Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
The ladies didn’t seem to have any problem when I dropped in on their late luncheon.
Her great-aunt Pattie even called me sweetie, same as Miss Laverne, so I thought it might not be as bad as I’d been worrying about.
But after Joy started telling them about what happened in London, it all fell to shit.
I was sitting down next to Joy at the table, holding her trembling hand under the table. The silence stretched endlessly, thick with the weight of everything she'd just revealed. Her mother's face crumpled, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Oh, honey.” Her mother's voice broke. “Why didn't you tell us? Why didn't you call home?”
She let go of my hand and rushed around the table, kneeling at her mother’s chair. I could see the guilt Joy had carried for the last four years crash over her like a wave.
“I couldn't, Mama. It was a lot of things. I was really mixed up when I woke up in the hospital. By the time I was thinking straight, it was over, and there was nothing you could do. And after I hadn’t called you in the beginning, it just snowballed, so I felt like I could never tell you, you know?”
Her Aunt Lettie leaned over from her chair and wrapped an arm around Joy's mother's shoulders, her own eyes wet.
“Shh, Sarah. She's here now. She's safe.”
“Mama, please stop crying,” Joy begged.
I watched as Sarah began to caress Joy’s hair as she tried to stem her tide of tears.
I could see Joy’s shoulders shaking, and it was killing me.
“I’ve got her,” Lettie said. “Go back to Graham.” I shot up off my chair and gently guided Joy back to her seat, settling my hand on Joy's back, trying to offer what comfort I could. My fingers traced gentle circles through her shirt, the same way I'd done when she'd first told me her story.
“I'm sorry.” Joy wiped her nose with the back of her hand. I leaned over the kitchen table, grabbed a paper napkin, and handed it to her. She grabbed it gratefully and wiped her nose.
“Did we do something wrong? Is that it?” Sarah asked.
“No, Mom. Never that. It’s just you couldn't have done anything from Tennessee.” Joy's voice was barely a whisper. “It would have just made all of you worry sick for nothing. And…”
“And?” Little Grandma leaned forward, her small hand reaching out to touch Joy’s, her silver hair catching the light. Even at one hundred and two, her blue eyes sparkled with intelligence that reminded me of Joy.
“And part of me felt like a failure. You know?” Joy whispered.
My chest tightened at the pain in her voice. Christ, she'd been carrying that burden alone all this time.
“Now, now. What's done is done.” Little Grandma's voice carried the authority of someone who'd lived through the Depression and raised five sons. “Our Joy girl is home safe, and that's what matters.”
Great Aunt Pattie nodded emphatically beside her mother.
“Always listen to Mama,” Pattie said with a watery smile. “She's never been wrong yet.”
Little Grandma's gaze shifted to me, and I felt like I was under a microscope. Her eyes lit up with curiosity that made me want to squirm.
“What I’m interested in is how you and Graham met. I’ve known Graham for a little bit now, but seeing as how you two are an item, I want to know more.”
I felt Joy's tension increase under my hand.
“Graham is a good friend of Miss Laverne’s. I met him when he was delivering groceries to her. Lately he’s been taking care of me.”
“Is that so?” Little Grandma tilted her head, studying me intensely. “Tell me about yourself, Graham. You work with Simon, don’t you?”
I straightened under her scrutiny, though I couldn't help but be amused. Joy's family was exactly what I'd expected.
“You’re right. I do. That’s how I spend most of my time, I also help out at Thatcher’s Automotive.”
“You don’t mind working for a woman?” she asked.
“I don’t mind working for anyone who's fair and competent.”
“Mmm-hmm.” Little Grandma's eyes narrowed. “And before that?”
“I was in the Navy for twelve years.”
“Regular Navy or something special?”
I glanced at Joy, then back at her great-great-grandmother. No point in lying to this woman.
“I was a SEAL, ma'am.”
Little Grandma's eyebrows shot up, and she sat back in her chair with a satisfied smile.
“Well, I'll be. A Navy SEAL.” She looked at the other women around the table. “Girls, our Joy's got herself a real protector.”
Joy's mother had stopped crying and was studying me with new interest.
“A SEAL? Really?”
“Yes, ma'am.”
Aunt Lettie leaned in closer. “That explains why you look like you could bench press a truck.”
