A Reason to Run (The Camdyn Series Book 1)

by Christina Coryell

  “What do you mean, Cole?”

  “If I have to follow you halfway around the world.”

  “You would do that?” I wondered, looking deeply into his eyes. He didn’t answer, but put his hand on my waist and pulled me toward him. He leaned in and paused when he was about an inch from me, just long enough that I could hear him inhale and feel the soft warmth of his breath against my lips, and then he kissed me, sending a chill coursing through my body. I reached my hand out to his chest, grabbing a fist full of his t-shirt to cling to, as he held me there in the shadows of Rosalie’s back porch. When he finally pulled away, I let my hand slide away from him and let out a sigh.

  “I have no idea how to thank you for everything you’ve done for me,” I whispered. He reached out and touched my face, rubbing his thumb across my cheek.

  “Just don’t leave me,” he said, leaning down to kiss me one more time before he stepped off the porch and out into the night.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Monday morning I woke to the sound of a loud truck outside my window. Thinking it might be Cole, I hopped out of bed and gazed outside, seeing a man I didn’t know talking to Rosalie. I went ahead and got up, heading off to the restroom to begin my day. I knew Cole would be working, and I really needed to get back to my book anyway, so that was a good thing.

  It was crazy to think I had been here two weeks, and what a complete whirlwind they had been! I had gone from being alone in a one-bedroom apartment in Richmond to this bed and breakfast where I was treated like part of the family. I had met so many awesome people, too – mother figures, friends, sisterly types, and of course Cole. I would never have imagined when I woke up two weeks before that I would meet a man and completely fall in love.

  I went to the kitchen to check the time, realizing that it was almost ten o’clock. I must have been more tired than I thought. I helped myself to a banana and wandered outside, where the truck was just pulling out of the driveway.

  “Who was that?” I asked Rosalie as she came around the corner.

  “Just one of my neighbors,” she stated. “How was your trip?” She smirked at me as I tried not to smile.

  “Oh, it was okay, I guess.”

  “Your smile says it was more than okay.” She stepped up onto the porch, putting her hands on her hips. “Cole’s already been here and gone, first thing this morning. He didn’t want to wake you, but he asked me to tell you that he has to go out of town, and he didn’t know when he would be back.”

  “What? Why?” I couldn’t put my finger on it, but something about that was alarming to me.

  “I don’t know, honey, that’s all he told me.”

  “I don’t mind telling you that I’m a little disappointed,” I told her with a sigh, sinking down on the porch steps. She patted me on the back and laughed.

  “I wouldn’t worry too much about it,” she said. “He had that same silly smile on his face that you did a minute ago.”

  Rosalie went inside, leaving me there to stare out at the yard and contemplate Cole’s sudden absence. Had to go out of town? What on earth does that mean, especially after all that talk last night about worrying that I wouldn’t be here when he came back? This is all just so…

  What if he did change his mind? It’s not like it couldn’t happen. Even though yesterday had seemed so perfectly wonderful, maybe he had gotten back to his house and his own comfortable bed and realized he had made a mistake.

  Stop it, Camdyn. Just chill out for five minutes and stop being so pathetic.

  I went inside to get my keys, telling Rosalie I would be back in a few minutes. She asked where I was going, and I told her I needed to find a phone signal, but the truth was I had to drive to Cole’s house. Something inside was making me crazy about this sudden disappearance, and if there was a clue out there, I needed to find it.

  As soon as I pulled into Cole’s driveway, I felt like the biggest stalker jerk on the planet. What was I doing? I seriously had to be insane. I cannot even explain the guilt I felt as I stepped up onto his porch, but something made me keep walking. I looked in the huge window, careful not to touch the glass, but I didn’t see anything out of place. Stepping around the side of the house, I continued to the back corner and looked in the garage window, where Cole had already unloaded all of my boxes and they were stacked in a neat pile. The trailer was unhooked in the far corner of the yard, and his truck was definitely gone.

