Lonely Hearts Club

Jeff took him to her bedroom where he saw her in it.

"Doug! What a pleasant surprise!" she told him as she waved him in.

She saw the look of concern on his face and smiled as she pulled the covers back. A thick, white cast covered her lower leg.

"What...what happened?" Doug asked as she motioned him over.

"Me. I happened," Jeff said a little sheepishly.

Doug turned to look at Nicole's brother then looked back at her.

"We went rock climbing," Nicole told him.

"Indoors," Jeff added. "And I...."

He looked at his sister in a way that said, "I'm so sorry," before explaining that he'd been on belay and lost focus.

"What my big brother is saying is that some hot, young girl came in. His big brain disengaged, his little brain took over, and he let go of the rope."

"I didn't...let go of it," Jeff meekly said. "I just stopped holding it. As tight."

"How high up were you?" Doug asked her.

"About 20 feet, give or take?" she suggested while looking at Jeff.

"I feel terrible. I came to down to spend a couple of days with my favorite sister and...."

"I'm his only sister," Nicole interjected.

"Be that as it may, I was really excited to see her. We both love fitness, and one of our favorite things is rock climbing. So we went."

"And...I fell," Nicole finished with a laugh. "More like crashed and burned."

"How serious is it?" Doug asked as he looked at the cast.

"Fortunately, it was a clean break of the tibia. The doctor said that if it wasn't for the soft rubber padding I crashed and burned on, it would have likely been a compound fracture of both bones and maybe even the femur."

Jeff was running his hand through his thick, dark hair and had a pained expression on his face.

"So now my brother feels obligated to stay here and wait on me hand and foot even though I can get around just fine."

She nodded toward a set of crutches which Doug hadn't yet noticed standing right beside the bed.

"He has a business to run, but he's being stubborn and hanging around because he feels guilty."

"I do feel guilty," her brother told her. "This was my fault. One-hundred percent."

Nicole reached out and touched Doug's hand and said, "I'm really glad you stopped by. I've been thinking about you."

"Oh?" Doug said, trying not to sound surprised or excited.

"Uh-huh. You and your brother both."

His excitement waned a bit, but he was a realist and knew she had to have meant 'both of you' when she said she'd been thinking of 'you'.

"I gotta tell you. You lit a fire under Don. He's full speed ahead on fitness and nutrition."

He told her about the big food purge and his new attitude at the pool.

"That's wonderful! Please tell him how proud I am of him on all fronts."

"I will," Doug promised just as Doug asked his sister what she wanted for dinner.

"I'm not really all that hungry. Just get what you want and I'll have a little whenever," she told him.

"Okay. I'll uh, I'll leave you two alone. But holler if you need anything."

Nicole picked up a small, silver bell and rang it.

"I haven't forgotten," she said with a look of feigned annoyance.

"She's so ungrateful," Jeff said to Doug even as he winked at his sister.

"You're brother's pretty great," Doug told her when Jeff was out of earshot.

"He's the best. But he really doesn't need to be here. I'm going back to work in a couple of days, and there's no reason for him to hang around. But he's stubborn as a mule!"

"What if I agreed to be on call for you?" Doug offered, trying to sound nonchalant.

Nicole kind of pulled her head back and gave him a 'why would you say that' kind of look.

"I'd be happy to," he said after seeing the look.

"You have a job and a life. The last thing you need is to be waiting on some middle-aged woman."

Doug gave her a puzzled look then asked as seriously as he could. "Middle-aged woman. Who are you talking about?"

Nicole watched his face then let out a little spurt.

"You goof!"

Doug sat down on the bed next to Nicole then looked right at her.

"I wouldn't mind. At all."

Doug was a very handsome guy, and she'd known that from the moment she first saw him. But now, for the first time, she was aware that there was something more to him; more than just his very kind offer. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she could sense such things, and her intuition told her she was right.

"I really can walk, Doug. I actually can't think of anything I can't do for myself."

"Can you get on a step stool if you need something?" he asked, saying the first thing that came to mind.

"I'm sure I could," she told him before her intuition spoke to her again. "But it probably wouldn't be very smart."

