Page 56 of Fools in Love

“So, is it true what we’ve heard about Tom’s father?” Suzie asked as they walked out of the studio.

Kate frowned and then filled them in quickly about what Tom was going through. She knew he wasn’t trying to keep his life private any longer. The entire town was being asked to keep an eye out for his father, after all.

“Is that why your brother is waiting for you?” Suzie motioned to her brother’s car and then sighed. “Our men are so protective of us.” Aiden’s car was parked behind Nick’s, and the two men were standing on the sidewalk, talking to one another.

“It’s nice being close to family,” she admitted. There was no way she would have said so a few months ago. But now, seeing her brother standing there, watching out for her, she smiled.

Sure, she wished more than anything that it was Tom waiting for her, but she was glad Nick was there, if for no other reason than she’d spent the entire day on her feet and her leg was sore. The thought of walking home troubled her. But it also felt like it was about to start raining, and she didn’t want to get soaking wet.

Then she remembered she’d be going back to her place that evening. Alone. Feeling deflated, she waved goodbye to her friends and walked to her brother’s car.

Nick climbed in and started heading towards her place.

“So, how did it go today?” he asked her.

She thought back to the amazing day and smiled. “Perfect.” The only thing that could have made the day any better would be returning home with Tom.

Chapter Nineteen

Being away from Kate this long was killing him. How was it that in such a short time, he’d grown accustomed to having her around? It was like losing a limb, returning home to an empty house each night.

So far, a whole week had passed without anyone spotting his father. Of course, a parole skipper wasn’t as high priority as other hardened criminals out there on the loose. Still, he was a murderer, which should put him near the top of the list.

Tom was growing frustrated that his father had disappeared so easily. The family of Crystal Cummings, his father’s wife, was very concerned for their daughter. She was apparently fifteen years his father’s junior, and her family had been opposed to the relationship from the start.

Her family had reached out to him through his lawyer, but so far, Tom hadn’t responded, per his lawyer’s advice.

Aiden had assured him that he and everyone else in Pride were on the lookout for the two of them. They had even shared updated photos of his father and Crystal on local websites and social media sites. If either of them stepped foot in Pride, someone would know.

Still, that didn’t change the fact that Tom wanted Kate back home. He missed her. Missed spending time talking to her, hearing her laugh, seeing her smile. God, he was such a goner.

They had planned to head to Portland for another shopping trip, but that was postponed, as was the sail he had planned.

Her studio was a huge success and had been featured in several local papers, as well as a national one that had reached out to Kate to get her story after the big scandal.

Her sign had arrived and been hung over the large windows. He’d driven by it several times at night and was very impressed.

Every evening, after he knew Nick or her father had driven her home from her last class, they would text or video call one another.

Still, seeing her face through the small screen wasn’t the same as holding her.

Tonight was one of the few nights she didn’t have an evening class. When he got off work, they video called each other, and he propped his phone up while he moved around the kitchen making dinner.

She was sitting on her sofa, eating a salad from Golden Oar while she filled him in on how her classes were going.

“I’m feeling stronger each day,” she said between bites. “After the first day, I slept like the dead. My body ached, and I was pretty convinced I’d just made the biggest mistake in my life.” She chuckled, and he stopped chopping carrots to appreciate her laughter. “But now I feel stronger and more back to myself.”

“That’s good.” He started chopping the vegetables again. “I’ve heard from several people in your classes that they are enjoying themselves. Especially that night class.”

Kate rolled her eyes and then laughed. “It’s turning into more of a social hour. Still, it’s fun teaching those women what I can. Yesterday, they actually just danced around to eighties music. I don’t think I’ve had more fun in my life.” She laughed again. “It’s nice to blow off steam every once in a while.”

“I bet.” He thought back to his boxing sessions. Since his evenings were now Kate-free, he’d been spending a lot of time at the Boys and Girls Club. The exercise helped him get rid of some of his frustration. Talking with Kate each night removed most of the rest. Most of it.

Every night, he still tossed and turned, replaying that night so many years ago in his dreams. Only instead of walking in on his father killing Ryan, it was Kate lying in the bed under his father’s knife.

It grew so bad that most nights, he only got a couple hours of sleep. What he needed was to hold Kate in his arms at night.

Kate had grown quiet on the phone, and he glanced over to see her frowning at the screen.