Chapter 7
Nicole got a kick out of listening to Tony tell Mom about the day at the shelter. He went on and on about Costello and helping Brent paint. In fact, by the time Tony was ready to go take his shower before bed, he’d referenced “Mr. Todd” a lot. When he’d left, Nicole moved into the middle of the screen. By Mom’s telling expression, she’d caught it, too.
“So, who is this Mr. Todd?” She grinned mischievously.
“Mom, I’ve told you. That’s Brent. He’s the one who runs the Finding Forever Animal Rescue. Tony loves helping with all the animals.”
“It sounds like he wishes he could take Costello home with him.”
“Yeah, he does. But can you imagine a Great Dane in this house?” Nicole spread her arms wide to encompass their relatively small living room.
Mom busted out laughing. “Oh, I can imagine it. It’s not a pretty sight. Does he know he can’t pick Costello?”
“I’ve told him. But it’s obvious that’s the dog he really wants. I feel bad about it.” Nicole frowned. “Plus, the poor thing has been in the shelter for six months as it is. I’m hoping he’ll find a home at the festival, and everything will work itself out.”
“Me, too. And what about Brent?”
“What about him?”
Mom shot her a look as though she were reminding Nicole that she wasn’t born yesterday. “Tony seems pretty taken with him. Is he the only one?”
Nicole shifted in her seat, and there was no denying her interest. Especially when it came to Mom who could see right through any objections. She could only hope their Skype connection wasn’t clear enough for Mom to detect the change.
No such luck. “I knew it! Oh, Nicki, that’s great!”
Okay, she was blowing this way out of proportion. “Don’t get too excited, Mom. We’re just friends.” Nicole wasn’t sure what they were right now.
“I know I’m always bugging you about finding someone to share your life with. But in all seriousness, if you care about him, you’ve got to give it a chance to see if it works out. If you don’t, you’ll always wonder.”
Now that was true. Nicole tried to steer the conversation toward one of her siblings and they soon said goodbye before logging off.
A ping from her phone announced an incoming text. Nicole expected it to be from her mom, remembering something she’d meant to tell her on Skype. Instead, it was Brent.
Thanks again for everything you two did. Tell Tony I checked on Costello, and he’s sleeping like a baby. See you on Tuesday.
His message warmed Nicole’s heart, and she couldn’t hold back a smile.
I’ll tell him. Thanks, Brent. Good night.
Good night.
~*~
Nicole swept the last of the glass into the dustpan and stood. The chime sounded, and Brent walked in through the front door of the shelter.
His brows creased. “What happened?”
Nicole held up the dust pan. “Stormy.” She dumped the contents into the wastebasket. “She wouldn’t quit bothering the rabbits. I made her leave the exotics room while I cleaned the cages. Apparently, I offended Her Majesty because she knocked my coffee mug off the counter.”
Brent cringed. He investigated the room, but the cat was nowhere to be seen. “I’m sorry. I’ll buy you another one.”
“It’s not a big deal. For whatever reason, my youngest sister insists on buying me a new coffee mug every year. I’ve got quite the collection.” Nicole put the broom and dustpan away, overly aware of Brent’s presence in the room.
It’d been that way since she and Tony had arrived two hours ago. Neither Brent nor Nicole had brought up the kiss on Saturday. But it was impossible to ignore the elephant in the room. She wasn’t sure what she’d hoped for this morning. That he would kiss her the moment Tony left to care for the dogs? That Brent would give her the cold shoulder?
Brent was watching her closely, and Nicole covered her embarrassment by reaching for a piece of paper. “Someone called about the goats and said they’d be by later today.” She handed the paper to Brent.
“Thank you.” He grasped one side of the note. For a few moments, they both held it and neither moved. His gaze settled on her face. “Hey, Nicole. About the other day…”
The new side door opened and closed as Tony came inside. Brent pocketed the note, and Nicole took a small step back. Moments later, Tony jogged into the room. “That new exit makes all the difference in the world.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m going to go see Costello. Is that cool?”
Nicole reached out and fixed some hair that was sticking up. He desperately needed a trip to the barber. “Of course.”
“Thanks, Mom!” With a grin, he darted for the door and disappeared in moments.
“I remember having that much energy.” Brent chuckled.
“Me, too. A long time ago.” Nicole shook her head with a wistful smile.