Heat crept up my neck. Joy's family had a way of making even the toughest men squirm, and I was no exception.
I looked over at Emmie, who had been stone-faced during everything. Even now, her expression didn’t give anything away. I saw Joy look over at her hesitantly. “What about you, Em?”
“What’s there to say?” she asked tightly, her voice trembling. “My cousin, who I always considered my sister…” She picked up her napkin and shoved it to her face.
“What Emmie?” Joy asked.
Emmie shook her head.
“Tell me.”
She took the napkin away, and I saw tears streaming down her face.
“It’s just I thought I would always be there.
I called you while you were in London. I told you about that stupid break-up with Scott, and there you were going through that shit.
God, Joy. I just thought you knew you could count on me. ”
She started to cry in earnest.
Joy started to get up and go to her, but I pulled her gently back down to her chair.
“Emmie, honey, I need you to pull yourself together. Joy might not have told you about what was going on in London, but this time she is telling you what’s going on as it’s happening.”
Emmie’s head shot up. “What?”
“The reason Joy's staying with me isn't just because of what happened in London.”
The women went quiet, their faces tense. Emmie’s tears dried up.
“What do you mean?” Joy's mother asked.
I looked at Joy, waiting for her nod before continuing.
“Someone recently sent Joy flowers and a text. We're not sure if it's connected to what happened in London, but we're not taking any chances.”
Little Grandma's eyes sharpened to laser focus.
“What kind of flowers?”
“An anonymous delivery to her workplace,” I said. “Not quite the same pattern as what started in London, but close enough to be concerned. She’s also received some concerning text messages.”
Joy's mother pressed her hand to her chest. “Oh my God. It's happening again.”
“We don't know that for sure,” Joy said quickly. “It could be someone completely different.”
“Doesn't matter.” Little Grandma's voice was firm. “Someone's bothering our girl, and that's not acceptable.”
Pattie nodded vigorously. “What are y'all doing about it?”
I leaned forward, needing them to understand I had this handled.
“I've got people working on it. Onyx is on this, as well as a couple of others. They're the best around.”
“And what about Joy's daddy and brothers? When are you planning to tell them what's going on?” Joy’s mother asked.
My jaw tightened. This was the conversation I'd been dreading.
“I'd be more than happy to have that conversation with the Magill men. In fact, I think it's necessary.”
Sarah Magill smiled, while Joy’s whole body tensed beside me. “Graham, they're going to lose their minds,” she whispered.
“Maybe so,” I said gently. “But they have a right to know their sister and daughter is being threatened.”
“He’s right, Joy,” her mother said. “Your daddy's going to be furious that you told us first as it is. He needs to know as soon as possible.”
“Seth and Randy are going to want me to move back in with you and Dad,” Joy said.
“They’re going to want to have a long talk with Graham, is what they’re going to want to do,” Sarah Magill said. She wasn’t wrong.
“I welcome that.”
Little Grandma let out a delighted cackle. “Oh, I like you.” She pointed a gnarled finger at me. “Joy girl, you better hang onto this one. He's got backbone.”
“Little Grandma,” Joy protested, her face turning red.
I bit back a smile. This woman was something else.
“Don't you ‘Little Grandma’ me. I've been around long enough to know a good man when I see one.” She fixed me with a steely stare that reminded me of some senior chiefs I'd known. “You planning on taking care of our girl?”
The question hit me square in the chest. There was only one answer.
“Yes, ma'am. For as long as she'll let me.”
“Good answer.” Little Grandma sat back with satisfaction. “Now, when are you planning on meeting with Joy’s daddy about this stalker situation?”
I glanced at Joy, then back at Little Grandma.
“As soon as I can gather the men here, it’ll be no later than tomorrow night, I promise. In the meantime, Joy's staying with me where I can keep an eye on her.”
“And you think that's the best approach?” Aunt Pattie asked.
“I think it's the safest approach until we know what we're dealing with.”
Joy's mother leaned forward. “What can we do between now and then?”
“Make sure they’ve been fed and watered before the call.”
Little Grandma chuckled. “Smart man.” She winked at Joy. “I told you he was a keeper.”
“Little Grandma, please,” Joy buried her face in her hands.
