Joe threw his head back. “Uh..uh...M..Mrs. Shaw,” he began.

“Serena,” she said softly pulling his head back down.

“No,” he said.

“Your mouth may say no but you aren’t putting up any resistance,” she said, her tongue teasing the corner of his mouth.

“I didn’t want to get oil all over you,” Joe objected, his blue eyes showing more concern than anxiety.

“Oh,” Mrs. Shaw said releasing Joe and stepping back. “I...I..” she started to say something she thought was amusing but when she began sobbing instead she turned and raced from the garage.

Worried, Joe dropped the rag he had been going to use and hurried after her. “Mrs. Shaw,” he said, catching up to her. “It’s going to be okay,” he said a bit lamely.

She shook her head but did not turn around to look at him. She hadn’t really meant to try and seduce Joe. She just thought that since her husband had found someone else that if she did then she would feel better. Joe just happened to be there, alone. She was so ashamed.

“Please leave,” she whispered, her shoulders shaking.

“No,” Joe refused, putting his hand on her shoulder and spinning her around. “Look, I’m no good at this, I will admit,” he said. “But it’s obvious you’re hurt and upset. You didn’t want to do anything any more than I did. I know that. It’s okay. I won’t ever tell anyone, I promise but...” he added, taking her chin and lifting it so he could look into her bright green eyes. “But, you can’t keep your emotions bottled up. Sometimes it helps to talk about what’s bothering you.”

Mrs. Shaw looked at him without really seeing him. She sniffed but never tried to pull away. “Oh Joe!” she burst out continuing to sob. “I m.m.miss Robert s.so much,” she wailed, burying her face in his chest.

Joe held her while she cried having no idea how to comfort the distraught woman. How do you tell someone they are better off without someone they love even though that person no longer loves them?

Half an hour later, Mrs. Shaw leaned away from Joe wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. “I..I’m sorry,” she apologized, her voice no louder than a whisper.

“Don’t be,” Joe told her, giving her a warm smile. “You needed that, I’m sure.”

Mrs. Shaw nodded her head. “I really made a fool of myself in the garage,” she said, blushing.

Joe grinned. “It was flattering,” he said. “But I understood you were upset and weren’t really yourself.”

“How did you get to be so wise?” she asked, tilting her head and looking at him with a bit of wonder. He was so much more mature than she had ever given him credit for.

“Experience?” Joe suggested with a shrug as his face clouded over.

“Iola?” Mrs. Shaw asked, her voice quiet as she took his hand in hers. “You really loved her, didn’t you?”

“More than life itself,” acknowledged Joe, his smile turning sad as his eyes became a bit unfocused. “But it gets easier,” he said, squeezing her hand before she released his.

“Promise?” she pleaded.

Joe nodded. “Oh, look,” he said, mortified. “I got you covered in oil!”

Mrs. Shaw laughed, the sound tinkling and cheerful. Joe really knew how to lift her spirits. And Callie doesn’t like him better than Frank? she asked herself in wonder. Frank was always so polite and serious. “You aren’t much better,” she said. “Look, Robert left some clothes in the basement that I haven’t gotten around to getting rid of. I haven’t washed them but at least they are cleaner than what you are wearing now so if you would like to go upstairs and shower you can change into those clothes,” she offered.

“Oh, I couldn’t,” Joe refused, balking at the offer of taking Mr. Shaw’s clothes.

“Please?” she begged. “I...I just can’t seem to throw them away but they are a constant reminder and I really would like them gone.”

“All right,” Joe finally agreed. He waited for Mrs. Shaw to retrieve the clothing from the basement and then followed her upstairs to the master bedroom.

“The towels are in the cabinet behind the door,” she told him. “Just take your time and I’ll grab some clean clothes and change in Callie’s room.” She opened her closet and took out a clean pair of jeans and shirt then left the room, closing the door behind her.

While Joe showered, Mrs. Shaw changed clothes then took the soiled items downstairs and dumped them in the laundry basket in the utility room. She heard a door slam and figured Callie and Frank had returned. She hurried out to greet them.

***

“I’ll see if Joe is still in the garage,” Frank said, pulling the van to a stop in the back of the Shaw’s house.

“Okay,” Callie agreed. “I’ll see you inside. I want to make sure I did leave my bracelet in mom’s room last night. I so hope I didn’t lose it.”

As Frank headed toward the garage, Callie raced inside and up the stairs to her mother’s bedroom. She opened the door and froze, her eyes widening in shock as the bathroom door opened and out stepped a freshly showered Joe Hardy.

The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The Hardy Boys Fan Fiction authors of the Hardy Detective Agency have just borrowed them for an adventure or two. The authors promise to put the boys back when they are done with them. The authors do claim copyright to the original characters in this story. Please do not borrow original characters without express permission of the authors.