*
Jacqueline had never been a runner, and she wasn’t about to takeup jogging at forty years old. But spending almost every evening for a week anda half at her father’s house, then driving to her condo and falling into bed,only to get up early, go get him breakfast, rush to work and do it all overagain, was taking its toll—physically and mentally. She’d been short-temperedat work and at home, walking the line between frustration and exhaustion withno end in sight.
She needed some stress relief and decided a brisk walk would haveto do. After she’d made her father’s dinner, he’d insisted on doing the dishesso she stuck around to supervise. Then when he was settled back in his chairand she was certain he wouldn’t slip on any water on the kitchen floor, shegrabbed the old iPod she’d recently dug out of a drawer.
“I have my phone with me,” she called as she headed out the frontdoor. She put in her earbuds and headed down the block.
Three songs in, she’d decided she needed to change the music onher iPod if she was going to keep walking. She’d apparently loaded these songsin one of her melancholy moods, and they weren’t exactly inspiring her to gether cardio on.
As she turned the corner at the end of the block, she scrolledthrough her playlist. She’d gone through some dark times when she and Caseyfirst split up. She’d felt like a failure. She’d let Casey down in so manyways. She’d worried about the impact of another broken family on Sean. She’dtold herself that at least he wouldn’t hear them arguing anymore.
That last year and a half had been pretty rough. They’d arguedabout the frequency of Jacqueline’s travel, which led to blowups over money.Jacqueline wanted to provide for her family, and if that meant lonely nights onthe road, then that’s what she’d do. Casey wanted her at home and accused herof putting her job before their family and caring more about the thrill ofmoving up in her company. The more Casey pushed, the more Jacqueline shut down.
Elle had been the final straw. When, a few months after lettingElle go, Casey had started talking about fostering another child, Jacquelinehad refused. They’d had their biggest fight to date over the issue. Caseydesperately wanted to help more kids, and Jacqueline couldn’t bear to have herheart broken like that again. The long version was much more painful and drawnout, leading, months later—after more harsh words, accusations, and hurtfeelings—to their separation.
Despite the tears she’d shed alone in her condo, Jacqueline hadlet herself need Casey only one more time—when her mother passed away. She’dlet Casey blame the alcohol, but truthfully, Jacqueline had been sober enoughwhen she invited Casey over. She’d known exactly what she was doing when shecrossed the line between seeking comfort to needing something more physical.And that night, after Casey fell asleep, when Jacqueline cried, it wasn’t overthe loss of her mother, but rather because of the void in her heart and lifethat only Casey could fill. She’d never regretted that night, but she’d paidfor it many times in the days afterward when she hugged the pillow that stillsmelled like Casey’s shampoo.
The sound of a child yelling ripped Jacqueline from her pityparty. She’d arrived at the park and had no recollection of having walked thelast several blocks. She ripped out her earbuds, blaming that damn playlist.Three boys were on the swings, seemingly in a competition to see who couldswing the highest. The boy on the end, clearly the front-runner, called outtaunts to the other two.
She turned back toward her father’s house. She needed to collecther things and head back to her apartment. Next week, Casey would be managingon her own, since Jacqueline would be in Atlanta, attending train-the-trainersessions on the new consumer-driven insurance plan the company would beswitching to in a few months. She’d be responsible for carrying that educationto the center managers in her region, so they could pass it on to their hourlyemployees.
She didn’t want to depend on Casey so much. But otherwise, she’dbe useless in Atlanta, worrying about her father. He claimed to be feelingbetter, but he didn’t seem to get around as well as he usually did. He deniedany pain, even when she badgered him. Since he still refused outside aid, andshe didn’t have enough flexibility in her work schedule, she had to acceptCasey’s help. She knew Casey had been at his house for lunch every day thisweek, but she and Jacqueline hadn’t been there at the same time. To show herappreciation for Casey’s time, she’d relayed an invitation to dinner with themon Friday night through her father, but he’d said Casey had plans with Nina. Soshe and her father had ordered pizza, and she spent most of the night tryingnot to think about whether Casey and Nina were looking at houses together.
Chapter Eight
Casey stepped to the side of the trail to let some runnerspass. She still considered herself a novice hiker, but she couldn’t imagine atime when she’d want to run the trails. She’d never been super-athletic andpictured herself tripping over a tree root and having to be carried out. Sheslipped off her backpack and took a bottle of water and a small bag of almondsfrom one of the outside pockets. Inside, she’d packed her lightest camera and aspare lens. She’d also brought a printed copy of the Percy Warner Park trailmap, but she’d done the Mossy Ridge trail before and shouldn’t need to consultit.
A last-minute cancellation had left her morning free. After aquick check of the weather, she’d decided not to waste such a perfect day. Shestuck close to town, so she could still make her midday check-in with Teddy.Though the sun was getting higher, a slight breeze stirred the canopy overhead,creating wavering shadows on the ground. The shade kept the air cool, but herskin was heated with the effort of the incline she’d just climbed. Thefour-and-a-half-mile loop had enough ups and downs to give her a workout. Butshe hadn’t been struggling as much as the last time she attempted the
