They sat in silence for a minute, and even the lack of conversation felt soothing. She felt no urge to fill up the quiet with words. With Blackie, she could just be.

After retrieving her purse, she got up and walked into his kitchen to put her glass in the sink. The space was tidy and polished, but he had a rack of pots and pans above the gas cooking range and appliances on the counter that told her he didn’t always eat out. “I love your apartment,” she told him. “It suits you.”

He pushed to his feet and strode toward the island. “I’ll have you up for dinner some night. I fix a pretty decent steak.”

She met his gaze. “I’ll hold you to that offer, but first I want to serve you a meal at my place to thank you for holding on to my grandmother’s ring.” She patted her handbag. “I can scarcely believe I actually have it back. Most pawnbrokers would have sold it and banked the profit without a second thought.”

He nodded. “Yeah, well, I’m a sentimental old man, I guess. Work or business can’t be all about making money. At least not for me. I’d rather sleep well at night, and I can’t do that if I stop caring about the people who walk through my shop door.”

Julie understood precisely what he meant. Every once in a while an older person on a fixed income would visit the Morning Grind and order only a cup of coffee. She liked to pretend she had a bargain hour, the time for which she changed as the situation dictated, and her cinnamon rolls or donuts were suddenly only a quarter apiece. It did her heart good to see an elderly woman or man order a treat to accompany a hot drink. And when she thought about her day as she fell asleep that night, she could smile because she’d brought a little joy into someone else’s life.

“You’re a good man, Blackie.” She stepped around the counter and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’m going to enjoy wearing my grandma’s ring now. On my right hand, of course, like a dinner ring.”

He inclined his head. “It’ll look beautiful on you.”

Chapter Six

After leaving Blackie’s apartment, Julie went home and spent forty minutes watering all her deck and porch plants. Her automatic sprinkler system took care of her lawns and gardens. Having that chore programmed automatically allowed her to expend her energy on weeding, trimming, and mowing.

When she finished her chores outdoors, she entered the house, wondering as she crossed the living room/dining room combo and entered the kitchen what Blackie would think of her decorating efforts. Her home definitely sported a more feminine touch, but she’d tried not to overdo it. Stepping over to the fridge, which looked pathetically small compared to Blackie’s, she grabbed another beer, poured it into a glass, and returned to the living area, where she kicked off her shoes and sprawled on a gray easy chair with her legs draped over one cushiony arm. After savoring only one sip of ale, which didn’t taste as good as the special brew Blackie had served her, she plucked her cell phone from her pocket and speed-dialed Erin, who was working the day shift this week and got off at three.