Chapter 9

 

Almost two weeks later, Tony stood outside half frozen solid and soaking wet as he watched the team finish up practice on the muddy field. What had started as a gentle mist earlier in the day had turned into a downpour forty minutes ago. Most afternoons, he’d be thinking of nothing but getting inside and changing his clothes. Tonight, the thought didn’t cross his mind. Instead, Cat remained the sole star of his thoughts. Actually, he hadn’t been able to think of anything else since he checked his email that morning and realized today was November twelfth. The day Striker closed on his new condo, which meant he could move out of his sister’s apartment and Cat could go home.

He’d known the day was approaching. Just the week before, he’d overheard Striker talking to his father about it right before football practiced started. Even so, he’d pushed it to the back of his head and ignored it. When he saw the date on the email, however, the memory pushed its way forward, refusing to be ignored.

Tony wondered if Cat realized what today was. She hadn’t mentioned anything to him all week, and he hadn’t spoken to her yet today. When he left for his morning run, she’d been asleep, and by the time he came back, she was gone. The note she left by the coffee pot didn’t say much other than to remind him she had to be into work early today.

Did she plan on coming back to his place tonight or would she go back to her apartment? If Striker had closed as planned, she didn’t need to come back to his house. Although, even if Striker had signed the papers and gotten his key, he probably hadn’t had time to move anything in. When he’d moved out of his apartment, he had Mack help him. Even if Striker and Mack were best friends, he doubted the guy would take a whole day off to help him move furniture.

Tony wondered if Cat had considered that as well. If she had, then she would be at home when he got there. He knew for a fact that Striker and Cat still weren’t on speaking terms, so Striker wouldn’t have shared his plans with her. Even if she did come back tonight, how much longer would she stay?

Striker wouldn’t wait long to get himself settled. He’d either ask Mack to help him move that Saturday after the game or on Sunday. That gave him maybe another two or three nights with Cat at his place. Tony cleared his throat to dislodge the lump that had formed.

So what if she moved home? He’d lived alone since he graduated from college. He liked having his own space. Besides, it wasn’t like he wouldn’t still see her. Things between them would go back to the way they were before Striker found out, only now they could also spend time at his house after work and on the weekends.

When Cat moved out, the world wouldn’t end. Actually, it might be a good thing.

Further down the sideline, Coach blew his whistle twice and all the players headed for the benches, taking much of the field with them.

On his way to join the players, Striker walked past him. “Tell Trina I borrowed an air mattress, so I’ll be staying at my place tonight. She can move home today. Sunday, after Mack and I empty out the storage container, I’ll pick up the boxes I’m leaving at her apartment.”

Tony nodded. He’d pass along the message. He just might not do it tonight.

When Tony got home thirty minutes later, he switched on the kitchen light and paused. Everything looked the same as when he left that morning. Did that mean Cat just hadn’t gotten back or had she stopped in, grabbed her things, and went back to Salem? Most nights since she moved in, they got home around the same time. Only a few times had she beaten him back and started dinner for them.

Tony unbuttoned his shirt as he headed down the hallway. No, if Cat had picked up her things, she would’ve left him a note or sent him a text message. At some point tonight, she’d be back.

Maybe not. She had plenty of clothes at her apartment. She could’ve gone back there after work. She could pick up her stuff here some other time.

Peeling off the wet shirt, he tossed it and his pants over the side of the bathtub before pushing open his bedroom door.

Before she left that morning, Cat had made the bed. It remained that way now, her oversized purple sweatshirt still near the foot of the bed.

Even though he realized Cat wouldn’t just grab her stuff and go, he couldn’t stop his hand when he reached for one of the drawers she’d taken over. Before he opened it though, he let go.

With a rough tug, he opened another drawer, pulling it out of the bureau all together. “Damn it.” He picked up the T-shirts that fell out and shoved the whole drawer back in.

He needed to get his shit back together. He was acting like a friggin’ teenager with his first girlfriend.

Tony pulled on a T-shirt and a pair of black sweats. Then he headed back out of the room just as the kitchen door opened.

“Hi,” Cat said as she walked in, her hair a wet tangled mess around her shoulders. “I grabbed some pizzas on the way back.”

The smell of fresh baked dough and melted mozzarella pulled him further into the kitchen.

“Practice tonight must have been awful with this rain. I got soaked just going in to get the food.” She put the pizza boxes down. “Did Striker complain the whole time? He hates to be cold and wet. ” She hung her jacket over a chair along with her purse then walked over to him.