Doug now looked her like 'see, I told you so' and kept going.

"What would you do if say...a lightbulb burned out? I wouldn't want you sitting around here in the dark."

"No. That would be...bad, wouldn't it?" she replied very seriously, her eyes bright as she began to realize what she was feeling.

When she was a senior in college she'd gone to a movie with a freshman. He was an exceptionally mature boy and he was also very cute. But the three-year difference in age had bothered her so much she told him 'no thank you' when asked to see her again.

She didn't even want to do the math on the age difference with Doug, even though he most definitely wasn't some high school sophomore.

"Well, if you can convince my brother that he can go home, I'm willing to let you be...what did you call it? On call?"

He reached over and touched her cast then smiled.

"Let me see what I can do, okay?"

Ten minutes later both men returned.

"Okay, you win," Jeff told her. "I'll pack my things and get out of your hair."

He smiled at his sister and then at Doug only in a different way.

"What? What's that 'look' about?" his sister asked. "What are you not telling me?"

"Nothing," Jeff said. This time he had a look of exaggerated innocence going on.

"There's something you're not telling me," she intuited. "But I bet Doug will tell me."

She gave Doug an evil little smile as Jeff said, "Something tells me he might," before he disappeared.

"I should get going, too. I promised Jeff I'd take him to the airport."

"He can call an Uber," Nicole told him.

"He can, but I'm not letting him do that," Doug said, and it became crystal clear to her what was going on.

The thought of it didn't scare her, and that surprised her.

"Well, that's very kind of you," she told him. "Thank you."

"I'm happy to help, and I'll be just as happy to offer my assistance as often as you need it."

Nicole almost told him she really couldn't imagine needing to call him, but instead she just thanked him and told him how nice it was of him to stop by.

"I was worried about you," he replied sincerely.

"You're a very interesting man, Doug," she said, a warm smile appearing on her pretty face.

"I don't know about that, but I am very interest--ed," he told her just as Jeff called out that he was ready to go. He only had a clothing bag and a carry on and was ready to roll.

Nicole felt a warm glow from the unexpected word play but didn't comment. She only thanked him again and wished him a good evening and night.

"You have my number," he said as he stood up.

"I do. And I will definitely call you if I need anything important."

"It doesn't have to be important," Doug replied with a warm smile of his own. "If you just need someone to talk to give me a holler."

"I may do that," she told him before they said goodbye.

Maybe it was the pain medication she'd been taking for the last 48 hours, but just minutes after Doug left she reached for her phone.

She opened it to Messages then texted, "It was very sweet of you to stop by today. I can't tell you how much that means to me. And thank for taking my brother to the airport."

She hit 'send' then smiled.

"And for offering to take care of me."

She took the last pill in the bottle then laid down and tried to rest, but she couldn't get the thought of what it would be like to date a younger man out of her mind. She'd made more than a few snide remarks about Hollywood women who dated men 15-20 years younger than them in the past, but as she thought about possibly doing that with Doug, it suddenly didn't seem so terrible, and it definitely didn't seem disgusting.

By the time Jeff got out of the car Doug knew quite a bit about the older woman he'd been crushing on, and according to Jeff, he was just what the doctor ordered where his sister was concerned.

Jeff said Nicole had never even seriously thought about remarrying which, he explained, was her decision. Completely. He confessed to being concerned about her living only, though, and hoped that she'd try and live a little and have some fun.

"Maybe with you," Jeff told him as he also share a little more.

He told Dough he was obsessed with younger women, and the thought of his sister having a good time with a younger man made him feel better about himself. After all, both of them were single and still attractive for their age, so...why not?

Doug saw the texts come in from Nicole but forced himself to leave them until later as he was taking in all of the 'intel' Jeff was offering him without asking. Once he was alone, he pulled over to the shoulder of the road just past the airport and took a look.

He smiled so hard it hurt. Something else began getting hard, but at that moment in time he didn't care.

"I'm happy to take care of you," he texted back. "Oh. And Jeff is probably going through airport security as we...text."

He got a reply that consisted of several heart emojis that kept the smile on his face.

"So...do you feel like eating anything yet?" he asked.

