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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 at his work. They sometimes solve mysteries. Almost like the Hardy Boys.”

I choked on the sweet tea I was drinking.

“The Hardy Boys?” Joy asked.

“They were teenage crime solvers in my day. Those books were written at the same time as Nancy Drew.” Miss Laverne snapped her fingers. “I know. They solve mysteries like Jessica Fletcher on Murder, She Wrote. You know that show, don’t you, dear?”

“From reruns,” Joy nodded.

“Only the men are former special operations, and they might use weapons from time to time,” I said casually.

“Guns? Like pistols?” Miss Laverne’s eyes went wide. “Are they like the police?”

I winced. “They help the police.”

“Oh. That’s very interesting. I’ll have to ask Roan or Simon to show me their pistols up close. I’ve only seen rifles and shotguns.”

I sighed.

“Oh, but we were talking about you and Graham going out on a lunch date,” she turned to Joy.

“I don’t know, Miss Laverne. With me working nights, 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 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.

“You know, you’re not very subtle, Miss Laverne,” Joy groused.

“Well, that’s a good thing, since I wasn’t aiming for subtle,” she laughed as she gave me a wicked smile.

As I drove away, one thought kept circling through my mind. It was an intuition that I tried to always listen to. My life had just divided into before and after. Before I saw Joy Magill pulling that cake out of the oven, and after.

I knew down to the soles of my boots that there was no going back. And I sure as hell didn’t want to.

Chapter Two