She’d given him the perfect opportunity to pass along Striker’s message. “He stayed on the other side of the field, so I don’t know. But I don’t blame him. I can handle cold. And I can handle wet, but together they suck.”

She kissed him on the cheek. “Go ahead and start without me. I need to change.”

He watched her walk toward the bedroom then got some plates from the cupboard. He should pass on Striker’s message, or at least remind her what day it was. She might be eager to go back to her apartment. While she appeared to like staying with him, that didn’t mean she didn’t miss her own place filled with her things. Judging by Cat’s apartment, she’d put a lot of thought and time into making it her own, unlike him. She probably missed it.

Tony set the plates down and then opened the top pizza box. Inside, he found a large pizza smothered with meatball, sausage, ham, and chicken, his favorite kind, not that it surprised him. She always remembered to get his favorites. It was just one of the many things he adored about her.

He added three slices to a plate without even opening the other box. Tony already knew it would resemble a vegetarian’s dream pizza with every vegetable imaginable on it. Not at all what he wanted when he ate pizza.

“I hope what I got is okay.” Cat walked back into the kitchen wearing her favorite pajama bottoms, and one of his T-shirts.

“Perfect.” He opened the other box and put two slices on a plate for her. “Do you want something to drink?”

She went to the refrigerator rather than sat down. “I got it.” After getting them both drinks, she joined him at the table. “This afternoon, I got a call from Vivian, she works for one of the presidents, to set up another interview.”

Tony ignored the fact that his heart had started to descend toward his stomach and cleared his throat. “That’s great.”

Cat hadn’t said much about the possible promotion since her first interview a week earlier, and he’d chosen not to ask.

“When is it?”

“Everyone’s interviews are next week.” Cat sounded both excited and nervous at the prospect. “They narrowed it down to three candidates.”

Tony remembered Cat saying the original pool contained eight. “Are they all people who already work for the company?”

“No. One used to work for Hall Technology. I heard, anyway, he has a computer background and an MBA. I think they’ll hire him.” She shrugged her shoulder. “I didn’t expect to even make it this far, so if they choose him, I’m fine with that. Charles will be upset though. I ran into him today, and he feels he deserves the promotion. He’s worked for the company for twelve years.”

“Seniority doesn’t necessarily mean a person deserves a promotion, Cat. I still think you have a great shot at getting the job.” His heart settled at the bottom of his stomach along with his food. “If they picked you out of the original eight, they must believe you’re qualified.”

She raised her pizza toward her mouth, but didn’t bite into it. “Like I said, I’ll be okay if they pick someone else.”

When most people made statements like that, they usually didn’t mean it, or at least it seemed that way. Cat’s tone led him to believe she meant it. Was that because she truly didn’t want the promotion and all the new responsibilities that went with it or because she didn’t want to move away from him?

Like it matters. Whether she wanted to move or not didn’t matter to him.

“Tomorrow, I was going to meet Ella at the mall before I came home from work, unless there was something you wanted to do. I want a new dress for the holiday party.”

She said came home, not go home. In his mind, that meant she intended to come back here tomorrow night rather than her apartment. “Go ahead. Maybe I’ll call Sean and see what he’s up too.”

Cat smiled at him. “I’ll try not to take too long. And if I don’t find anything I like, I’ll wear the dress I wore last year.”

Neither spoke for the next several minutes as they enjoyed their dinner. When Cat’s cell phone rang, she grabbed it from her purse hanging on the chair. Tony tried not to pay too much attention as she talked, but he couldn’t block out her voice when she said the name Zack.

The guy didn’t quit, did he? He thought he’d made it clear at dinner that Cat was with him and Zack should back off. Evidently, the guy hadn’t gotten the message. That didn’t bode well for Cat’s company party. Tony could already envision Zack stepping over the line between friend and lover on Sunday night.

 

“I really need to go, Zack. I just got home and I’m starving.” Zack didn’t need to know where she really was or what she was doing. Cat glanced at Tony’s stormy expression and threw him an ‘I’m sorry’ look.

“I’m not working tomorrow, but I’ll see you at the party,” Zack said.

“Okay, bye.” She put the phone back into her purse and waited for Tony to say something. She didn’t have to wait long.

“What did he want this time?”

She heard the annoyance in his voice. “He heard I got the second interview and wanted to congratulate me.”

