Read Online Geoducks Are for Lovers by Daisy Prescott - Free Book Online
Authors: Daisy Prescott
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you ran in college, we could’ve run together. Think of all the fun you missed out on back then.”
“Fun? You crew boys got up at the crotch of dawn. Masochists. Running now is enough masochism for my delicate soul.”
“No runner’s high for you? That’s the best part.”
“I think runner’s high is an urban legend. It’s torture. Every step.”
“Then why do you do it? Other than the view.” Gil gestures to the break in the tall pines revealing the water shimmering in the sun below the bluff.
“When my mother was sick I needed something only for me, something to help me work out some of the stress and sadness. Long walks in the woods were melancholy, so I trained for a 5K. After the first one, I kept going.”
“I’m sorry about your mom. I wish I were around more when she was ill. Portland isn’t very far away.”
“Thanks, but you were busy with classes and Judith.”
“Yeah, Judith was always a handful.” Gil shrugs and stares over the field next to them.
“Sorry about the divorce. Divorces suck.”
“Actually, it was pretty mutual by that point. We hadn’t been good for each other for a few years. She’s remarried now. Has a kid even.”
“Wow. Judith as a mother.” Maggie shakes her head at the thought.
“She wasn’t that bad.” Gil laughs. “She always wanted kids and we tried for years, but it wasn’t in the cards for us. It was the beginning of the end.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” Maggie always wondered why they didn’t have a kid. Gil would make an amazing father. “You’d make a great father.”
“So would you. I mean, you’d be a wonderful mother. Why didn’t you and Julien have kids?”
At the mention of Maggie’s ex, also known as the French Incident, her back stiffens.
“Julien and I were…” She pauses. They weren’t too young for kids, so what were they? “The whole marriage was a mistake and never really had a chance. We both focused so much on our careers in our twenties, and the chef lifestyle isn’t exactly pro-babies. Plus, his mother hated me.” It’s been over ten years since her divorce yet the thought of Madame Armand still makes her stomach sink. “There hasn’t really been ‘the one’ since then. Mom got sick and it took over my life for a few years. Now here I am. Landowning spinster.”
“You deserved better, Maggie May. You deserve everything.”
Her heart skips.
“Maybe.” She gives him a soft smile. Lost in his sweet words, Maggie slows to a jog next to a field full of sheep when she realizes they’ve missed the three mile turnaround point.
“Looks like we’re doing four miles today. The sheep are two miles from the cabin. We should head back.”
“You use livestock as road markers?” He laughs at her.
“Hadn’t thought about it, but I guess I do. My other route has a turnaround point at some llamas.” Joining him in laughter, she heads back the way they came.
“Quinn’s probably passed out from starvation and Selah might even have dragged herself out of bed by now.”
“My money is on her being up, but not dressed.”
“Agreed.” He nods, before picking up the pace.
The run back to the cabin is quiet. Both are lost in the ghosts of exes and relationships past.
When they reach the hill down to the beach, Gil yells, “Last one to home doesn’t get any scones,” and sprints down the hill.
Not one to be left in the dust, Maggie races behind him. She suspects he might be letting her catch him as they approach the cabin. When he stops short at the steps to the deck, she crashes into his back, which is warmed by the sun and their run. He smells of sweat and some familiar memory.
* * *
Quinn and Selah are sprawled out on the sofa in the living room with their laptops open when Gil and Maggie enter the house.
“Mind if I take a shower first?” Gil asks.
“Mind if I join you?” Quinn quips without looking up.
“Sorry, Q. Still not my type.”
“Pfft. So you say. You could
“Fun? You crew boys got up at the crotch of dawn. Masochists. Running now is enough masochism for my delicate soul.”
“No runner’s high for you? That’s the best part.”
“I think runner’s high is an urban legend. It’s torture. Every step.”
“Then why do you do it? Other than the view.” Gil gestures to the break in the tall pines revealing the water shimmering in the sun below the bluff.
“When my mother was sick I needed something only for me, something to help me work out some of the stress and sadness. Long walks in the woods were melancholy, so I trained for a 5K. After the first one, I kept going.”
“I’m sorry about your mom. I wish I were around more when she was ill. Portland isn’t very far away.”
“Thanks, but you were busy with classes and Judith.”
“Yeah, Judith was always a handful.” Gil shrugs and stares over the field next to them.
“Sorry about the divorce. Divorces suck.”
“Actually, it was pretty mutual by that point. We hadn’t been good for each other for a few years. She’s remarried now. Has a kid even.”
“Wow. Judith as a mother.” Maggie shakes her head at the thought.
“She wasn’t that bad.” Gil laughs. “She always wanted kids and we tried for years, but it wasn’t in the cards for us. It was the beginning of the end.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” Maggie always wondered why they didn’t have a kid. Gil would make an amazing father. “You’d make a great father.”
“So would you. I mean, you’d be a wonderful mother. Why didn’t you and Julien have kids?”
At the mention of Maggie’s ex, also known as the French Incident, her back stiffens.
“Julien and I were…” She pauses. They weren’t too young for kids, so what were they? “The whole marriage was a mistake and never really had a chance. We both focused so much on our careers in our twenties, and the chef lifestyle isn’t exactly pro-babies. Plus, his mother hated me.” It’s been over ten years since her divorce yet the thought of Madame Armand still makes her stomach sink. “There hasn’t really been ‘the one’ since then. Mom got sick and it took over my life for a few years. Now here I am. Landowning spinster.”
“You deserved better, Maggie May. You deserve everything.”
Her heart skips.
“Maybe.” She gives him a soft smile. Lost in his sweet words, Maggie slows to a jog next to a field full of sheep when she realizes they’ve missed the three mile turnaround point.
“Looks like we’re doing four miles today. The sheep are two miles from the cabin. We should head back.”
“You use livestock as road markers?” He laughs at her.
“Hadn’t thought about it, but I guess I do. My other route has a turnaround point at some llamas.” Joining him in laughter, she heads back the way they came.
“Quinn’s probably passed out from starvation and Selah might even have dragged herself out of bed by now.”
“My money is on her being up, but not dressed.”
“Agreed.” He nods, before picking up the pace.
The run back to the cabin is quiet. Both are lost in the ghosts of exes and relationships past.
When they reach the hill down to the beach, Gil yells, “Last one to home doesn’t get any scones,” and sprints down the hill.
Not one to be left in the dust, Maggie races behind him. She suspects he might be letting her catch him as they approach the cabin. When he stops short at the steps to the deck, she crashes into his back, which is warmed by the sun and their run. He smells of sweat and some familiar memory.
* * *
Quinn and Selah are sprawled out on the sofa in the living room with their laptops open when Gil and Maggie enter the house.
“Mind if I take a shower first?” Gil asks.
“Mind if I join you?” Quinn quips without looking up.
“Sorry, Q. Still not my type.”
“Pfft. So you say. You could
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