Jim had always planned on being some sort of artist growing up. While music was always on the forefront of that dream, he wasn’t against being an actor or painter or even an author if it came down to it. He did everything he had to do to achieve it, too. Took guitar classes from elementary school all throughout high school, joined choir in middle school, theatre in junior high. He worked hard in all of his art classes, even earning a spot in the hallway once or twice. He would practice all of these skills after school, Danny begging him to please shut up as the hours grew later and Jim’s voice and guitar grew louder. But he kept practicing, even to this day, believing his big break is right around the corner.

Until then, Jim found himself playing with various local bands on the weekends. It’s not ideal, and it certainly isn’t what he pictured his life being as a kid, but he’ll take what he can get. After all, Jim’s voice left a lot to be desired. Recording executives weren’t exactly knocking down his door offering record deals. He could play guitar, though, which earned him gigs with whatever local band would take him in and even the occasional solo gig if no one else could play. He could play anything from 80’s rock and roll to country. He would even dress the part, leather pants and vests to cowboy boots and hats, hoping to show everyone how serious he took this. However, every few weeks, without fail, the lead singer would pull him aside and say it wasn’t working out. After about seven bands throwing him the same spiel, Jim knew it probably wasn’t just a personality conflict that got him replaced, though he still couldn’t get himself to admit that he may just not be very good.

However, even though Jim couldn’t sing, he could fix almost anything. Whether it was a broken pipe, a computer that had seemingly died, or a roof that needed patched, there was rarely something Jim struggled to repair. And if he was a good handyman, he was a modern-day Einstein when it came to anything with four wheels and an engine. He could listen and hear other pings and clicks where no one else could, figure out the problem within a couple of minutes and usually have it fixed within a couple of hours. Which is why, when his music wasn’t getting him very far and Danny asked if he wanted to join him in opening up a garage, he took him up on it.

And Jim likes working with his brother. Danny takes care of all the papers and background work, while Jim can do something he likes, something he’s really good at.

Something he’s usually really good at, anyway. Today, however, Jim can’t stop making mistake after mistake. This repair is second nature to him, but the bolt won’t come off the engine and he’s already nicked himself twice trying to get it off.  The problem was he couldn’t stop thinking about Pam. Or, more specifically, he couldn’t stop thinking about Pam’s date. It was nice. What does that mean? We had fun. How much fun? Did they go somewhere fancy? Did Roy take her home? Did he kiss her? With that thought, Jim lost his grip and the wrench fell deep into the engine. He groans and runs a hand over his face before deciding a soda break is needed before he destroys the engine and owes the customer a new car. He leans against the back wall as he opens his grape soda and can see Danny on his computer, filling out some type of form.

He realizes that he doesn’t care that Pam didn’t tell him about her date, or whether or not Roy kissed her goodnight (okay, maybe he does care a little bit about that). What is driving him crazy, though, is that his brother knows all about it and won’t tell him, and he can’t just go in and ask. He has to find a way to be casual about it. Have Dany bring it up, maybe without even realizing it. Somehow get him to tell Jim everything he knows while thinking it was all his own idea. That he wanted to tell Jim, not the other way around. A couple of minutes later, he downs the last of his soda before setting it down and walking over to Danny’s office, hoping he can pull this off.

Danny looks up at Jim as he opens the office door and sits down across from him. He leans back in his chair, stuffing the rest of his powdered donut into his mouth as Jim crosses his legs and wipes his hands on his jeans.

“How’s the repair going?”

Jim shrugs, “It’s getting there.”

“Usually you have this kind of thing done by now.”

“I guess I’ve just been thinking about something.”

Danny looks down and pretends to shuffle some papers together in order to hide his smirk. He knew why Jim had come into his office, could see it written all over his face the moment the door opened, but he also wanted to see how Jim would go about this. “Oh yeah?” He sets the papers back down and looks back up, resting his chin on his fist, “What’s up, little brother?”

“I was thinking of going back to church with you, Karen, and the kids.”

Danny’s eyebrows rise, certainly not expecting him to go that route. “Really? You haven’t been to church since you moved out.”

“I know but I think it would be good for me. Get me out of the house on the weekend, catch up with some old friends, that kind of stuff.”

Danny nods, still not completely sure where Jim is going with this but deciding to play along anyway, “Okay, yeah, sure. Do you want us to pick you up or will you meet us there?”

Jim leans back, spreading his legs out in front of him and resting his elbows on the armrests, his hands meeting together on his lap. “Well, before we get to that, I just wanted to know a couple things first. Like, how’s the new pastor? Do people like his sermons?”

“Yeah. Some people are still hoping that Pastor Martin comes back but overall, he’s well liked, few complaints.”

“Good. That’s good. What about after the sermon? What’s that like?”

“Fellowship? Same as always. Some snacks, everyone talking to each other.”

“What do people talk about?”

“Why don’t you just wait until Sunday to find out? Service starts at nine.”

“Nine. Got it. But, I mean, just as an example, what were people talking about yesterday?”

“Hmm… I’m not really sure. I was too busy talking to Jo.”