Even though she spoke the truth, guilt nagged at her because she hadn’t told Tony the whole truth. Zack had also mentioned he’d run into Striker in the parking lot when he got home. If she’d shared that info too, she’d also be reminding Tony that today Striker closed on his new condo, which meant she could now move home.

Neither of them had spoken about her leaving, even though she’d thought about it a lot, especially that week. At some point, she would have to go back home. She couldn’t stay with Tony indefinitely. Besides, he knew Striker was supposed to close on his new condo this month. Truthfully, she couldn’t remember if she’d told Tony the exact date or not, but even if she hadn’t, at some point he’d ask her. If and when he did, she could make something up, but then she’d worry he’d learn the truth. Maybe she should just tell him now and get it over with. That might mean she found herself sleeping alone in her bed tomorrow night, but at least she wouldn’t be carrying around any guilt.

Cat took a long sip from her water glass. “I don’t remember if I told you, but Striker was supposed to close on his condo this afternoon.”

“Good for him. I’m glad he’s the one who’ll be moving furniture soon and not me.”

“I don’t know when he plans on moving it. Probably whenever he can get Mack or someone else to help him. Maybe I should call him and see when he plans on leaving my place.”

Tony grabbed the back of her chair and pulled it closer to him. “What’s the rush?” He kissed her before she answered. “Stay here another week. Give him time to get all his stuff out of your place before you go home.” He kissed her again, this time tugging on her bottom lip until she opened her mouth for him. As he kissed her, Tony slipped a hand under her T-shirt and up her back. “It’s a lot more fun here.” He whispered the words against her lips as his other hand closed over her breast. “Don’t you agree?”

Raw desire shot straight from where his hands touched her and downward through her body. “Very much,” she said, capturing his lips.

Cat threw everything she had into the kiss. From the sounds of it, Tony didn’t want her to leave, so for now, she’d stay and worry about moving out in another week.

 

***

 

After work Friday night, Cat spotted Ella waiting for her outside the café in the mall. It was their usual meeting place there. When she’d first decided a shopping trip was in order, she’d considered going alone. Jessie would be with Mack and Kelsey always waitressed on Friday nights, and Cat wasn’t sure she wanted to go with Ella. They hadn’t spoken much since Ella and Striker started seeing each other, and Cat didn’t want to say anything that might later make it back to her brother. While she’d been friends with Ella since second grade and considered her and Kelsey her closest friends, that didn’t mean Ella wouldn’t accidently tell Striker something that she shouldn’t. After going back and forth though, Cat called her because she valued Ella's opinion and simply found it more fun to shop with someone else.

“Perfect timing,” Ella said when Cat approached. “I was just about to cave and buy a white chocolate chip brownie. I’ve been staring at them for the last five minutes.”

Cat glanced toward the display case inside the café. “They have white chocolate chip brownies today?” She spotted the ridiculously large brownies in the case. “How about we split one before we start shopping.” The white chocolate chip brownies weren’t a regular bakery item, and if the cafe had them when she stopped at the mall, Cat usually picked one up.

“You twisted my arm.” Ella walked into the café and made a beeline for the counter while Cat sat at their table.

A few minutes later, she came out carrying a brownie and two cups of coffee. “You’re a bad influence.”

“Me? You could’ve said no or told me to eat the whole thing myself.”

“And sit here and watch you? You know I don’t have that kind of willpower when it comes to sweets.” Ella bit into the brownie and closed her eyes. “Next time, we should meet outside one of the shoe stores and not tempt ourselves.”

“Ella, I’ve seen your closet. That wouldn’t be a safe place either.”

Ella opened her eyes and smiled. “You’re right. So what are we shopping for tonight?”

“Something for the holiday party. It’s at The Harbor House this year.”

“Ooh, fancy. I went to a wedding there once. It’s really nice,” Ella said. “We should head to Élégance first. They always have a great selection of dresses.” Ella finished off her half of the brownie and started on her coffee. “Striker moved into his new condo last night. It’s much bigger than his old apartment.”

“What’s he sleeping on, the floor?”

“No, he borrowed my air mattress because he…” Ella’s paused. “Because Sean and Mack can’t help him move his stuff in until Sunday.”

The last bite of brownie no longer appealed to her. “What’s the real reason?” Ella had never been a good liar.

“He’s anxious to get into his own place again. Wouldn’t you be? So are you ready to go shopping?”

