Chapter 6
Josie took her time warming up that Saturday morning with Malcolm.
First she stretched her arms to both sides, twisting her torso so he might appreciate how great she looked in the skin-tight shorts with a special pocket for her phone.
Goodbye saggy drawers that she’d dropped off at Goodwill.
Josie had made some updates in her running attire.
Bending over, she twisted so he got a clear view of her hot pink racerback tank top.
“And now over we go.” When she touched her toes, the designer sunglasses she’d scored at Coralee’s clattered to the cobblestones.
Malcolm quickly snatched them up. “Square glasses, huh? Pretty fancy.”
Standing, she grabbed the glasses. The polarized lenses now had a scratch across the right eye. If Josie had paid full price, she would be slitting her wrists.
Next to her Malcolm went back to stretching his hamstrings, paying no attention to her whatsoever. A quick sideways glance told her that instead, he was staring at the horizon. Dawn had just broken. So, he was more interested in the rising sun than he was in her skintight shorts?
Glasses safely in hand, she took a deep breath.
“Deep breaths.” Had he noticed her plump lips?
Josie had found some lip plumper with great reviews on .
And it tasted like peaches. Couldn't get much better than this, could it?
“Breathing out and then taking in another deep breath…” She tried to appear deeply in tune with her body, murmuring her actions.
Another sly sideways glance told her that he was jogging in place, eyes forward.
“Hey, is that an order?” he teased without even giving her a look. Not even one glance. How frustrating. This racerback top seemed to be yanking Josie’s shoulders together. Maybe buying a size medium had been aspirational. She rotated her shoulders.
What did it matter? She could probably stand on her head and Malcolm still wouldn’t look at her. Instead he was concentrating on the sky. Finally he took a deep breath but closed his eyes while he was doing it. “Sure smells great around here,” he said.
She slyly moved a bit closer, smacking her lips together.
Maybe that would release some of the peach fragrance.
Emily would be proud of her sneaky efforts.
But Malcolm still wasn't opening his eyes.
“You have no idea how bad the air is in New York,” he mumbled.
“Air pollution from trucks and way too many cars. Maybe I was just oversensitive to it after being in the so long.”
“How terrible. That would really suck.” Okay, he opened his eyes. But he was only looking at their surroundings. Not at her.
Josie glanced around. Sure, she was grateful for the pine trees edging the road that led from the square, now all decorated for the holiday season.
The air was cool, as it usually was in December, with the smell of the marsh in the air.
She'd be horrified to smell gasoline residue in Sweetwater Creek.
And she should appreciate his sensitivity.
“Ready?” He finally turned toward her.
“Why not?” Her mascara would be lost on him. Josie jammed her damaged second-hand designer sunglasses into place and they took off.
“Looks like you're taking a different route,” Malcolm said after a block or so.
“After you left, I did some experimenting.” Because I was so miserable.
“Who do you usually run with now?” Malcolm asked as she picked up the pace.
“No one. I like to run alone.” Except when you're with me.
“But there must be other runners in town.”
“It's hard to work around my schedule.”
“I suppose so.”
They hadn't gone that far when she realized that Malcolm seemed to be dropping back. Must be her imagination. Was she going faster than usual? Josie slowed her pace.
They dodged down the streets that led from the square and out into the country. Their running shoes slapped the pavement in a comfortable rhythm. Every time her glasses slid down her nose, Josie pushed them back up. Her luminescent makeup foundation must be greasing their way. Great.
Determined that nothing would spoil this run with Malcolm, she closed her mind to everything but nature.
Puffy clouds drifted past overhead, occasionally giving them some welcome shade.
Malcolm still hadn't said anything about her new outfit.
In fact he seemed distracted. With his head slightly down, his breath grew unusually loud.
More like gasps, actually. “Are you okay?” she finally asked.
“Sure. Just haven't done...this for a while.”
Had his face always been this flushed when they ran? Josie didn't want to make a big deal out of this but she slowed her pace even more. Talking became difficult for him. That was obvious, so she zipped her glossy lips.
When they reached the outward loop that ran to one of the country roads, she moved ahead of him.
To run side-by-side would be dangerous, even though in this flat area they could see a car coming a mile away.
Soon they were passing in back of the strip mall that held the urgent care center.
“Is this where Victoria's husband works?” He pointed to the big sign that said Urgent Care.
“Right. This is where she met him.”
“No kidding?” Malcolm grinned. “Sounds like...one of those...romcom movies.”
He was cutting in and out again. Maybe she should be the one doing the talking.
“Victoria was cutting down pine boughs to decorate her shop and ended up with a splinter in her eye. The accident happened during the Christmas season. She went to that urgent care center. One look at Derek Darling did it.”
“That's all...it takes?” Still panting, Malcolm grinned down at her. “One look?”
Oh, if you only knew. She'd been attracted to him at his first interview.
The sudden strong feelings had been unnerving.
So when she heard about Victoria getting hung up on Derek the first time she saw him, Josie totally understood.
“Right. She volunteered at his clinic, and they got to know each other.” They left the urgent care center behind and she took a right onto one of the country roads.