  Unable to think of any other avenue to pursue, I started walking down the jogging trail back to the rocks again. About halfway there I was nearly knocked over by Pop, who practically came out of nowhere. He must have been off gallivanting in the woods and didn’t hear my car pull up earlier, but he pranced alongside me all the way to the fence line. When we reached the grave markers, I knelt down and sat in front of them for a few minutes, realizing with alarm that I had just a few days until my new deadline.

  “God, what am I supposed to do?” I whispered. “I have been waiting, and I don’t feel any closer to where I need to be. I must be missing the point somehow.”

  Willa wouldn’t have been so pathetically lost. She headed out into the great unknown and made a life for herself. To think that Cole had compared me to Willa the day before, both of us packing up all our belongings and trekking off who knows where - what a joke that was. I wasn’t strong at all, not really. When it came to running, I guess Willa and I were two peas in a pod. It didn’t really matter that I didn’t know her reason, because Cole was right – I was an active living participant in my life, and I didn’t fully know the reason I ran either. Maybe I was still that scared little girl who wanted her dad after all.

  I crumpled to the ground and cried while Pop sniffed around my ear and whined. I really was tired of feeling alone, and Cole had told me I didn’t have to worry about that anymore, but where was he now? I knew I was totally overreacting, but I simply couldn’t make myself stop. I finally sat up, scolded myself, and decided that was enough.

  “What is it, Willa? Why were you running?” I asked into the wind.

  I think you know.

  I felt a chill go down my spine as the thought went through my head, and I couldn’t define its source. Did I come up with that on my own? I had no idea, but suddenly everything became so clear. I didn’t know why she was running, but maybe I knew someone who did. Sybil in Louisville, Kentucky, whose name was tucked safely in my planner thanks to Lily and Ollie. It was definitely worth a try.

  I hopped up and raced off toward my car, Pop chasing happily after me and barking the entire way. As I opened the door in Cole’s driveway, I looked up at the house and smiled.

  “Cole, I love you, but I have to go,” I breathed to no one in particular, letting out a determined sigh and climbing into my car. I rolled the window down as I backed out to tell Pop goodbye, and then I raced back to Rosalie’s. She was folding laundry when I popped into the house, and she looked at me warily as I bounded back to the bedroom. I hurriedly packed the toiletries I needed into my smallest suitcase and grabbed my laptop and planner, carefully tucking them away. When I emerged from the bedroom, Rosalie motioned me to come over to where she was sitting.

  “Well, you look like you’ve seen a ghost or been bawling, one or the other,” she stated.

  “Maybe both,” I said.

  “Where were you?” she asked, holding up my phone from where it sat beside her. “Couldn’t find your phone signal without your phone, I imagine.”

  “Oh, Rosalie, I’m sorry,” I told her, sinking down on the couch. “I didn’t intend to lie to you, I was just thinking about some things. I went to Cole’s and looked at the grave markers we found the other day.”

  “Yeah, I remember you telling me about that.”

  “Well, I think I might have figured out a way to resolve everything, and I feel really good about it, but I have to go.” I stood up and grabbed my suitcase, moving toward the door.

  “Have to go?” she asked, rising to her feet. “Wait a minute, where are you going?
”

  “I’ll let you know if it works out, I promise, and I’ll be back before you know it.”

  “Just a second, missy. How long are you going to be gone? I can’t let you disappear – Cole will kill me!”

  “I don’t know, not very long, until Friday night at the latest.”

  “Friday night?” she moaned. “What am I going to tell him? Are you doing this out of spite, because he went out of town?”

  “No!” I laughed. “Rosalie, I love you, and I promise I will be back. I left my things in the bedroom and I’m only taking this one little suitcase.” I moved toward the door, swinging it open and starting down the porch steps.

  “Wait, Camdyn!” Rosalie stated, and I turned around to look at her. “Don’t forget your phone, honey.” I walked back to her, took the phone from her hand, and threw my arms around her.

