ANOTHER LIFE
Chapter Two: A Morning Run
The following morning, Scott and Emma ran into each other in the hallway on their way out of the Frost Manor.
"Good morning, Scott," she said. She was dressed in exercise clothes.
"Uh, good morning," he said. He was still feeling a bit embarrassed about last night; one of the things he wanted to do when he went on his morning run was to sort out how exactly he felt towards Emma.
"Going for a run?" she asked.
"Yeah, it's one of those things I got used to back at the school," Scott replied.
"Mind if I join you? I usually go for a run myself before I exercise at the gym."
She didn't seem to be uncomfortable in his presence—that was something, Scott noted. Apparently, she'd already gotten over the events of last night. And besides, what did happen last night anyway?
"Sure—if you can keep up," Scott said with a wry smile.
Emma gave him a smile of her own. "You're on, Scott Summers." They went outside and did some stretches. Scott glanced at Emma while she was limbering up for their little race. She caught him once but didn't seem to mind. She simply smiled at him and put on a show if ignoring his attention.
"Ready?" Scott asked her as they stood side-by-side.
"When you are," Emma answered.
"Go!" They began to jog at a fair but deliberate pace that left no chance for either of them to fall back to a slow walk. Each one of them had a goal in mind and that was to beat the other, even if it was a friendly competition.
They were well into the third lap around the Frost estate when Emma's mobile phone rang. She picked it up without breaking step. Eventually, however, she stopped.
Scott looked back and noticed her talking heatedly with whoever was at the other end of the line. He stopped and walked back to where she was just as she was putting her phone back onto her armband.
"What's the matter?" he asked her. She had a frown on her face that was rapidly turning into a scowl.
"Damn board of directors," Emma said, more to herself than to him. Then she turned her attention to Scott. "Sorry, Scott—it's business, I'm afraid. I have to referee a row among the board at Frost International."
"Really?" Scott said. "Well, just so you know—you lost."
"Did I?" Emma said. "I suppose I did. I suppose a reward or a rematch, if you're so inclined, will have to wait until I get back."
"You're on," Scott said, smiling at her again. Emma blushed and looked away. She began to run back to the manor.
"Come on, Scott! See if you can beat me on the way back!"
"Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?"
Scott stood on the tarmac of the Frost estate's heliport. The ground crew was readying Emma's chopper for flight. Her personal assistant, Angelica Jones, was standing close by.
'No need, Scott," she assured him. "I can take care of this myself. Besides, I have Angelica with me."
"Okay," he said. "But call me when you get there...before you go to your meeting. That way, I know you arrived safely."
"All right, I will." The head of the ground crew approached her and told her that the aircraft was ready. Angelica moved to her position near the chopper's cabin door. "What will you be doing while I'm gone? I don't want you brooding or anything, Scott. Jean wouldn't want you to spend your days doing that."
Scott thought about it and knew that Emma was right. However, he didn't exactly know how to occupy his time.
He felt something being pressed into his hand. It was a ring of keys. 'It's for the boathouse," Emma told him. "There might be something there for you. Think of it as part of your reward for winning the run this morning."
Scott put the keys in his pocket. "You be careful, all right, Emma?" She nodded. Scott gave her a hug; she kissed him on the cheek. Then they bade each other goodbye. Angelica held the cabin door open while Emma boarded the helicopter.
"You take care of her, all right?" Scott said.
Angelica created a small flame on the palm of her hand and smiled at Scott as if to prove that she was more than capable of protecting Emma. Scott nodded solemnly. She entered the aircraft. In a few moments, the engines whined, the rotors whirled, and the helicopter was airborne. Scott watched it leave. When he could no longer see it, he went back to the manor, thinking about the keys in his pocket.
