“But we don’t have to be boring and unsatisfying.”
“So what do you want? Right now, what do you want to do?”
“Let’s go find a private corner somewhere and be alone.”
“If we end up alone, I’m going to take your clothes off, and do things to you. You good with that?”
She wrinkled her nose as if to disagree, but her voice wasn’t quite steady. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Because you, Sophie, want to be married, but I’m just not sure you want to be married to me.”
She took a step back. Her lips parted but no sound came out.
“I think you’re still hung up on Leo,” he added quietly.
She shook her head. “That is so not true!”
“Then why don’t you trust me?”
“I do trust you.”
“Why don’t you talk more about your family and your life in California then? I’m an open book. You’re here with us, you see me, you know me, but there is still so much I don’t know about you.”
“Joe, I’ve told you almost everything. My family are dairy people. My dad died several years ago. My mom still lives on the dairy farm in her own house. My older brother runs the business now—”
“And Sarah?”
Sophie stilled. “What about Sarah?”
“Why don’t you answer her texts? Why don’t you ever speak to her? I’ve seen her messages. She misses you—”
“You don’t know anything about it.”
“Then tell me!”
“As soon as you tell me about Charity, and why it’s been… oh, five years or more since you dated. Did she break your heart that badly?”
A low clearing of the throat from the doorway was enough to silence them both. Sophie froze, uncertain how long Joe’s grandfather had been standing there.
Melvin Wyatt looked from one to the other, expression giving away nothing. “We’ve been waiting to turn on the news. If you’re not interested…”
“I’m interested,” Joe said tightly. “We haven’t finished the dishes, though.”
“Hard to finish when you haven’t even started,” Melvin answered.
“Give us just a minute, Granddad. We’ll get these done in no time,” Joe said.
“Leave them alone,” Melvin said. “They can wait, as I have a feeling you’ll just start bickering again if left in here to your own devices.”
Sophie could tell Joe was embarrassed that they’d been caught fighting, and she was embarrassed, too, but when Joe stalked out of the room without another word to her, Sophie wanted to throw something at him.
Instead, she dried her hands, and waited a moment for her pulse to slow, and then she followed, taking her usual seat on the couch, but tonight placing a pillow between her and Joe.
He glanced at her, arched a brow.
She made a face and turned to stare at the TV screen.
Melvin settled in his leather recliner. “Are we good now?”
“We’re good,” Joe said shortly.
“Just great,” Sophie added brightly.
The national news was filled with breaking headlines and concerns about the national and global economy. There were stories about rising oil prices, political races, and frightening viruses. And Sophie listened, but could tell that this evening Joe’s mom was watching them rather than the evening news.
As the program wrapped up, Mrs. Wyatt took the remote and muted the TV. “Is this really what you’re going to do tonight? Just sit here, again tonight?”
Joe glanced up, brow creasing. “What’s wrong, Mom?”
“You two act like an old married couple already. You’ll have plenty of time for that later, when you are an old married couple. Why don’t you dress up and head into town? Have a proper date night. You haven’t had a date since Sophie moved in.”
“It’s okay,” Sophie said. “We’re happy here with you.”
Mrs. Wyatt focused her attention on Joe. “Sophie’s come a long way to see you, Joe. She doesn’t want to just be cooped up at the house. Go to Marietta, go to Livingston. Have dinner. See a movie. Take her dancing. Have fun.”
“I’ve things I need to do here, Mom, and Sophie’s happy just relaxing at the house. She’s worked all week in town—”
“Sophie, what do you normally do on a Friday night in California?” Summer interrupted, turning to focus on Sophie now.
Sophie saw Joe’s jaw tighten. “It depends, but I would probably get together with my girlfriends and we’d go get dinner, or meet for drinks.”
“You’d get out of the house.”
Sophie hesitated a fraction of a second. “Yes.”
Joe sighed, clearly annoyed. “But she’s not home with her friends, Mom. She’s here with me, and you, and she’s enjoying being here. She knows I don’t run around a lot. She wasn’t expecting nonstop entertainment.”
“What about any entertainment?” Summer retorted. “You’re not making any effort. You’re acting like she’s already married. But Sophie is a beautiful young woman, and young women like to be spoiled and fussed over, especially when they’ve traveled thousands of miles to see their man.” She gave her son a meaningful look. “And she’s not going to want to stick around, Joe, if you can’t make an effort to treat her the way she deserves to be treated.”
Joe stood up, his boots heavy on the floor. “Fine. We’ll go out, do something, even though we’re perfectly happy being here—”
“Sophie,” Mrs. Wyatt interrupted, “are you happy being here, every night, all the time?”
Sophie’s mouth opened, closed. She glanced at Joe and then back to his mom. “Joe’s right. I am a homebody,” she answered carefully.
“You don’t like going to dinner, or out to hear music? You wouldn’t enjoy listening to live music at Grey’s?”
When Sophie didn’t immediately answer, Mrs. Wyatt continued, “Just realize you’re setting a precedent now. You’re setting expectations for the future. If Joe thinks he never needs to take you out, if he thinks you don’t enjoy a date night, or being treated special, then you’ll be sitting in this room every night for the rest of your life.” She gave Sophie a meaningful look. “I’ve spent the twenty-six past years in this room, night after night. If you can get out, and you’d like to get out, do it. Make Joe spoil you. Every woman should be spoiled now and then.”
*
There was no staying in after that. Joe and Sophie changed and, grabbing their coats, headed out to Joe’s truck, dogs running ahead of them.
They didn’t talk for the first five minutes, and then exchanged only a few words when Joe turned down the radio to ask if she was warm enough. Sophie replied that she was fine.
They drove for another ten minutes, and then Joe sighed and turned the radio off. “This is not going to be a fun date night,” he said curtly.
“No, it’s not. Maybe we should go back.”
He made a low, rough sound deep in his chest. “And deal with my mom? No, thank you.”
The corner of Sophie’s mouth lifted. “She looks so delicate, too.”