Free Running Back to You (The Running Series, #1) by Suzanne Sweeney Page A

hands.  My nerve endings are firing and I take a deep
breath to try to clear my head.  He hugs me tighter. 
    I feel his hand move from my lower back to my shoulders and I look up
into his eyes.  He smiles and leans down, then kisses me gently on my
forehead.  I close my eyes to shut out everything else around me to enjoy the
sensation of his lips on my skin.  He sweeps the hair off my shoulder and
whispers in my ear, “I’ll be in touch,” as he releases me and steps into the
coffee shop.

    I get to work early for the lunch shift and begin filling the ice bins as
Emmy joins me on the patio.  “Hey, Emmy, what’s new?” 
    “Not much.  Jason and I broke up.”  She shrugs her shoulders and goes
about readying the bar for customers.  I don’t know much about her relationship
with Jason, other than he was the brother of one of her teammates.  Emmy never
said much about him.  I don’t even know how she felt about him.
    “Oh, Em, I’m so sorry!  Are you okay?”  I try to gauge her response.  She
keeps filling the bar rack and going about her business.
    “Yeah, Jason’s a great guy and all, but there was something missing.  I
don’t know how to explain it.  He’s super sweet, we got along great, and we
always had fun together.  But, I don’t know...” she just trails off.  I know what
she means.  There was no spark. 
    Despite the gloomy weather, we are pretty busy.  People-watching is one
of the best parts of being a bartender.  Lots of people seem to be getting an
early start on their weekend. 
    At one table, there’s an older, gray-haired very well dressed man with a
much younger woman.  She’s wearing tons of bling and is showing off what
appears to be a very expensive set of new boobs.  I never could really wrap my
mind around that one.
    There’s also a young couple sitting at the bar that is obviously deeply
in love.  Every time I glance over at them, they are touching.  I see him
whispering in her ear, and she’s blushing.  They have a few drinks, order some
food off the bar menu, and off they go. 
    My mind drifts to thoughts of Evan.  I can’t stop thinking about how his
arms felt wrapped around my waist.  Then there was the kiss ... his lips pressed
against my skin, it makes me quiver just thinking about it.
    “Emmy, can I ask you something?”  I’ve been dying to talk to someone
about today’s misadventures and get her take on it.
    “Shoot.  What’s up?”  She’s cleaning some rocks glasses while we chat.
    “Well, this morning, I was running on the beach by Evan’s house and I’m
pretty sure I saw him on his deck.  He ran back into the house before I had a
chance to talk to him.  Then I ran into him at the coffee shop and he told me
it wasn’t him.  How do I know if he’s telling me the truth?”  I give a heavy
sigh and wait for her advice.
    “Hard to say.  How did he act when you ran into him at the coffee shop? 
Did he avoid you?”
    “No, actually, he waited outside for me to come out.  He was really kind
of cute about it.” I sighed at the memory of seeing him sitting there with
Maddy waiting for me.
    “Jette, if he was trying to avoid you, do you honestly think he would
have waited for you outside a coffee shop?  Seriously?”  Now she’s looking at
me like I’ve got two heads.
    “I know, you’re right.  It’s just that when it comes to Evan, I can’t
think clearly.  I want to believe him, but I don’t completely trust myself or
him.  He’s got this pull on me I can’t explain.”
    “Oh, honey, I know exactly what you mean.  That’s what was missing from
my relationship with Jason.  It’s called chemistry and either it’s there or
it’s not.  Sounds like you’ve got it bad.”  Emmy is right.  “When are you going
to see him again?”
    “Not until Sunday.  He invited me over for dinner.  I think he’s going to
cook for me.”  A huge grin spreads across my face.  I can’t hide my delight at
the thought of