Nick looked all around as he walked with Todd and Jimmy along a path leading from the back of the church to a small clearing. There were targets set up, and a large section of ground had been dug out and filled with sand, which Nick immediately recognized as a sparring pit. The sunlight filtered through the trees. It was sunrise—still early enough there was dew on the ground and mist in the air. Though Nick kept his thoughts to himself, he had to agree with Todd’s grumbling that they could have done this later in the day.
He watched Todd walk. Nick loved watching Todd move. Everything seemed so completely effortless for him. It bothered Nick he’d upset Todd the day before by revealing the source of the nightmares.
The previous evening, Todd had pushed more dinner on him, as if he was try
