Chapter 26
LIZ
Matt wasn’t kidding when he said it was going to be hot. A scorching ninety-two degrees. He also wasn’t joking when he told her she doesn’t run. There had been no sign of any jogging clothes in the closet or dresser. But there was no way she was backing out. She had found a pair of black and silver leggings and a pink sports bra. She met Matt downstairs, and they both downed a cold bottle of water before heading out.
After jogging for nearly twenty minutes, Liz was out of breath and sweating. Feeling the strain in her calves, she slowed down and took a deep breath before halting and resting her hands on her knees.
Matt stopped and turned back to her, jogging in place. “Oh come on, we just started.”
She glanced up, and as expected, found his “I told you so” smirk. “I didn’t…say…I was stopping,” Liz rasped out.
“Okay, good. We’ve got another thirty minutes ahead, and then we’ll turn back.”
Liz squinted up at him, wondering at what point he’d start to break a sweat. With her hands still on her knees, she managed to get more words out. “Andthenwe’ll turn back?” She stood, rolling her eyes. “Okay. You win. I can’t do this. I’m not even comfortable in these clothes.” She motioned her arms down her body.
A slow smile crept up his face. Matt stopped his jog and reached for her hand. “Come on.” He walked her ahead about half a block before they reached a small coffee shop. It was incredibly tiny, with only a narrow entrance door and small window for ordering. There were two small round metal tables outside with matching chairs.
Matt approached the closed window. A young kid with strawberry blond hair and overly tanned skin opened it. Liz breathed in the incredibly cool burst of air that quickly emerged from the small window. “Two lemonades, please.”
“Two lemonades.” The guy repeated before disappearing behind the counter.
Matt turned to Liz and brushed away a few soaking strands of hair from her face.
“We taking a break?” Liz asked, glancing at the chairs.
“Not exactly,” he turned back to the window. “Besides you wouldn’t want to sit on those piping hot metal chairs right now.”
The kid reappeared with the drinks. “Five dollars.”
“Thanks, Tyler.”
Liz eyed the pale cool drink in her husband’s hands before he handed her one. She took a long sip of the sweet and tangy liquid refreshment. It wasn’t until she gulped down her second long sip that she noticed Matt grinning at her.
“This is really good,” Liz inhaled deep for air, “but I don’t think this is going to help me run back another twenty minutes.”
He flashed her an all-knowing smile, his eyes a bright green in the sunlight. He put an arm around her, and she leaned into his warm, solid body. “We’re not running. Come on,” he nodded ahead, “our place is around the corner, just a five-minute walk or so.”
She glanced back to the direction they came from. “What? We just made a huge circle?” Liz narrowed her eyes at him. “You really had no faith in me.”
Matt raised an eyebrow.
“Hmm.” She held out her hand to him.
Liz took another long refreshing sip and looked around the neighborhood. She liked the town they lived in. It was clean and just the right amount of neighborhood bustling. The streets they jogged mainly had cookie cutter townhomes resembling the one they lived in. The business section of the neighborhood seemed small, primarily consisting of small shops like a cafe, deli, barber shop, pet shop, and the ice-cream and lemonade boutique.
“Did you grow up here?”
“Huh?”
“Are you from this town?”
“Oh, no. My brother and I were born and raised on Long Island, not in the house they live in now, but nearby.”
Liz nodded and took a longer sip of her half empty drink. “So what was the occasion for us visiting that weekend?”
Something dark appeared in Matt’s expression, quickly shifting from cool to cold.
“It was the Fourth of July weekend,” he answered blankly and stared ahead.