He tilted his head in the direction Tony had gone. “I don’t know. You seem to keep up with him just fine.”
Nicole’s heart did a little jig. “Thanks.”
“He’s a good kid.” Brent tugged at one of his ears and then dropped his hand again. “I’ve been wanting to apologize for dropping off the radar this last year. It was never my intention. When I saw you guys at the rink a couple of weeks ago, I couldn’t believe how much Tony had grown. That’s when I realized how much can change in such a short amount of time.” He hesitated. “I thought, once you guys finished volunteering, maybe I could stop by the rink regularly.”
Brent focused on Nicole, his brown eyes filled with hope.
She swallowed and nodded. “I’d like that.”
His mouth lifted in a grin. “Good.” Brent moved closer. His hands settled on her shoulders, slipped down her arms, and finally cradled her elbows.
It wasn’t the coolness of his skin that sent chills racing up her arm and down her spine. Nicole suppressed a shiver. His gaze focused on her lips, and she wet her own in anticipation.
The door chime sounded as a woman in her twenties walked in. Brent gave Nicole an apologetic look before turning to greet her. With a whoosh, Nicole blew out the breath she’d been holding and escaped to one of the cat rooms. She leaned against the wall and groaned.
She’d wanted Brent to kiss her even though Tony could’ve come into the room at any time. Not good. How was it possible for her head to blare warning after warning while her heart simultaneously sang with joy?
~*~
Brent never thought he’d complain about having too many volunteers. Word had gotten out about the work day at the shelter. By Thursday morning, a dozen people came in and scheduled time to volunteer.
It was more than he’d hoped for and was desperately needed. But it also meant he had no time alone with Nicole while she and Tony were at the shelter. Between that and her busy evenings working at the rink, Brent was craving time for them to talk.
Nicole and Tony were getting ready to leave for the day. Brent broke away from one of the newest volunteers to tell them goodbye.
Tony got hand sanitizer and rubbed it between his hands. “Hey, Mr. Todd. I have a hockey game on Saturday. Do you want to come? It’s at ten in the morning.”
Brent took in the boy’s excitement and the guarded hope on Nicole’s face. Right now, he’d give almost anything to say he’d be there. “I would in a flash, buddy. Except I have a meeting with the festival committee that morning.”
Tony’s face fell in disappointment. He rubbed the tip of his shoe against the bottom edge of the counter. His head snapped up, a grin replacing his frown. “What about my practice tonight?”
Nicole reached over and put a hand on his shoulder. “Mr. Todd has a lot going on right now, Tony.”
Unsure whether it was the boy’s enthusiasm or Nicole’s acceptance of the situation that affected Brent more, he held up a hand. “I may be a little late. But I’ll swing by and watch you play as soon as I close up here.”
“Yes!” Tony’s eyes sparkled. “Thanks, Mr. Todd.”
“You’re welcome. You’d better go home and get that schoolwork done. Thanks again for helping out around here.”
Tony waved and headed out the door. Nicole hesitated. “Don’t feel obligated to come.”
“Are you kidding?” Brent didn’t waste the small window of opportunity that presented itself. He leaned in and placed a kiss to her soft cheek. “I get to watch Tony play and hang out with you. Sounds great to me.”
She ducked her head, but there was no missing the smile that toyed with the corners of her mouth. “See you tonight, Brent.”
“I can’t wait.”
The rest of the day seemed to drag as he kept watching the clock. With someone stopping by the shelter at the last minute to adopt a cat, Brent didn’t get to the skating rink as early as he would’ve liked to.
Practice was in full swing when he entered the building. It only took a moment to pick Nicole out of the crowd of spectators. She was visiting with two women she was sitting near. Brent took an empty spot next to Nicole.
She brightened. “Hey. You made it.”
“I did. That guy finally took both goats and someone else adopted a cat.” Brent offered the other women a friendly nod.
“That’s great.” Nicole motioned to the person beside her. “Have you met Savannah Miller or Alisyn Bennett?”
“I don’t think so.” Brent introduced himself and shook the women’s hands. “Do you both have sons on the team?”
The ladies chuckled and Savannah shook her head. “We’re both just the transportation.” She pointed to one of the boys playing his heart out on the rink. “I’ve been bringing my nephew, Kyle, in for practice this year.”
