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herself feel something? He hadn’t seemed interested in her beyond bandaging her toe…but there was that kiss… She shook her head, troubled by her own naivety.
    ***
    The exterior door clicked shut. Its sound carried down the hallway. The silence magnified the empty building. So she was a Lindsay? Could it be…but no, how could it? He hadn’t even thought about the last name when he’d seen her résumé. But after meeting her in person, she triggered his memory.
    Caleb pulled up the article on Google. It was old news, but the basic facts would still be there. William Lindsay. He had died in an automobile accident in autumn 1994.
    Caleb hesitated but dialed the phone anyway. Three rings later…
    “Hey, bro?” Mike answered.
    Caleb had told Mike about Corrine and how he finally ended it, but he hadn’t been around enough to make a call out of the blue seem normal. Even the details of why things ended with Corrine were vague, but Mike hadn’t seemed to care about the reason for the split. He never cared for her as it was.
    “What’s up?”
    “Well, I just wanted to call and let you know that I met Lexi. Or rather, met her again. I was the one who helped her at the BMV…”
    “Lexi told Ashley about that. So that was you? Wow. So how did she do at work?”
    Caleb omitted his personal thoughts. What if William was her father? “She seemed like she’ll fit in fine here. I wondered about her parents though. You said that she was from here originally?” Did he seem overly interested? He rubbed his forehead as he listened. Tension pushed from behind his eyes.
    “Oh man… She’s lost both of her parents. Her dad died when she was little, and her mom passed away in the spring. Don’t you remember me telling you this?” Of course Mike had said it before, but that was before Lexi had a face in his mind. Before there was a reason to care about her life story.
    “That’s terrible. Do you know what her father’s name was, by any chance?” This had to sound prodding, but how else would he find out?
    “It’s on the tip of my tongue. Let me think… I think Ashley said he was called Billy. So would that make him a William?”
    Suspicion confirmed. Caleb’s heart pounded, and his palms were slick with sweat. “Thanks, Mike. Listen. I’ve got to finish up here, but we should get together soon.” His voice cracked, but he hoped that his mock enthusiasm would suffice.
    “Okay! Talk to you soon then.” The call ended. Caleb sat back with his eyes closed. What now? William Lindsay of all people.
    ***
    Lexi’s second day of work was a letdown from the moment she arrived. As she scanned the parking lot, there was a palpable void, which was Caleb’s missing SUV. She made her way to the reception area and asked Linda when he would be in. Unfortunately, the friendlier Yvette wasn’t in yet, so Lexi did her best with Linda.
    “Is he well?” Lexi tried to sound casual, but there was an edge to her voice. Even though Caleb had showed no real interest in her, she still wanted him around. It’d be impossible to justify her feelings; the pull between Caleb and her wasn’t something she’d admit.
    “I’m sure he’s fine. He will be back on Monday,” Linda said. She turned back to her computer and proceeded to type.
    Lexi took the hint and wandered to her office. Something was off with Caleb. Had to be. He hadn’t mentioned anything about this yesterday, and since she’d monopolized so much of his time, it should have come up at least once. Lexi’s stomach tightened.
    Maybe he was with Corrine. The memory of the overheard phone conversation surfaced, and that only made it likelier that he’d be with her. Lexi stared blankly at her computer screen. Had she done something that offended him in some way? Nothing came to mind. She logged into the computer system and began her data entry. Lexi was slow and clumsy. Linda had helped her through the programs that she would have to learn, but it would be mostly trial and