Page 27 of Fools in Love

Every day after work, Tom picked up Kate and they hit the gym. She’d had her stitches removed, and the large white bandage on her leg had been replaced with skin-colored medical wrap. She still had to walk with a crutch but had switched to just using one and claimed it was easier to get around that way.

Her boxing was improving.

His Pilates wasn’t.

Actually, the more he worked with her, the sorer he got. He limped into work every morning as if he’d run a marathon the night before.

Everyone made fun of him, but at the same time, he could tell they were happy he was helping Kate get out of her funk. He was pretty sure her parents had spread the word around town about the change in Kate’s attitude.

Not that he’d had an issue with her before, but even he could tell that she was happier than when she’d first come back to town.

He’d noticed a change in her attitude about her future after the talk about teaching. She didn’t say that she wanted to teach, but she no longer put the idea down.

When the big Fourth of July town festival rolled around, he was thankful he and Nick were working the booth since Kate sat with them the entire day and helped hand out stickers and prepackaged goodie bags to all the kids.

Later, they sat together in the bleachers and watched the town’s fireworks. Somehow, even the festival was more exciting with her by his side.

When the evening of the weekly basketball game came the following week, Kate sat in the bleachers and cheered them on. Brook came along too.

The two of them were obviously very close. They laughed and joked with one another, and the longing for his brother surfaced whenever he saw them together.

Actually, it was always after being with Kate and her family that thoughts of his family and his past surfaced. While he was with her, his entire mind and body were consumed with thoughts of her.

She was slowly becoming an addiction. The more he was with her, the more he wanted to be with her.

It wasn’t until a month after she came back into town that he realized that Nick was, for the first time since they’d known each other, asking him about his family and his past. Maybe he was just being a protective brother?

It wasn’t as if Tom was trying to avoid telling anyone. But the past, his past, hurt.

“You had a brother?” Nick asked on afternoon as they were directing traffic away from the high school. Graduation week was always busy and everyone in uniform had to be present. Even if it was their planned day off.

“Yes,” Tom said, waving the rows of cars out of the massive dirt parking lot. He had never personally attended a high school graduation. After his mother and brother’s death, he’d skipped the ceremony and had his diploma mailed to him instead. Still, everyone leaving the event looked happy. “Ryan was four years younger than me.”

“I’m sorry. I know you mentioned you lost him and your mother at the same time.” Nick stopped the traffic and allowed a few cars in the other lane to pass by.

“Yup,” Tom said, stopping his traffic at the same time. It was mindless work, but the weather was nice and at least they could be outside enjoying it instead of being stuck inside somewhere sitting behind a desk.

Nick turned to him and the look he gave him had Tom sighing. “Let’s talk later. Okay?”

Nick nodded, then moved over to switch the traffic again.

Over an hour later, the two of them were changed out of their uniforms and sitting at the bar at the Golden Oar.

“So, what is going on, really, between you and my sister?” Nick asked.

Tom almost spit out the sip of beer he’d taken. Instead, he purposely swallowed the amber liquid and took a moment to try and think of the right words.

“That’s up to your sister,” he finally said.

Nick’s eyebrows shot up. “Which means?”

“I like your sister,” he said finally. “And as long as she’s okay with it, I’m going to be around her. Are we good?”

Nick smiled and then slapped him on the shoulder. “We’re good. I know you’d never do anything to hurt her.” Nick’s hands tightened on his shoulders briefly, and Tom understood his meaning.

“Right.” He nodded. “I don’t plan on hurting her.” He turned slightly towards him. “Your sister, on the other hand… if she decides not to stick around…”

Nick nodded and let out a loud sigh. “Yeah, I think we’re all more worried about you. We all remember when you moved into town. How lost you looked back then. It was almost a year before that changed. Kate had the same look as you did. Just by being around you, she’s already lost most of it.”