Midnight Run (11 page)

Shooting her a dirty look, Nora hung her
purse up on a hook and grabbed her apron. Todd came around the
corner and crooked his finger at her, and Nora followed him back to
the office with a sinking heart.

“Nora, what do you think I’m going to say to
you?” He sounded like an angry teacher, and Nora resisted the urge
to hang her head in shame.

“That I’m late, but I’m sorry. The
train—“

Todd cut her off. “Was it the train last
time, too?”

Nora frowned, confused. “Last time?”

“Laurel told me you were a half hour late for
the closing shift a few days ago.” He tugged on his mustache. “I
thought you were ready for the responsibility of this position, but
you’re seriously making me reconsider that choice.”

Nora gaped at him. “I haven’t been late!
Laurel was late that day; I meant to talk to you about it.”

Todd shook his head. “Don’t try to turn the
blame around on someone else.” He paused. “Is being assistant
manager still something you want?”

“Yes!” She nodded vigorously. “Really, Todd,
I want to do a good job.”

He considered her for a moment. “I think you
do,” he finally said, “but Nora, I have to tell you, one more slip
up, and you might be back to just being a barista.”

“I won’t mess this up. I’m sorry,” Nora bit
her lip, wishing she’d told Todd about Laurel’s tardiness as soon
as it happened.
Too late now
, she admonished herself.
He
just thinks I’m lying to cover my own butt.

Todd nodded. “I’m reworking the schedule for
next week; how do you feel about mid-shift to close?”

Nora shrugged. “Whatever you want.”

“Good. I’m scheduling you and Laurel together
all week.”

Nora swallowed. “Really?” Trying to find the
right words, she finally said, “I think, um, that our personalities
clash a little.”

Todd raised an eyebrow. “Remember what I said
about being a manager? You have to be able to deal with everyone,
customers and staff included.”

Nora gulped. “Right. Everyone.” She forced a
smile. “That schedule sounds fine.”

Even though talking to
Nora about PB had given him a momentary shot of confidence, by the
following day, his thoughts had sunk into a nasty snake pit of
“what ifs”, and instead of indulging in his coffee shop fantasy,
Kingston decided it was time to focus on real life. He might not
find a fairy tale love, but at least he’d dedicate himself to the
things he could control, namely work and running.

He doubled down at the office, working faster
than he needed to, and at the next staff meeting, he was surprised
when his boss singled him out by giving him some real
responsibilities.
No more errand boy,
he thought with a
smile as he shook Mr. Fitz’s hand after the meeting.

Deciding to add to his winning streak, he
registered early for the half marathon, and renewed his focus at
the midnight runs. Nora was still there, and he was still more
aware of her presence than he cared to admit, even to himself, but
Kingston kept away from her at night, and he avoided the coffee
shop during the day.

It should have been lonely, with nothing but
work and running to fill his time anymore, but Kingston made good
on his promise to Raye to stay in touch more, and most every
evening, he called and chatted with his nephews. Sometimes his
sister wanted to talk, but most of the time, she answered his
questions with monosyllables before passing the phone off to the
boys. Kingston wished she’d confide in him about the divorce
proceedings, but he didn’t want to push her.
She’ll tell me in
her own time, I guess,
he reasoned. But he was worried about
his big sister, and that Friday, he booked a last-minute flight
back to Texas for the weekend.

Rachel met him at the airport with the boys,
and Shelton launched himself at Kingston with force that surprised
him. Picking him up, Kingston gave him a tight squeeze before
turning to his sister.

“How’re you?” He asked, draping one arm over
her shoulders while still holding onto Shelton with his other
hand.

She shrugged, and Kingston realized how tired
she looked. “Good enough,” she said. “Glad to see you, that’s for
sure.”

Blake, who had been hiding his face against
his mother’s knees, peeped up at Kingston. “Did you bring us
anything from New York?”

Kingston laughed. “Cut right to the chase,
boy. I’m glad to see you, too.”

Blake hid his face again, and Rachel shook
her head. “Greedy little monster.”

