Cully left the end of the week, bound back to school for her final performance. Tom had tried his best to get information about her date out of Cully, but between Joyce and Cully they were able to evade him to the end.

That didn't stop Tom from making inquires of Joyce, whom he suspected was in on the secret.

"Joyce I don't know why this is some national secret." Tom said over lunch on Saturday. It was two weeks since Cully's visit and another 2 until her performance.

Joyce just gave Tom that knowing look. "Really Tom? You can't think of any reason you daughter may be reticent to share the identity of a male friend with you?"

Tom was quiet, pushing his salad around as he considered his answer. "I may have been a little vocal about my dislike of her choices in the past, but if she is an adult making better choices I don't know why you would be worried about my reaction."

"See." Joyce said, reaching for more lemonade. "making better choices. You are already caveating that your reaction is based on your evaluation of her companion. Not on her feelings on the subject."

"She's young! She hasn't seen what I have. How many young women tricked by older, more experienced men? Cheated out of money, strung along, or worse." Tom shut his eyes.

Joyce reached across the table to pat his hand. "We did a fantastic job with her. She is strong and independent; she has good judgement."

Tom was not mollified by this.

Joyce pulled her hand back and kept eating. Finally, she paused and offered a nugget of information.

"If it will ease your mind at all, I believe he is a policeman. I think she met him in Cambridge." Joyce was skirting the line between truth and lie. She wanted Tom to ease into the idea of his daughter's boyfriend being a cop. But if she let it slip without throwing suspicion to Cambridge, Tom might start digging into the eligible men at home, Gavin included.

Tom's silverware clattered to the table. "A policeman!" His face was equal parts shocked and angry.

"Yes." Joyce cut in, "and a good thing too. Didn't you just say the other day that a father had no reason to worry about his daughter dating a man in the uniform. They are hardworking, honorable, trustworthy."

Tom looked back at her, starting to get rosy. "That was for us, that doesn't mean whatever Tom, Dick, or Harry they are letting into the force now have the standards we used to!"

He stood, starting to pace at the end of the table. "This won't do, not at all." He stopped to look at Joyce, "has she learned nothing of the sacrifice families of police have to make?"

"Well I don't think starting a family is something we have to worry about just yet." Joyce regretted letting the joke slip as soon as it was out. She really should have headed her own words to Cully.

"Yet?!" Tom thundered. "What do you mean yet?"

"Tom, I was only kidding. Would you sit down." Joyce put a docile and pleading face on, looking at Tom. He calmed down but refused to sit.

"All I know is she wants to introduce us after school is over. I think she really likes him, and he sounds crazy about her." Joyce was calm as she continued, gaining force. "And I'm sure that if you overreact to this you could push her away forever."

Tom just made a snort.

"I'm serious Tom. Think back to when she went to school. Those three months, how did those feel?" She paused a minute for him to recall the memories. "Because I can tell you it was torture for me. It's one thing to not know everything about her life anymore, but to not be a part of her life at all was awful."

Tom opened his mouth but wisely shut it as Joyce continued, worked up.

"I know you worry about her, you are a good father. But you have to get yourself in check. Even if he turns out to be a lousy cop and breaks her heart, that is her choice. You can't protect her from it. And yes, it would hurt us if she got herself hurt. But I'd rather spend nights comforting her broken heart than never hearing from her again."

Joyce was redder than Tom now, and he wisely stayed silent through his wife's rare emotional outburst.

"I'm ready to accept whoever it is because he likes our daughter. And if you care about either of us, you will try to accept him."

Joyce fell silent, pushing the peas from her salad back and forth on her plate as her color returned to normal.

Tom gave a long sigh and sat down. Looking up to his wife he had a passive face. "I guess I have two weeks to get used to the idea."

Joyce nodded.

"I just can't stand the thought of doing nothing and letting her get hurt." Tom said sadly, looking at his wife.

Joyce rose and stood beside him, a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I know, it's hard. But eventually she will find someone who makes her happy, and we will have to let her go. She will always be our little girl, even when she's out there on her own."

Tom was silent.

"I suppose, depending on his character, there are worse professions her…friend could have." Joyce smiled at her husband's avoidance of the word boyfriend. It was a start, even if he had a way to go.

"Yes." She said, patting his shoulder before returning to her seat. "I happen to be very fond of policeman." She gave him a wink and Tom threw back his head laughing.

"I'll always be grateful for that." He said, giving her a loving look.