Page 14 of Fools in Love

Tom didn’t know what had happened to Kate between the grocery store and the pizzeria. She had been flirty and happy at the store, if not slightly embarrassed about a few of the items in her cart.

Now, as he watched her come in with her mother, he could see the dullness behind her eyes. Her cheeks were a little pink from the cold outside, and the moment her eyes scanned the room and landed on him, the blush widened and she smiled.

Waving, he scooted over in hopes that Kate would sit next to him and her mother would sit next to her son. Nick glanced over his shoulder and shifted over for his mother to sit.

“We thought you two had gotten lost,” Nick joked as they sat down. He wrapped an arm around his mother’s shoulder when she sat next to him. “How are you doing today, sis?” he asked Kate.

“Good,” Kate answered quickly as she leaned her crutches against the wall.

“I see you’ve finally showered and gotten out of your fuzzy pajamas,” Nick said.

“I see that you’re still a cop,” Kate joked back.

“Still hangry I see,” Nick joked, earning him an elbow in the ribs from his mother.

“Enough you two. Behave,” Becca hissed. “Tom, I heard you had to rescue a bird yesterday?”

From there, he relayed saving someone’s pet parakeet from their chimney. “Rodney is his name,” he started. “He has figured out that if he flies up the chimney, he gets a lot of attention. I’ve warned Ken that he should block it off with some sort of netting.” He shrugged.

“Whenever we have to go over there, we play rock, paper, scissors to decide who has to climb onto the roof and get the little guy out,” Nick added. “Tom lost yesterday.”

“That sounds dangerous,” Kate said with a frown.

“Not really. Ken’s house is only one story, and the chimney isn’t in working order,” Tom answered. “Besides, Rodney is a sucker for blackberries.”

“No, it’s not the blackberries he likes. It’s Tom.” Nick laughed. “That bird has a crush on him.”

“He is a cutie,” Tom joked. “I’ve often thought about getting my own pet. Maybe not a bird who likes to cause trouble with the police, but still…”

Tom rolled his eyes and noticed that the light-hearted story had lightened Kate’s mood.

“You should head out to Carrie’s place. Check out all the animals she has out there. She may not have an attention-seeking parakeet, but maybe she’ll have something that is more your speed,” Becca said with a smile as their food arrived.

“Is that all you’re eating?” he asked Kate when she started eating her salad while everyone else dug into a large pizza with extra cheese, extra bacon, and sausage.

“It’s a huge salad,” Kate said with a smile. “And looks wonderful.”

“My sister is part rabbit,” Nick joked, earning him another elbow to the ribs. “What? Kate has never eaten anything bigger than a chicken wing.” This time Nick blocked his mother’s elbow and laughed. “Okay, I’ll stop teasing.” He turned to Kate.

The smile that Kate gave her brother hinted to Tom that she was enjoying the brotherly banter.

While they finished eating, several townspeople stopped by their table to chat with them. He’d gotten used to never having a meal undisturbed the first year after moving there. After all, Pride was a small town, even if it was growing at a rapid rate.

With the newly finished first phase of the housing project Hidden Cove, there were more and more families moving into the countryside.

Jacob and Rose Jordan were hard at work designing the next phase. Most of the new construction in town was thanks to those two. He chatted briefly with the pair, who were taking their lunch break and were seated at the table across from them.

Jacob was one of the guys they played basketball with each week, and Tom considered him a really good and reliable friend. Actually, there were a handful of guys that they played with each week that he could say that about.

Even though they were trying to keep it a secret still, he knew that Rose was three months pregnant. Jacob hadn’t been able to hide his excitement the previous week during basketball practice and had told the guys. He was sure that, by now, the entire town knew.

He noticed, however, that Kate remained quiet through the meal, even when Rose tried to engage her in conversation. She didn’t come off as rude, but rather as shy. Which seemed strange for someone who had lived in the big city for a long time.

He doubted anyone who’d lived in New York that long could walk away from the city shy.

Maybe she was just deep in thought. After all, she’d grown up in Pride and knew the names of everyone who had stopped by to talk. She had been cordial towards them, but he could tell something was eating at her.

Just before everyone was done eating, his and Nick’s radios buzzed, and they were dispatched out to a car accident on the highway.