Page 43 of Sycamore Circle

She unbuckled and watched as he came around, opened her door, and reached for her hand. “Thanks.”

He nodded but didn’t release her hand. Instead, he shifted his hand so their fingers were linked. Not firm enough that she couldn’t pull her hand away.

But she didn’t.

It had been so long since she’d held a man’s hand. Even when she was still married to Tony it had been a while since he’d done anything like take her hand or hold it while they were walking.

“Two, Katie,” he said when they entered.

“Hi, Bo.” The hostess looked over Joy from head to toe, seeming to linger on their linked hands. “How about in the booth near the back?”

He turned to her. “Are you good with that, Joy?”

“Yes. Of course.”

After allowing her to walk in front of him, Bo stood until she got settled before getting into the booth across from her. After the waitress brought them two cups of coffee, Joy smiled at him again. “You’re the most mannerly guy I’ve ever gone out with.”

“Tony didn’t look out for you?”

“No, he did. But not like that.” Thinking about how she’d put up with so many things from her ex, she murmured, “Now I’m kind of wondering if I never thought it was possible.”

“That’s a shame.”

It was a shame. She opened the menu. “I can’t decide what to eat. I was going to get an omelet, but everyone’s waffles look so good.”

He flashed a smile. “I was thinking the same thing.”

After they ordered, her phone beeped. “Let me check this. Sometimes the school—”

She shivered when she saw the text.

I see you with him. You can’t hide.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.”

When he simply stared at her, silently conveying that he didn’t believe that, she explained. “Somebody started sending me weird texts from an anonymous number.”

“That’s what that was?” When she nodded, he glared at the phone. “What did it say?”

Her inclination was to push it aside, but she was freaked out and couldn’t hide it. So she ran a finger across the screen, punched in her security code, and then clicked back on the message.

When he read the words, his expression turned even darker. “You’ve been getting a lot of these?”

She nodded. “About one a day.”

“Girl. Did you call the police?”

“Of course not. What could they do?”

He looked at her like she was sixteen-year-old Chloe. “They could try to trace the number so you wouldn’t have to wonder who it was. Or they could take your worries seriously, give you advice, and maybe even give you some peace of mind. They could even start driving by your house from time to time.”

His list made so much sense, she was embarrassed that she hadn’t stopped by the police station. To save face—at least with herself—she said, “You and I both know that even if they do all that, nothing is likely to come of it. It’s just some creepy guy.”

“One creepy guy texting you is one too many, Joy.”

She sighed but she didn’t argue. Especially since she was pretty sure he was right. “The truth is that I’ve been kind of hoping that they’d stop on their own.”

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