Page 7 of Fools in Love

There was just something about his voice—it’s rich deep tone, the hint of humor in it.

She swallowed and, instead of answering, she nodded.

“Are you okay? You didn’t hurt your leg?” he asked.

She followed his gaze down to her leg and then jerked her head up and shook her head.

He tilted his head slightly, as if he had a question but wasn’t sure how to ask it. Then she heard him take a deep breath.

At this point, he was still holding her upright.

How many of her partners had held her waist as she danced on pointe? Too many to count. But the hands of this mystery man, here in the darkness on the beach, felt so different. They somehow lit a fire deep inside her that felt stranger than anything she’d felt before.

“I’m Tom,” he said suddenly. “You’re Kate?”

She stilled, suddenly realizing she was alone with a stranger on a dark beach. She never allowed anyone she didn’t know to get this close to her. Especially at night when she was alone.

His chuckle broke her thoughts. “Easy, I think your brother was just a little ways behind me.” He motioned behind them, where she could see the lights from the Boys and Girls Club. She relaxed a little. “Think you can stand on your own?” he asked, nodding his head.

She shifted and then moved her crutch further under her armpit before nodding.

The moment his hands dropped away, she swayed slightly, and they returned.

“I’m okay,” she said softly.

“She does speak,” he joked.

She smiled. “Thanks, I—”

“Hey, sis,” Nick called out. They both glanced over to see her brother jogging towards them. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes,” she answered quickly. She tried to take a step away from Tom and almost fell again.

“She’s just a little unstable on the sand,” Tom said as Nick stopped beside her.

They each wrapped an arm around her and practically carried her back to the parking lot. She felt like a piece of luggage being carted around.

“I can walk,” she said, her anger growing at how her brother and Tom, who was obviously a friend of her brother’s, were handling her.

When they stopped next to her brother’s Jeep, Nick released her. Tom took a few moments more and made sure she was steady before dropping his hands.

“I didn’t mind,” he said under his breath, and Kate felt her face heat. “Helping,” he added quickly.

“I knew I shouldn’t have let you go off on your own,” Nick was saying as he opened the door for her.

“Go off on my own?” She turned on her brother. “I’m not a child.”

Her brother shot a glance over his shoulder at her. “No one said that. But I should have guessed that you’d hurt yourself trying to push yourself too hard.”

Her eyes narrowed. Raising her chin, she turned to Tom. “Do you know where my parents live?” she asked him. His chin dropped slightly and he nodded. “Good. Then you can take me home.” She started moving away from her brother’s Jeep.

“Kate,” Nick sighed, “come back,” but she was already trying to cross the parking lot towards the only other vehicle there.

“No,” she threw over her shoulder. “Tom is going to take me home.” With that she turned her eyes towards Tom, hoping he saw anger in them and not the hurt she was truly feeling.

Thankfully, Tom turned to her brother and nodded. “I’ll get her home safe,” he said, and then he rushed to open the car door for her.

Chapter Three