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different now. “That’s not likely to happen here in the hardware aisle, Jack. You do know that neither of us is in the army anymore.”
    Jack closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. When he met Tino’s gaze again, his temper had faded as quickly as it had come. “You’re right. We’re not, and I do know that.”
    He glanced at their surroundings and then tapped his forehead with a finger. “Most days I know that in here, but damned if a few bad memories don’t still sneak up on me when I least expect it.”
    Tino sympathized, especially knowing the kind of missions Jack’s unit in the Special Forces had faced on a regular basis. The last one had ended Jack’s career when he shattered his knee on a night jump. “Yeah, well, I have a few of those moments myself. Last week, I almost swerved into oncoming traffic to avoid a cardboard box sitting on the side of the road.”
    “Been there, done that.” Jack then took charge of the cart and marched down the aisle. “I want to pick up a new saw blade while we’re here.”
    Evidently the moment for sharing had passed, which came as a relief. Both brothers knew the transition back to civilian life took time and that hitting a few speed bumps along the way was to be expected. That didn’t mean Tino wanted to stand there and broadcast their problems in public. Or in private, for that matter. Neither of them was much for the touchy-feely stuff. It was enough to know that his brother knew and understood the burden of memories they both carried.
    As they walked along, he decided to throw Jack a few crumbs, something he could take back to their mother to show that he’d done his duty as the big brother. “I thought one of these days I might stop by the career center at one of the community colleges to see what kind of placement or aptitude testing they offer.”
    Jack stopped to study the array of saw blades. “Think any of the online classes you’ve already taken will transfer?”
    “I hope so, but I would guess it will depend on what program I’d be applying for. Regardless, I’ll probably start off with a few general education classes if I decide to enroll.”
    “Mom would be happy to see at least one of her sons go to college.” Jack took one of the blades off the rack and added it to the other items in the cart. “In fact, Caitlyn suggested I should see if they offer classes on running a small business. For sure I’ll need to upgrade the software we’re using when I get to the point where I need to hire some permanent help.”
    “So you’re planning on sticking with the business long term?”
    Because none of the three brothers had been particularly happy when they’d found out at the reading of Joe’s will that he’d left them equal shares in the family business. As the only one of them already out of the military, Jack had reluctantly moved back home to finish up the remaining jobs that their father had already started. Neither Tino nor Mikhail had thought he’d keep the business going beyond that, despite knowing it would’ve disappointed their mother. Of course, no one—least of all Jack—had expected him to take in a foster son and then fall in love with the tutor he’d hired to help the kid get caught up with his school subjects.
    In an incredibly short amount of time, Jack had formed a tight-knit family with Caitlyn and Ricky. They’d each been through some pretty tough times, but those experiences seemed to make them appreciate what they’d found together even more. Tino wouldn’t mind a little of that for himself.
    Which had him thinking about a certain petite blonde again. After his conversation with his mother, he’d been tempted to look up Natalie’s name online to see what he could learn about her and her background. So far, he’d resisted the urge; it felt like that would be cheating. Maybe she had assumed he would’ve recognized her name and her connection to the Cyrus Waines Foundation. However, from watching her