“Are you talking about my cooking or his dancing?”
“His dancing, of course. I think it’s great you wanna learn to cook.” Cota took his cell out. “I want to learn with you. What should I order?”
Charlie gave Cota a list of ingredients and Cota messaged it to Kellan’s housekeeper. She answered right away that she would place the order for an hour from then to arrive. Now all we had to do was recover from the candy.
“How about a walk in the park?” I said into the quiet. “We could all use a little stretching out.”
“The park is pretty big and it’s starting to get dark.” Cota looked at the time on his cell. “We could pick up some bread and walk over to the little pond and feed the ducks.”
“I like that. Will there be a lot of them?” I asked. “Do they bite?”
“They don’t bite if you’re feeding them, but we’ll be careful and just throw it in the water to them.”
Bond pulled the car to the curb in front of a little convenience store. Charlie jumped out and came back minutes later with several loaves of bread and four icee’s. I had never had an icee, but it was delicious and exactly what we needed to cool off.
“Boys, I think we need to work on your diets.” I sat up straight, looking at them. “I have been noticing a lot of junk food. Well, not Bond.”
“I agree, should we make them run through the park tomorrow?” Bond smiled. “Maybe some push-ups.”
“Goodness no, they would never make it one block.” I grinned back at Bond, “You should see how good Cota is getting at yoga, though.”
“Now, now, now you two. I can run a mile without any problems, and I’d bet Charlie could do more than that.” Cota patted Charlie on the shoulder.
“These days, I can only do about five miles,” Charlie replied. “I’m getting older.”
“Five miles? That’s getting older?” Cota shook his head. “What did you use to run?”
“Ten was our daily run. I could still do it if I have to.”
“Good to know. Yury use to make us run three miles a day. I kinda miss it,” I said. “Can we run tomorrow for real?”
“Sure, but we go early in the morning, like six,” Charlie said.
“I can do that at six instead of yoga. Cota, will you come with us?”
ChapterForty-Six
COTA
“Darn, did I forget to mention I’m super, super busy tomorrow morning?”
“Sure, you are. It’s fine, you don’t have to.” She patted my arm. “We can meet for breakfast. I would love one of those bagels again.”
Bond dropped us at the entrance of the park near the penthouse. Charlie climbed out with us while Bond said he would park and come back. It was funny to me that it took this girl who needed help to get me to see the city. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gone into the park at this hour to feed the ducks or anything. I was always going from one bar to another with my friends, my same friends who had been texting me all day about the Halloween party at the fraternity. There was no way I would subject Sabrina to that crazy behavior.
“Is something wrong?” Sabrina looked concerned. “You look so serious.”
“No, I was trying to figure out how to get out of going to a party with my buddies.” I slid my cell into my pocket. “They’ve been a little mad at me for disappearing from the group.”
“Why have you done that?”
“Because I’ve been with you, away.” I saw her frown. “That’s not to say it’s your fault. I’ve just been happier hanging with you.”
“That is very kind of you to say, but you should not abandon your friends.” She frowned more. “I wish very much I could have not abandoned my few friends. I worry for them daily.”
“Sabrina, if you would like to see them, we can make that happen.” I looked to Bond approaching. “I’m sure the guys can figure out a way.”
“I would not want to put my new friends in danger or put my old friends in harm’s way.”