Midnight Run

Chapter Twenty-Three

Despite Nora's grief, spring finally came, and with it, the New York City Half Marathon. The night before the race, Nora skipped her midnight run. She wanted to make sure she got as much rest as possible before the big day, but she was too keyed up to fall asleep. Finally, she gave up and took a long, hot shower, giving herself a mental pep-talk as the water caressed her skin.

Slicking her hair back with determination, Nora leaned toward the steamy mirror. "You can do this," she said to her reflection, "you're ready for this."

When she emerged from the shower, Carl was standing in the kitchen. He grinned at her and held out a thermos of coffee. "Go get 'em, tiger!"

She laughed, taking a sip of the coffee. "Thanks," she said, but after a moment, she passed the coffee back to him. Her stomach was too jittery to dump caffeine on top of it, and Nora grabbed her water bottle instead. "Do you think you'll be at the finish line?"

He grinned. "Wouldn't miss it for the world. When should I be there?"

The race had a rolling start, and Nora had signed up for the first group at six am. "I'm hoping to run it in two hours, or as close to that as I can get." She pulled her ponytail tighter. "I don't know if I'll be that fast, though, since it's my first time."

"Then I'll be there waiting at eight. You've got this, girl."

Nora gave him a quick hug. "Thank you," she said, trying to force a smile despite the way her stomach was jumping around.

Just then, her phone buzzed, and she looked at it for a minute before answering. Who would call me this early?

"Nora, it's Todd."

Her stomach flip-flopped. An early call from her boss couldn't be good, but she tried to keep her tone neutral. "What's up, Todd?"

"I need you to open the store today. I'm dealing with a family problem, and I have no idea when I'll get there."

Her stomach felt like lead. "Todd, I want to help, but it's the half marathon today."

"Just open the store and wait for Laurel to show up; don't worry about working a full shift," he offered hurriedly. "Can you do that for me?"

She took a deep breath. If Laurel's on time, I should still be able to make my start time. "Sure," she finally said, crossing her fingers and hoping she wouldn't miss the marathon. "I got this." After a pause, she added, "And I'm sorry about whatever's going on. I hope everything is okay."

"Thanks," he said, his voice tight. "Me, too."

Nora hung up the phone and looked at Carl. "I have to open Books and Brew."

He groaned. "But what about the race?"

"I should still be okay," she said, trying to make herself believe it. "But I better change; no one wants to see a store manager in spandex."

Carl frowned and pointed to the clock. "You won't have time," he said. "Just take a spare pair of shoes; you don't want to coat your Nikes with flavored syrup for good luck."

She laughed. "Good point," she called over her shoulder as she rushed into her room and changed into her plain black work shoes. Tying the laces of her running shoes together, she slung them over her shoulder and grabbed her keys and her phone. "Wish me luck!" She said as she headed out the door.

Carl waved after her. "You won't need luck. I'll see you at the finish line!"

Nora hurried across town, thankful that the train was on-time, and when she made it to the coffee shop, she dropped her shoes in the back and went through all of the opening manager's duties on autopilot. Laurel showed up right at five thirty, but she glared at Nora when she spotted her behind the counter.