“What? I'm just saying what everybody else is thinking.”
I found Joy's shoulder and squeezed it gently. My woman was mortified.
“Mrs. Magill, I want you to know that Joy is my priority. Nothing's going to happen to her on my watch.”
Joy's mother smiled through her tears.
“I can see that. Thank you, Graham. For taking care of our girl.”
“It's my pleasure, ma'am.”
And it was. Taking care of Joy had become the most important thing in my world.
Little Grandma leaned forward again, her eyes twinkling with mischief.
“Now, Graham, tell me about your family. Are your people good stock?”
“Little Grandma!” Joy's voice cracked with embarrassment.
“What? A girl's got to know these things.”
I chuckled, the first genuinely relaxed sound I'd made since this conversation started. This woman was going to be the death of me.
“My father lives in Bangor, Maine. He’s retired Air Force, my mom passed while I was overseas.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, son.”
I nodded. It still hurt.
“Maine is a long way away. Do you like it in Tennessee?”
“I do.”
“Siblings?”
“No ma’am, but I’ve made some good friends here in Jasper Creek.”
“You have good sense in your friends. Loyalty too. I like that.”
Joy looked like she wanted to crawl under my table. “Nobody asked for your approval, Little Grandma,” she murmured.
“Child, I've been giving my approval whether it's asked for or not since before you were born. I'm not stopping now.”
Pattie laughed. “Mama's never met a situation she couldn't improve with her opinion.”
“And I've been right every time,” Little Grandma shot back. “This young man's got good sense, strong shoulders, and he clearly cares about our Joy. What more could we ask for?”
My face heated again, but I couldn't stop smiling. Joy's family was something else.
“I appreciate the vote of confidence, ma'am.”
“You'll do just fine.” Little Grandma's expression grew serious, and I felt the weight of her scrutiny. “Just remember, that girl's precious cargo. We're trusting you with our heart.”
“I understand, ma'am. You won't regret it.”
Joy's eyes filled with tears again, but these looked different. The way she looked at me made my chest tight with an emotion I wasn't sure I was ready to name.
“All right then.” Little Grandma clapped her hands together. “That's settled. Now Joy, why haven’t you brought Graham over to your Mama’s table for Sunday dinner? You’re not ashamed of him, are you?”
“Absolutely not. I just didn’t want the normal B.S. from Randy and Seth that normally happens when I have a boyfriend.”
“For goodness' sake, Graham’s a big boy. He can handle that. Anyway, mark my words, by Christmas y'all will be planning a wedding.”
Joy's mother laughed for the first time since the conversation started. “Little Grandma, leave them alone.”
“I'm just stating facts.” Little Grandma shrugged innocently. “Now, Graham, you make sure you call us if anything else happens.”
“Yes, ma'am, I will.”
“Good. And Joy, honey, next time something scares you, you call us. Promise me.”
Joy nodded, her throat working.
“I promise, Little Grandma.”
With that edict, everybody got up and started to leave, even Miss Laverne. “I want to make sure I get back early enough to the Wylies for Wheel of Fortune,” she explained.
The last person to leave was Emmie. She and Joy went down the hall to the sunroom in the back of the house where I couldn’t hear them. I set about cleaning up the dishes and starting the dishwasher. I wanted to get Joy back to my house as quickly as possible.
When they finally came back down the hall, I could see that they’d both been crying. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah,” Emmie said.
“We’re getting there,” Joy answered. “I’m going to walk Em out to her car.”
“No. We’re both walking her out to her car, then we’re taking off.”
Joy nodded.
The girls got their purses, and I followed them outside.
I opened the driver’s side door to Emmie’s Audi and made sure she was in before I shut it. She rolled down her window. “You do realize that Little Grandma basically just planned your wedding, right?”
“Oh fuck, I forgot,” Joy wailed.
My smile felt soft and knowing. “I know. I like her.”
Emmie snickered. “She likes you too, Graham.”
“She’s a hoot.”
“That means you’re stuck with all of us. Even Joy’s dad and brothers.”
Joy clutched my arm as I kept staring at Emmie. “I can deal with that, as long as I have Joy.”
“I’m beginning to see why Little Grandma likes you so much.”
I laughed again.