Page 2 of Joy’s Homecoming

“I wish I knew. So far, the book has been no help at all.”

“In that case, I probably won’t be borrowing it,” she chuckled.

I pulled up my knees and laid my cheek on them so I could look at her as she pulled up a milk crate to sit down beside me.

“Do you want to talk?”

“Not really,” I admitted. “But I need to.”

Why did I feel like crying?

“I feel like a failure. Almost four years ago, I left for London with big dreams, and everything went wrong. I came home with my tail between my legs and immediately moved to Nashville. I thought a big city where nobody knew me would fix everything. But I’m just existing… not living.”

“You’ve never told anyone what happened. Do you want to tell me now?” she quietly asked.

I shook my head and swiped at one lone tear that had escaped.

“I understand. There were some things I only shared with your great-great-grandfather. He knew all my secrets, and I knew his.”

I couldn’t imagine sharing what had happened. Not when it would mean that my brothers and parents would keep me locked in my room until I was forty because they’d be so worried about me.

“Joy?”

I looked up.

“Can you tell me why you're still in Nashville?”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

She brushed flour out of my hair, and we both laughed. “Sugar, you're living small in Nashville.”

My head jerked up. I couldn’t have been more surprised if she’d hit me over the head with a two-by-four. She read my expression right and started talking.

“I’m not saying city life is small. For some people, it's exactly right. They thrive on the energy, the anonymity, the endless possibilities. But you? You're not thriving, sugar. You're hiding in a different way. This time, instead of hiding in my library, you're hiding in a city full of strangers.”

I was still frowning.

She continued. “Some people need to leave home to find themselves. But sometimes, sugar, you need to come home to remember who you are. Not to stay stuck, but to rebuild from a place of strength.”

Strength, that was a laugh. Like I would ever feel strong again. I looked up, and Little Grandma was giving me a shrewd glance.

“Or is it something else? Are you scared, Joy?”

I felt a tear drip down my cheek.

“Ah, Sugar, I always knew there was something bad that happened in London.” She paused as she wiped my eyes. “But answer me this. Do you have a reason to be scared here in Jasper Creek?”

The question stopped me. Stunned me. I wasn’t. Not one little bit. It wasn’t just because I had my dad and brothers here. It was because it was Jasper Creek. The people here would always rally around me and take care of me. I felt my heart lighten. But then…

“But I can't come crawling back to Jasper Creek. Everyone will think I failed.”

“So what? Since when did my Joy let fear of what others think stop her from doing what's right for her soul?”

Something cracked open in my chest, not breaking exactly, but like a window being forced open after being painted shut. I sucked in a deep breath that smelled of flour, but it filled my lungs for the first time in ages. But then familiar panic flared, and my throat choked up. “Little Grandma—” I started hoarsely.

She held up her hand with a glint in her blue eyes.

Ah shit. I knew that look.