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I took a gulp of water, trying to unclog the cake. “Three days,” I admitted.

Miss Laverne reached over and patted my hand. “The poor thing was scared and hurt. She made the best decision she could at the time.”

“But three years?” Ava shook her head. “Joy, your mama probably thinks you spent your time in London as Mary Poppins, singing with chimney sweeps and dancing with children.”

“Pretty much,” I admitted.

Roxie set down her milk glass. “Okay, so we need to figure out how you're going to tell them. Especially with everything that's happening now.”

“I can't tell them.” My stomach twisted into knots. “Not only will they want me to live at home, Seth and Randy will probably move back into their old bedrooms. Plus, there’s no way I’m giving up my time with Graham. I just won’t do it.”

Miss Laverne cleared her throat. “What if we start small? Maybe just tell the women in your family to begin with?”

“The women?” I asked.

“Your mama, Esperance, Gladiola, your Great Aunt Pattie, and your Aunt Lettie.” Miss Laverne counted on her fingers. “I’ll invite them all over for a luncheon. You can tell them about London first, then work up to what's happening now.”

“And Emmie,” I piped up softly.

“And Emmie,” Miss Laverne nodded.

Roxie nodded. “That's actually brilliant. Women handle this kind of news better than men anyway.”

“Speak for yourself.” Ava snorted. “I wanted to hunt down this creep the second I heard about him.”

“But you didn't immediately start planning to lock Joy in a tower,” Roxie pointed out.

“True.” Ava took another bite of cake. “Your dad and brothers would have you hog-tied and brought back to the homestead within an hour.”

“Homestead?” Roxie lifted an eyebrow. “This isn’t the Wild West.”

“You know what I mean,” Ava defended herself.

My chest tightened. “My brothers would definitely be over here. Then they would also be gunning for Graham. Talk about a shitshow.” I winced and glanced over at Miss Laverne. “Sorry.”

Miss Laverne leaned back in her chair and laughed. “I think shitshow just about sums things up if we don’t handle this correctly. But you do know your family loves you. They're going to want to help.”

“I know they do. That's the problem.”

“So, we start with the women,” Roxie said. She turned to Miss Laverne. “When can you set up the luncheon?”

“I don't know. Maybe tomorrow afternoon? After the diner closes.”

“Good.” Roxie smiled. “You tell them about London first. Get that out in the open. Then we'll figure out a way for you to bring up the current situation.”

“How am I supposed to ease into ‘Hey, remember that stalker I never mentioned? He followed me to Tennessee?’”

Roxie drummed her fingers on the table. “You don't ease into it. You just say it.”

“That'll go over well.”

“Joy.” Ava's voice went gentle. “Your family needs to know. What if something happens and they find out from the sheriff instead of you?”

The thought made my stomach drop. “You're right.”

“Of course I'm right. I'm always right.”

Roxie, Miss Laverne, and I all chuckled. “Okay, maybe not always,” Ava admitted.