Just in case. Please take it.
I hesitated. Well, I could grab it on the way back. Next to the note was a house key on a ring. The chain was a Canadian flag, which made me smile.
Finally, after double checking everything, I put in my ear buds and headed outside.
A heavy mugginess lay in the air—reminding me of Toronto. I glanced toward the western skies, but they appeared clear. The sun had poked her head up over the eastern sky and was rising quickly.No time to waste.I hit the button for my playlist and then started stretching. The final thing I did before taking off for my jog was to note the house number.
I eased into the run, slowly picking up speed as I went.
Fourth Avenue lay in an east/west direction while the north/south cross streets were all on inclines heading up as the numbers did.
In a burst of speed, I pushed myself to sprint up James Street all the way to Seventh Avenue where the ground leveled off. I turned eastward and continue a jog down the street. Little houses dotted both sides of the road, and my sense was very much small-town vibe. Something I’d imagined but had never really experienced.
A woman walking three dogs waved as I jogged around her.
Music pounded in my ears as I sought the right pace. Hard—but not too hard. Consistent and strong. Purposeful. Like I had somewhere to be—even though I didn’t.
As I passed the firehall, a cute redheaded guy and a striking dark-haired woman stood by an open bay door. Both waved at me.
I waved back and kept running.
Eventually, I came to the entry of Heritage Park. At this point, I pulled out my maps app to get a sense of where I was and just how far I could go before I needed to turn around. I’d planned for aneasy jog this morning, but I had so much stress and anxiety that a half-marathon made more sense. That was going to mess with my general training schedule, but my body could compensate. I’d take it easier tomorrow and stick to strength training.
Deciding that plan was as good as any, I headed deeper into the park. I waved to various people—something I never did in Toronto. And maybe these people thought it was weird that some random Black dude was waving at them—but it felt right. Like I should be friendly to those who had extended a welcome. Even if the only two people I’d met were Zahir and Quinton.
Hell, I hadn’t even asked Zahir if he was working today. Or what any of his plans were. I’d simply accepted his generosity and practically moved in.Do not think about the dog bed you slept in last night—even if that was one of the best night’s sleeps in a very long time.
Exhaustion? Being run ragged? Stress over Demetrius? Any one—or all—of these things could be to blame. But last night, as I’d laid my head on the soft bed, a serenity had overtaken me. It might’ve just been for one night…but I’d take it.
“Hey, guy! Get back here!” Some dude bellowed that.
I staggered to a stop and glanced around. My senses went on high alert until this adorable little dog barreled over to me—its leash trailing behind it.
Him?
Her?
“Oh God, I am so sorry.” A big barrel-chested guy hurried over. He grabbed the leash even as the dog strained toward me.
“Is it friendly?”
The guy blinked. “Mei? She’s as friendly as they come.”
“Mei.” I rolled my eyes. “I thought you said,hey, guy.”
“Nope. Dog’s name is Mei.” He stepped a little closer. “You can pet her, if you’d like.”
“Sure. That’ll be two dogs in two days.” Slowly, I lowered myself to a crouch. I held out my hand for the dog with soft brown eyes to sniff.
“Another dog?” The guy chuckled. “There are so many dogs around Mission City. Mei and I usually walk around our neighborhood, but I wanted to give her something new today. Trust her to bolt out of the truck when I turned my back for five seconds.” He glared at the dog.
Who didn’t appear to be the least bit repentant.
“Uh, Daphne. My, uh, friend has a dog named Daphne.” I continued to hold my hand as Mei sniffed every inch of it. Eventually, I got a lick. “Thank you.”
“Daphne, eh? Zahir’s dog?”
Oh shit.“Yeah. I didn’t realize you might know him.”
