SHAWN:I can’t tell you how happy I am to get a text from you. Coffee sounds great. Anytime and anywhere.
CHASE:How’s tomorrow morning at eight? Cherry Meadow Diner.
SHAWN:Sounds perfect. I’ll see you there!
A conversation pulled him out of his thoughts, and he remembered he was at work. “Hey, Tobias!” Hailey said brightly from her spot next to Chase behind the desk, her long brown ponytail bouncing with enthusiasm. “Haven’t seen you here before!”
“Hi! I came to learn how to climb today!” a voice that definitely wasn’t Tobias’ shouted.
Hailey flashed Chase a smile before she turned back to the small voice. When he turned to spot who’d arrived he froze. Tobias was standing there with a sheepish look on his face, his large frame looming over him and Hailey. Chase was used to large men towering over him, thanks to his modest height, but it gave him a thrill to find this particular tall drink of water standing over him.
He wore a ball cap and stood slightly hunched, like he was trying to hide himself. Chase smiled at him before looking for the source of the tiny voice. Thanks to the height of the counter in front of him, he had to drape himself over it to see a young girl standing there excitedly, cute brown pigtails framing her face.
“Hi!” he said. “My name is Chase. What’s your name?”
“I’m Madison and this is my Uncle Oby!”
It seemed Madison was happy to do the talking for both her and Tobias. Chase glanced at Tobias to see him smiling adoringly down at Madison.Swoon. He shook off that thought before turning back to his newest client.
“I’ll be working with the kids today. You said you want to learn how to climb?”
She squealed in delight. “Yes, please!”
“Great! Do you want Hailey here to sign you up for the class?”
“Yes, please!” she shouted as she turned to Hailey. “I’d like to climb with Chase, please.”
“Well, of course you do. He’s the best,” Hailey responded, and Madison nodded excitedly. Hailey was familiar with Tobias thanks to him filling in on her soccer team when they needed extra players. She pointed to a small sign on the cluttered desk displaying their prices. “Tobias, do you just want to buy a pass for today’s class or do you want to get one of our packages? We’re taking a break for the holiday, so after today kids’ classes will restart in February. The gym is too crowded in January with all the people coming in for their New Year’s resolutions, but the crowd is normal by the next month.”
Tobias took a moment to read over the different packages. “We’ll take a ten-pack, please. And I filled outthe waiver already online.”
“Got it,” Hailey said as she completed the sale. “Thanks again for joining us for the soccer tournament. We couldn’t have won without you. How’s everything going?”
Tobias kept shifting his weight between his feet. Apparently, he wasn’t up for chatting, but it wasn’t like Hailey was a stranger. She played soccer with the guy and was close friends with Cole, Riley and Josh.
“Uh, good,” Tobias said awkwardly. “All good. You?”
Chase was starting to think Tobias’ nerves were a bigger hindrance for him than he’d initially assumed. Hailey responded with niceties, but it was obvious Tobias wasn’t up for small talk, so Chase steered the conversation to his tiny client instead.
“Are you excited to climb today?” he asked Madison.
“Yeah, at the playground, there’s a rock wall I really like, so I wanted to try a bigger wall. I saw you have a fort and I want to climb that! I think I can do it, if I try really hard.”
“That’s a great attitude to have. And even if you don’t climb it this time, you can keep trying until you get it.”
“My uncle says the same thing!” she said as she pulled at Tobias’ hand. “Right?”
“That’s right, Maddie,” Tobias said as he gazed downat her, a soft smile on his face.
It turned out the awkward grump had some soft spots, at least for his adorable niece.Why is that so hot?
Hailey interrupted Chase’s equally soft thoughts about Tobias. “We still have about ten minutes until your class starts, and Chase will meet you at the kids’ area when it’s time.”
Tobias nodded his thanks to Hailey and glanced at Chase before pulling Madison away from the desk.
“See you soon, Chase!” she said, and he waved to her.
When they were out of sight, Chase turned on Hailey, her hazel eyes sparkling with amusement.