  “Take care of Cole, okay?” I asked as I pulled away from her.

  “You just take care of you, and make sure you get back here in one piece,” she said, smiling. I waved as I trotted down the steps and threw my suitcase into the back of my car, pulling out of the driveway and heading back in the same direction we had come from the night before.

  -§-

  As I neared Nashville, my stomach really started growling. I hadn’t thought about eating lunch before I left, and it was almost four o’clock. I pulled over at the first place I could find and punched the restaurant we visited the other day into my phone, craving another one of those cheeseburgers. Using directions from my phone, I was able to make it there pretty easily. Being alone, I sat down at the bar, ordered my burger, and began searching for Sybil Brantley in Louisville on my phone. I was looking down pretty intently when I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I turned around to see Jerry.

  “I thought that was you,” he said, sitting down beside me.

  “Wow, are you always in here, or what?” I asked with a laugh.

  “Not always, but quite a bit. I’m just here to pick up some burgers for the guys back at the station. Where’s Parker?”

  “Oh, Cole had to go out of town.”

  “He let you come around here by yourself? He’s a brave man.”

  “Not really,” I stated. “He doesn’t know I’m here. I’m just picking up something to eat on my way to do some more research on my book.”

  “Well, why don’t you come back with me then?” he asked. “We could tell you some stories about Parker, and you would lovely up the station a little.”

  “Um, okay,” I stated, knowing this was Cole’s friend and he seemed like a nice guy, even though I felt a little weird about eating dinner in a fire station.

  “Hey, Sarah,” Jerry yelled back into the kitchen, “whatever this little lady ordered, bag it up with mine.”

  “Sure thing, Jerry,” she told him. We waited a few minutes until the burgers were ready, and then Jerry and I headed up the street together. It felt strange to be walking into the fire station, but as soon as we walked inside Jerry started acting like a protective big brother. He introduced me by gathering everyone and telling them that I was Cole Parker’s girlfriend, so they better treat me nice or they would answer to him. I could feel myself blushing, but pretty soon the guys were talking over each other and it didn’t seem quite as intimidating.

  Brad had the day off, but Nate and Jerry told me a few more interesting stories about Cole, along with a couple of the other guys who had worked with him back in the day. After everyone finished their burgers, Nate brought out some pictures they had of Cole, and we all shared some laughs. When I finally looked at my phone, it was after six. I told them I really had to go, and Jerry offered to walk me back to my car for protection. It was only a couple of blocks, but I didn’t mind Jerry walking along with me.

  “Tell Cole not to be such a stranger,” Jerry said as we reached my car. “He can even bring you along when he visits.”

  “Thank you, Jerry. I’ll be sure to tell him.”

  “And you better invite me to the wedding,” he joked. I shook my head and told him I would definitely send him an invite. He waited until I got inside the car and started it up, and then he waved and headed back to the station.

  -§-

  Around eight o’clock, while I was still on my way to Louisville, my phone started buzzing and I looked down to see a text from Trina: 911. Immediately I started to panic, wondering if something was wrong with the baby. I pulled over on the side of the road and frantically called her, each ring seeming like it took an eternity.

  “Hey, Mom,” she finally answered. “Sorry I forgot to call you back.”

  “Trina, it’s Camdyn,” I clarified.

  “Just a second, Mom, I can’t hear you, my signal is spotty. Let me go into the other room.”

  “Trina…” I moaned. I waited a few seconds as I heard her moving through the house, finally shutting a door.

  “Camdyn,” she hissed. “Sorry, I’m in the closet. I don’t want Charlie to know I’m talking to you.”

  “What’s wrong? Is it the baby?”

  “What? No, sorry about that, I just wanted you to call me.” I let out a huge sigh of exasperation and relief mingled together.

  “Trina, you scared me to death! Why are you being weird? What’s going on?”

  “Cole’s here.”

  “What?!”

  “He’s here, and I’ve got to tell you, Camdyn…wow. He is way better in person.”

