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THREE MORE sets - that's all Dara Owens had to do. Just three more sets of twenty walking lunges; she wanted to push herself to do more, but after her thirty minute inclined run from earlier, she was already wore out.
Taking steady breaths, she proceeded to her workout to the beat of her music. She shook her head at herself, for she used to be able to withstand so much more. With age, though, comes less stamina.
She paused for a moment, pulling one earphone out of her ear, waiting. Just as she thought, three consecutive knocks came from her front door. Groaning, the woman turned her treadmill off, hopping off of it.
She opened the bedroom door, and on her way down the stairs, she pulled her other earbud out, pressing the pause button on her music.
She knew that no one should be coming over. She hadn't invited anyone and, from what she knew, neither had her kids. She assumed it most likely another solicitor - they just loved coming through her neighborhood. Her dog, a brown haired pitbull, also dashed toward the door, giving the person on the opposite side two warning barks. "Clio!" Dara called out at her. She then pointed her finger toward the living room where the dog quickly obeyed and scampered off to.
Dara opened the door, and, to her surprise, standing on her front porch was her ex husband. "Dara! Thank God you're here."
She raised a single eyebrow, questioning, "Derrick, what are you doing here? It ain't your week."
Derriçk nodded his head, "Yeah, I know. But where's the boys?"
"Miles stayed after school for Book Club, and Leon's at a friend's house," Dara answered. "What's going on?"
Derrick shrugged his shoulders, chuckling, "Honestly, Dara, I'm not sure. Emmett called me," he paused for a moment to lower his voice so that none of the neighbors could hear him, *sounding all crazy. Quinn's son, Sebastian, came home this morning, and he's lost his damn mind, too."
Dara opened the door wide, stepping to the side, "Come get a drink."
Derrick walked in, shutting the door behind himself before following his former wife down the short hall through the living room and to the kitchen. Clio immediately jumped up off of the couch, dashing toward the man. She sat in front of him, waiting for his usual pat on the head.
Dara asked aloud, grabbing two glasses from her cupboard and a bottle of purple wine from the refrigerator, "So what'd Em say?"
