“You can spend the night if you like.”

“I’ve got to be at the shop early.”

She shrugged. “Okay. See you in a few minutes.” She turned and went inside.

Beth called in the shampoo and color order and tapped her pen.

“Stop that tapping. I’m going to get a tic in my eye,” Tate called out. “Come out here and tell me what the hell is going on.”

“I’m working.”

“You are not. Come out here. I have brownies.”

Well, why didn’t she say that up front?

“All I’m gonna say is if you lead with that, people will be far quicker to comply with your imperious demands.” She put a mug of hot water with a teabag in it at Tate’s station.

“Hello, Beth.” Polly Chase reached out to squeeze Beth’s hand.

“Afternoon, Mrs. Chase.” She smiled at Polly and then looked back to Tate. “Brownies?”

Polly laughed.

“Over there. Cookies too. Figured you might want some extra to take over to Joe.”

“Joe can get his own cookies.” Beth shoved half a brownie in her mouth and let the chocolate soothe her annoyance. “The man is going to make me gain fifteen pounds from annoyance eating.”

“Ah, so the pen tapping is about a man.” Polly sighed. “They can be so infuriating. But they’re also cute and handy and they can reach high shelves and they pump your gas so your hands don’t get smelly.”

Beth laughed. “Sure. And they put out a lot of heat so you use less electricity to keep warm. And they look nice in jeans. They say sweet things, especially if they think they might get lucky.”

“What has Joe done to make you cranky then, sweetie pie?”

Polly Chase had a way about her. Soothing in a very no-nonsense way. She was a lot like a mother to Tate, and when Tate had come into the Chase family, Polly had not only taken in Tate, but all the Murphy kids. She was normal. She and her husband had a loving, thriving marriage and a healthy family. No one got drunk and hit anyone. No one called anyone fat or stupid. Her advice meant something.

She sat, watching Tate backcomb and spray Polly’s long hair up into her signature style. Helmet hair, as Anne called it. But it worked on Polly, as most things did. Beth figured it was because nothing, not even a hairdo, dared not to work on Polly Chase.

“He’s nice to me. Respectful. He never even looks at other women. Well, he’s good at making me think so, which is fine. He makes me laugh. I love his dog. He makes me feel beautiful. But he has a wall up.” She shared a little about the situation with his family and how Joe froze up any time she invited them anywhere or asked about them.

“I’ve heard things around town about Carl.” Polly folded her hands in her lap. “Erratic behavior. He’s been banned from a few places. That’s got to be rough on Joe. Sometimes you have to be patient. Other times though? Well, other times you have to push a little. Only you can know when and if it’s that time.”

“Maybe he’s ashamed. Maybe Carl has a drinking problem. Or drugs.” Tate kept working as she spoke.

“I don’t know. I could poke around. People know he and I are together. They come up to me all the time and try to talk about it. I don’t want to hear it. I don’t gossip like that.”

Polly smiled then.

“Mrs. Chase, you’re scary when you smile like that.”

“She’s sneaky.” Tate squeezed Polly’s shoulder.

“It’s a good smile. You surely do care about him to protect him like that. Gossip can be fun. But it can also be mean and come from a bad place. You’re smart to keep that away from yourself. For what it’s worth? I think Joe Harris is a good boy. He talked about you nonstop when I was in for repairs last week. And the time before that. I’ve never heard you talk about anyone like this. I like that. I know he’s come to dinner a few times at Tate and Matt’s. Why don’t you ask him to come to our house this Sunday?”

“I invited him last weekend and he ducked it. Well, I invited him and his parents. I’ve asked them over for dinner more than once. I’ve asked them out to dinner. I considered just going over or calling his mother myself, but that’s way too meddlesome. I don’t want to go around him.”

“You want him to want it on his own.”

“Yes. Anyway, we have a date tonight. Dinner after work at the Sands. I’ll ask him then. Maybe I’ll just stop asking his parents. It seems petty. Am I being petty?”

“You’re not being petty. You love him. It’s written all over you. You want him to be as invested in you as you are in him. That includes family. Just stick with it. He loves you too.” Tate leaned over to kiss Beth’s cheek. “I know a few things. Trust me.”

“I do trust you. But you’re pregnant and you’re sort of crazy when you’re knocked up.” Beth grinned at her sister, who stood at least half a foot shorter. She was already showing at the halfway mark.

Polly laughed happily as she took herself in, patting her hair. “I do love that you never try to talk me into anything else. You do my hair perfectly.”

“It suits you. Though if you ever want to go wild and do red and a shorter bob? I’d love that too. What matters most about hair, is that you love it. It makes you happy. And that’s all I care about.”

Beth watched the two and ached a little. What if Joe’s mom and Beth could be like this? Teasingly close? She didn’t know his parents very well. Just sort of in passing. His mother seemed lovely. A little shy, but lovely.