Midnight Run

By Jen McConnel

Once Upon a Time never felt like this...

“Cinderella” meets marathon training in this modern fairy tale!

Running, coffee, and New York City: Nora feels like she’s got it all. But when this barista meets Kingston, a handsome Texan, she realizes the one thing she’s been missing is love.

Kingston doesn’t want to admit that he’s looking for a fairy tale, and he sure didn't think he’d fall for two women. But what he doesn’t know about his running buddy and the pretty barista might surprise him.

MIDNIGHT RUN is a contemporary romance inspired by Cinderella, and it's the first book in the Once Upon a Desire series.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jen McConnel
• Release date: Apr 29, 2018
• ISBN: 9780463027288

Jen McConnel

Jen McConnel first began writing poetry as a child. Since then, her words have appeared in a variety of magazines and journals, including Sagewoman, PanGaia, and The Storyteller (where she won the people's choice 3rd place award for her poem, “Luna”). She is also a former reviewer for Voices of Youth Advocates (VOYA), and a proud member of SCBWI, NCWN, and SCWW. A Michigander by birth, she now lives and writes in the beautiful state of North Carolina. When she isn't crafting worlds of fiction, she teaches writing composition at a community college. Once upon a time, she was a middle school teacher, a librarian, and a bookseller, but those are stories for another time. Follow Jen on Twitter @Jen_McConnel, and visit www.jenmcconnel.com to learn more.

Book preview

MIDNIGHT RUN

Once Upon a Desire

By Jen McConnel

MIDNIGHT RUN

By Jen McConnel

Published by Jen McConnel

Smashwords Edition, 2nd edition

Copyright 2018

Cover Design Brightfish Press

This book originally appeared under the pen name Charity Hillis in 2015.

This book is a work of fiction. Characters, locations, and events are products of the author’s mind, or have been used in a fictitious manner. The author acknowledges the right of all trademark holders for products mentioned in this work of fiction. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, or to actual events, is purely coincidental.

License Statement:

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use, then please return to your favorite eBook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Copyright

A Note from the Author

More from the Once Upon a Desire Series

CHAPTER ONE

Sometimes, Nora felt like the only reason she bothered getting up in the morning was her daily run.

Cold mist swirled across the trail, making Central Park feel ghostly and foreign, and Nora’s feet hit the ground with a rhythm as familiar as her heartbeat. She’d stopped running with music after her first 5k; the songs that had once pushed her to keep going when she didn’t think she could take another step became superfluous as the runner’s high took over. Now, the city provided her soundtrack, and her runs were almost meditative.

Somewhere across the park, a dog called out a greeting, but Nora couldn’t see him. The dense fog still obscured her surroundings, making it seem as if she were running in a dream, and Nora wasn’t sure how long the other runner had been following her until he pulled up alongside her.

She heard him before she saw him; the echo of footsteps that didn’t quite match her own, and then, suddenly, a tall figure with jet black hair loomed up at her elbow.

She gave him a quick nod as he pulled alongside her, her brown ponytail bobbing with the motion, but the guy barely glanced in her direction. Maybe he didn’t notice me in the fog, Nora thought, fighting down the irritation that flared as the other jogger moved ahead without acknowledging her at all.

But the run had turned sour, and Nora was distracted as she finished her final loop around the park. By then, the fog had started to lift, and the air was sharp and smelled like snow. Drenched in cold sweat, Nora hurried through her cool-down and rushed to catch her train, glancing at the cloudy sky nervously. The sun had started to rise while she ran, but the buildings around her blocked it from view. It would be tight, but she should still have time to hit her apartment and shower before her shift. And besides, she thought grimly, it’s not like anyone will notice if I’m a few minutes late.

***

She was wrong; they noticed. Books and Brew had been getting increasingly popular, and now that NYU was back in session, the coffee shop was slammed by the time Nora punched in, thirty minutes after her shift was supposed to start. Her manager, Todd, tugged on his moustache and glared at her pointedly as she took her place behind the register, and Laurel, one of the other baristas, rolled her eyes.

Looks like the princess is late again, she announced to Caity, another girl behind the counter.

Caity snorted. What’s the matter, Nora? Did your morning run turn into a walk?

Nora felt her cheeks heating up, but she tried to ignore the girls and their barbs. Self-consciously, she pushed her tortoiseshell glasses higher on her nose and tried to smile. She usually got along pretty well with everyone, but from the moment Laurel and Caity had been hired, it was almost like they had it out for her. Nora wasn’t sure what she’d done to piss them off, but that didn’t stop them from tormenting her.

