Gina and Mike by Buffy Andrews

bird nests filled with Godiva chocolate truffles.  Gina always said that she wanted Lynn to help plan our wedding. God, I wish that had happened.
    “You can come alone,” Lynn said. “What I mean is, you can bring somebody, but if you don’t have anybody you want to bring, still come. There are several people who are coming alone. So it’s not like you have to be a couple to come. In fact, my husband, Jerry, will be in Germany on business so I’ll be coming by myself.”
    “I’ll think about it.”
    “I mean it, Mike. You’d better come. You haven’t been to any of our reunions. This one’s going to be the best yet. Promise!”
     
    ****
     
    Gina
     
    I couldn’t wait to lace up my sneakers and head out the door when I got home from work. Pinching those two inches killed me. I went to Weight Watchers once and gave up after a few weeks of counting points. The points thing just wasn’t for me. Besides, I figured I could lose fifteen pounds on my own if I really tried. I started running and watched the snacks and it worked. I figured a few weeks of running and watching what I ate would leave me a little slimmer by reunion time.
    Running was also good thinking time. Whenever I ran, I let my mind wander. I often worked out problems or ran through cases as I exercised. I thought about my current case, the one involving the co-ed that I was preparing to present to a grand jury. The poor girl quit school to live at home and attend a community college. She was having a tough time but thankfully she reported the rape and got help immediately. I worked closely with the victim witness coordinator and detectives assigned to the case. Together, we’d bring these boys down.
    The asphalt running path around the perimeter of the park wasn’t very wide, maybe enough for two people to walk side by side. A guy was coming toward me with a chocolate lab and just as I went into the grass to pass them, I tripped and fell.
    “Damn!”
    The guy stopped. “Are you OK?”
    He held out his free hand.
    I waved it away. “Yeah. I’m such a klutz!” I got up and took a deep breath. I wiped my sweaty face with the small white cotton towel I always ran with.
    “You don’t seem like a klutz. I’ve watched you circle the park three times now. Each lap is about a mile and a half. So, I’d say you’re working on mile five here.”
    I held out my hand. “Hi. I’m Gina. Gina McKenzie.”
    He nodded. “Rob Miller.” He patted the dog. “And this is Molly.”
    The guy was steamy in his torn jeans and white button down shirt. He had short black hair peppered with gray around the temples. Thick brows and a dimple in the middle of his square chin.  And straight teeth.
    I reached down to pet Molly. “How old is she?”
    “She’s pushing 10. I got her when I was 30. She’s the only lady who’s ever stayed with me,” He laughed.
    “Do you come here every day?”
    “Pretty much every day,” he said. “We live close and can walk here. We moved in about six months ago.”
    “What kind of work do you do,” I asked.
    “Promise you won’t laugh?”
    “Promise.”
    “I’m a proctologist.”
    I couldn’t help it. I laughed a little. “An ass doctor?”
    He smiled. “You said you wouldn’t laugh.”
    “I know. I know. Sorry. We do need ass doctors after all.”
    Rob laughed. “What about you? What do you do?”
    “I’m a prosecutor.”
    “So what do you prosecute?” he asked.
    “Sexual assault cases.”
    “That’s intense.”
    “Yeah,” I said. “But someone’s got to put the bastards behind bars.” 
    Rob nodded. “Well, we’d better get going. Maybe I’ll see you here again. Sorry if I messed up your run.”
    “You didn’t. It was nice meeting you, too.”
    As Rob and Molly walked away, I felt a tiny tingle that I hadn’t felt since high school. It caught me off guard. I never thought I’d ever feel that tingle again, and certainly not after just meeting a guy for the first time. I went home thinking that