"Hmmm. Now that you mention it, I am getting a little hungry."

"Any preference as to what?"

"No. Just as long as it's healthy."

It was about 6:30, and Doug had an idea.

"I'll bring something by around 7:15."

"K," he read with a couple more hearts behind it.

Feeling on top of the world he sent the same hearts right back to her.

Nicole's own heart raced when she saw them.

"If this really is just the oxy, I hope to goodness I don't regret this tomorrow," she told herself even though she felt pretty sure she'd have nothing to lament.

After an amazingly good dinner consisting of the kinds of foods Nicole loved, it felt like a few minutes had passed when she realized it was almost ten. Doug saw her look at the grandfather clock in the living room and said he should probably get going.

Nicole couldn't remember enjoying anyone's company so much since her late husband was alive. What was even more surprising was that even after learning that Doug Hoffman was just 28 years old, she found herself thinking that she liked him. In fact, she really liked him. But the most surprising fact of all was that when she again mentioned being 42, he not only didn't leave but told her she was quite possibly the most beautiful woman he'd ever met. Not 'for your age' but just her.

"I had no idea it was so late," she truthfully confessed. "And if you're going to the pool in the morning you'll need to get some sleep."

Doug nodded then said, "I'm really gonna miss seeing you there."

"Same here," she said very sweetly. "But you have your brother, so that's a good thing."

"Right. Don's become a wild man. You truly inspired him."

They'd talked about him several time over the course of the evening, and Nicole knew he'd started lifting weights in addition to swimming.

"He has a very handsome face," she said before adding, "just like his brother."

Doug couldn't help but smile and told her, "When he gets the weight off, look out ladies."

Nicole laughed a warm, contented laugh and said she agreed.

"He's also a very nice young man, and I can't help but believe that's still very important to a young woman who's looking for a husband."

She kind of looked down for a moment then asked, "Is he looking for a wife, do you think?"

"I honestly don't know. I do know he's been very lonely for a very long time. I just want him to be happy."

"Of course," Nicole quickly replied, feeling a little guilty for having asked such a personal question.

Doug sensed her discomfort then said, "But I've gotta say, I've found myself wondering lately what it would be like to find that special someone to spend the rest of my life with."

Her intuition correctly told her Doug's comment meant more than just being a simple observation about some generic feeling he'd had. She wasn't sure about whether or not it was directed at her, but something told her that was at least possible.

"She would be a very lucky girl," Nicole told him, her facial expression answering the question Doug had asked himself several times lately.

He looked at her for another second or two then stood up.

"I'm really glad we did this."

"So am I," Nicole told him. "If you'll help me up I'll walk you to the door."

Doug wanted to tell her that wasn't necessary, but he was hoping to find some way of knowing whether or not a first kiss might be in order. As he helped her stand she looked into his eyes, and once she was standing directly in front of him the stare became electrically charged.

"If you can hand me my crutches," she said, breaking the stare that had sent a charge through her body.

They slowly made their way to the front door, and once they were there, Nicole turned toward him and thanked him for dinner and a very lovely time.

"It was my pleasure," he told her as their eyes met again.

"You are so beautiful," Doug said quietly as the stare lingered.

He saw her eyes begin darting back and forth, and when that happened, he slowly leaned toward her, his fingers mentally crossed. When her eyes closed, he 'uncrossed' them and kissed her softly for the first time.

"Good night," he whispered when their lips parted.

"It's been a wonderful night," she whispered back.

"Wonderful enough to do again?"

"Yes. I'd like that. Very much."

"Me, too," Doug told her before kissing her a second time.

"Oh. Let me get out of your way," Nicole said when the kiss ended.

"You're not in my way," Doug said with a smile that spoke volumes.

"Thank you, Doug. For everything."

He continued smiling then said, "Nicole? I can't tell you how glad I am that we met."

"Yeah. Same here," she said that beautiful smile of her own causing a small stirring.

"So...I'll text you?"

"Please do."

"And if you need anything--anything at all--you'll text me, right?"

"I will. I promise," she said as they wished one another a good night.

