My mind was already made up. If he was going to Williamsport, so was I. I didn’t need to attend his brother’s opening.
Obviously, that was a family affair and I wouldn’t intrude. I was certain there was a very important reason why he kept his family life a mystery to the public. Lord knows, I didn’t need him finding out about my own family history. He’d likely throw me out on my backside if he did.
However, I was going to Williamsport with him.
Chapter 10
Half-Marathon
Luke
It was a Saturday. I’d already done my scheduled workout for the morning. It was the perfect time for me to climb my ass back into bed, or better yet, go find some pussy I could crawl into for the day. Paid or unpaid, it never mattered to me in the past.
Yet, instead of conducting one of my usual past times on a Saturday afternoon, I found myself downtown, wandering the sidewalks, amongst people cheering for their husbands or wives, or kid, or friend who were running the city’s annual half-marathon. The main streets of downtown had been blocked off to cars to make space for runners. All up and down the street people were running, trying to prove to themselves or someone else that running thirteen point two miles meant something.
Dumb fucks.
I cursed as I pushed past the cheerers, searching out someone who wasn’t there to run. What drove me to be out there, amongst the crowds of people, seeking out one person, I didn’t know but I couldn’t sit my ass at home either. So there I was.
“Hey, you’re Luke McConnell, aren’t you?”
Shit.
Most of the time, I could put on an old baseball cap and go out in public and not get noticed. I wasn’t that famous an athlete who needed security and all that bullshit to go unnoticed, but every now and again, I’d run into someone who recognized me and wanted to fucking chitchat.
“No, and I can’t stand that fucker,” I growled at the guy.
His face quickly morphed from excitement to confused, but I didn’t bother with sticking around for him to figure out the truth. I never got into fighting to be recognized. I hated the shit and avoided public locations whenever possible.
Pushing past the douchebag and all the other onlookers, I continued scouting the area for the one person I was looking for. Along the sides of the street, just off of the sidewalk were volunteers handing out paper cups full of water and electrolyte drinks, and power bars for the runners. None of them were her.
After about twenty minutes of searching, frustration began to mount, and I started to call myself all kinds of fools for even bothering to go out there and search. Right when I’d begun talking myself into carrying my sorry ass home, I spotted her silhouette. Somehow my mind committed her body’s shape and size to memory without my damn consent.
I just knew. Even with her back to me. A pair of dark denim pants and a navy blue shirt—pretty nondescript, especially from behind. Nothing like the high-waist pants and silk blouses she wore in the mornings to our workout sessions. Yet, I still knew it was her.
“Did you have anything to drink or eat during the first ten miles, Mr. McCaffrey?” She questioned someone as I walked up behind her.
Not for the first time, I realized the sexy, breathy nature of her voice. It wasn’t done on purpose. Not like most females I came across. She wasn’t intentionally adding sexiness or an alluring element to her voice. That made it even sexier.
“No.” The older man shook his head as I peered at him over Syd’s shoulder. “Don’t need it. I’m as healthy as an ox.”
“Well, your blood pressure is pretty low and considering you almost fainted out there on the course, I wouldn’t advise you try to finish these final three miles.”
“I’m gonna’ finish, dammit,” the old man grumbled, standing from the folding chair nearly falling over as he did so.
“Calm down, old man. She’s just trying to help your decrepit ass,” I grunted, pushing past Syd to get in between her and the geezer.
His eyes widened in shock as his legs gave out and he fell back into the chair.
“Luke,” Syd called from behind me, but I ignored her.
“You want to die, that’s on you but seeing as how you probably didn’t come here to be carried out on a stretcher but to finish the race, it’d make so much more sense if you took the woman’s advice. Drink the Powerade or whatever the hell she’s serving you, eat that nasty ass Gu and walk to the finish line. It won’t be pretty even with all that, but at least you’ll be on two legs instead of a stretcher.”
I glared at the man, daring him to contest anything I’d said. He grumbled a bit, but took the packet of the electrolyte gooey, fruit flavored substance I offered and stubbornly opened it. Not until he was finished did I step out from between Syd and him. That was when I spun around to face a pissed off looking Syd.
“How’re you feeling now, Mr. McCaffrey?”
“Better.”
