Page 19 of Second Chance in Charlevoix (Charlevoix Dreams #3)

Marlowe

J ogging along the path that edged Lake Michigan, Marlowe felt distracted. Her breathing had become labored. Not so with her running partner. Ahead of her, Brad Howington cut quite a figure. Long and lean, he jogged with casual confidence.

Hot and sweaty, she hoped Brad would stop soon.

She enjoyed running with him, since these paths were new to her.

When they started out, he wove in and out of streets.

They’d even passed Coffee and Cupcakes. Then he’d headed out to the lake.

The man knew a lot of running paths and she was grateful.

The one they were on this morning gave a great view of the lake.

The sun was still low and the air felt cool.

She wanted to stop and draw in all that beauty .

But not Brad. He’d probably been seeing gorgeous vistas his entire life.

“Am I wearing you out?” he threw out over his shoulder.

Somehow she gathered enough breath to call out, “No way.” They’d decided on a three-mile run up and then back, but this sure felt like more.

This brisk morning air was a relief. The hot, airless streets of Naples hadn’t allowed much shade, and Marlowe was glad she was here.

This path led them into stretches where tall pine trees protected them. She tried to pick up her speed.

Jogging within view of the lake helped lighten her mood. In the early morning the lake was placid. The waves were mere ripples making their way into shore. No gray tinting to those clouds and no sign of rain. Too bad because they needed it.

Relief loosened her stride when she saw the rest stop up ahead.

Slowing his pace, Brad pointed to a picnic table.

She’d noticed that the trail had rest stops as it went north.

They both collapsed onto a weathered picnic table.

Marlowe swiped at her forehead with her wrist band.

Her heart seemed to be beating overtime.

Reaching down, Brad grabbed a blue quilted cooler tucked under the table.

“Someone must have left that here,” she gasped between breaths .

“I did early this morning. Electrolytes.” Brad’s chest heaved as he took out two frosty bottles.

Taking the infused water, Marlowe was impressed. “You are a man who plans ahead. What if someone else had grabbed it?”

That’s when she saw the warning note taped to the top. His name and then “Please Leave This Alone. Howington.”

“No one would take it. This is Michigan. But I had to make sure.” Grinning he opened his bottle and took a deep gulp. She did the same.

The cold water felt so good. “Thank goodness I have you as a guide.”

“The trails can be tricky. But you’re obviously a seasoned runner.”

“High school…and college,” she panted between sips. “And some in Naples, but not like this.” Taking off her sunglasses she squinted at the sandy shoreline stretching in either direction. “Do people ever picnic here?”

He glanced at the beach as if he’d never seen it before. “I guess.”

“Maybe you’re too busy with your work?” She gave him a teasing smile.

“Not always. I run a lot. We have a great marathon here in June. Draws people from all over the country. This is the trail, or part of it.”

“Interesting.” Even though she was new here, the idea of competing was appealing. Still, it had been a long time since she completed a marathon. “I don’t want to make a fool of myself. I like to work up to things.”

“Whatever works for you.” He swiveled to face her. “Sometimes it’s best to just jump in and let things happen. There will be other races.”

“I guess so.” Was there a double meaning here?

He didn’t look convinced. “I’m impressed that you and your sisters made that decision to relocate. A move like that when you have established careers is pretty brave.”

“Or clueless. Take your pick.”

“Oh, I don’t think so.” Tugging his shirt from his running shorts, he ran it over his face. The man definitely worked out. “From what I can see, your move might be the most radical. You know, from Florida to here. I think you can handle a marathon.”

“Maybe.” The blue stretch bandana he wore carried a logo from another run. “Do you compete a lot?”

“Sometimes. I like to keep my edge.” He tipped his bottle and took a healthy mouthful. “How are you settling in?”

Thinking back to the recent family meeting, Marlowe said, “Moving is a journey.”

Brad threw his head back and laughed. “Sorry but that sounds like one of the dishtowels my residents have hanging in their kitchenettes.”

“But it’s true. Right now most of my stuff is in a storage unit. I wish I’d done a better job of labeling the boxes.”

“You sound discouraged.” Taking another swig, Brad peered at her over the bottle.

“Not really. I know everything will work out, even though changes keep popping up. One thing leads to another.” She filled him in about their move to Seth’s new home, which was scheduled for the upcoming weekend.

“That makes sense. Seth Barrett is a generous guy. If his place is on Horton Bay, it's bound to be nice. You'll probably like it.”

“I went over the other day to meet him and check out the house. It's very modern with open levels and lots of stairs. Gorgeous view of Lake Charlevoix.”

“You sound discouraged.”

Her ponytail was slipping. Marlowe ripped off the scrunchie and shook out her hair. Smiling, Brad seemed to watch every move. But back to business. Where was she? Seth’s house. “It's just that my youngest sister Izzy, who works bingo with me, has a baby girl. I miss them.”

He took another sip of his water. “Open levels? You’d have to really watch that baby. But I admire the way your family wants to stay together.”

“Losing our parents so long ago was a factor. We became really close for a while.”

“Right. As I said, I remember that accident.” Brad dropped his head as if he was remembering. “Terrible, for sure. Your family had been here a long time. Everyone knew them.”

Marlowe had once thought she would never climb out of that loss.

But even though she was in high school at the time, she became the family cheerleader.

Her plans included family movie day, trips to New York to visit Uncle Monty and Aunt Cate.

After Sam met Kurt, she’d urged her sister to marry him.

Unfortunately she’d done the same with Izzy.

That divorce still stung. “Somehow we all made it through. But marriage and our careers took us in different directions.”

“Oh, you were married?”

She shook her head. “No, but Sam was. Her divorce is very recent. That helped us come to our decision to relocate. Besides, I can’t see growing older and only seeing my sisters and aunt on holidays or a birthday here or there.”

