Page 51 of The Women of Oak Ridge
“Sure. Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”
He steered the vehicle east on the turnpike, in the opposite direction of Aunt Mae’s house, and answered my question with one of his own. “Do you like ice cream?”
I chuckled. “Yes.”
“Good. There’s this great little drugstore in Clinton called Hoskins. It’s been in business since before the Manhattan Project. They run an old-fashioned soda fountain and make the best ice cream sundaes.”
“Sounds perfect.”
We followed the winding Clinch River out of town. WhileJonas told me about fishing trips when he was a Boy Scout, I enjoyed the beautiful scenery beyond the window. Tennessee sure was pretty this time of year, with green hills, forests, and crystal-blue skies. Living in a big city was exciting, but I had to admit there wasn’t anything this beautiful in Boston.
It was dark when we finally returned to Aunt Mae’s.
“I’m so full, I don’t think I can walk,” I said, laughing. “That sundae was huge.”
“I’m not gonna lie. I didn’t think you’d be able to finish it. In fact,” he grinned, “I was kind of hoping you wouldn’t so I could swoop in and devour what was left.”
“You looked pretty busy with your own sundae, Detective. Next time we’ll have to try a cheeseburger and onion rings. They looked amazing.”
A pleased expression filled his face. “Are you asking me out on a date, Miss Willett?”
Heat filled my cheeks. “I guess I am.”
“I accept.” He exited the vehicle and came around to open the passenger door for me. “After my shift tomorrow, I’ll poke around the boxes of old files and see if I can find anything on... What did you say the missing woman’s name was?” He pulled the scrap of paper from his pocket. “Sylvia Galloway.”
“Thank you, Jonas,” I said as he walked me to the front door. “But if you have other pressing matters, please don’t feel obligated to look into a thirty-five-year-old case. I don’t know if it was even an actual case of a missing person or just a misunderstanding.”
“Welcome to my world. You just summed up my job. Digging into the details, solving the mystery. That’s what I love about what I do.”
Jonas promised he’d call me the next day to make plans for our burger date, then bid me goodnight.
A happy sigh escaped my lips as I watched him drive away.
We lived a thousand miles away from one another. We each had dreams and goals for the future. I had no idea where our friendship would lead, but sometime over ice cream and easy laughter, I’d come to a conclusion.
I wanted to find out.
