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and I started to wave back, but Stacy knocked my arm
down.
    “What was that for?” I knew I just met her, but Stacy didn’t come
across as rude until then.
    “Don’t encourage him.” Stacy seemed a little irritated. She
stopped suddenly, and I almost ran into the back of her. “Ryan is a nice guy,
but he uses that face,” she pointed back at him, “to get what he wants out of
women and never gives us anything in return.”
    “He sleeps with everyone here?” I couldn’t believe Matt would
allow that in a family company.
    “No! That would be what we want, and he keeps holding out on us.”
    I held my hand up. “Wait, I’m confused.”
    “Look, he’s just a little off. He could be playing professional
baseball, but instead he works here making a hell of a lot less. Who does
that?”
    “He must have a reason.” If Ryan had his own agenda for the way
he’s living his life, I certainly wasn’t one to judge. If it weren’t for the
possibility of finding my birth parents, I would never have left my home town,
either.
    “If he has one, he’s not telling. He just spends all of his time
at a group home, teaching those boys baseball.” Stacy misread my expression at
the mention of the group home. “Don’t look so nervous. All I’m saying is he’ll
get close to you and get you to do things for him like bake crap for his
baseball team or help him when he’s shorthanded, but he never dates anyone. He
needs a girlfriend for the crap he asks for.”
    I just looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. I knew I came
from a small town, but that’s what we did there. We helped each other and didn’t
expect dates or sex in return.
    “Oh, God, he’s found another one.” She started walking again as I
shook my head.
    ~*~
    “How’s it going so far?” Matt’s office was huge, but
inviting. It didn’t have all the cold furniture you’d normally expect to find
in the office of the owner. There was even an area with toys for small
children. I was just looking around and Matt started laughing. “I think I’ve
finally stumped you.”
    “I just didn’t expect this. You said it was a small company.” I
took the seat Matt offered.
    “It is a small company. I know I kind of gave the impression we
only had about twenty people working here, but that’s all you’ll really be
working with anyway.” Matt sat across from me at the table. “I didn’t want to
scare you away.”
    “Why haven’t I met your wife?” I’d been bothered all morning by
the same question. Stacy told everyone she introduced me to that I hadn’t met
the almighty wife yet—Vicki. Everyone was shocked, and I always got one of
three reactions when Stacy told them. Most of them either said, “Really?” or
had the silent raised-eyebrows look. A couple of people said my personal
favorite: “How’d you manage that?”
    Matt’s face grew serious for a moment and then he smiled. “I’m
glad you haven’t lost that directness of yours in the move. I told you she’s
been out of the office for a little while. Why are you asking about her?”
    “I heard you don’t hire office positions without her, and I didn’t
even know the woman’s name while everyone was wondering what I did to get the
position without her approval.”
    “You’re a great artist on paper and on the computer. We need
those skills to complete our ads and make them come to life. There’s nothing
beyond that to worry about. My wife, Victoria, or Vicki as we call her, has
already seen your work and agreed you’d be perfect before I met with you. She
actually wanted to come with me for the interview, but I talked her out of it
since she wouldn’t have approved of the diner. And yes, she knows what I ate
that day, and I’m not asking you to lie for me.”
    I felt as though I offended him somehow, and I really didn’t mean
to. I just didn’t like being the reason for office gossip, and apparently this was
a big deal. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend