Free Midnight Run by Charity Hillis Page B

getting a divorce,”
Kingston told her, and then he added, “and he said you’ve been
crying.”
    He heard her swallow a sob. “Well, he’s
observant, I’ll give him that.”
    Remembering his nephew’s request, Kingston
asked, “Would it help if I came home?”
    “What good is that going to do? You can’t
save my marriage,” she said softly.
    “No, but do you need any help with the boys?
You know I love spending time with them.”
    Her voice softened. “I know. But I’ve got it
under control. Besides, Mom and Dad are here if we need anything.”
Changing the subject abruptly, she said, “and the job has
daycare.”
    “You got it? Raye, that’s wonderful!”
    Her voice almost sounded normal again. “I
start in two weeks. It’ll be a change, but good Lord, I’m ready for
something different.”
    “I’ll take you out to celebrate the next time
I’m in town,” he offered, beaming. “I’m proud of you, sweetie.”
    “Thanks, King. That means a lot.” Her voice
was thick with emotion, and Kingston tried to play it off.
    “I’m sure you don’t sit around waiting for
approval from your baby brother,” he teased lightly.
    She gave a weak laugh. “No, fair enough. But
still, thanks.”
    “Welcome. Tell the boys they can call me any
time they want to talk, and I promise I’ll answer.”
    “Any time after they ask permission to
use my phone,” she said, raising her voice at the end. Kingston
grinned, picturing Shelton hiding around the corner listening to
her.
    After they said goodbye, Kingston stared at
the street for a few minutes, his eyes unseeing. Divorce , he
thought, rolling the word around in his mind. Doesn’t Mark
realize how lucky he is?
    He didn’t know what had gone wrong in his
sister’s marriage, but the very idea of Raye getting divorced shook
him more than he cared to admit. Rachel had always said she’d
fallen in love with Mark at first sight, and the couple had seemed
happy to Kingston. In fact, they had almost seemed like they had
the ideal relationship, from the outside, at least, and hopeless
romantic that he was, Kingston had always assumed that whenever he
fell in love, it would be a fairy tale kind of thing, just like his
sister. But now it sounds like the fairy tale is ending , he
thought grimly. And who’s to say it was ever really there in the
first place?
    Subdued, he walked back to the office, trying
to think of a way to help his nephews and his sister through the
rough transition that was headed for them.
     
     

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
    Even though she was
dead tired, before Nora closed up the coffee shop that night, she
tossed back a double espresso, and just before midnight, she headed
down to Central Park.
    Jerome waved at her when she got there, and
Lynne came over to greet her. “Is everything okay with your
family?”
    Nora nodded. “My mom had a heart attack, but
she’s okay.” She hoped that if she said it enough, she’d convince
herself it was true. “She’s having surgery soon.”
    Lynne gave her a quick hug. “I’m glad
everything’s okay, but man, how scary.”
    Nora’s gut clenched, and she just nodded.
“Still,” she said, trying to sound chipper, “I’m glad to be
back.”
    “We’re glad to have you! Just in time, too;
we’re ready to start.”
    Her eyes skimmed the group, but she didn’t
see the tall frame she’d been looking for. “Are we—are we all
here?”
    Lynne shrugged. “There were a couple of
maybes tonight, so I’m guessing they just aren’t coming.”
    Nora’s heart sank, but she tried not to focus
on the lack of Kingston’s presence as they began to warm up. As had
started to be her habit, she was running toward the back of the
group, and it wasn’t long before her muscles were complaining from
lack of use. Slowing her pace, Nora dropped back a little farther,
still in sight of the group but no longer running beside anyone. I really shouldn’t have let so many days go by without a
run , she thought, concentrating on