“Good morning.” Yes, she’d hoped she’d see him here. She kept jogging even as she sucked in a breath to ask him a question. “Starting? Or done?”
“Starting.” He released her elbow and adjusted his stride to remain beside her. “You?”
He wasn’t even out of breath. Benita resented that. “Second. Lap.”
“Mind if I join you?”
“No.” Benita puffed her response. She didn’t mind at all, though she might regret it. She and Vaughn hadn’t jogged together since college and she’d had trouble keeping up with him then.
“I apologize.”
“For what?” He sounded as though he knew. Either way, Benita was willing to play along.
“Upsetting you.” She drew another breath. “Proud of your work. Mystic Park is wonderful.”
“I appreciate that.” His twinkling cocoa eyes and sexy smile framed by his debonair goatee melted her heart.
He was mesmerizing her. Benita knew it. The question was whether the spell was deliberate or a byproduct of his charms. Either way, Benita pulled her gaze away. She needed to stick to her plan: remind Dr. Vaughn Brooks of what the two of them had together, then make him want her back.
Benita drew a deep breath, inhaling the scents of grass and earth. The late April weather was cloudy and cool. Spring was still a distance off. There were a few other joggers and walkers on the broad dirt path with them. They were young and old, men and women. A few were out for the solitary exercise. Others ran in groups, obviously in training for something.
The streetlamps that appeared periodically along the path were relatively new. Benita had noticed them before. Since it was well into the morning, the lamps were off. But she imagined their glow made the path feel much safer, not that crime was a concern in Trinity Falls, unlike L.A.
Benita wiped sweat from her eyes. “Haven’t jogged with you since high school.”
Laughter low and deep rumbled up from Vaughn’s chest. “You always started so fast, trying to outrun me. Then you’d struggle to finish.”
Surprised laughter caused Benita to lose her balance. Vaughn’s hand shot out to steady her again.
“Thanks.” Benita pressed her hand to her chest. She breathed long and slow to catch her breath.
“Are you all right?” Vaughn was still chuckling.
“You were. So mean. Wouldn’t let. Me stop.” It was a struggle to speak between the breath-stealing laughter and trying to keep pace with Vaughn.
“I wasn’t mean. I was tough.” Vaughn let his hand drop from her elbow. Benita missed his touch. “You had to finish what
you started. You just needed to learn to pace yourself.”
A familiar trail came into view on the left side of the path. Benita’s heart leaped. “Is our tree. Still there?”
Vaughn hesitated. “Probably.”
“Let’s see.” Still jogging, Benita prodded Vaughn toward the path with gentle nudges to his shoulder.
In the distance, birds sang their neighbors awake. Squirrels and chipmunks rustled in the undergrowth. At least, Benita hoped the sounds came only from squirrels and chipmunks. She’d rather not cross paths with rats, snakes, or skunks. Good grief.
They jogged deeper onto the path, past white ash, beech, and big elm trees, and a few evergreens. It was quieter here. Traffic and pedestrian sounds were muted even more this far from the park entrance. There were fewer lamps as well. Benita slowed as they approached the thick, old oak tree on which young lovers had been carving their initials for generations.
As they came to a stop, Vaughn pressed a button to pause his stopwatch. Benita did the same. He was silent beside her as she searched the tree trunk for their initials.
“It’s still there.” Her voice rose with excitement as she located their carving near the middle of the trunk.
“VB + BH” was ringed by a lopsided shaky heart. It was crowded among other initials, some even more weathered.
“Did you think someone would’ve removed it?” Vaughn’s expression was hard to read. His voice was without inflection.
“No, I’m just happy to see it.” Benita studied the markings, tracing her finger over the rough bark. “Do you think we can find our way back to this time and place?”