Page 7 of Until Joy

“A little over two years. I’ve got to admit, it feels like home.”

Joy grinned. “I can understand why. Everybody here has made me feel welcome just in the first week.”

“I’m not surprised. This town is filled with great people,” I responded. “However…” I glanced over at Miss Laverne. “It’s still not safe to leave your front door unlocked. We’ve talked about that. I worry about your safety when you don’t lock your door.”

“The door was unlocked?” Joy’s eyes were so wide, I could see the whites.

I nodded.

She swiftly turned her head to look at Miss Laverne. “Graham is right. That’s not safe. It doesn’t matter where you live. You need to protect yourself.”

“Child, I promise you, nothing bad would have happened. I normally keep it locked, but I knew Graham was coming and we’d most likely be in the kitchen talking, so we might not hear him. I wanted him to let himself in.”

Joy clasped her fingers together so tightly, her knuckles turned white. “That’s really considerate,” she said slowly. “But it still concerns me.”

Miss Laverne looked Joy over. “Honey, I can see this means a lot to you. Of course I’ll keep the door locked from now on.”

Joy gave her a slow smile as she blew out a long breath. “Thank you.”

“Joy, you accomplished in five minutes what I’ve been trying to get Miss Laverne to do for six months. You’re a miracle worker,” I teased. She blushed.

“I would love to take you out to dinner,” I ventured. “It’s the least I could do for easing my mind.”

“Uhhhm.”

“I could show you a little more of the town. Maybe introduce you to more people.”

Her cheeks got even redder. That was when I realized I was asking a nice girl out on a date. What was I thinking? Oh yeah, because of the kick in the gut I’d received in the kitchen.

“Uhm, I work nights,” she finally replied.

“Maybe lunch?”

“We could have lunch here,” she suggested.

“No, you kids need to go out and meet people,” Miss Laverne coaxed. “Graham has a lot of friends. Maybe he can introduce you to some of the nice boys in his club.”

I choked on the sweet tea I was drinking. “Uhm, yeah, sure.”

“I don’t know, Miss Laverne. I’m still just settling in. Getting my footing.”

“Nonsense, you need to get out more. My goodness, child, a handsome man wants to take you to lunch, you go. At least that’s how it was in my day. Have things changed all that much?” she asked, turning to me.

I held up my hands. “It’s Joy’s prerogative. I don’t want to apply any pressure.”

Which was a total lie.

“Maybe some other time. I think I need to concentrate on work right now. You understand.”

Shit, shot down.

I couldn’t remember the last time that had happened. Especially after I’d caught her casting shy glances my way.

Well, I knew where she lived, and I knew where she worked. I guess I was going to have to play the long game.

“I totally understand, Joy,” I smiled. “In the meantime, I hope you’ll be baking the next time I drop by.”

“If you call ahead of time, sweetie, I’ll make sure she is.” Miss Laverne said.