Claiming Sarah (Ace Security #5)(17)

Thirty minutes later, she sat at her small table as Cole brought their plates over. He’d put his shirt back on, and she’d almost pouted when he’d come out of the bathroom. He’d insisted on taking charge of the skillet even though she’d told him she was good. So she’d busied herself with taking the bread out of the oven and slicing it. She’d gotten them both drinks before he’d put his hands on her shoulders and turned her. He’d pointed to the table and ordered, “Sit.”

Deciding to enjoy being waited on while she could, Sarah sat.

After they’d both taken a bite of the delicious, perfectly cooked omelet, she asked, “How did you become half owner of a gym?”

As they ate, he told Sarah his story. “I grew up in Castle Rock. Went to high school with the Andersons, actually. I wasn’t part of the popular crowd, but I wasn’t on the outskirts either. I tended to do my own thing, never was one to fall prey to peer pressure. I got okay grades, and for lack of knowing what I wanted to do with my life, I went to college up in Denver. I joined a gym up there and started working out. I found that I loved it.”

Sarah was intrigued. “What appealed to you?”

Instead of responding immediately, Cole thought about his answer. She liked that about him. That he wasn’t worried about filling silence in a conversation, and truly reflected on what he wanted to say.

“I loved that people who weren’t in the best shape came in and were cheered on by the others. There were regulars who I didn’t really know personally, but I still ‘knew.’ I started going in the mornings right when the gym opened, and I’d see the same people every day. We’d smile, say hi, and get on with our workout. One day, one of the older patrons didn’t show up. And when he wasn’t there the next day either, a few of us regulars got together and begged the employee to look up his address so someone could go check on him. It was against policy, but finally he agreed. Me and two others went to the old man’s house and found him on the floor. He’d fallen, broken his hip, and couldn’t get up. We called an ambulance, and they were able to get him to the hospital and fixed up.”

“Oh my gosh, that’s horrible!” Sarah exclaimed.

“It was . . . but it was also at that moment when I realized how much the people at the gym had become like my family. We didn’t know more than each other’s first names, but it was a definite bond anyway. After I graduated, I couldn’t stop thinking about that, and decided I wanted to give the same to others. Then I met Felicity, and the rest is history.”

“And is it everything you thought it would be?” she asked.

“Absolutely. I love feeling as if I’m helping my community. Teaching women how to be safe and more aware of their surroundings. Mentoring young men and teaching them that being disrespectful to girls and women isn’t cool. Watching as both men and women work their butts off and lose weight. It’s all so much more than I could’ve imagined.”

“That’s great,” Sarah said with a smile. She hadn’t ever really thought of a gym as a place to bond with other people before, but listening to Cole talk about what he did, she got it. Like he’d said, the gym patrons were a kind of family for him. Thinking about that led her to ask about his own blood family. “And you said your parents live in Arizona, right?”

“Yeah. They got sick of the cold and unpredictable winters and packed up and headed to Phoenix.”

“Do you see them often?”

“Not as much as I’d like, but I hate the heat, and they hate the cold, so . . .” His voice trailed off, but he was smiling as he said it.

“And your brother?”

“Sam lives in the Seattle area. He’s an aquatic biologist and spends most of his time researching and collecting specimens in the lakes and streams in the area.”

“Wow. Sounds interesting.”

“Not really. Unless you want to listen to him talk for hours about plankton and algae.”

Sarah laughed. “I bet he says that about your job too.”

Cole smiled. “Of course he does.”

They grinned at each other for a long moment before resuming their meal.

Sarah couldn’t remember a time when she’d been so relaxed around a guy. As she made small talk with Cole, she realized that her dads would’ve totally loved him. Mike would’ve gone gaga over his tattoos and good looks, while Jackson would’ve been more reserved at first, eventually coming around, especially if he’d heard Cole’s comment about not sitting on his ass while his woman slaved away in the kitchen.

“What was that thought?” Cole asked, as perceptive as ever.

Sarah’s gaze whipped up to his. She hadn’t realized she was staring off into space. “Oh, nothing.”

“Don’t do that,” Cole said softly. “If you don’t want to tell me, that’s okay, but don’t blow me off.”

Sarah apologized immediately. “Sorry. I was just thinking about my dads and how much they would’ve liked you.”

Cole looked surprised, but quickly hid his reaction. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“I wish I’d had the chance to meet them.”

Making a split-second decision, Sarah stood and held out a hand. “Come on.”

Without questioning her, Cole stood and took her hand. Sarah led them down the hall to what was Jackson’s office once upon a time. She’d slowly given away most of the business and accounting books that had been on the bookshelves, and even some of the knickknacks, but the pictures on the walls she hadn’t touched.