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“Not gonna happen, brother,” Aaron replied, not even bothering to look away from his computer screen. “The days of running endless miles just for kicks are long, long gone.”
I cut my losses and polished off the last bite of my steel cut oats. “All right, but don’t expect me to listen to your bitching when you get outta shape climbing the stairs.”
At that, he glanced up, and a slow, devious smile spread over his face. “Oh, don’t you worry about me. I get my cardio. I just prefer to do it in bed, with a stacked blonde.”
I laughed and set my bowl in the sink.
“Speaking of, you wanna go out again tonight? We could hit up Harvey’s again, or there’s a sports bar across town. We could go watch a game, shoot some pool, kick it.”
“Yeah, sure,” I agreed before whistling for Princess. “We’re off. You working all day today?”
Aaron snapped his laptop closed and stood, stretching his arms over his head. “Yeah. We can’t all be lazy fuckers like you,” he teased.
“I’ll come out this afternoon and harass you.”
“All right, man.” He grinned and took off, back through the living room. Seconds later, I heard his footsteps jogging up the stairs.
“Come on, girl,” I said, looking down at Princess. She knew what time it was, and although the excitement was gleaming in her eyes, she sat patiently by the door, waiting for me. “Maybe we’ll stop by that coffee shop after we’re done…”
I was used to my early morning workout and didn’t usually find it hard to get out of bed and dive headfirst into a run, but since I’d seen Holly at the coffee shop, there was an extra level to my motivation. Since Aaron didn’t know her, I knew the odds were good that she was visiting and not a resident of Holiday Cove, but I had no idea how long she’d be in town.
All I knew was that I wanted to see her again.
Within minutes, I’d made my way down the steep trail that led to the beach, from the heights of the Rosen property. I jogged in place, my sneakers kicking up sand to get warmed up, and then set off at a brisk pace down the beach, sticking close to where the tide was rolling out to get more traction on the sand. Music piped in through my headphones, and despite my protesting muscles, I quickly settled into a steady pace.
When I figured I’d gone about a mile and half from Rosen’s, I started scanning to the left, studying the silhouettes of the different businesses and houses that were wedged up against the shore. Although I had visited Holiday Cove on multiple occasions, I wasn’t as familiar with it as to remember exactly where the coffee shop had been. I was beginning to wonder if I’d passed it, when all of a sudden, the patio came into view.
I slowed my pace to glance through the small crowd of people seated at the bistro tables. The first time I’d seen Holly, she’d been sitting alone, and it was impossible to miss her. But, with the crowd of people sitting outside, it was almost impossible to see if she was there.
Princess hadn’t slowed down and was racing farther and farther ahead of me. I tore my eyes from the patio and kicked into the next gear, easily catching up to her with a hundred-yard sprint that left my leg muscles screaming and my lungs heaving. I trotted to a stop and caught my breath, walking to the edge of the water.
What was I expecting? Even if Holly had been sitting outside, what difference would it have made? It was fairly obvious from her body language and actions that she wasn’t interested in me. Hell, for all I knew, she could have been married.
Why did it matter?
I sucked in the brisk, salty air as my pulse and breathing returned to normal, before starting back toward the bluff. I took it easy on the run home and shifted my attention away from the mysterious woman that had captivated my interest and forced myself to focus on my plan for the day instead.
After grabbing a shower and a change of clothes, I checked in with Aaron to see if he needed anything from the local market. He was busy with a group of tourists who had a slippery grasp on the English language and waved me off. I loaded Princess into the car and drove down the road, dipping back into the small town, and parked on the street half a block from the market.
“Stay here, girl.” The top was still down on the car, leaving Princess free to jump out if she wanted, but I trusted her not to.
I grabbed a few things from the market, and after checking out, peeled back the wrapper of a protein bar on my way back to the car and started snacking. When I got to the car, it was empty.