Cat’s good side said she shouldn’t push Ella if Striker told her something that was between them. Her evil side, however, said something much different. “What’s his real reason, Ella?”

Ella sighed so loud Cat assumed the people sitting inside the café heard it. “He doesn’t like you living with Tony. Striker figured the sooner he moved out, the sooner you’d move home.”

She’d expected that kind of answer. “My brother needs to mind his own business and worry about himself.” Standing, Cat threw the rest of her brownie in the trash. “I think I’m ready to shop.”

“Striker’s just worried you’re going to get hurt.” Ella took her coffee as they left the café. “The word commitment doesn’t usually describe Tony Bates.”

“And it does my brother?”

Ella opened her mouth and then snapped it shut.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. This isn’t about you and Striker.” At the moment, she didn’t want to discuss her and Tony either.

“It’s weird. I know Striker has gone out with a lot of women, and I used to think he was a lot like Tony too, but since we went to the wedding together, it’s like I’ve gotten to know a different side of him.” Ella looked over at her. “Sounds crazy, I know.”

Although she didn’t necessarily agree 100 percent, she understood what her friend meant. “That doesn’t sound crazy at all.”

Ella and Cat walked to the escalator and took it up to the second floor. If Striker had told Ella he didn’t like Cat living with Tony, what other things had her brother and friend discussed?

“Did Striker tell you Tony came to Mom and Pop’s for dinner?”

“No. Was that the same night he went and your mom gave him the apple crisp? He asked me to come, but I’d already told my sister I’d watch Kerry,” Ella answered, referring to her three-year-old niece. “Kerry’s in love with your brother by the way.” Together, they entered Élégance. “Wow, I can’t believe Tony went. He doesn’t seem like the ‘sit down and meet the family’ kind of guy.”

At one time, she would’ve said the same thing about both Tony and Striker. Evidently, she would’ve been wrong on both accounts because Tony had joined them without any complaint, and thanks to Ella’s comment about her niece, she knew Striker must have gotten together at least once with Ella’s family.

“I have a feeling Tony’s ready to hand over his reign as North Salem’s resident playboy,” Ella said.

Cat spotted an amethyst-colored cocktail dress and headed for it. “Now you’re stretching things a little.”

“No way. Think about it, Cat. First Tony risked his friendship with Striker and his working relationship with your dad. Then he asked you to move in with him while Striker stayed at your apartment. And he went to your parents’ house for dinner. A guy with a reputation like Tony’s wouldn’t have done those things if he wasn’t serious.”

“What do you think of this one?” Cat picked up the dress that had caught her eye.

Ella took it from her and then hung it back up. “Don’t ignore me. If you use your head for minute, you’ll know I am right.”

Her friend made an excellent argument, but Cat refused to get her hopes up. “Why did you put that back? I really like it.”

“You are as stubborn as a mule, you know that? Wait, you’ll see I’m right.” Ella pulled her over to another rack of dresses. “This one will look much better on you than the purple.” She pointed to a red dress that reminded Cat of the crimson-colored wall in Tony’s bedroom. If he’d used that color in his bedroom, it must be one of his favorites.

“Do they have my size?” Cat asked.

 

***

 

Tony walked past the unknown car in Sean’s driveway and wondered who else was there. When he’d called and asked Sean if he wanted to hang out tonight, Sean hadn’t mentioned having other company. He hoped whoever it was didn’t stay too long; he’d been looking forward to catching up with Sean tonight. Tony hadn’t talked to him since he helped him put the hardwood floor in the master suite, and that was his own fault not Sean’s. Sean had sent him a text message the weekend before inviting him to come over and watch the game with him and Steve, another buddy from high school. Tony had declined. The last thing he’d been in the mood for was a lecture or any other kind of harassment from his buddies.

However, he missed the guy, although he’d never tell Sean that to his face, so with Cat busy shopping, he figured tonight was a good time to stop by.

After ringing the bell, Tony stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets. There was no question that winter was on its way. While the daytime temperatures stayed mild, once the sun started to set, the temperature dropped.

“A little chilly out there,” Jessie Quinn said when she opened the door.

“It’s better than it will be in another few weeks.” Tony walked inside and looked around. Unlike on his last visit, the house didn’t smell like warm banana bread and curtains hung over most of the windows. “Please don’t tell me Sean’s got you plastering walls now too?”

