“Oh, good. I’m running out.”

“And you can’t do laundry here, the washer’s being a pain. Do it at your apartment.”

“The laundry room charges two bucks!”

“Not my problem.” Lex walked back into the kitchen.

Her gaze fell on the stack of plates and cups in the sink. She turned around to shout back into the living room. “And wash your dishes before you leave tonight!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“I mean it!”

“Dad dirtied dishes too.”

“And Dad’s usually the one who washes yours! Wash your own dishes tonight!”

“Is it that time of the month?”

“I don’t have to cook for you on Sunday, you know.”

Richard’s groan meant he’d do the dishes. Pizza and Chinese takeout got old fast for a bachelor living by himself.

Lex sat at the table again and touched the trackpad.

Nothing. The mouse arrow didn’t move.

“No! No no no no no!”

“Whatcha doing?” Richard sauntered into the kitchen and sat in the chair next to her. His arm brushed hers, and she twitched away.

“Résumé. At least, I was until the computer froze.” She tried a few keystrokes.

“You finally quit from Pear?”

“Not yet.” Lex glowered at the unchanging screen.

“Which company is this for?”

Lex pounded a key over and over. “SPZ.”

“Whoa! Doing what? I’m the programmer – I should be the one applying.”

Lex shot him a wicked look. “Oh, you’d be perfect for the position.” She did a hard restart of the laptop.

He knew her too well. His excited expression shifted to guarded and wary. “What position? Lemme guess. Janitor?”

“No, this is more in your line, since you’re so chaaahming.” Lex fluttered nonexistent lashes like his most recent psycho ex-girlfriend had done.

Richard closed his eyes and exhaled low in his throat. “Give it up already. She went back to China. What’s the position for?”

“Receptionist.”

Richard coughed. “You? Receptionist? Miss I-don’t-want-to-hear-your-problems?”

“Hey, it’s at SPZ, baby! And I can’t stay at Pear anymore.”

“You’re finally admitting it? You’ve been keeping your goodChristian-girl stiff upper lip for two years.”

“Can you not knock my faith for just one second?”

“Okay, okay. So what’s making you think of quitting?”

“The Gorgon admin. Cari the Princess. The Gossip Twins. Everett the Super Swine. Jerry the Drunk.”

“You do nothing but monku-monku-monku about those people. The difference today was…?”

Lex didn’t want to relive the horror. “I realized I’d never want to meet anyone those people knew.”

“Meet? What?” Richard’s slashing brows met above his stern nose.

Uh, oh. Her big mouth. Much as she loved Richard, no way could she tell him about Grandma’s ultimatum. “I was going to ask for the names of real-estate agents they’ve used, but they were so impossible that I realized I didn’t want their recommendations. Then Chester called, and I thought, ‘I should just quit and work someplace I’d actually want to be.’ ”

“It’s a pay cut, right?”

“But think about it. It’s SPZ. The single largest sports presence on the net. It’s like the iPod of the sports world. How much better can you get?”

“Something besides a receptionist position that pays less than nothing.”

“You’re thinking too negatively. I’ll be surrounded by sports all day. I’ll be in Nirvana.”

“While answering phones and talking to stupid people?”

Richard knew her too well. “Maybe I can get promoted or transferred. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I could work there. They hardly ever hire new blood, and I don’t have the skill set, but here’s my chance.”

Richard glanced at the rebooted computer. “You wanted a real-estate agent? You can’t move out if you’re working for minimum wage. Not in the Bay Area, anyway.”

True… “But I have some saved up. If I live a few more months with Dad, I’ll have enough for a down payment. And I’ll rent out a room – lots of people do.”

“I know a real-estate agent.”

“Oh?”

Richard flashed that famous grin, the one that made women flock to him like cats to an ahi steak. “He’s your type too.”

“No th – ” The disgusted refusal came automatically, but then Lex remembered what had changed in her crazy life. Namely, Grandma’s claws. “Well… okay.”

Richard’s eyebrows disappeared under his four-hundred-dollar sculpted haircut. “Really?”

Hastily, “Well, I don’t have any other recommendations.”

His eyes narrowed, and a smirk made his dimples flash. “For a real-estate agent, or a date?”

“Shut up.”

Richard smiled.

George had a face like an Asian Backstreet Boy – clean-cut, good-looking, with that indefinable sparkle-charm. A hint of sexy.

“Nice to meet you.” Lex dropped his hand like a hot cup of tea, opening and closing her fingers. She still couldn’t get used to even professional touches by strange men.

He didn’t get the hint. His other hand landed on her shoulder -meant to be a reassuring gesture, but she became as skittish as a racehorse. Get your hand off me.

“I’ve got some great condos that you’ll fall in love with.” George finally dropped his arm when Lex took a giant step back.

“Let’s go see them.”

“I’ll drive.” He gestured with pride to his gleaming Lexus SUV.

“I’ll follow you in my car.”

As she looked at condos, Lex felt like Goldilocks, except without little Junior Bear to lend her his chair and porridge and bed.

The first condo was too far away – not from her current workplace, but if she got the job at SPZ, it would be more than an hour’s drive.

The second place had an astronomical price tag – not too bad on her current salary, but it would take 130 percent of a minimum-wage paycheck. And Lex would have a hard time hiding her potential job switcheroo plans, at least until the loan application came through.

The third house was a dump labeled as a “fixer-upper” -affordable on a receptionist’s salary, but she’d be eating ramen noodles every day for a couple years. Plus, it had that ratty air of a place that would start to fall apart as soon as she breathed her first sigh as the legitimate owner.

“Well, that’s all I have for today.” George walked her out to her rusted bucket, looking forlorn next to his hulking Lexus.

“Thanks, George. I appreciate you taking me to these places.” Even though I can’t afford most of these houses if I quit, but if I tell you I’m going to quit, you and the loan officer are going to abandon me faster than a smoking Pinto.

“Are you going home now?” George leaned against her car frame. Her Honda gave a sighing creak.

Weird question for an agent. “Uh… yeah.”

“I wondered if you’d like to go out to dinner with me tonight.”

Whoa, momma! Did he just ask for a real date? He didn’t go the safer, less committed “Give me your email address” route that most engineers in Silicon Valley took. Not even the Starbucks coffee-hour option. Full-blown dinner. You landed yourself a winner, toots.

She should have hurled herself in his arms. Instead, she hesitated. Dark memories wove on the edges of her mind. Her gut clenched for only a moment, then released.

No, you’re bigger than that. You can do this. The volleyball girls needed her. Grandma wouldn’t win.

“I’d love dinner, George. Where?”