“I never said that.” Joy holds back a reluctant sigh. “For the record, I do get ‘turned on’ in a manner of speaking. Attraction has nothing to do with my libido. She wants what she wants when she wants it, no outside influence required, if you catch my drift. A few days before my period, it gets rough.”

“What do you do? Just wait it out?”

“Pfft, no.” Masturbation is a biological wonder. Sometimes, it could be so good it would clear up a migraine. “Why suffer when masturbation exists?”

Fox suddenly says, “I’m going to the kitchen, anybody want anything?” and doesn’t stop to wait for an answer. He doesn’t even stop in the kitchen, walking straight past it.

“Oops,” Summer says, with a tiny laugh. “Fox is a little, um, conservative. Very modest.”

“We made him uncomfortable?” Malcolm asks, voice thick with disbelief.

“Probably.” Summer takes the remote from him and presses play.

Meanwhile, Joy is devastated, feeling completely horrified. Fox lied. She’d (rightfully) made such a big deal about boundaries and flowers and within thirty seconds of him giving her carte blanche, she makes him uncomfortable. She turns back to the TV, trying to pay attention to the movie and not her racing thoughts. Her breathing is too fast, her chest aches, and regret won’t stop pummeling her. Fox had been sitting right next to her—how come she didn’t notice his uneasiness?

Joy endures five more unbearable minutes before leaving to go find him.

Eleven

The front door is mysteriously cracked open. Joy spots Fox through the window next to it, sitting on the porch swing.

“Hey, hey.” She aims for casual while lingering in the doorway. “In the mood for company?”

“Sure.”

One-word answer, and it’s like a stab in the heart.

Joy sits down, leaving a good amount of space between them. The temperature has dropped some, but the warm summer air is still winning. “So. About earlier.”

“What about it?” He glances at her before turning back to the stars.

How conservative is conservative? The nudity was probably too much. Should she use euphemisms? She didn’t want to risk upsetting him again by accident.

“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” Joy focuses on the sky too. Country dark is truly a sight to behold. The moon, stars, and constellations—everything so clear and close. “I, um, had to learn how to be, um, detached and, um, blunt, in conversations like that as a defense mechanism, you know? A sort of get them before they get you. Make fun of yourself before they can do it kind of situation.”

“Okay.”