Luckily, there wasn’t enough down time for the girls to do more than snipe at her when she first came in, and Nora was soon up to her elbows in lattes and coffee grounds, juggling three orders at once all while trying not to slip on the old, cracked tile floor. The college kids liked Books and Brew because it had atmosphere; the mismatched walls gave off a funky vibe, and the broken ceramic tile that covered the floor, left over from a long dead business that had filled the space before the coffee shop existed, made everything feel a bit old-fashioned. Cleaning the cracked tiles, however, was hellish; coffee and spilled milk had a way of collecting along the grout lines, and the floor looked pretty disgusting at the end of each day. If Nora hadn’t taken to scrubbing it on her hands on knees after the shop had closed every night, she was pretty sure the health inspector would have shut them down already.

When there was a break in the customers, Todd pulled her away from the counter. Some kid tossed his cookies in the front corner, he said, jerking his thumb toward the offending spot. Grab the mop and take care of it, would you?

Nora bit her lip. Shouldn’t we let his parents clean it up? And isn’t it, like, a biohazard?

Todd rolled his eyes and ran his hands over his salt and pepper hair. They’d left before I noticed. Chop, chop, Nora, get on it.

She cringed, but she nodded. With a tug, she tightened her ponytail before tackling the job, but the elastic band snapped and dropped to the floor. Her hair, which had still been wet from her shower when she headed to work, cascaded around her face in loose waves, and Nora reached for the spare elastic she always wore around her wrist. Her fingers only met skin, however, and Nora remembered with a sinking sensation that she’d been too late to grab a spare hair tie that morning.

Her eyes swung back to the counter, and for a moment, she debated asking one of the other girls if they could lend her one, but she dismissed that idea almost immediately. Grabbing the mop, a yellow wet floor sign, and a pair of elbow-length rubber gloves, Nora pushed her way through patrons to the pile of puke on the floor. Her stomach churned, and she glanced at the counter again, wondering if there was any way she could get out of it. Laurel caught her eye and smirked, and Nora sighed, tucking her hair behind her ears. There was no way anyone else would clean up the mess, especially not since Todd had specifically told her to do it, so she might as well stop dawdling.

Pulling the chairs out of the way, Nora slopped water over the floor, wrinkling her nose at the smell. She wasn’t sure which was worse; the vomit, or the stale mop water. I must have forgotten to empty the bucket last night, she chastised herself. And of course nobody noticed.

Reaching under the table, Nora slid the mop back to the wall, hoping she could reach most of the mess. There wasn’t really room to move the table out of the way, not during business hours, and Nora didn’t relish crawling into any leftover vomit when she was finally able to give the shop a good cleaning that evening. Bending over to check under the table, she pulled the mop back and heard a startled Oomph from behind her.

As she whirled around to apologize to whoever she’d just hit, her foot skidded on the wet floor, and Nora flailed, her arms wind-milling as she started to fall. She gritted her teeth, anticipating the sharp pain that waited for her tailbone when she hit the floor, but it never came. Large, warm hands wrapped around her upper arms, pulling her upright with a jerk. Trying to ignore the pain in her shoulders, Nora looked up and caught her breath.

Her rescuer had to be one of the most gorgeous men she’d ever seen. No, scratch that, she thought as her eyes took in his sinewy, powerful frame. The most gorgeous. He towered over Nora, and his short dark hair and chiseled jaw made him look like he’d walked out of the pages of a magazine ad.

Gray eyes met hers, and the tan skin around them crinkled as the guy smiled. Careful, hon. That floor’s pretty slick.

Nora’s heart fell out of her chest. He had a perfect southern drawl, like something out of a trashy soap opera, and his inky hair and deep tan completed the picture. For a moment, she wondered what he’d look like in a pair of tight jeans slung up with one of those wide, beefy belt buckles. She stared at him stupidly before she shook herself and forced a smile.

Thanks; I was just mopping, and then I hit something— she swallowed. Did I hit you?

He shrugged. No harm done.

Oh, gosh, I’m so sorry. Can I buy you a coffee or something to make it up to you? I swear, we don’t usually put our customers in danger or anything, she babbled, pushing her glasses high on her nose nervously. She was aware of how ridiculous she sounded, but somehow unable to stop the flow of words. I mean, whatever you want, just to say I’m sorry.

His smile stretched wider. Back home, I’d be the one buying you coffee. But I guess that’s New York for you!

Embarrassed, Nora tried to backpedal. Where’s home? She asked, plopping the mop back in the pail and watching his expressive face.

Texas, he drawled, his accent even thicker when he said the word. What about you? Seems like just about everyone I’ve met in New York is from somewhere else.

Before she could answer, a tall, chic blond slipped up to Tex’s side and slid her arm around his waist with a quick glance at Nora.

Sorry I’m late, sweetie, she purred, her perfectly made-up lips pouting sweetly. I got held up in that meeting.

Shifting his attention away from Nora, the gorgeous guy gave the blond the same heart-stopping smile he’d offered to Nora. No worries, darlin’. He glanced back in Nora’s direction, his eyes bright. Thanks for the chat, hon.

Nora nodded, her throat thick. Any time. Um, be careful; the floor’s wet.

The Texan laughed like