Cup of Joe

by Teri Wilson

  “Thanks. I know,” Goldie said, silently wondering just what that might be. What…and who.

  Cup of Joe

  Inspirational romance, Christian romance, Christian fiction, romance novel, christian romance novel, teri wilson, white rose publishing

  Cup of Joe

  Chapter Six

  Joe paced back and forth in the parking lot of the Turtle Beach Community Center, Java watching every step with his mismatched eyes.

  “Sorry, boy,” he murmured as he cupped the Husky underneath the chin and gave him a nice scratch.

  Java was picking up on his nerves. That much was obvious. He took a deep breath, resisted the urge to pace and instead, glanced at his watch. Class didn’t start for another fifteen minutes. Of course, she wasn’t here yet.

  Joe raked a hand through his hair and wondered for the thousandth time why he hadn’t told Goldie he would stop by her house and pick her up on the way to class. Why, oh why, had he suggested that they meet here? He presumed it was because at the time he was so intent on even getting her to agree to come to class, that he hadn’t given any thought to the travel arrangements. The fact that she’d said yes had been a victory in and of itself. He wasn’t about to push his luck.

  Now, of course, he wished he had. Both for his own sake and that of his dog.

  Java let out a pitiful woo-woo and hung his tail between his legs. Without even realizing it, Joe had started pacing again.

  “OK, I’ll stop. I promise.” Joe sat on the curb and put Java in a down-stay. “See, we’re relaxed now.”

  As if he could really, truly relax. He hadn’t seen Goldie since that day on the beach. That glorious afternoon she’d appeared in his coffee shop when he’d least expected it. Now, he sometimes wondered if it had all been a dream, if none of it had really happened after all. Had the Goldie with the windswept curls tied back in the wispy silk scarf been a figment of his imagination?

  Surely not. He never could have imagined a smile so sweet, porcelain skin so lovely or the delectable fragrance he breathed in as he walked beside her. She smelled of caramel and salty ocean air—a combination he would forever associate with her. It made his chest ache deep inside even now as he remembered it.

  Then, just as his panic was about to reach a fever pitch, she was there. With the afternoon sun shining pale pink behind her, she seemed to shimmer to life before him. Soft rays of sunlight bounced off her blonde curls, making her appear almost gilded.

  Oddly enough, his nerves settled down the minute he laid eyes on her. He didn’t worry about what to say or how to act. She was here. With him. That was all that mattered.

  He rose from the curb, released Java from his down and sought Goldie’s gaze. “You made it.”

  “Of course we did.” She nodded toward Bliss, who was scrambling at the end of her leash in an effort to greet Java. “I told you we would be here. We’ve even been practicing.”

  “Really?” Joe asked, noticing that she seemed different somehow. Her face more relaxed than in recent days, brimming with something bordering on confidence. The change brought a smile to his lips. And gave him a warm sensation deep inside.

  “Yes. Watch this.” Goldie took a small treat from her pocket and held it over her dog’s head. “Bliss, sit.”

  Immediately, the spaniel plopped her tiny, orange-spotted rump on the concrete. Goldie cooed and called her a good girl, offering her the treat from the palm of her hand.

  “Well, look at you,” Joe said in a voice he hoped brimmed with encouragement. “You’re a natural.”

  “Well, I did sort of cheat,” she confessed. “I did a little reading so we would know what to expect at class.”

  “That’s not cheating. It’s…” he paused, and then grinned. “Preparation.”

  “Preparation. I like that. Kind of like homework, in advance.”

  “Exactly. I only wish you would have told me before you went out and bought any books. I have plenty of training books I could have loaned you, if I’d known.”

  “Thanks for the offer, but don’t worry. I didn’t buy anything. I checked out some books from the library.” At the mention of the library, her blue eyes sparkled, piquing Joe’s curiosity.

  “The library, huh? I loved going to that place when I was a kid.” Some of his fondest childhood memories took place sitting cross-legged on the Turtle Beach library floor, listening to the singsong voice of the librarian reading aloud stories that transported him to other worlds far away from his small Carolina beach town. “Do you go there often?”

  “All the time.” Goldie beamed, and her eyes positively danced beneath her thick lashes. “In fact, I’ll be going there a lot more often. Nearly every day.”

  “My, my. It sounds like someone has a secret.” Joe bumped his shoulder against hers and grinned.

  Goldie shook her head. “It’s no secret. They offered me a job. I’ll be working there starting Monday.”

  Joe could scarcely believe his ears. This was wonderful news—exactly what Goldie needed. Watching her make the slow, steady climb out of her grief touched his heart as nothing had before. He felt as if she were coming back to life before his very eyes. Slowly, but surely. “No kidding?”

  “Really. I’m going to help out behind the counter and do the read-aloud every afternoon to the children. I’ve already chosen the first book.” She grinned at Bliss. “It’s about a dog. And Bliss is going to come, too.”