Jessie glanced over her shoulder and then back at him. “Don’t give him any ideas. I hate plastering,” she whispered. “He asked me do a little decorating before Mia comes home at Thanksgiving. Since Mack had to take Grace to a friend’s birthday party tonight, I came over here to work on hanging curtains.” Jessie walked into what would eventually be a dining room and picked up the curtain rod she left on a chair.

“And where did Sean go while you work?”

“He headed upstairs after his phone rang. That was about a half hour ago. I haven’t seen him since.”

If Sean had been on the phone that long, it must be a call from Mia. The guy hated talking on the phone and Tony couldn’t think of anyone other than Mia who could possibly get him to do it for longer than necessary.

“Want some help?” Tony didn’t know how much longer Sean would be upstairs, and he hated to see Jessie working while he just stood there.

“No thanks. I got it.” She placed the stool near a bare window and climbed up. “All alone tonight?”

Since curtains hung over the back of the only chair in the room, Tony leaned against the wall. “Cat and Ella went shopping after work.”

“You’re going to be here a while.” Jessie placed the curtain rod over the window and then arranged the material before stepping down to take a look. “Those two love shopping. Especially Ella. The last time I went to the mall with them, we spent the entire afternoon there.”

Tony assumed Jessie wasn’t satisfied with what she saw because she climbed back up on the stool and readjusted the curtains. “Much better,” she said when she came back down for a second inspection.

He heard the click of toe nails against the wood floor and turned to see Sean’s large Irish wolfhound, Max, enter the room. The dog came right to him and sniffed his hand.

“Did you decorate upstairs too?” Tony scratched the dog behind the ears and watched as Jessie moved the stool over to the only bare window left in the room.

“Not yet. Sean’s just finished the second coat of paint in the master suite, so I’ll hang the curtains next week sometime.”

Footsteps sounded on the staircase in the hall, and then Sean appeared in the room. “Sorry, Jessie. I didn’t mean to disappear on you like that.” Sean stopped near the dog and gave his head a pat. “Hey, Tony. Good to see you.”

Jessie stretched to get the rod up on the hooks. “No biggie.” Like she had on the last window, she arranged the material and then stepped down. “What do ya think?” She looked over at Sean.

“Looks good to me.” Sean shot him a look that Tony interrupted as ‘they’re curtains, big deal’ and Tony assumed, if not for the fact Mia would soon be living with him, Sean wouldn’t have ever bothered with them.

“I appreciate all your help, Jessie. Mia will be surprised when she comes home.”

Jessie blushed and she started to fold up the stool. “Anytime. I’ll come by next week and take care of the master suite. The comforter I ordered came in yesterday and the matching curtains are already at my apartment. Once that room is done, everything will be ready.” She leaned the stool against the wall and retrieved her jacket and purse. “I need to stop home before I head to Mack’s. I’ll call you and see when a good time to come over again is.”

Sean nodded. “Sounds good. Come on, I’ll walk you out.”

Sean’s dog followed Jessie and Sean outside, leaving Tony alone in the transformed room. It was hard to believe this was the same dining room he’d seen that summer. Sean definitely had a knack for transforming old homes.

“It’s good to see you’re still alive,” Sean said when he walked back into the room, Max right at his heels. “I thought maybe Striker had finally done you in.”

“I’ve just been busy.” Tony followed Sean through the door that connected the dining room to the kitchen.

Sean went straight to the refrigerator and took out two cans of cola. “Yeah, I’ve heard enough about that situation. Every time Mack isn’t around or gets sick of hearing about it, Striker complains to me.”

If Striker had to complain, he was glad he didn’t bother him. Instead, he stayed as far away as possible at football practice, and he hadn’t called him once since he found out about their relationship.

“Happy to be living alone again?” Sean asked.

“Cat hasn’t moved out yet. Striker only closed on his condo yesterday.”

“Yeah and he told me he planned to move in without his furniture.” Sean opened a cupboard and searched around before pulling out a container of mixed nuts. “He wants Cat out of your place bad enough that he borrowed an air mattress to use until we move his stuff in on Sunday.” Sean took a handful of nuts before he pushed the container toward Tony. “I thought you’d be ready for her to move out. She’s been living with you for a few weeks now. You don’t even usually take women back to your place, never mind let them stay there.”

Tony picked out several cashews and popped them into his mouth. “She’s going to stay with me a little longer. She wants to make sure Striker gets all his stuff out of her apartment before she moves home.”