Kingston smiled. “I don’t mind.” He dropped
his hand to ruffle Blake’s hair. “There might be some surprises in
my bag, but you’ll have to wait until we’re back to your house to
find out.”

They left the airport, Kingston still
carrying Shelton and dragging his black roller bag behind them, and
Kingston took a deep breath once they got outside. “Ah, nothing
like air that won’t freeze your lungs.”

His nephews giggled at him, and Rachel gave
him a small smile. “One more reason I won’t be heading to New York
any time soon,” she said as she unlocked her minivan and got Blake
situated in his booster seat.

Kingston deposited his nephew and his bag in
the back, and then he grabbed the keys from Rachel. “Let me drive.
I’ve missed it.”

“If you crash my car, King, you better be
ready to buy me a new one.”

He rolled his eyes as he adjusted the
driver’s seat to accommodate his long legs. “I haven’t crashed any
cars in over a decade.”

“Did you hurt yourself?” Shelton piped up
from the backseat, and Kingston glanced in the rearview mirror at
his nephew’s wide eyes.

“No,” he said slowly, “but your mom nearly
killed me.”

She shook her head, but she was smiling. “I
had every right! My first break home from college, and I come home
from a night out with my friends to find a crumpled hunk of metal
that
used
to be my car parked on the curb, and you sitting
on the hood waiting for me.”

He laughed, steering the van into the thick
traffic outside the airport. “If looks could kill, I’d be a dead
man more times than I care to count.” He looked up at the rearview
mirror. “Don’t ever take anything of your brother’s without asking
permission first. Roger that, buddy?”

Shelton nodded solemnly, and Kingston drove
back to Rachel’s house, cheerfully swapping stories with his sister
and doing his best to make her laugh. He almost succeeded,
too.

The next week was just
about as awful as Nora had imagined; working with Laurel day after
day really grated on her nerves, but she kept her mouth shut every
time Laurel said something snarky, and by some miracle, they both
survived the week without killing each other. Kingston hadn’t come
back to Books and Brew, and Nora kept her distance from him during
the nightly runs, although seeing him and not being able to talk to
him made her heart ache. Still, it was better that way; she was
already more hung up on him than she cared to admit, and Nora knew
it was a waste of time and emotion to allow her feelings to deepen.
Kingston was still friendly toward her, always greeting her with a
wave and a smile, but he didn’t pace with her again, and Nora
skipped going to the diner after the runs, just in case he opted to
hang out.

If things at the midnight run were tense,
they were even worse at work. Todd showed up at the coffee shop at
odd hours when he wasn’t working, and he hovered in the back with
the office door open. Nora had the distinct impression that he was
keeping an eye on her, and that proved to be true when he pulled
her aside the next Thursday with a smile.

“Ready to change shifts again?”

She hesitated. She was desperate to get away
from Laurel, but Todd’s warning about getting along with everyone
rang in her ears. Finally, Nora nodded. “I think I do like mornings
a little better,” she offered.

“That was my thought. We’re bringing on a
couple of new kids, and I’ll be training them on the mid and
closing shifts. You’re on your own in the mornings, kiddo.”

Nora grinned. “Thanks. I won’t let you
down.”

“I know you won’t. Anyone in particular that
you’d like to work with?” He offered the drafted schedule to
her.

She skimmed it, considering. “Frank and I
worked together last week,” she said, thinking out loud, “but I
don’t think I’ve ever worked with Sam or Josi.” She handed the
schedule back to him. “Anyone is fine, really.”

“I’ll put you with Josi on Monday and
Wednesday, then.” Todd scribbled with his pencil, and then he
looked up at Nora. “Do you mind working with Laurel again on
Thursday?”

Nora forced a bright smile. “Why would I
mind?”

***

Carl wasn’t around when she got home, and Nora found
a sticky note in the kitchen that made her pause. “Going down to
Philly. Tell me I’m not an idiot.” She was pretty sure that meant
he was going to see Reggie, and her heart tightened for him. After
their heart to heart the other week, Carl hadn’t said much about
Reggie’s visit, but Nora could tell he’d been preoccupied; his eyes
glazed over sometimes when they were watching T.V. together, and
he’d been a lot quieter than his usual, chipper self. Nora shook
her head and pulled a carton of leftover Chinese out of the
refrigerator.
I hope he doesn’t do anything he’ll regret
,
she thought as she settled herself in the living room and inhaled
her snack.