  “That’s fantastic, Goldie. I think that’s great.” Without even thinking, he wrapped his arms around her in a congratulatory hug. At first, he felt her stiffen slightly at his touch. Then, her fingers wrapped around the muscles in his back and she melted into his embrace.

  “You really think so, don’t you?” Her words were but a whisper, dancing a soft waltz against his skin.

  Reluctantly, he let her go. What had they even been talking about? He’d lost track of anything and everything in the brief moment he held her in his arms. “Um, what?”

  The corner of Goldie’s lips lifted into a grin and her cheeks flushed rosy pink. “You really think it’s a good idea—my job at the library?”

  “Of course I do. I think you’ll be great. Bliss will, too, of course.” He gave the Cavalier a little pat on the head. She promptly rolled on her back for a belly scratch.

  “Well, I’m excited about it.”

  He could tell. So this is what her newfound air of confidence was all about. He desperately wanted to reinforce it, as he knew she was still fragile. Grief as deep as hers wasn’t conquered overnight. So, he said the words he hoped would mean the most to her. “He would be proud of you, you know.”

  Even though Joe didn’t say so specifically, they both knew he meant her grandfather.

  “Thank you,” Goldie murmured, breaking his gaze and looking down at the dogs. “I hope so.”

  “I’m sure of it.” Joe glanced at his watch again, almost disappointed when he realized class was due to start any minute. “Shall we go inside?”

  “Sure. We’re ready to show off our sitting skills.” She gave a gentle tug on Bliss’s leash and the spaniel trotted alongside her while she followed Joe toward the community center building.

  Part-time reception hall, part-time boat dock, the Turtle Beach Community Center sat right on the water’s edge. Throughout the small town’s history, it had been used for many purposes, most notably as a location for the Underground Railroad during Civil War times. A sense of pride in his town’s heritage always swelled in Joe’s chest when he came here and this time was no exception. He glanced over at Goldie and noticed her gaze land on the historical marker surrounded by the purple and gold petunias flanking the walkway.

  “I’ve always loved this place,” she said.

  “Me, too.”

  They stopped for a moment in front of the marker and listened to the waves lap against the bulkhead.

  “I guess we should go inside.” Goldie turned to face him, her eyes bluer than the sea on a clear summer day.

 
“Yes, it’s about that time.” Joe swung open the door for her and placed the hand that held Java’s leash in the small of her back to guide her inside. When she walked past him, the turquoise scarf wound through the belt loops of her jeans grazed his arm with a whisper-touch. His skin instantly felt alive, covered with a million tiny prickles.

  Then, he smiled and said, “Here we are.”

  ef

  Goldie felt like she was on a date.

  She wasn’t kidding herself. They were in a large room surrounded by panting dogs, not in some darkened restaurant sharing a candlelight dinner.

  Yet somehow, it still felt like a date.

  She couldn’t put her finger on exactly what it was—perhaps the warmth of his hand in the small of her back as he steered her through the crowd, or the way the other class members looked at her with knowing smiles—but it was a feeling she couldn’t shake for the rest of the evening.

  A feeling she rather liked.

  Goldie tried to remember why she was there while Bliss pawed at her own shins and danced on her hind legs. Oh yeah. Dog training class.

  Goldie tore her attention away from Joe and glanced around the room. With its confusing labyrinth of orange traffic cones and strange signs with arrows pointing all different directions, it looked more like a maze than a classroom. She’d been in the Community Center countless times since she was a little girl, but had never seen it like this. “What are all the cones for?”

  Joe leaned toward her to explain. “Our training club is preparing for an upcoming dog show where we’ll complete in an event called Rally Obedience. Have you heard of it before?”

  “No, I haven’t. It looks awfully complicated.” Goldie fidgeted with the end of Bliss’s leash, suddenly feeling embarrassed about her pride in teaching the dog to sit. From the looks of things, this was a whole different level of dog training.

  “It’s a relatively new type of dog obedience. And it’s not nearly as difficult as it looks. At the beginning level, called novice, your dog only needs to know how to sit, down, and walk next to you without pulling on the leash. The rest is just knowing how to read the signs and figuring out where to go.” Joe must have sensed her uneasiness because he reached over, took her free hand in his and gave it a little squeeze. “Don’t worry about a thing. This is all just for fun.”

  Then he winked.

  Yep. Definitely still feels like a date.

  “Come with me. I’ll introduce you to the instructor.” He laced his fingers through hers and guided her to the middle of the cone-maze where an older man with white hair and kind eyes stood next to a jet-black poodle. “Goldie, this is Harold, our teacher.”

  Her breath caught in her throat as she introduced herself to Harold, who reminded her at once of her grandfather. When he shook her hand and then bent down to greet Bliss, a sense of comfort overcame her, and her earlier nerves slipped away.

  “We’re so glad you’re here, Goldie.” Harold gestured to the myriad of signs and cones while the poodle at his feet watched his every move with keen interest. “Please don’t be intimidated by all this. We’re all here to learn something new and have fun with our dogs.”

