Tom was still pretty distracted the next day. Enough, in fact, that Adam could tell.

“Everything all right?” he asked. “Is your leg bothering you?”

“I’m good,” Tom replied. “Ross just has this guy from work who’s irritating him, and it makes me nervous because I can’t do anything about it.”

It was as close to the truth as he could come without divulging any personal information that wasn’t his to tell. He wasn’t going to share anything about Ross’s story. That was Ross’s right, and his alone.

“That sucks,” Adam said. “I’m lucky that Luke’s the boss; he gets to pick who he works with. Sometimes he gets annoying patrons, though. Life in customer service. We were all glad that you came by the other day. I hope you’ll come back again.”

Tom grinned. “Thanks. It means a lot to hear that.”

“What, you didn’t think I was inviting you over and secretly hoping you’d say no, did you?”

“Nah, but it’s … still nice to hear it, that’s all.”

Adam smiled, then went back into his office.

Tom thumped his head against the desk. He knew he shouldn’t be nervous. That was giving Jeremy power, that was letting him win.

But his mind couldn’t help but jump to the worst-case scenario. What if Adam found out about the whole thing? What was he going to think? What if there was backlash against the firm?

A lot of the people who donated to the hospital and had control over it were the same kind of people that Adam had as clients. Perhaps some of them even were previous clients, or knew clients of theirs.

Would they find out, and would it somehow reflect badly on the firm? Would Tom be getting the firm into trouble?

He couldn’t help it—he texted Ross about it.

Do you think that Adam could get in trouble if people find out about your review? Since the clients we work with are/know people on the board? Donors?

Ross replied a few minutes later.

I don’t know. It’s a possibility.

Now Tom really wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

He couldn’t let Adam and Enid, two people who’d given him a great job and weren’t just his coworkers but his friends, become targets because of any malicious gossip that would stem from an inquest. It would be the worst way to pay them back for the friendship and care they’d given him all these years.

Another text from Ross came in, and Tom had to snort in amusement at how well the guy knew him.

Stop panicking.

The irony of Ross being the calm one here hadn’t been lost on Tom. This was Ross’s vicious ex-boyfriend who was causing all of these potential problems. Ross was the one who had every right to be a nervous wreck, to be upset, to have a hard time.

Yet Ross was being calm. Tom was the one who was panicking.

He owed it to Ross to try and be calm as well. He had to support him in this. If Ross thought, for whatever insane reason, that Tom was worth sticking his neck out for, then by God, Tom was going to do his best to be worthy of that risk.

He texted Ross back, I’m good. Doing breathing exercises and everything, haha. You good?

The last thing he wanted was to make Ross start panicking as well because of Tom’s text.

I’m all good. I’d ask you to ask Adam to give you a kiss for me, but I don’t think either of you would like that very much.

Tom laughed. That was what he liked about Ross best, he thought. He made him laugh.

He was starting to wonder if there was anything he wouldn’t do for Ross. He’d break up with him and be miserable about it, if that was what Ross needed to keep his job. He’d fight Jeremy bare-knuckled, once his leg was healed, anyway. He’d do a hell of a lot of things, just to see Ross smile.

Oh. Oh.

“You look kind of dazed, there,” Enid observed, walking past.

“I think I just realized I’m in love,” Tom croaked.

“Usually that inspires smiling, not looking like you got hit with a brick,” Enid replied.

“It’s interesting timing, that’s all,” Tom said.

“Well, so long as it doesn’t distract you from getting me that witness statement, you can be as shocked and in love as you please,” Enid said with a grin, walking back into her office.

Tom stared blankly at the spot where she’d been standing.

Of all the moments, of all the days, the times, to realize…

He was falling in love with Ross. He’d do anything for him.

And of course it was right when Ross might get in trouble, at least temporarily, for dating him.

Well, fuck.