Lifting her hair back into a ponytail, Marlowe felt that she’d shared too much. She bounced up. “Sorry, guess I’m blathering on.” Stretching out her legs, she stared out at the water.

“Not at all. Sounds like you know what's valuable in life. ”

“I’d like to think so.” Glancing at him sideways, she decided Brad was a deep thinker. “It took coming together last holiday season before we recognized that.”

The waves were mesmerizing. With some men, she always had to be alert and on her game. A year ago, she would never have believed she could be this relaxed, standing at a picnic table with an attractive man. A man who might be too young for her. “How about your own family? You’re close?”

“Yep, Mom and Dad were high school sweethearts and they’re enjoying retirement together. Those two taught me the value of hard work and commitment.” His smile spoke of a good relationship with his parents.

“So how did you get into retirement facilities?” Since Brad didn’t seem to be leaving she sat back down. He was on a roll and she didn’t want to stop him.

Leaning forward, Brad rested his elbows on his knees. “When my grandmother needed a hip replacement, she was placed in a facility for rehab. But the facility wasn't quite up to snuff…know what I mean?”

He looked over and she nodded. “Sure do.” She pictured smelly halls and food that tasted like cardboard. Those were the images that appeared on the news anytime there was a problem. But that certainly wasn’t Tall Oaks, with its freshly baked bread and cookies.

Brad gave his head a shake. “Anyway, shortly after that my grandmother passed away.”

“I’m so sorry.” Her eyes filled, imagining the loss.

“She had other health issues besides her hip. My grandfather died shortly after that. We all believed that Grandpa died of a broken heart. During his life, he’d been pretty frugal.

Why, he saved stuff like pieces of string or foil.

To our amazement, he’d been an armchair investor and had a very successful portfolio.

The inheritance enabled me to forge ahead with my plans.

And my sister Nicole now has a beautiful home on Lake Michigan. ”

“How wonderful.” Marlowe thought back to the small amount Uncle Monty had left to each of them. Her uncle definitely had been paying it forward too.

“Anyway, I saw right then that CCRCs, Continuing Care Retirement Communities, was a field with a future. And I wanted to be the guy to do it, instead of an outside for-profit coming into this area. I went on a tour to see what successful retirement communities were like.”

Marlowe was impressed. “You sure put a lot of effort into it. Tall Oaks is beautiful. And the people look happy.”

“Thanks. I hope they feel cared for.” Brad looked pleased. “I took some risks but it's been very rewarding.”

She thought back to the seniors who played bingo on Thursday night. “The residents at Tall Oaks adore you.”

Looking embarrassed, he drew back his chin and his strong neck came into play. “Oh, I don’t know about that.”

“What?” Okay, she’d lost her train of thought.

“Not sure that the residents adore me. They just like that warm bread. And how about you?” he asked. “How did you end up with the Driscolls?”

Had she ever mentioned the Driscolls to him or had he done his homework? She felt flattered. “I met Gabby on a plane. I was very lucky.”

Brad nodded and smiled. “I could see the two of you getting along. I would think that this area would be a great real estate market.”

She drew a deep breath. “Yes, it is. But I'm starting from Go again. Feels a bit daunting at times.” Finding the houses for her appointments was nerve-wracking. She’d recently rung the wrong doorbell up in Petoskey.

“I think you're up to the challenge.” For a second she basked in his obvious approval. Unlike some of the men in her life, it seemed genuine. Brad wasn’t coming onto her with any squirmy lines. “I'm very happy with my decision.”

Looking out over the lake filled her with a deep sense of peace. “The pace is different in this area and there are plenty of opportunities.” She hoped Brad wouldn't read anything into what she'd said.

Smiling over at her, Brad paused, as if he was carefully considering his next words. “Since we’re getting to know each other, do you mind my asking how an attractive, successful woman like you is still single? I mean no disrespect, Marlowe. Just curious.”

She took a deep breath. The back-handed compliment spoiled her relaxed mood.

What should she tell him? Was he indirectly asking about her age?

Heck with it. She wanted all the cards on the table.

“I’ll turn forty this year and sure, I’ve dated.

But I’ve never met someone I wanted to plan a future with. ”

Basically, what she’d just told him was that her baby-making years were behind her. Would this be the last time she saw him? Time to turn the tables. “And you?”

“Same story, I’m afraid.” Brad gave her a rueful little boy smile. “Maybe I’ve been too busy working to have a personal life. That’s what my sister and parents tell me,” he added wistfully.

“So your sister lives around here too? In that house on Lake Michigan?”

“Yep.” And he smiled when he said that. “Nicole and Trace, her husband. Two kids. Shaun is three and Sarah is five. I like to borrow them once in a while. But I’m pretty busy, you know, with my business. Nicole tells me I’m too busy.”

“Business and a personal life. Can you have both?” Marlowe turned his words over in her mind.

She’d always thought she’d have a husband and family by this time.

Sometimes Marlowe wondered if she hadn’t tried hard enough to make that happen.

Maybe she should have gone on one of those online dating sites. But the very thought made her cringe.

“I have no answer to that.” Brad sprang up. Maybe her questions bothered him. He stashed the empty bottles into a nearby trash can and left the blue quilted cooler under the picnic table. “Well, Marlowe Quinn, I hope we can spend some time figuring that out.”

What was he saying? For a second she was stunned, so she said nothing. Brad went into some warmup stretches. Swinging his arms with purpose he raised his brows. “Well? Yes? No?”

Feeling flustered, she laughed. Brad was so direct. “I guess time will tell.”

Brad sprinted off and she took off after him. Her relaxed mood had been left at that picnic table, and she didn’t know how she felt about that.