  Date or not, Goldie was increasingly glad she’d come. Everyone was so nice, and she had to admit she was fascinated to see what all the arrows and squiggly lines meant. Bliss bounced at the end of her leash, pawing Goldie’s leg to capture her attention. When Goldie glanced down at her, Bliss plunked into a sit position. Obviously, the little spaniel shared Goldie’s enthusiasm for training class.

  Goldie slipped a treat into Bliss’s mouth and watched Harold and his poodle work their way through the course. Despite Harold’s teasing comment that he’d named his dog Bugsy because she “bugged the heck out of him,” the two of them moved with perfect precision. At each sign, Harold stopped to explain the symbols to the students. Once she learned what the different shapes and arrows meant, Goldie agreed that it didn’t seem quite as difficult as it originally appeared. Every time a stop sign appeared, the dog was supposed to sit. The arrows pointed out any change of direction the dog and handler were required to maneuver.

  Goldie gathered Bliss in her arms, moved closer to Joe and whispered in his ear. “I think we might be able to do this.”

  “Of course you can.” He gave Bliss a pat on the head. “I believe in you, Goldie. You can do whatever you want.”

  Before she even had a chance to digest that comment, Harold called her name.

  “Goldie, why don’t you bring Bliss out here and give it a try?” He waved her toward the center of the room while Bugsy once again sat and trained her eyes on him, as if waiting for another command.

  Joe’s low voice tickled Goldie’s neck. “Go ahead. Give it a try.”

  She kissed Bliss on top of the head and then put her back down on the floor. As she walked toward the training course, Goldie was careful not to glance back at Joe. She could feel his gaze on her, consciously aware of the fact he was watching her every move. If she thought too much about it, she would never be able to concentrate on what she was doing.

  “Are you ready?” Harold asked as she stood next to the cone with the sign that read Start.

  “Yes.” Goldie answered, reaching in her pocket for a doggy treat. She waved it in front of Bliss to get her undivided attention. “We are.”

  “OK, let me know if you need any help. Forward,” Harold called and stood back to watch.

  Goldie walked from cone to cone, the orange and white spaniel never straying far from her side. Every time she gave the sit command Bliss obeyed right away. She plunked her little bottom on the floor and waited for her treat. The sparkle in her dog’s eyes was infectious, and Goldie soon forgot there was an entire room full of people and their own dogs watching her. She was simply having fun with her dog. She followed Harold’s instructions, giving her commands in an upbeat, cheerful tone and walking at a brisk pace. To her utter delight, the Cavalier basked in the attention and fell all over herself to do whatever Goldie asked. Before she knew it, they had reached the final cone. Goldie guided Bliss past the Finish sign and lavished her with praise.

  “Very good,” Harold said. “With a little more work, you’ll be ready for the show in a couple weeks.”

  Goldie furrowed her brows. “Show? What?”

  But by the time the words left her mouth, another student had entered the ring and Harold turned away to watch their performance.

  She made her way back to where Joe stood beaming at her, his hand absently stroking Java behind the ears. “You did great. See? I knew you were a natural.”

  Heat rose to Goldie’s cheeks, and her stomach gave that familiar clench at his words of encouragement. “Thanks.”

  “You looked like you were having fun out there.”

  “Actually, I was. Thank you so much for inviting me.” Whether it was a date or not. But, oh how she wished she knew if it were.

  “So, does this mean you’re coming back next week?” Joe lifted his brows, his face full of hopeful expectation. “If you like, I could pick you up and we could ride together.”

  Goldie’s heart rose all the way to her throat. “Thank you. I’d like that very much.”

  ef

  The look on Goldie’s face was one of sheer terror. “Harold can’t be serious. I can’t possibly be in a dog show.”

  Joe couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped his mouth.

  “You’re laughing?” She jammed her hands on her hips, but her lips curved into a smile. “It’s not funny.”

  “Actually, it is.” Joe slid closer to her on the curb where they sat watching their dogs tumble and play on the lawn beside the Community Center. He reached over and gave her knee a squeeze. “You look terrified. This is all for fun, remember?”

  She glanced at the dogs, then back at him with a look that stole the very breath from his lungs. “Well, this is fun.”

  He couldn’t agree more. “I’m glad.”

  “But a show is a whole different story. I can’t do
that.”

  “Of course you can. Although, technically, Bliss would be the one entered in the show,” Joe teased. “Not you.”

  “What? You don’t think the judge would be impressed if I walked around the cones and sat cross-legged at each stop sign?” Goldie broke into lilting laughter, and Joe wondered if he had ever heard such a beautiful sound. It tore at his heart and filled him with gratitude.

  Thank you, Lord. Thank you for letting me be a part of her healing.

  “Don’t forget about the down signs. You’d have to stretch out on the floor.” He curled into a fetal position in the grass and pretended to snore.