Bingo, Jim thinks, looking down to hide his slight smile, Just as I planned. He runs a hand through his hair before looking back up at Danny, “Jo, huh?”

Danny nods, reaching for another donut and splitting it in half, putting the one side down before responding, “Yeah. Like I said, we usually go to different services but I’m glad I ran into her. We talked for a long time, and man, she told me some interesting stuff.” He takes a bite of the donut, chewing purposefully slow before swallowing and going back to pretending to sort out papers on his desk. “But it was all about Pam’s date and you don’t care about that kind of stuff, so I won’t bore you with the details.”

Jim’s eyes widen, his plan suddenly crumbling before him. “Uh… well, I mean…”

Danny smirks, looking back up at Jim, “What? That is what you said, isn’t it? Unless you’ve changed your mind?”

Jim could feel the color draining from his face, but could do nothing more than stammer out a pathetic, “Uh…”

Danny laughs, deciding to end Jim’s torture before he passed out, even though he is thoroughly enjoying watching Jim squirm. He leans forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his desk and looks at Jim seriously. “Answer me this, Jim. Why do you keep pretending you don’t want to go out with Pam?”

“We’re just friends.” The answer comes out automatically, sounding almost robotic even to Jim’s ears.

Danny rolls his eyes, “Is it because of Mark?”

Jim looks down, picking at the skin on his thumb. Danny waits a moment to see if he’ll say anything and when he doesn’t, he speaks up instead. “Mark’s been gone for a long time now. It’s not like you’re trying to steal his wife.”

Jim’s eyebrows furrow and he looks up at Danny, “So why do you keep acting like I shouldn’t go out with her? Like last summer on the boat?” Jim shakes his head, trying to rid the memory of Danny spilling his beer all over Jim just before he finally got the courage to ask Pam out.

“Because she wasn’t ready last year. She wasn’t even ready six months ago. But she’s ready now.”

Jim didn’t know what to say. He also didn’t know how he was Pam’s best friend, but Danny was the one who knew when she was ready to start dating again. After a minute he finally says, “It’s not that easy.”

“I know it’s not that easy. You think it was easy for me to ask Karen out for the first time? There were so many guys who wanted to go out with her, but I knew the worst thing that could happen would be that she says no.”

“That’s different though. You two were crazy for each other even before you started dating, Karen even told me that she liked you way before you asked her out.”

“But I didn’t know that. I just had to give it my best shot.”

“But Karen wasn’t married to your best friend.”

“No, she wasn’t. But Karen and I also weren’t friends before I asked her out like you and Pam are.”

Jim sighs, “That’s part of the problem, though. What if me asking her out changes things between us?”

“Things are already changing between you two.”

“No, they aren’t. Not really.”

Danny shrugged, “Sure they are, otherwise you wouldn’t be in here right now trying to get the details about her date from me. She would have told you herself. She told you about Toby, didn’t she? And Alan?”

This time Jim shrugged and mumbled, “I guess.”

“Hey.” Danny waits for Jim to look up at him and smiles a little. “You gotta take a chance on something, sometime, Jim. Do you really want to watch her get married to someone else, never letting her know how you feel?”

Jim shakes his head and stands up as Danny nods and turns back to his computer. He walks out of the office and glances over at the art studio, knowing that Danny’s right, even if he hates to admit it.

***

Although Kelly Kapoor earned a degree in fine arts two years ago and has been working at Jo’s studio for almost a year, sometimes Pam can’t believe they hold the same job title. She seemed to take more personal days than work days, usually not even bothering to call in. When she did show up, she worked just hard enough to earn her wage, though Pam is pretty sure the only reason Jo has kept Kelly around this long is because she attracts men, who would otherwise never step foot into the studio, to leave with multiple purchases and usually Kelly’s phone number.

Kelly also had a tendency to create paintings almost identical to each other. Sure, sometimes colors were changed or maybe lines were painted on a little thicker, but both Pam and Jo both now know that when they hear an accomplished done! from across the room, they are going to see a field with flowers, specifically roses, because they’re soooo romantic. If Kelly was feeling especially creative, she may even add a sunset, but that was a special treat.

The men don’t care though. Pam’s pretty sure the paintings never see the light of day after they’ve left the studio. As long as the guys leave with Kelly’s number and a promise for a date, they’re happy and will keep coming back, as if hypnotized by Kelly’s long, dark hair and pretty smile. It’s kind of sad, really, how naïve Kelly is about men. She thinks she knows what they want, and in some ways, she is right about that, but the problems come after her dates. She doesn’t  know how to hold on to her man. It doesn’t help that the short skirts, low cut tops, and long boots she wears every day, whether it’s 90 degrees or blizzarding out, tends to attract the kind of men that don’t want to be held onto. She has no trouble scoring dates with men covered in tattoos, only drove motorcycles, and spent every night at Poor Richard’s despite never having a job, but when it comes to finding any man with standards, that’s where Kelly struggles.

That is, of course, until Kelly saw Roy. She’s pretty sure that is the first time she saw a man in a suit and wasn’t immediately turned off. She gave her best smile and flirtatiously flipped her hair over her shoulder, and yet all she got in return was a polite smile back and getting to overhear Roy ask Pam out for dinner after buying one of Pam’s more expensive paintings.