“Last time I talked to him, he planned on doing that Sunday after we finish up. Even if he doesn’t, how much stuff can he have there?” Sean studied him for a moment with an all too familiar look on his face. Tony knew that look. It meant Sean was analyzing all the information at hand and at any moment he’d stick his nose in a place it didn’t belong. A place Tony didn’t want to go.

Needing something to focus on, Tony grabbed more nuts from the container and tossed them in his mouth.

“You’ve got it bad, my friend.”

“What are you going on about?”

“No matter how mind-blowing the sex, you’d never have a woman live with you unless you cared about her.”

“I think you’ve been inhaling too many paint fumes.”

Sean smirked. “And I think you’re full of shit.” He took a swig from his soda before he continued. “If you wanted more sex, you could have stopped at her apartment more often. You wouldn’t ask her to keep living at your house.”

“Maybe you should start writing an advice column and give your opinion to people who want it.” If he’d known Sean would give him such a hard time, he would’ve stayed at home until Cat finished shopping. “Let’s go shoot some pool downstairs.”

Tony didn’t wait for an answer. Instead, he took his soda and headed for the basement stairs. Complete darkness greeted him when he reached the bottom step and he pulled on the string attached to the overhead light bulb. “Thought you planned on putting the lights on a wall switch.”

“It’s on my to-do list.” Sean grabbed two pool sticks down from the wall and handed him one. The smirk he’d had on his face upstairs was gone. Maybe Sean had decided he’d given him enough shit for the night.

Tony stood back and watched while Sean lined up his first shot. It was a perfect break that sent the solid yellow ball into a corner pocket. Not that Tony was surprised. Sean excelled at this game, and more times than not, he won whenever they played. Sean’s second shot came close to sending the orange ball into a side pocket, but it stopped just short of going in.

“Didn’t hit that one quite hard enough.” Sean moved away from the table.

Tony examined the table for his best option. After deciding the only real hope he had was sending the purple-stripped ball into the corner pocket, he lined up the shot.

“You love her.”

Sean spoke just as Tony took his shot. Rather than sending the ball into the pocket, Tony made the cue ball jump in the air before landing back on the table with a thud. “Cheating now?”

“Like I need to.” Sean leaned the pool stick up against the table. “You gave me hell when I let Mia go. I’m just repaying the favor.”

Tony tightened his grip on the stick and pain shot threw his hand. “Good, now we’re even. So let’s play.”

The sound of the old ticking clock on wall filled the basement.

“You haven’t acted like this since Isabella.”

Neither Sean nor anyone in Tony’s family had mentioned that name to him in so long, Tony figured they’d forgotten all about her.

“When the hell did you turn into a woman?” He picked up Sean’s pool stick and held it out toward him. “Are we going to play or what?”

Rather than accept it, Sean crossed his arms. “Grow a set already and admit you love her, Bates, before she realizes what an ass you really are and looks for someone new.”

For a moment, he pictured Cat and Zack walking together through the center of town. The image made him grip his pool stick tighter. “She’s free to do that anytime she wants.”

“Maybe you should tell Cat that. Then she can stop wasting her time with you. You can get back to those one-night stands you love so much and Striker will stop complaining every damn time I see him. Everyone will be happy again.” Sean pulled his pool stick out of Tony’s hand.

Just because Cat could move on whenever she wanted didn’t mean he was in any rush for her to do so. And that certainly didn’t mean he loved her. Like Sean stated earlier, he cared about her. A huge spectrum of emotions existed between cared about and loved. He cared about Jessie Quinn too. That didn’t mean he loved her, but rather he considered her a friend.

“I forgot I promised my mom I’d stop by tonight. She wants to show me the pictures of the summer house she and Dad are thinking of buying on Lake Winnipesaukee.” So what if he hadn’t talked to his mom this week. If he remembered correctly, his parents had gone looking at homes on the lake that month.

Tony didn’t wait for a response. He hung his pool stick back up on the wall.

“Don’t be an idiot.”

He didn’t look back over at Sean, but he heard him clear his throat. Whatever else Sean intended to say, he wasn’t going to like it.

“Tell her you love her. It’s easier than begging for forgiveness later. Trust me.”

“Save your advice for someone who needs it.” He started up the stairs, but Sean’s next sentence still reached his ears.

“You’re more of an idiot than I thought.”

Months earlier, Tony had said something very similar to Sean in regards to a woman. He never thought someone would say it to him however.