Doug found a reason to go back to see her the next evening and every evening that week. The following week he saw her every day but one, and when that second week ended, Nicole asked him if he'd like to stay.

"There is nothing I'd like more," he told her as he brushed her hair back and kissed her softly.

"You may change your mind when you see my 42-year body she admitted."

"There is no chance whatsoever that's going to happen."

"Then just be careful with my...peg leg."

Nicole laughed just as Doug scooped her up causing her to shriek with laughter. They kissed all the way to her bedroom and didn't stop kissing until she'd had a third orgasm that left her gasping for breath an hour or so later.

As she lay in his arms he told her, "I'm still here, huh."

"Yes. Yes you are," she replied as she drew little circles on his bare chest.

"I could get used to this," Doug said as he kissed the top of head.

She looked up at him, smiled, then said, "I like the sound of that."

******

Over the course of the next year the two of them spent nearly all of their spare time together from a morning swim until they fell asleep in one another's arms at night. The love they felt for one another had grown day by day, and on the anniversary of the day they met, Doug asked her to marry him at the YMCA in front of the lane they'd shared.

Nicole tried not to cry when her handsome boyfriend got down on one knee, but when Don, who had lost nearly all of the weight and who was now sporting a rather nice looking body himself handed his brother the ring, she lost it.

Once the large diamond solitaire was on her hand, Doug stood up and kissed her. The two of them then reached for Don who joined in.

"Welcome to our family," Don said when Dough stepped back.

Nicole hugged him and told him she was the happiest woman on earth just as a loud female voice called out.

"Hey! Get away from my man!"

It was the 'hottie' from a year ago whose name was Chelsea, the same girl who, once Don got fit, took an interest in him. He initially rebuffed her numerous advances then didn't see her again for over a month. When she showed up she asked if she could talk to him, and the way she said it softened his outlook, and he told her that would be fine.

She began by taking the time to apologize for being so rude. He thanked her for that and asked her what had changed.

She looked up at him and said, "I was shallow. Hopelessly shallow. But...I was recently diagnosed with leukemia, and that's had a profound impact on me and how I view life. Talk about doing some...soul searching."

She had tears in her eyes as she looked at him and said, "I...I don't want to be that person anymore. I can't undo the bi...horrible person I was, but I can promise you I'll never treat you or anyone like that again."

Moved, Don reached out and took her in his arms and held her.

"Thank you," Don said as they embraced.

"I...I was still hoping you might want to go out with me sometime," she said without looking at him, her head still in the crook of his neck. "If you don't hate me."

"Hate you? Hey. I don't hate you," Don told her as moved his head back to look at her.

"I'm glad. I deserve for you to hate me, and that you don't makes me very happy. I...I can't promise you I'll have any hair for a few months or so, though," she said, trying to be lighthearted.

He gently pushed her back a bit, his hands now on her shoulders.

"I'm not that shallow," he told her with no hint of accusation in voice about how shallow she'd been. "If we like each other it'll won't be because of your hair."

He smiled then said, "Or the lack thereof."

They had a first date the following evening, and both of them had an incredibly good time. They soon began dating regularly, and true to his word, once Chelsea's hair began falling out, Don made it a point to tell her how beautiful she was every day. When she was so sick from the chemo that she couldn't hold anything down, he waited on her hand and foot.

So when Doug and Nicole said "I do" several months after the proposal, Don proposed to Chelsea a few hours later during the reception.

Anyone who knew them understood why both of the women cried when Don asked Chelsea to marry him. After all, she'd been through the ringer with cancer, and not that long before Nicole had been through it when her husband died from a different form of the disease.

Perhaps the happiest moment for all four of them and their friends and family was the day Nicole gave birth to twins--a boy and a girl. A close second was Chelsea having a baby of her own a year later and a half later.

There were many other very good days in their lives along with a few that weren't quite as joyous.

The brothers opened two more stores in the next five years while, during the same time, all of their grandparents passed away.

Because of all they'd been through, the four of them understood that life was filled with ups and downs. The ups almost always required hard work and a little luck, while the bad could strike with or without warning at any time. Rather than raging against a universe that did its thing no matter what any one person or group of people did, they understood that some things were beyond their control.