Hello there! 32/multiple obsessions

You immediately noticed that the island was a lot more than you anticipated, but, hey, you were known to be very flexible and adaptable, so you pushed through, with the help of Tom, Patricia, and Wyck.

Through the time of adjusting to Widow's Bay and becoming a part of Tom's team, you two had gotten close. You and Tom often shared stories about your lives living on the mainland, he talked to you about Evan, you shared horror stories about things going wrong on the job.

It was nice for you two, to have someone with similar life experiences, living on the mainland and eventually moving to Widow's Bay, adjusting to the island life.

Anyway, with spring coming, you and Patricia worked together to plan a spring picnic social. It'll be in the town square, near the historical society. People can bring their blankets and it will be a potluck style.

Tom offered to man the grill for burgers and hot dogs. Everything was coming along nicely. You even managed to get some of the high schoolers to play music on the stage for a few sets. You and Patricia were really excited for this event.

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"Flowers on the stage...perfect. Potluck table set up?" You look up from your list to Patricia and she nods.

"Yep! And the cake walk table is also set up. I made my mom's carrot cake for that."

"Ooohh! Yummy!" you look back down at your list, "And Tom is..." you look around, turning to only come face to face with the man himself, "Oh! There you are!"

"Here I am," he gives you a soft smile and looks at his surroundings, "You ladies did a great job!"

"Thanks!" you and Patricia replied in unison.

"Oh! Here's the apron you'll be wearing at the grill," you pull it out from your tote bag and hand it to him.

He unfolds it and reads the graphic out loud, "'Kiss the Grill Master', you can't be serious."

You playfully roll your eyes at him, "It's cute! And who knows, you may get a few numbers from some pretty tourists," you give him a wink and move with Patricia to another section of the park. Tom's eyes follow you until he's called to the stage by Dale.

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You and Patricia divided the picnic area into two sections. One section she would cover and you the other. Your section consisted of the food and picnic area. Patricia's consisted of the stage and games area.

This meant that you were often flittering about near Tom, checking in on him and any local or tourist that he was serving. Any time you were near, Tom couldn't help but watch you.

You were a natural in the way you handled everything. You were friendly and genuine. You were a breath of fresh air, a glowing light. And Tom was simply a moth drawn to a flame.

After checking in on several picnic attendees and moving some dishes around on the potluck table, you decided to station up right beside Tom, serving people while he worked at the grill.

"Much easier with two people," Tom said as he focused on the burgers, trying to ignore the wafting scent of your sweet perfume.

You chuckle, "You could've said something. I would've helped you a lot sooner!"

He waves you off, "Nah, I'm capable. You were busy handling everything else out there. You're a natural, by the way."

You smile brightly at him and he's keeping that sight ingrained in his brain, "Thanks! I really do love event planning, especially seeing everyone enjoy the fruits of our labor." You hand a plated burger to the next customer, "Enjoy your meal!"

"Things have really turned up since you joined the team. I'm really grateful you're with us," Tom takes this moment to look at you, eyes soft and full of fondess.

He looks incredibly sweet, despite him wearing the silly apron you gave him and the grill smoke blowing into his face, "I'm happy I'm with you guys too. I'll admit, I was definitely a little nervous to join your team, especially since a majority of you guys grew up and live here. But you're a nice bunch."

Tom snorts, "Well not always, but we definitely try to be!" he scoops some ready hot dogs onto the tray beside you.

"So, did the apron help you get any numbers?"

He cackles, "No. No, uh, a few older women definitely gave me some...lustful gazes."

You hide your laughter behind your hand and Tom wishes you didn't, "Oh no. Not the cougar type, hm?"

He chuckles with you, "No, not really my type. Prefer someone definitely closer to my age, someone who shares some similar experiences as me." He glances your way, seeing you slightly distracted by the ongoing flow of people wanting a burger or hot dog.

You slowly nod, "I get it. I've had my fair share of dating. Younger, older, same age."

"Nothing good?" he asks, gently prodding further into your dating history, seeing if he, somehow, checks off any boxes in what you like in a man.

You shrug, "Some good, some bad. I definitely prefer someone who's more sure of himself, knows what he wants, can add more to my life instead of taking away."

"Ever date anyone with kids?" Okay, he was definitely pushing it a bit but he had to know!

