Joy wasn't sure how much later it was when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Joy?"
She woke to see Oliver standing over her. Even in the dark, she could see how handsome he was in his suit. "Hello."
Oliver smiled at her. "Well, looks like you and Jacob had a wonderful time." He reached for his wallet. "What do I owe you, again?"
Joy held her hand out in front her, waving his hand away. "I had a lovely time. You don't need to pay me."
Oliver was shocked. "I can't do that. I'm sure you could've found better things to do tonight than watch my son!"
Actually, I probably couldn't, Joy thought. "I insist. Jacob's a wonderful boy. You've done a great job with him."
"Thank you," Oliver said, embarrassed. "It hasn't been easy since my wife left. And Angelique and I broke up last week. We had a huge fight about wedding plans, so the whole thing's off."
"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that," Joy said. She was a bit surprised he was confiding in her this way. But at least she wasn't the only person in Cleveland who felt lonely.
"Listen, since you won't let me pay you...maybe I could buy you dinner during the week? I know it's a bit awkward, since we barely know each other, but..."
Joy smiled. "I'd love to."
Oliver looked down at his still-sleeping son. "Oh, wait, what about..."
"I'll speak to my friend Melanie. I'm sure she'd love to watch him. She's great with kids."
Oliver was a bit nervous at the thought of leaving his son with a total stranger. But he trusted Joy, and if this Melanie person was her friend, it was probably OK. "All right, then. How about Thursday?"
Joy nodded. "My friend Melanie and I share a house together. Our other two house mates will be out that night, so I'm sure she could take care of him there."
"OK," Oliver said hesitantly. The thought of taking Jacob to an unfamiliar house made him a bit uncomfortable, but he reminded himself that Joy wouldn't be suggesting this if she didn't think it was all right.
As Joy drove home, she felt unusually happy. Not only would she be seeing Jacob again, but she had a date! Maybe, for once, things were looking up in her life.