Page 30 of Sycamore Circle

“If you mean does it help to not always weigh myself against the rest of the population? It absolutely does.” Seeing that he was serious, Joy lowered her voice. “Years ago, I used to put myself down all the time. It was a struggle, you know? I gave myself so much grief because I wasn’t better.”

“Really?”

“Oh, yes. Anyway, once I gave up trying to be something I’m never going to be, my life got easier. I learned to accept my good points and deal with my bad.” She leaned toward him. “Now, I’m not saying you have any bad parts, just that it’s easier to focus on going forward instead of wishing for change in those parts of you that can’t be changed.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Maybe you’ve got a point.”

She leaned back and folded her hands on top of the booklet they’d just read. “I like to think so. And I just want you to learn to read. Don’t you?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Good. Now you go over those words a couple of times before I see you on Saturday, all right?”

“All right. Thank you. I appreciate you giving up so much of your time, especially since you’re not getting paid or anything.”

She smiled. “I promise, these tutoring sessions are the best part of my week.” Realizing that Bo had just joined them, she hoped she didn’t sound as nervous as she felt. “It was good to meet you.”

“Same.” When Chance glanced at Bo, his expression was guarded once again. “You ready?”

“Almost. Hey, give me a sec to speak with Joy.”

“Want me to go outside?”

He nodded. “I’ll be out in a couple.” The minute Chance was out of sight, Bo’s grin seemed to fill up the room. “Joy, that was incredible.”

“What was?”

“The way you handled that kid. He was a nervous wreck coming over here. You soothed his nerves and got him reading. You did it all in such an effortless way too.”

“You’re giving me too much credit. Chance is going to be fine. He only needs to start believing in himself.”

“Really? You think a shot of self-confidence is all he needs?”

“No, I think he needs people to drive him to meet me. He needs reasons to practice reading, and he’s got to want to read as much as I want him to. But he’s off to a good start.”

“What do you think about the two of us meeting for coffee or something soon? Can we do that?”

She wanted to see him again, but what if it was a mistake? What if he decided that she was too old for him? Or that they had nothing in common?

What was she going to do if she finally let down her guard just to get disappointed when he eventually lost interest in her? “I don’t have a lot of extra time,” she hedged.

“Is that code for no thank you?”

Realizing that he’d seen right through her lame excuse, she laughed. “It’s more like I’m a busy woman.”

He studied her for a moment. “If you want to think about it for a spell, I’ll back off. Or... if you want to, say, maybe meet me for breakfast, I’ll try not to make you regret it.”

“You are persistent.”

“I am, but I’m not a bully. It’s your call.”

Joy bit her bottom lip. The thing of it was—she didn’t want to say no. She wanted to see him again. “I can do breakfast. Chloe leaves for school early. But we’d have to eat early too—like around seven or eight.” She half expected him to balk. Maybe she was counting on him saying no?

“I’ll pick you up tomorrow at seven.”

Thinking about her schedule, she shook her head. “I can’t do tomorrow, but I can do the next morning.”

“You sure? You’re not going to go and cancel on me, are you?”

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