  “Wait a minute, Trina,” I said, bracing my palm against the steering wheel. “I don’t follow. Cole is at your house?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “Looking for you, I guess? His aunt called and told him you cut out of town. He said he thought you might be here.”

  “Oh no,” I moaned. “Is he mad?”

  “Mad? No, he and Charlie are watching a ball game.”

  “This is so bizarre…”

  “He’s super nice, Cammie, and you two are so cute together.”

  “I can’t believe this is happening.”

  “Oh, wait just a second,” Trina whispered, and then I heard a commotion.

  “Camdyn?” Charlie barked through the phone.

  “Hey, Charlie.”

  “What in the world are you doing?” I could hear his anger as he spat every word, and my face worked its way into a grimace.

  “I just had to…”

  “Cole is a really nice guy, Camdyn. You can’t just disappear whenever you feel like it. Man, sometimes you can be such a jerk.”

  “It’s not like that, Charlie.”

  “Just…figure your crap out already, will you?” he demanded, and then the phone went dead.

  I closed my eyes for a minute and then plugged my phone back into the charger, pulling out onto the road again. Rosalie must have called Cole the minute I left, how else would he have known I was gone so quickly? I could only imagine what he was thinking, and even though Trina assured me he wasn’t angry, Charlie’s words made me believe the opposite.

  I fought tears the entire way to Louisville, driving along in silence until I pulled up at a hotel. I checked in at the front desk, made my way to my room, and took a long shower. When I emerged from the bathroom, the alarm clock read ten o’clock, so I thought I should try to get some sleep. After staring at the ceiling for a few minutes, my phone started buzzing. I was half afraid to look at it for fear that it might be Charlie again, but when I picked it up, I saw Cole’s name.

  “Hello,” I said quietly.

  “Just…tell me you’re okay.” The gentle tone of his voice made me want to burst into tears, but I fought to control myself.

  “I’m okay.”

  “I’m having a hard time understanding why you turned around and went right back to Nashville. Are you sure you’re alright?”

  “Nashville?”

  “Nate called me a little bit ago. He said you stopped in at the fire station and ate dinner with them.”

  “Not purposely,” I explained. “I just wanted to get a burger, but
then I ran into Jerry, and…”

  “You just wanted a burger, so you drove all the way to Nashville?”

  “Of course not. I was driving through Nashville anyway.”

  “Knowing you is going to make me old before my time,” he sighed. “I’m a little worried about you, you know.”

  “You mean you’re angry with me?” I asked hesitantly, dreading the answer.

  “No, why would I be angry?”

  “So you don’t mind that I had dinner at the fire station?”

  “You’re God knows where because you made a split second decision to up and leave, and you think I care where you had dinner?”

  “Not when you put it like that,” I said. I was starting to feel a little guilty, and the fact that he didn’t sound angry at all was making it much worse.

  “When Aunt Rosalie told me you left, I figured you went to Charlie’s.”

  “No, I’m in Louisville.”

  “Louisville, huh? Is this what it’s going to be like, Camdyn? I’m not sure my nerves can take it.”

  “What it’s going to be like?” I asked quietly, biting my lip.

  “Yes, you randomly disappearing. Aunt Rosalie didn’t know where you went. Charlie didn’t know where you went.”

  “Charlie?” I asked, pretending that I didn’t know he had been there.

  “Yes, Charlie,” he chuckled exasperatedly. “I am on your brother’s back deck. He offered to let me crash here tonight.”

  “I’m sorry, Cole,” I offered. “I’m not used to having anyone care where I am.”

  “Well, I do care.”

  “I know, and I’m glad,” I stated quietly. “It does seem kind of funny, though, you being at my brother’s house without me.” A few seconds of silence passed between us, as I tried to think of something to say.

  “So, should I be worried that you are in Louisville?” he finally asked.

  “Not at all,” I told him. “I’m going to try to find a lady who has information about Willa, hopefully finish things up.”