Page 37 of With All My Heart, Joy

He drummed his fingers on his desk. Marie Gonzalez was the only person besides his mother who knew the full story of his past. About the reckless decisions that had, ultimately, led him into fatherhood. She’d learned of it after the fact and given him a second chance. Would she be as merciful again?

Marie sat in the chair reserved for clients and crossed her legs at the knee. Curly gray hair piled atop her head in a carefree style that could be called more artistic than tidy. She was around twice Isaac’s age. Over seventy was all he knew and old enough to retire at any moment. She insisted she wouldn’t know what to do with the spare time, and secretly, Isaac was glad. She’d promised to give him the first opportunity to buy out her half of their business. But he wasn’t yet in the financial position to do so. He was saving up, though.

“Care to tell me why you switched one of your clients to me without discussion?”

He moved to the chair he used for counseling. “Because I developed feelings for that client. It would be inappropriate to continue counseling her.”

Manicured gray eyebrows shot toward an uneven hairline. “Joy Halverson is quite young.”

“I’m aware,” he said drily. “I didn’t say I’m planning to pursue it. I’m just being extra careful. Learning from the past.”

“I see.” Marie nodded thoughtfully. “Thank you for your honesty, Isaac. I appreciate it.”

“I’ve never been anything other than honest with you.”

She smiled. “Indeed. Well, I will appreciate any notes you have on Joy.”

It shouldn’t feel like a violation of trust to pass on case notes. But it did. “Sure thing.”

Marie stood and was halfway to the door before she turned. “If she’s no longer your client, you need not feel impeded. Pursue her if you want. Maybe it’s meant to be this time.”

Was she out of her mind? Marie never said such outlandish things. “Yeah, I don’t think so.”

“Maybe you think too much. Most counselors do.”

All he knew was that he had thought too much about Joy all afternoon since she left. As adept as he was at reading body language, Joy’s internal reaction to everything that had happened eluded him. He had no idea how she felt about it. Abouthim. Every time he imagined her showing up at his house this evening to babysit Paisley, one of his lungs threatened to collapse. He wouldn’t have agreed if he had another option.

On the drive home, he punched Silas’s number on his phone. He hated to disturb their honeymoon, but he needed Lucy to hear this from him. He couldn’t bear to lose her or her family’s respect and put a wedge between him and Silas.

“Missing me already?” Silas’s deep voice answered on the fourth ring. Isaac had been debating how much to say in his voicemail.

“Not a bit.” Isaac pumped the brakes as he approached a stop sign. The snow was tapering off, but piles of it edged the roadways. He wasn’t eager to get into a fender bender. One last winter had sent him car shopping. “I’m not even calling for you. Can I talk to Lucy?”

“Another man is interrupting my honeymoon to talk with my wife?” If Isaac didn’t know Silas better, he’d think he was truly outraged. His voice sounded the part. “This better be good. Babe? Isaac’s asking for you.”

Lucy sounded bewildered when she said three seconds later, “Hi, Isaac. Everything okay?”

“First of all, I apologize for intruding on your honeymoon.” He signaled for the turn onto Ruby Lane. It wasn’t plowed yet. “Second, I hope Silas and Tahiti are treating you well.”

“One needs to learn some manners, but Tahiti is divine.”

Usually Isaac would release a hearty laugh at Lucy’s delightful sarcastic humor. It was what made her perfect for Silas. But he wasn’t in the mood for humor today.

“Listen, there’s something you need to know, and I wanted you to hear it from me.”

“Is it about Joy?”

“Well… That is…”

“You like her, don’t you?”

Why did she sound sorry for him? He ground his teeth together. “What makes you say that?”

“Silas.”

Good to know there would be nothing confidential between him and his best friend anymore. But he wouldn’t wish a man to keep secrets from his wife. “Look, I didn’t anticipate developing feelings for your sister. At all. But it happened. And it turns out, we’ve been exchanging Christmas cards for weeks without knowing it was us until today.”

She gasped in his ear, “You’reZak?” at the same time Silas said in the background, “Wait, Joy is JJ?”

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