Joy's Valentine by Destiny Wallace Page A

into the café.  He was tall, 6’4”, with broad shoulders and a lean build.  His chestnut brown hair had grown out a bit since they’d met.  Two months ago his hair had been a bit long, falling into his bright green eyes.  Currently, he kept it slicked straight back and tucked behind his ears.  Eli was also handsome; his jaw was square, his nose straight and narrow, and a full, pink mouth. 
    He smiled at Joy and slipped off the coat as he approached the table. Under the coat was a custom-made Brooks Brother’s suit.
    “Oh. My. God.”
    Joy turned back to her sister. Marla finished reapplying her coral pink lipstick and her let her mouth hang open as she stared at Eli.
    “Shut your mouth. You look like a fish,” Joy said, a perfect imitation of their mother.
    Marla glared at her and slid out of the booth just as Eli reached their table. No doubt so he could get a good look at just how short her skirt was.
    “Hi,” Marla cooed as she extended her hand, “I’m Marla, Joy’s sister. You must be Eli.”
    Eli nodded. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
    Marla just nodded, not releasing his hand. “Please excuse me,” she said, “I was just on my way to the ladies room.” She released her grip and sauntered away.
    Joy noted the extra swish in her sister’s hips as she walked. An image of slapping Marla so hard her head did a 180 and stuck that way flashed in Joy’s mind for a split second.
    “Hey,” Eli said sliding into the booth next to her, “get over here and warm me up.”
    Joy blushed but slid closer to him. She sighed contently as he put his heavy arm over her shoulders. “How’s work?” she asked.
    “Interesting,” Eli said before stealing a sip of her coffee.
    “Really?”
    “Very,” Eli said. He slid the cup back in front of her. “My boss offered me his condo in Florida for the holiday.”
    Joy gazed up at him, confused. “What holiday?”
    “Valentine’s Day,” said Eli with a chuckle.
    “Oh.” Joy blushed. She’d managed to completely block Valentine’s Day from her personal calendar after years of having no need for the commercial holiday.
    “So, what do you say? Can I tell Mr. Pitman that we’d love to use it?”
    “Sure,” Joy said with a shrug.
    Eli started to speak again but at that moment Marla returned.
    “Sorry about that,” she said, not even pretending to address Joy as she stared at Eli.
    He smiled. Joy frowned. “That’s okay. We were just about to leave,” Eli said, slipping his arm off Joy’s shoulders. “We just decided to go out of town for the weekend and I want to take your sister shopping for some new things for the trip.”
    It was Joy’s turn to look like a fish. She blinked at Eli until he stood to put on his coat. Then, her brain kicked in and she slid out of the booth. Eli helped her with her coat and grabbed her coffee.
    “I’ll call you,” she said to Marla before they hurried out onto the busy street. She would have given anything to see Marla’s face as they walked away, but she wouldn’t give her sister the satisfaction of looking back.

    “That’s perfect,” Eli said as he reclined on the bright red circle that served as a seat in the area just outside the dressing rooms. He’d rushed her into the tiny boutique two blocks from the coffee shop. Joy had been hesitant to choose anything since all the price tags had at least three numbers before the decimal, but Eli beckoned a sales girl over and begged her assistance.  The tiny blonde girl gazed at Joy’s body for a full minute before abandoning them.
    “I don’t think anything in here will fit me,” Joy whispered to Eli after the woman disappeared.
    He shook his head and smiled. To her surprise the sales girl returned with an armload of clothes, set up a dressing room, and waited patiently to critique each piece with Eli.
    Joy did a quick spin, making the full skirt on the maroon cocktail dress swoosh. She put her hands on her hips, noting how the gold belt made her waist