But nothing could take his mind off the possibility he might lose the man who’d been there for him from the day he was born. The man who’d taught him how to bait a hook and how to clean a shotgun. How to nurture a seedling until it grew to be a mighty tree and also how to knock a man out with a single punch.

This man in the hospital bed looked nothing like that man and that was enough to bring a mist to Will’s eyes that he didn’t even try to hide.

He should visit home more but it always seemed he was too busy to get home. And officially putting in for leave every time he needed to travel could be such a pain in the ass.

Excuses—that’s what all that crap he’d just used to justify his too infrequent visits had been. Damn poor excuses, just like he was a damn poor excuse of a grandson.

“Shit.” His gaze shot to the clock on the wall as he remembered he’d promised to call Jessa this morning about going to look for a dog. Apparently he was a bad friend as well.

Things had happened in such a whirlwind starting the moment he received his mother’s phone call, he’d forgotten to cancel their date—not that it was a date.

He sighed. Whatever it was, he’d been so distracted he’d forgotten completely.

After putting the laptop down on the empty bed tray, he pulled out his cell and dialed Jessa’s number.

“Hey,” she answered with a happy lilt in her voice.

Sadly, he was going to put a damper on her good mood.

“Hey. I’m sorry, but I gotta cancel today. I’m in Maryland.”

“Maryland?” She sounded surprised. He didn’t blame her.

“Yeah, it’s where I’m from. My grandfather’s in the hospital here.”

“Oh, Will, I’m so sorry.” The genuine concern was evident in her voice.

“Thanks. I would have called earlier but things got crazy right after I left your place yesterday.”

While trying to track down his commander to request emergency leave, he’d driven home to grab a bag, then he’d hit the road.

“No need to apologize to me. You just take care of yourself and your family. That’s what’s important.”

“Thanks.”

“Is there anything I can do for you? Water the plants? Feed your fish? Take in the mail? I don’t know . . . anything?”

Will sniffed out a short laugh at her vision of a home much cozier than the one he actually had. “No, I’m good.”

Pets? Plants? They’d have all died long ago. With the unpredictable nature of his job, he’d never bothered acquiring living things that needed steady tending. And his mail went to a PO Box where it would wait for him until he could get it.

“Thanks for the offer though,” he continued. “How are you doing there? Any more news on the robbery?”

“No, but I have to take out my garbage so I’m sure I’ll have more news soon.”

Not understanding the connection, he frowned and laughed. “Okay.”

The door opened, drawing his attention away from the call. “Um, Jess, I gotta go. My mom just walked in.”

“Okay. Keep me updated?” she asked.

“Sure, if you want. Talk soon,” Will promised.

“All right. Bye.”

After disconnecting, he lowered the cell and stood. Shoving the phone in his pocket he turned to face his mother in the doorway.

“Willie.”

“Mom.” Will accepted the hug from the woman who’d worked two jobs to raise him and his two sisters as a single mother—another reason he should visit home more than he did.

“How is he? Any change?” she asked, glancing at the bed.

Will lifted a shoulder. “He hasn’t woken up but I’ve only been here since thirteen-hundred.”

His mother smiled and he realized what he’d said. It was a hard habit to break. “One o’clock,” Will added for her benefit.

“I know, sweetie. Your father and your grandfather were in the military too, you know.”

“I know.” Serving his country had been what had taken his father from them when Will was young. And now he could lose his grandfather too, the toughest damn USMC veteran at the Union Avenue VFW.

That thought nearly had him bawling. Christ. He needed a change of subject. “So, how’s Amanda doing?”

As the problem child of the family, Will’s younger sister was always a good topic of conversation. Before his mom could answer, Will’s other sister filled the doorway.

Megan cocked up her brow. “You don’t ask about how I’m doing? Only about Amanda?”

Will couldn’t help but smile at that accusation as he moved to embrace his older sister. “I don’t need to ask about you. You’re happily married and have a great job and the perfect home. Right down to the white picket fence.”

Pulling back from the hug, Megan screwed up her mouth as if considering that. “Well, that’s all true so I guess I’ll let it go.” Her gaze landed on the bed before cutting to their mom. “How’s he doing?”

“Same.”

“I guess no news is going to have to be good news for now.” Megan drew in a breath and let it out. “Anyway, as for Amanda . . .”

The sentence she’d left unfinished, accompanied by her look of sheer exasperation, had Will asking, “That bad?”

Megan let out a short laugh. “I swear if there’s the wrong man to be found, that girl will find him. Now she’s got like five different dating apps on her cell phone and each guy she chooses is worse than the last.”

“I’m sure it’s not that bad—” his mother began.

“Mom, come on.” With a cocky eye roll, Megan interrupted their mother before turning back to Will. “It is that bad. Believe me. I mean it’s not that I’m completely against online dating. I’m sure there are some nice guys out there, but it’s like she consistently gravitates toward the worst ones.”

Knowing Amanda and her track record with men, Will believed Megan. Completely. That was the problem.

Feeling helpless again—and hating the feeling again—he sighed. “It’s too bad you can’t, I don’t know, take over her dating profile. Pick the guys for her. You know?”

Megan’s eyes widened in agreement. “Exactly. If she’d just let me, I could weed out the bad ones. Narrow it down to a list of only the men who’d be good for her. I mean she would have the final decision of who to meet for a date—”

“But she’d only be choosing from a preapproved selection . . .” Will’s mind reeled as the idea hit him like a bolt of lightning.

So sharp. So clear. So freaking obvious he didn’t know how no one had ever thought of it before.

“Holy fuck.” He spun toward where he’d left his laptop.

Will was halfway there when his mother said, “William! Language.”

“Sorry.” He couldn’t be all that sorry because this idea was pure gold.

If this app wasn’t already out there, it could make him a fuck-ton of money. He had the browser up and was searching the two big app stores in seconds.

“Uh, oh. I’ve seen that look before.” Megan laughed, watching him. “I think we’ve lost him.”

“I can still hear you,” Will said as his heart beat faster.

So far, so good. He hadn’t found what he was looking for and that was a very good thing. Because if no one else had developed the app yet, he was going to and it was going to change the dating world.

Possible names flew through his head as he searched. Wing Man. Wing Woman. Cock Blocked. He’d need a great name for the app but he could think of one later.

All that mattered was that he had a kick ass idea and so far it looked as if he might be the first.

He had a two-week leave and nothing to do except sit vigil at his grandfather’s bedside. This project would occupy his mind and his time.

God knew he needed a distraction from the worry and the horrors of the hospital. With his computer equipment here with him it was totally doable. He could knock out the coding for this app. Put together something good enough to beta test in the real world.

Other dating websites and apps had substantial databases of opted in users, but he had an idea on how to get around that. He could start with an existing database.

Piggy-backing on the Facebook user base would be perfect. It was huge and he sure as hell knew the platform inside and out after his recent project.

He could expand his app later to include Instagram. Then Snapchat, or whatever new fad app hit with the younger generation.

His excitement grew as ideas fell into place.

Eventually he’d need a sizeable group of beta testers, but for the initial round of testing, his sisters could be his first guinea pigs. He could probably get some of the guys from the team too.

That would be far preferable to testing it on himself. That he did not want to do. Dating was the last thing on his mind at the moment. But developing a new app, a project just for him, nothing to do with the military or the government with their many parameters and restrictions, was exactly what he needed right now.

He loved having a task. A challenge.

“Are you going to tell us what brainstorm hit you, boy genius?” Megan asked.

“Eventually.” Will grinned.

He hadn’t felt this enthusiastic about something in awhile. And man, was it going to be epic!