Page 96 of Sycamore Circle

“Like that idea,” Lincoln said. “Charlie’s smart and built like a tank. No one is going to argue with him.”

“You might want to give your new girl a heads up, Bo,” Mason added.

It took Bo a second to realize that Mason had asked him about Joy. He turned to him in surprise. “I think that’s giving Sammy too much credit. Joy and I aren’t even an official couple.”

A muscle twinged in his jaw before Lincoln nodded. “Even if that’s true, this Sammy could be a problem. Figuring out who you’ve been spending time with won’t be hard for him to do. And messing with her would be an easy way to make you hurt.”

Lincoln had a point. “I’ll think about that.” Imagining a person like Sammy messing with Joy made his heart practically stop.

And even though he thought that the possibility of anyone targeting Joy was small, there was still a chance. It wasn’t like any of them knew what Sammy was capable of outside of prison.

Feeling Seth’s concerned gaze on him, Bo swallowed. “I believe in T-DOT. It sure saved me. But sometimes I wonder if what we do is worth the risks.”

“It is,” Lincoln said without a hint of doubt in his tone. “We help one man at a time. That one man is enough.”

Bo felt his cheeks heat. “Sorry. You’re right. I’m just... just rattled, I guess.”

“That’s why there’s all of us,” Seth said. “This stuff is hard. You need someone to have your back.”

“Yeah.”

Lincoln studied him. “Bo, let us know if you want to talk about the letters and phone calls Joy has been getting. Even if it doesn’t have anything to do with ex-cons, we can still give you some ideas about what to do.”

“You can’t do everything alone,” Seth added. “It’s impossible.”

Though everything inside of him was wanting to protest, to say that he could take care of his own, he didn’t want pride to interfere with common sense. “Thank you. I’ll let y’all know.”

“Don’t forget that, Bo,” Lincoln murmured. “Take it from me—don’t do stupid stuff when you don’t have to.”

“I hear you loud and clear, Boss.” Of course, he also knew that when things got bad, there weren’t always a lot of good options.

CHAPTER 32

Joy was beginning to wish she was anywhere else but in the middle of Sacred Grounds. Everything about the day’s visit felt off. They were playing the music too loud. The usual barista wasn’t there, the lines were longer than usual, and the man behind the counter had messed up her usual mocha latte. In addition, more than a handful of people had glared at her because she’d been taking up a table for so long.

But the worst part of the situation by a long shot was her student’s attitude. She didn’t know what was wrong with Anthony, but he seemed angry, impatient, and agitated. It was like his usual self had taken a hike and this imposter was in his place.

Joy knew from experience that some sessions were like that. Everyone involved was human, which meant that sometimes they didn’t get enough sleep, or were worried about kids or work or family problems. Usually, when it was obvious that struggling over words wasn’t going to help either of them, she would end the session early. Unfortunately, she was afraid that if she did that today, it would make things worse.

Joy settled for watching the clock and praying that the time would move a little faster.

“Let’s give it another try, okay?” She pointed to the workbook. “The car...”

Anthony took a deep breath and put one finger next to hers on the page. “The car was r... re...”

“Come on, Anthony. I know you know this.” She had no idea what was going on with him, but he was acting weird. He knew colors, and it was pretty obvious, anyway.

He inhaled sharply and glared at her. As if it were her fault he was struggling.

She drew back as a twinge of unease filled her.

“R... red.”

“Good. Now, let’s go on to the next line.” When he didn’t begin right away, she leaned back in her chair. “Are you ready?”

He scowled. “Give me a minute, will you?”

Taken aback, Joy mentally counted to five and reminded herself that he was an adult and doing this on his own time. She needed to give him some grace. Unable to help herself, she glanced at the time on her phone.

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