Still, she kind of admired Carl. It took a
lot of guts to put himself out there for love, and she knew that,
whatever her reservations about Reggie, Carl was still pretty hung
up on him.
What if I were brave enough to take that kind of
risk?
Would Kingston reject her if she tried to tell him how
she felt?
You never know if you don’t try,
she thought,
feeling a tiny bubble of confidence surge in her.
Maybe tonight,
after the run, I’ll talk to him.

***

Nora’s confidence was shaky when she got to the
park, but she was still determined to corner Kingston. She’d spent
the entire evening rehearsing what she wanted to say, and she’d
decided that after the run would be the best time to open her
heart.
After all
, she reasoned with a shiver of fear,
what’s the worst that can happen?

But fate was against her; Kingston wasn’t
there that night, even though Nora spent most of the run looking
over her shoulder, waiting for him to catch up.
I can try again
tomorrow
, she thought, but then she remembered that she
wouldn’t be there tomorrow; her mom’s surgery was scheduled for
early Saturday morning, and she was taking the train home in the
afternoon so she’d be there for everything. Todd had given her
Friday off without reservation, and Nora already had her train
ticket. A little fissure of disappointment rippled through her, but
she beat it down.
I’ll just have to wait
, she reasoned,
hoping that she could keep her nerve up until she had a chance to
see Kingston again.

Carl still wasn’t back the next day, and Nora
headed to the train station alone. She sent him a quick text,
reminding him about the surgery, but she hadn’t heard back from him
by the time she arrived, and she tried to ignore her
disappointment.

Her dad was waiting at the station for her,
and Nora brightened when she saw his familiar old station wagon.
Slipping into the front seat, she leaned over and gave him a quick
kiss on the cheek. “How’re you?”

“Doing pretty good. What about you,
sweetie?”

She shrugged. “Okay. Glad to be home with you
guys.” After a pause, she asked, “How’s Mom?”

Her dad grinned. “Right as rain. She’s ready
to get this surgery over and done with so she can go back to
playing with her plants.”

Nora laughed. “Hopefully, the recovery time
won’t take too long.”

Her dad maneuvered the car expertly through
the crammed city streets. “Doc says it depends, but your mom’s
determined to have the shortest recovery time on the planet.”

Nora relaxed against the seat. “I’m glad
she’s doing so much better. I’d been worried.”

“Nothing to worry about; she had her pre-op
today, and they said everything looks good.” He gestured cheerfully
to the iconic
LOVE
sculpture on the corner. “Nothing like a
little love to make everything better, right?”

Nora laughed, but she felt a sharp twinge in
her chest. Her parents had been together for thirty years, and they
still seemed completely happy with each other.
Will I ever find
somebody I could spend my life with?
Her thoughts wandered as
her dad drove out of the city to the old farmhouse, and Nora was
feeling melancholy when they pulled into the drive.

***

It rained through the night, but the clouds had
cleared by the time Nora woke up the next morning. She made coffee
for herself and her dad, but because of the surgery, her mom didn’t
have anything to eat or drink. Still, they all sat out on the old
wooden porch together, watching the sun come up, each lost in their
own quiet thoughts, until finally Nora’s mom stood and
stretched.

“It’s just about time to head to Mercy,” she
said, smiling at Nora. “I’m glad you’re here, sweetie.”

Nora stood up and embraced her. “Me,
too.”

Slugging the rest of his coffee, her dad
headed down the porch. “I’ll bring the car around; can’t have my
princesses walking through all that muck!”

As he rounded the corner to the driveway,
Nora’s mom reached for her hand, and Nora looked at her,
surprised.

“If anything happens to me,” she said
quietly, “I just need you to know that I’ve never loved anyone more
than you and your dad.”

Nora shook her head, tears welling up in her
eyes at the unexpected declaration. “Mom, everything’s going to be
fine.”