Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
FRANKIE
Ireally should have made Calysta fasten her own safety pins. No matter how much I’d tried not to brush the sides of her breasts, I’d failed. Now blood had filled my dick, reminding me it had been over a year since I’d touched a woman, let alone had sex.
There were families lining the streets, regardless of whether they planned to run, and not one of them needed nor wanted to see me with a hard-on.
“There,” I said, pushing the single word past my too-dry lips. I licked my lips and forced my gaze toward the crowd. “Now you are ready like the rest of us.”
“Thanks—”
“Dad!”
I turned in the direction of the sound and grinned at the sight of Noelani waving me over.
“Come on!”
A quick glance at my watch had me facing Calysta.
“Go. Coffee after?” Calysta asked, and I wondered if the idea also sent butterflies through her stomach.
I nodded. “Absolutely. Race starts in ten, so you’ll want to hurry to your car, or maybe they have a bag check-in.”
“I parked at the pharmacy, so I’ll be quick. If I take too long to finish, feel free to head out and I’ll take a rain check.”
I shook my head. “Absolutely not, unless of course you’ve changed your mind.”
Calysta took a few steps back, narrowly missing a person. “Nope.”
She turned and hurried through the crowd in the direction of the pharmacy. I ran a hand through my hair and dropped my chin to my chest the moment I lost sight of her, a grin filling my face.
After taking another moment to process the interaction, I hurried to Noelani, who was lightly stretching toward the front. I laid my hand on her shoulder. “Hey!”
“I was about to give up your spot,” she said and playfully rolled her eyes.
Narrowing my gaze, I said, “You wouldn’t have dared!”
“Who was the pretty lady?” she asked instead.
I looked back, even though I knew Calysta was lost to me somewhere in the crowd. “Calysta. She’s the pharmacist at Abe’s.”
“And what’s the name of the pharmacist on the way out of town?” Noelani asked.
“Huh?” Her question confused me. “Why would I know their name?”
Noelani shrugged as she opened her earbuds case. “I mean, why would you know hers?” She winked and bumped her shoulder against mine.
“You’re such a brat.”
Noelani stuck her tongue out at me. “You know it. Now get ready to eat my dust.” She slipped an earbud in and prepared the app we used to track our runs.
There was no arguing with her on the latter. The girl could run, and she would. I knew she wanted to beat her current personal record—fifteen minutes and forty-four seconds—for the 5K.
She’d be finished as I started my second mile, and she’d quite possibly be the first and only finisher for at least five minutes.
Sheriff Noah’s voice boomed from the speakers lining Main Street.
“Racers! You have two minutes, and I want to thank every single one of you. We have five hundred and twenty-three registered racers. That means with your help, our sheriff’s department can purchase a K-9 to keep our slice of heaven safe!
Good luck to you all! Be safe, and don’t forget to have fun! ”
I took in the large crowd behind me. Smiling faces chatted with friends, and others tuned out the chaos as they prepared for their run.
“Thirty seconds!” Sheriff Noah called, and I turned around.
When the starting horn blared, I made my way out of the corral, passing a few who had no business being in the front. Frustration fueled me until the runners thinned, leaving only the fastest ones within my eyesight. Noelani was about halfway between me and the fastest runner.
I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself. She’d be out of my line of sight soon enough as she paced herself to surpass her PR. After half a mile, my mind tuned out the music playing in my headphones as I focused on Calysta.
The only thing that would stop me from enjoying a coffee with the beautiful woman would be if she changed her mind. I also didn’t expect Noelani to interfere. My girl had been nudging me to date for the last three years.
Twenty-four minutes after starting, I approached the finish line. Sweat poured between my shoulders as the sun rose higher in the Louisiana sky.
“Get it, Dad!” Noelani shouted from the sidelines. “Push it!”
Kicking it up a notch, I sprinted the last two hundred feet. Pushing my body past any sort of comfort, I achieved a twenty-five-minute 5K, the fastest I’d done in nearly three years.
I collected my finishing medal and a bottle of water from volunteers, then went in search of Noelani. The crowd cheered as another person reached the end, and I smiled.
“Dad!”
Turning to my left, I spotted Noelani coming toward me. “How’d you do?”
Her face lit up, brighter than the sun could ever be. “Fifteen thirty-two!”
I punched the air and hollered in excitement. “Yes!” The moment she was within arm’s reach, I wrapped my arms around her and spun her in a circle. “I’m so damn proud of you!”
Noelani’s giggle filled my soul with so much joy. I set her down and grabbed her face before pressing a smacking kiss on her forehead.
“You amaze me every day!”
“Thanks, Daddy. Obviously, that’s the unofficial time, but I beat my last PR. One step closer to registering with USA Track and Field! So, where are you taking me for dinner?”
I laughed. “Where do you want to go?”
“Can I think about it?” she asked.
“Of course.” Another runner finished, drawing my attention to the finish line.
“What’s wrong?” Noelani asked.
“Nothing, just looking for Calysta.” I looked at my watch and noted only a few minutes had passed. “I think this is her first 5K, but I don’t know what her slated time is.”
“Then go find her. Unless you don’t think she’d want the company?” Noelani asked.
Scratching my damp hair in frustration, I shrugged. “I have no idea.”
Noelani squeezed my bicep. “No better way to learn. You can always ask for forgiveness later. I’m sure she’ll see you were coming from a good place, and if she doesn’t realize it, she’s not worthy of you.”
I pressed my lips to her temple. “Aloha au iā ‘oe.”
“Aloha au iā ‘oe, Daddy! Now go!”
I took off at a run and wove around the crowd and along the finish line before following the edge of the road, running against the flow.
I searched the faces of each middle-aged brunette with dark-brown skin until my gaze landed on Calysta’s.
Her eyes widened at the sight of me before crinkling at the corners with a grin.
“Hey!” The single word let me know she was tired.
“I wondered if you wanted company,” I said, matching my pace to hers.
“Love.” She forced the word past her lips before adding “it.”
I offered her the water bottle I’d gotten at the finish line. “Water? You’re so close to the finish.”
She uncapped the bottle and slowed enough so she could drink. Calysta capped the bottle and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “You’re heaven-sent.”