Midnight Run

Chapter Twenty-Two

Kingston kept training, but with his longer hours at work, he didn't always make it to his new running group each day. He thought about going back to the midnight runners time and again, but after his encounter with Nora at the coffee shop, he didn't want to risk running into her. Her eyes had looked hurt when he'd finally confronted her, but Kingston tried not to dwell on the way his heart clenched when she looked at him that way. Seeing her again had been a mistake, so even though he probably would have gotten more training if he'd swallowed his pride and gone back to the group, he wasn't ready to see Nora again.

Carrie must have noticed the change in his demeanor, because she started badgering him to go out for lunch again, until finally, one day, Kingston decided to put a stop to it.

"You're a nice lady, Carrie," he said, leaning over the receptionist's desk and smiling down at her. "But you might as well stop asking."

She started at him, her mouth hanging open. "But I—"

"I don't date women I work with." He said, giving her an apologetic shrug. "And since neither of us has any plans to move on, well..." he trailed off. "I hope we can be still be friends."

Carrie stared at him for a moment, and finally the blond shook her head incredulously. "You know, I think that's the most polite brush off I've ever gotten."

Kingston frowned. "I'm not trying to brush you off. I just don't think work relationships are a good idea."

"You've got a point," Carrie said, but then she lowered her voice and leaned forward with a seductive smile. "But what about being friends with benefits?"

Kingston couldn't help himself; he laughed out loud at the suggestion. "Not my style," he said. "Although you are lovely," he assured her when he saw her crushed expression.

"I'll never understand men," she grumbled under her breath, turning back to her computer and beginning to type away, effectively dismissing him.

"We aren't too good at figuring you all out, either," Kingston said with a chuckle as he headed back to his cubicle.

Things fell into a predictable rhythm after that; Kingston ran whenever he could, worked harder than usual, and, slowly, he found he was thinking about Nora less with each passing day. He'd avoided calling his sister after the mess with the funeral because he didn't want her to press him about the things he'd confessed while he was back in Texas, but guilt finally got the better of him, and he called her one Friday night to check in.

He was surprised when his mother answered the phone, and he double checked to make sure he'd dialed the right number. "Where's Raye?"

"Kingston, is that you? How are you, sweetie?"

He sat down on his sofa. "Fine, Mom. Is everything okay?"

She laughed. "Of course everything's fine. Why do you ask?"

"What are you doing with Raye's phone?"

"Oh, that. I'm over here babysitting tonight, and she was in the shower when the phone rang, so I figured I should answer it."

Kingston tried to keep up. "Is she there now?"

"Let me check." There was silence for a moment, and then his sister's voice came on the line.

"Hi, stranger."

He winced. "Sorry I haven't been better about calling."

"It's okay. But make sure you talk to the boys before you go."

"Of course." He paused. "You okay? What's Mom doing over there?"

She was quiet for a minute. "She's babysitting," Rachel finally said slowly.

"I got that much. Where are you going?"

"Promise you won't be mad?"

Kingston glanced at the phone. "Why would I be mad?"

Rachel exhaled loudly. "Well," she said, "I've got a date."

It was like he'd fallen into an alternate universe, and Kingston shook his head. "You what?"

"A date, King. Surely you remember what that is?"

"But what about Mark?" As soon as he said it, he felt like an ass. "Raye, I'm sorry—"

"No, it's okay. I forgot I haven't told you. The divorce is almost final."

Kingston raised an eyebrow. "That was fast."

He could almost hear his sister shrug. "We agreed on the terms pretty easily; I guess we were both ready to move on with our lives. Thank God it wasn't some long, drawn out fight. I don't think the boys would have survived that."

"But back to this date. Who's the guy?"

Rachel giggled softly, and she almost sounded like a teenager again. "Josh. I met him when I was on assignment for the paper."

"He's somebody you interviewed?"

"No, he's a reporter. He works for my competition."

Kingston rubbed his forehead. "You're insane, you know that?"

"Am I?" Her voice suddenly cracked. "King, is this a bad idea?"

He wanted to tell her that he hadn't even met the guy, or caution her about falling too fast before she had time to really heal, but she sounded happier than she had in months, so Kingston closed his eyes. "If you're happy, it's never a bad idea."

"I want to be happy," she said quietly, "and Josh makes me laugh."

"Then that's good enough for me."

"When are you coming home to visit? I want to introduce the two of you."

Kingston shrugged. "Actually, I was thinking I might see about transferring back. New York has lost some of its appeal."

Rachel was silent for a moment. "I'm going to call tomorrow so you can fill me in on exactly what you mean, but right now, I've got to finish getting ready." She paused. "You okay, though?"

He thought about it for a moment, and finally shrugged. "I'm getting by. Have fun tonight."

"I will," she said. "And King?"

"Yeah?"

"It'll all work out. You've got to keep believing that."