I hit the phone button on my steering wheel—I would never again take having my own car for granted—and said, “Well, hello. Have you called to beg me to come work for you?”

I don’t know how I pulled off such a cocky tone when I was feeling so low.

He laughed. “Something like that.”

“Seriously?” This could be an answered prayer.

“I’m really calling to ask you if you’ve heard of the Capstone Fund.”

I racked my brain. “Is that Dan Isaacs’s fund?”

“Yeah.”

“I mean, yeah. I’ve heard of it, but I’m not, like, up to date on it or anything.”

“Do you know if Bill invested with Dan?”

I blew out my breath, trying to exhale the butterflies filling my stomach. They were in-between butterflies, butterflies of thinking something either really great or really horrible is coming next and not being sure which. “I honestly don’t know, Bradley. But I know he and Dan are friends, so I would think it’s highly possible. Why?”

Please be good news. Please be good news.

“Look,” he said, “I don’t even know if this is true. But I’ve heard rumblings today that the SEC has launched an investigation into them.”

“But, like, a secret investigation?”

“For now, yeah. But I’m just wondering if Bill was caught up with them if there are dots to connect there.”

Please, Lord, let this be their fault and not his.

Bill had already called me today, using twenty of his phone minutes instead of ten. So I couldn’t be sure if he would call tomorrow. I needed to ask him, but I didn’t know when that would happen. There was no way I could go see him tomorrow either. My day was slammed and, as much as I missed my husband, I couldn’t risk losing this job. So, at the stoplight, I texted Oliver: Capstone Fund.

“I so, so hope you’re right, Bradley. I’ll get his attorney to look into it.”

“Okay, but this did not come from me. I shouldn’t even know about this.”

“Of course,” I said. “And I am so appreciative of you putting yourself on the line for me like this.”

“For you,” he said. “Not Sitterly. I still can’t stand him, to be clear.”

I smiled. “Crystal clear.”

“Oh, and, Char?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m calling to tell you that I’ve asked around, and if you still need a job, I think I can give you one.”

“I’m sorry. What? Really?”

“Yeah. No one thinks you had anything to do with this.” He cleared his throat. “Charlotte, you didn’t, did you?”