And then Jo told her all about Pam and Roy’s date this morning. How he took her to Terra Preta Prime and they both ordered steaks and a whole bottle of wine with a name she can’t even pronounce let alone buy for herself. And how he pulled Pam’s chair out for her and made a toast to our first date, and hopefully many more. Kelly thought her eyes were going to get stuck with how hard she rolled them. And even though Jo didn’t tell her this, she knows Pam didn’t spend a penny on their date last night. No, she’s sure Roy is the type of man to insist on paying, unlike Xander who Kelly went out with this weekend who conveniently forgot his wallet but didn’t realize until they were already multiple drinks in.

And then Roy called into the shop this morning, asking if Pam was in yet. Jo was in the back room talking to a client, so Kelly took her chance to possibly win Roy over. After all, him and Pam had only gone on one date, it wasn’t too late for him to change his mind. She didn’t get very far, though, as he politely excused himself after hearing that Pam hadn’t arrived yet. She pouted as she hung up the phone and wondered why Pam got so lucky. Kelly couldn’t figure it out, seeing as Pam, although pretty in her own way, was, well… plain. Usually dressed in jeans, a cardigan, and plain white keds, Kelly could tell that Pam never put much effort into her attire. And they were both right there when Roy walked in last week. Both were on break and both greeted him at the same time, yet he asked Pam to help him instead, which led to a date. Kelly frowned just thinking about it.

Singer walked through the door then, pulling Kelly out of her thoughts. Pam followed by a minute later, saying hello to Jo and Kelly as she hung up her purse and made sure Singer was situated on his bed near the front door.

“Roy called,” Kelly said, not even trying to hide her annoyance. She didn’t even bother to look up at Pam, instead focusing on filing down her nails.

“He did? What did he want?”

Kelly rolls her eyes, “I didn’t bother asking,” she snapped, “I’m not your secretary.”

Pam raises her eyebrows to Jo and Jo shakes her head in return, as if to say don’t worry about her. Pam smiles, this is why Jo has become one of Pam’s closest friends, possibly even beating out Jim if she was honest with herself. Yeah, Jo had practically saved her life all those years ago by giving her a home and a job, but she’s known her long enough now that she knows they would have been good friends even without that.

Jo tosses a treat over to Singer before turning back to Pam. “So, how did your date go?”

“To be honest, I was a little worried about you the whole time. I thought you were going to strain your neck with how far you were craning it in order to listen in.”

Jo waves her hand, “A little Tylenol and I was fine. Seriously, though. How did it go?”

Pam leans up against the front desk where Jo is sitting, “It went well, considering I just met the guy.”

“Huh. From where I was sitting, it seemed like he knew you from somewhere.”

“What makes you think that?”

Jo shrugs, “Just his expression, I guess. Or the way he was staring at you all night. The couple next to me said they thought his eyes were attached to you with an invisible string.”

Pam laughed, “Was it really that obvious?”

“Honey, he looked like he was staring at a buffet after being starved for weeks.”

“I guess I must have dazzled him.”

“I suppose so.”

Pam’s eyebrows furrowed a bit, “What? You didn’t like him?”

“Oh, honey, I don’t know the guy. I haven’t met him yet, remember? I was out the day he came into the shop and you didn’t exactly introduce us yesterday, you were too busy staring back.” Jo winked, “Besides, don’t go spreading this around town, but I’m an old romantic at heart. As long as the man listens and treats you well, looks aren’t all the important.”

“You don’t think he’d good looking?”

“You know me, doll. I prefer the guys who go after our girl Kelly over there. I like the tattoos and leather jackets.”

Pam laughs and jokingly rolls her eyes. “Don’t let her hear you, she may get offended.”

“Kelly wouldn’t know who I was talking about unless I drew her a picture.” The door swings open and a woman with two kids walks in, Pam’s first appointment of the day. Pam greets her and tells her she will be right with her before turning to start gathering the supplies she needs. As Pam does so, Jo asks, “So, are you going to go out with him again?”

“If he asks, probably.”

“Do you want him to ask?”

Pam smiles, “Yeah, I think I do,” she admits.

“What are you going to tell Toby? You just know he’s going to be heartbroken the next time he calls.”

Pam swings her art bag over her shoulder, “Maybe I’ll just tell him you’re interested.”

“I’m afraid I may be too crazy for that one.” Jo pauses and then nods towards the front window, in the direction of the garage. “How did Jim take it? I saw you two talking out there.”

Pam glances out the window before looking back at Jo and shrugging, “He took it okay.”

“He’s a good guy, you know.”

“Yeah, I know.”

Jo nods, not pushing the topic any further. She knows it won’t do any good, she’s tried multiple times in the past with Pam always saying, he’s my best friend, I don’t want to lose him, at the end before changing the topic herself. Jo watches as Pam walks into the back room with her client and then looks out the window towards the garage. No matter what Pam says, Jo thought that her and Jim would make a good couple. And she’s sure that Mark wouldn’t mind one bit. She should know, after all, she is his aunt.