She nearly bit the words back, but they tumbled free from her lips. “What would you think about me doing the ultra-marathon with Aunt Eva?”
7
Nothing could have prepared Eva for the call she’d received from Angela last night. Her sister-in-law was in.
And Eva couldn’t wait to start preparing.
But first—coffee.
She studied the menu at Starbucks and ordered a pumpkin spice latte, as the weather had blessedly dipped into the seventies this week. Once she’d retrieved her drink, Eva headed to the table where her sister-in-law and Marc were already chatting in the back corner of the small café.
Norah Jones serenaded the crowded room from speakers hidden overhead, competing with the sound of blenders and grinders erupting from behind the counter. The powerful fragrance of ground coffee beans infused a sense of calm in her. When Eva was excited, it was difficult to focus on the details of what needed to be accomplished. Thankfully, Marc and Angela both had heads for planning, as evidenced by the notebooks and pens each had brought to the meeting.
She slid into the seat next to Marc, who was already taking notes. Even though it was Saturday, he wore a black polo and dark blue jeans—not the jogging pants and T-shirt Brent would have opted for when he was away from the office.
“You ready?” He took a sip of his drink.
“Let me guess. Hot chocolate?” The man was obsessed with the stuff no matter the time of year.
“You know it.”
She laughed. “I’m ready, but you sure I can’t get you a real drink first?” Teasing Marc felt good. Their time at the farmers’ market last weekend had done wonders to ease the awkwardness of being together without Brent.
“Only if it would taste as amazing as this.”
“Most grown-ups think coffee does.” Eva had never been much of a coffee drinker until Brent had dared her to try his favorite Cuban roast—and it was all over from there. Together they became coffee connoisseurs, buying the latest and greatest espresso machine and French presses and trying a variety of local roasts until they found their favorites.
Angela cleared her throat. “I told Kylee I’d be home in about an hour so she could go running with her team.”
“All right, let’s get started then.” Marc tapped his pen against his notebook and turned to Eva. “Where would you like to begin?” He’d been so willing to agree to all of this, to see her vision.
She took a swig of her latte, dotting her tongue with subtle spice. “I was hoping someone with more organizational sense might lead the meeting.”
Marc studied her for a moment, then nodded. “I think it’s important to establish our goals for this event up front. What does each of us want, and how can we help each other achieve that? Also, we should chat about any concerns we have or challenges we foresee. Finally, we need to talk equipment, training strategy, and our schedules.”
See? Definitely a good idea for him to be in charge.
“Why don’t you go first, Eva?”
“All I know is I’m going to be on that plane to New Zealand and run my heart out for Brent.” She pulled at the corner of the brown cardboard sleeve ringing her cup. “The rest doesn’t matter.”
Angela snorted. At Eva’s sharp glance, her eyes went wide. “Oh, you’re serious.”
“Well, yeah. I know there’s obviously a lot to arrange, but I’m just stating my goals. Like Marc asked.” She emphasized those last three words. Angela might think she was some brainless ninny, but she was just looking at the big picture. She and Brent had both been that way, always pushing each other to new heights. “Go big or go bigger.” That had been their motto. “Anyway, I’m flexible on the details.”
“Apparently.” Angela pushed her shoulder-length blonde hair back from her face and grasped her notebook with two hands while she studied what she’d written. “My goal is simply to finish. I propose we walk the whole thing. I don’t think running is realistic at this point in the game, and I don’t want us to be disappointed.”
“But don’t you think the guys would have run it?”
At Eva’s question, Angela pursed her lips for a moment before erasing the emotion from her face. “Perhaps, but they had run a few marathons—well, this would have been Wes’s first one, but Brent had already run a few with you, right, Marc?” At Marc’s nod, she continued. “I haven’t had a chance to research exactly how much time training