You smirk, "Two. One had two teenagers. They weren't keen on me at first, but they grew to like me and I them. Unfortunately, their dad ended up cheating on me, so I ended it. I still keep in contact with them every once in a while. Another just had one kid, a daughter. She was very sweet and her birth mom was still in her life. But, uh, there was a lot of drama with him and his ex. I got tired of it, so I ended things. I was heartbroken to leave that little girl though."

"So your partner having kids from a previous relationship isn't necessarily a deal breaker?"

"Nah, as long as there isn't a shit ton of drama and you're not a deadbeat, then I'm fine with my partners already having kids." You look at him with a smirk, "Why do you ask? Have someone in mind for me?"

He fumbles a bit, focusing now on the grill, "No, no, no. Just curious. I mean, if I did have someone in mind, I'd let you know, but, um, no one right now." He clears his throat and stares down at the grill, watching the burgers cook, and trying not to feel awkward beside you.

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Once the crowd dies down a bit, you leave Tom to help Patricia tidy things up. The projector screen is set up for the movie in the parks that you planned for the end of the night. It was a Disney movie you brought back from the mainland, you were grateful to have brought a bunch of your DVDs to Widow's Bay, seeing that no proper wifi existed on the island.

The local crowd was dwindling but a good amount of tourists still stayed back to end the night with a family movie. Once the movie was set up, you aided Tom in gathering things up so that the clean up wouldn't take as long in the end.

"You should really sit down and rest a little," Tom says as he scrapes the burnt pieces off the grill.

You shrug, packing up ingredients and equipment, "I'll rest when everything is done. I don't mind."

"You worked hard. Relax for the rest of the night," he places a hand on your lower back, guiding you away from the grill.

You raise a brow at him, "You know I'm stubborn."

"Yes, I am very well aware," he says with a laugh, "But I'm asking you not as your boss, but your friend. Relax, enjoy the rest of your night."

"Fine. Are you going to tell Patricia that as well?"

He waves off your comment, shaking his head, "Oh no, she likes the work. Best not to fight her on it."

"Suuure, Tom. But fine. I'll relax, but only if you share a beer with me."

"I can definitely do that."

"I'll grab them. Be right back," you smile at him before walking away.

When Tom turns back to the grill, he jumps with a shout, "Jesus fucking Christ, Patricia!" he yells at his assistant.

She looks displeased, "So you're just going to let me do all the clean up work then?"

"No, no. Um, Dale and Rosemary will help you," he gestures to Patricia's colleagues, who are distracted by the movie rather than cleaning up the trash they were previously working with.

"Right," she responds disappointedly, "I'll excuse the clear favoritism you have going on but only because Y/N is nice and cool and she really does deserve a break."

"Glad we can agree on-wait, hold on. I don't have favorites."

"Yes, you do," Patricia says as she walks away from Tom and towards Dale and Rosemary.

When you come back, you have two beer bottles in hand, "The ice is melting in the cooler so careful, they're really wet and slippery."

"I can work with wet and slippery," Tom says nonchalantly and then realizes how that sounds, "That didn't sound-"

You interrupt him with a giggle, "I understand what you meant, Tom." You use a bottle opener to open both beers. It was such a mundane thing, but, for come reason, Tom found it very attractive.

He clears his throat and wipes his hands on his jean as he takes the beer from you, "Thank you."

"Cheers," you clink your beer against his and take a chug from it, your eyes looking directly as him. He looks away, feeling nervous under your gaze and sips his beer.

You sigh, feeling refreshed and you turn to sit on one of the folding chairs you set up for him, "So, I've noticed something today."

Tom sits beside you, looking at you with a raised brow, "Yeah?"

You nod, "You like to stare a lot."

"St-Stare?"

"Specifically at me."

He gulps and looks away, "Just wanting to make sure you're okay don't need help or anything."

"You sure about that?" you ask with a smirk. You're teasing him, you know it and he knows it. He just doesn't know if he hates it or likes it...or both.

"I plead the fifth," he murmurs before taking another sip of his beer, a twitch in the corner of his lips.

You hum and give him an unconvinced nod, "Alright then. Well, completely unrelated, if you know any single guys who also happen to have kids, send them my way. I may or may not be interested," you give him a knowing look and stand, heading to the group of people watching the movie playing.

Like before, Tom's eyes are completely on you. You give him a glance over your shoulder before settling down with a few people you've grown close to.