Just My Joe

“Sure it is,” Nancy said. “You’re dating a med student and a law student, both of whom are dead broke and exhausted when they surface long enough to take you for pizza, or to a free concert in a park. They’re duds.”

They’re safe! Polly’s mind screamed. They were focused on achieving their career goals, had no long-range plans regarding her, simply enjoyed her company when they managed to wiggle a few hours free from their busy schedules.

But Joe Dillon? He was dangerous.

He was the type of man who could render a woman speechless and unable to think clearly.

It wasn’t hard to fathom waking up in Joe’s bed after a wondrous night of lovemaking and wondering how on earth she had gotten there.

Joe could cause daydreams to become dreams of heartfelt yearning of a home and beautiful baby boys with dark hair and chocolate brown eyes.

Oh, yes, Joe was very, very dangerous.

“Polly? Hello?” Nancy said. “You’re gone again.”

“What? Oh. I was just thinking.”

“Well, let’s think about what you’re going to wear for your dinner date with Joe.”

“Nancy,” Robert said, smiling, “leave the poor girl alone. Why would Polly want to spend the evening with a man she doesn’t even like?”

“Well, in all fairness,” Polly said, “that’s a rather harsh statement, I guess. I certainly didn’t like his attitude about...certain things, and he was very grumpy and borderline rude, but I did create a disaster at the assembly, and I suppose that would get on anyone’s nerves, because you would not believe how noisy and wild those students got in a blink of an eye. Of course, it wasn’t my fault, because no one told me what to say, let alone what not to say. Then again—am I babbling?”

Nancy and Robert nodded in unison.

Polly sighed. “I thought I was. Look, I need to mull this over. Joe said on the card that he’d call about the dinner date. I’ll use the time until then to sift and sort, pro and con, yes and no, and...”