sore. “But Aaron says it’s going to rain all weekend, so we’ll see.”
I shut the door, and Aaron rolls his eyes at me before getting in the car. I laugh and walk around it to join them. Teasing him is too easy. I’m sure no one’s done it for years because I see the way everyone looks at him. It’s a mixture of fear and respect.
Aaron and I spend the entire ride making small talk while Miss Murphy gets lost in her thoughts while looking out, as usual. Only today, she seems even more withdrawn, like she’s not even focusing on any of the things flying past her on the other side of her window.
Aaron pulls over just beside the church, and I hop out to get Miss Murphy’s door, but her attention is now plastered on her phone. A deep frown is fixed between her brows. “Just a second, Caleb.” Her tone is cold, and Aaron’s already shooting me awhat the fuckwith his eyes. It takes me a few seconds to process that she just called me Caleb in front of him. I reply with a shrug and a,what do you want me to do? face.
Whatever.
Aaron and I wait a few awkward minutes in silence, waiting for her to get out of the car. She finally steps out with a sigh, clearly frustrated, and says, “He’s not coming.”