Alisyn waved to a boy Brent recognized from the work day at the rescue center. “And I bring Cooper. I’m the Rockford’s nanny so I’m almost always here.” A man walked up, gave Alisyn a smile, and sat down next to her. “This is Shane. He’s Cooper’s older brother and in town for a few more days.”
They all visited and watched the boys play for a while.
Brent shifted on the metal bench to look at Nicole. “Tony is quite an effective defenseman.”
Nicole smiled at the compliment. “He’s a wall out there. When he first played, he was shorter than anyone else. The other players didn’t expect him to stand his ground. Now he’s taller than most of the other boys.”
Brent watched the scrimmage for a bit. What he wanted to do was reach for Nicole’s hand or drape his arm around her shoulder. Instead, he leaned in close enough for his upper arm to rest against hers. “I’m happy to stick around and help you guys clean up after practice.”
“That would be great. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” It was worth it if it meant getting to spend more time with her.
~*~
Nicole found being near Brent during Tony’s hockey practice a challenge. On one hand, she’d been thrilled to see him come into the building. Her pulse had thrummed in her ears when he sat next to her. On the other hand, it was impossible to focus on anything her other friends were saying when all she could think about was the way Brent’s aftershave smelled or how his arm kept brushing hers. How was she supposed to keep an emotional distance when all she wanted to do was slide closer to him? Nicole oscillated between enjoying his presence and knowing she should probably get up and mingle with the other parents. Just to put some space between herself and Brent.
That’s what she ought to do, but it didn’t make it easy. Especially when Brent managed to make her laugh. A lot. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had that much fun at a practice. Probably not a good thing.
Before she knew it, Jim had spoken to the boys, and they were getting ready to go home with their parents. Tony skated up to them, hair wet with sweat and plastered to his forehead. “Mr. Todd! I knew you’d come. Did you see me block Wade earlier?”
“I did. Fantastic job.” Brent extended a hand and exchanged a knuckle bump with Tony. “You guys are looking great. Excited about your next game?”
“Oh, yeah.” Someone called his name and Tony waved at Cooper. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Nicole and Brent spent the next ten minutes talking to people and saying goodbye as the rink cleared out. Tony took his skates off, and when it was finally just the three of them, they started cleaning the place up.
Nicole did a quick tour of the restrooms. When she returned, she found both guys out on the rink in their shoes with hockey sticks. The two scrimmaged against each other, racing from one end of the rink to the other. Between the mock tough-guy expressions and the good-natured pushing, it was clear they were both having a blast.
She leaned against a wall and watched. She couldn’t remember the last time Tony had this much guy attention. It was clear he was eating it up. Her son hadn’t stopped talking about Brent for weeks.
He’d been excited all afternoon at the prospect of Brent coming to practice. She took pity on him and cut science a little short because he wasn’t focusing, anyway. Tony sure was taken with Brent. She couldn’t blame him — she had to admit that she was, too. But what would Tony have done if Brent hadn’t shown up tonight?
Brent used to be a regular at the rink until he’d disappeared. Sure, he’d had good reasons. But what if things got super busy, and it happened again? Except, this time it would be different. Tony would be devastated to lose his new best friend.
The good mood that had lifted her spirits turned into worry. It settled over her like a blanket of dew on a cool morning, dampening her mood. A chill jolted up her spine, and she crossed her arms in front of her with a frown.
She’d spent years protecting Tony from that kind of disappointment. He’d had to deal with too much of it in his young life.
The guys finished their scrimmage and put the equipment away. Still laughing, they rejoined her. Brent must have sensed something changed because his eyes narrowed in concern. Nicole ignored it and used one hand to mess up Tony’s hair. “Ready to go home? You need to get a shower and something to eat.”
“I’m starving.” He smoothed his hair back down good-naturedly.
The three of them left the rink, and Nicole locked the place up behind them.
Brent met her eyes over the top of Tony’s head. “Can I call you later?”
Trying her best to keep her expression neutral, she nodded.
Brent hesitated but finally shook Tony’s hand. “Great job tonight. Have a good rest of your week. I guess I’ll see you on Tuesday?” He turned to Nicole. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Thanks for coming, Brent. It meant a lot to Tony.” She mustered what she hoped was a normal smile. “Good night.”
Her decision to keep distance between herself and Brent was sound. How come she didn’t feel any better?