And from the stormy look in his eyes, he didn’t like it.
15
BEAR
Ilearned at a very young age that it’s important to keep a stiff upper lip. Show a calm reaction in public, no matter what you’re feeling or thinking in private. It’s the way we were raised – not with words or instructions, we simply emulated our parents.
That’s how I’m able to force a smile, even though part of me feels totally crushed to hear Joy announce for the second time today that we’re “just friends”.
Who knows. Maybe the woman was being nosy, and Joy was deflecting more questions than I overheard. Or maybe Joy is trying to keep things light since she doesn’t yet trust this…whatever we are.
I don’t blame her. These totally possessive feelings I have toward her are not normal. I’ve never craved a woman like this, and I’m still terrified I could frighten her away. If she’s picking up on all that, it would make sense for her to keep a little distance.
“Ready to go?” I ask as casually as possible. “Was the lemonade good?”
Joy pulls out the twenty and tries to hand it back to me. “I didn’t even get any.”
“Coffee for the road, then?” I lean close and murmur, “They’ll probably hand us a box of pastries on the way out.”
She smiles. “How about I grab the coffee, while you say your goodbyes?”
“Sure.”
I love that she already knows exactly how I take my coffee. I don’t love that the woman at that table sees Joy is with me and waves her directly to the front of the line.
Does Joy realize how truly awkward this sort of stuff is for me?
I make a quick lap of the room to thank the organizers again and shake the Mayor’s hand. My “please don’t talk to me anymore” façade is nearly snapped back into place when I see a guy blatantly checking Joy out at the coffee table. He says something, and she smiles politely in response and edges away, holding two cups.
Then his friend steps in and crowds Joy on the other side. They’re both eyeing her as if she were one of the desserts on display. Even at a nightclub or pickup joint, women shouldn’t be ogled like that. But in a room filled with grandmothers? Come on.
Stepping closer, I catch a few fragments of their conversation. They just arrived to drop something off for one of their moms and missed the contest. They’re going for beers, does Joy want to join them? She politely declines once. Twice. Then she takes another small step back.
If those guys don't leave her alone immediately, this might be the first cupcake contest that ends in violence. But then, straightening up to my full height, I decide to take the high road. This is one of those instances where who I am will defuse everything.
I sidle over to take a coffee from Joy’s hand and slip my other arm around her waist. “Thanks, beautiful. Ready to go?”
I smile at her, then casually glance at the two young men with what I hope is a faintly murderous glare. “Oh, shit,” the taller one mumbles. “Sorry, Mr. Wolfe.” They hastily beat an awkward retreat.
When Joy looks up at me, I’m attempting to smile. She grips my arm, fighting back a giggle. “I caught that glare, you know. I think you may have ruined two pairs of pants.”
“I would have forgiven them for asking you out. You’re breathtaking.” She blushes. “But they didn’t take your first no for an answer. Which means they’re jerks who needed some manners scared into them.”
On the way out, I accept two containers of treats from three women who positively gush about what an honor it was to have me judging this afternoon. I swear, it would make an ordinary man’s head swell to be spoken to like this all the time. Luckily, I’ve been sort of immune since birth. Mom always told us that yes, the Wolfe family is special, but that doesn’t mean that we’re to be treated that way.
Joy, though, seems to have no idea how special she truly is. Which means if I want to keep her, I’m going to have to make a point of telling her as often as I can, while also stepping up for her.
16
JOY
Bear’s eyes tend to blank out when he's thinking. He's definitely doing that as we get into the truck.
"I'm sorry I left you by yourself," he says, looking at me with…guilt?
“I was fine. But thank you very much for stepping in. To be honest, most women are cornered all the time. I guess I've been lucky. It doesn't happen to me that often."
"There's a shortage of women here on the mountain. But that's still no excuse for them to be rude with you."