But this slower pace was not what she was used to, not with him anyway.
“You might not...like me...saying this…,” Malcolm began, his breath labored. The day was warming up and she was beginning to sweat. But she wasn't having any trouble catching her breath. And he definitely was.
“What's on your mind?” She slowed down a little more, hoping he wouldn't notice.
“You shouldn't...run alone, Josie.” Turning slightly, he glanced at the empty fields that had held corn last August, followed by soybeans.
What was he saying? “Relax. This is Sweetwater Creek, not New York City.” She always felt comfortable on these roads. Safe.
“I know that.” Malcolm slowed a little and took a couple of deep breaths.
“But if you read the papers, bad things...can happen on...country roads...to young women who run alone.” The last was said in a rush of words and a warm blast of breath.
The heat shimmered from the asphalt road and she licked her lips.
“Are you saying that I don't stay up on the news?” She felt almost insulted. “After all I am a librarian. I stay up to date on things.” But granted, she didn't pay a lot of attention to grisly crimes.
Right now he was the one scaring her. Josie didn't remember Malcolm’s face getting so red when they ran together. “I know...I'm just saying...you might not be... reading articles about runners. Please don't run alone.”
Yes, he was gasping. Why hadn't she brought a small towel to loop around her neck? Even though they weren’t running very fast, perspiration dribbled from her forehead. Maybe this was sympathy sweat. She was really concerned about him.
Swatting at her cheeks, Josie drove her huge glasses higher on her nose.
His concern for her was touching, but Malcolm hadn't even mentioned her lipstick or her eye makeup. Maybe all her efforts that morning had been wasted. In New York the women probably wore makeup by J Lo or Victoria Beckham, subtle and expensive. Her shoulders sagged. She had paid plenty for this “summer light foundation with luminosity” when she’d ordered it online.
Now she couldn't even remember the brand.
Maybe it was Slip and Slide. Caught up in her thoughts, Josie didn't see the pebbles on the road until she skidded.
One ankle turned and she went down, swinging her arms out to break the fall. Somehow she managed to avoid cracking her head open, but her glasses had fallen off. Again. And her ankle was killing her. She curled it up toward her body. Circling back, Malcolm crouched beside her. “Are you all right?”
Josie managed to roll over onto her back. “I'm not sure. My ankle hurts.” Hurts? It was screaming for help.
“Hold still. I'm just going to check a few things.” Oh so gently, Malcolm's hands moved from her knees down her calves to her ankle. In any other situation, this could have been exciting. But not today. When he reached her throbbing ankle, she couldn't help her pathetic yelp.
Malcolm's head dropped closer. Although she used to kid him about his sleeveless muscle shirts, this morning he looked pretty darn good in one. The gray shirt clung damply to his heaving chest. His fingers gently probed, and she yelped again.
“Sorry.” Malcolm looked up. “Nothing seems to be broken.”
“That's a relief.” Cripes, it was Christmas. She hadn't even started her shopping. Walking around in a cast would be a problem. She had so much to do. Getting up, he scanned the road. “I don't know how much traffic this road has. We could be waiting a long time.”
Standing back he eyed her. “How much do you weigh?”
“Too much for you to carry.” Was he crazy? She was not telling him her weight. That was top-secret information. The very idea of him carrying her back to town was ridiculous, not that she wouldn’t love to be cradled in his arms. He helped her up.
“I'm sure I can walk.”
“Really?” One hand cupping her elbow, he looked doubtful.
After one tentative step, Josie knew that walking wasn't happening.
She had really screwed up. Still supported by him, she struggled to balance on one foot.
“I have a phone. We could call someone.” She patted the pocket that held the phone.
Hopefully, the phone hadn't cracked when she fell.
“I'm so sorry, Malcolm.” What started out as a great run together had turned into a big problem for him. And she had caused it.
“Don't apologize. I'm just glad I was here with you.” He frowned down on her. “Josie, this is what I was just talking about. Imagine if you'd been running alone.”
If I'd been running alone, I would've been watching my step, not thinking about you.
As they stood there facing each other, a red pickup appeared on the horizon. She turned toward it and narrowed her eyes. “Wait a minute. I think that's Jackson Hart. You know, Emily's husband.”
“That's a break.” Stepping out into the road, Malcolm waved. Jackson had already seen them and was slowing down. In no time, the two guys had bundled her into the cab of the pickup. She fought a smile as she was squished between the two on Jackson's front seat.
And then they were off. “You must have really hurt yourself,” Jackson said, shifting gears and giving her a worried look. “Have you been crying?”
“What, no?” Her hands went to her eyes and came away with Mink Brown mascara on her fingers. Mascara that was supposed to be waterproof. So much for her efforts to be more feminine. Her heart plummeted. Josie rubbed one hand on the new jogging shorts.
“I didn't want to say anything,” Malcolm murmured, stretching one arm along the seat behind her.
“Tissue under the seat,” Jackson said, his lips twitching. Josie hoped he wasn't going to mention this to Emily.
Malcolm felt around until he found the tissues and plopped the box on her lap.
Josie had never realized that looking feminine was so much work.