“Perfect. Keep going. Do your parents suck?” She covered her mouth. “Oh my hell, they’re not dead, are they?”

I squirmed in my seat. “Um…no. I had a normal childhood. My parents love me and each other. I’m an only child.”

Val sighed. “Thank Christ. I might as well ask the next offensive question.”

“No, I wasn’t adopted,” I droned. “Lindy is Irish. My mother is Japanese.”

“Is your dad a ginger?” She smirked.

I glared at her. “You only get two offensive questions on the first day.”

“Continue,” she conceded.

“I graduated with honors. I was dating a guy. It didn’t work out,” I said, tired of my own story. “No drama. Our breakup was just as boring as our relationship.”

“How long?”

“Was I with Jackson? Seven years.”

“Seven years. No ring?”

“Kind of,” I said, making a face.

“Ah. You’re married to the job. Betty Bureau.”

“So was he.”

Val puffed out a laugh. “You were dating an agent?”

“Yes. He was SWAT.”

“Even worse. How did you live with him for that long? How did he handle coming in second place for that long?”

I shrugged. “He loved me.”

“But you gave back the ring. You didn’t love him?”

I shrugged again, taking a bite. “Anything I should know about the office?” I asked.

Val smirked. “Changing the subject. Classic. Hmm…what you need to know about the office. Don’t piss off Maddox. He’s the Assistant Special Agent in Charge.”

“So I’ve heard,” I said, brushing my hands against each other to wipe off the salt.

“All the way in Chicago?”

I nodded.

“It’s justifiable gossip. He is a huge, gigantic, enormous asshole. You’ll see tomorrow morning at the meeting.”

“He’ll be there?” I asked.

She nodded. “He will tell you that you’re worthless as an agent even if you’re the best of the best just so he can observe your performance when your confidence has been crushed.”

“I can handle it. What else?”

“Agent Sawyer is a slut. Stay away from him. And Agent Davies is, too. Stay away from her.”

“Oh,” I said, processing her words. “I don’t see myself engaging in interoffice relations after the debacle that was Jackson.”

Val smiled. “I have firsthand knowledge of both…so you should stay away from me, too.”

I frowned. “Is anyone here safe to hang out with?”

“Maddox,” she said. “He has mommy issues, and he was burned bad a while ago. He wouldn’t look at your tits if you flashed him.”

“So, he hates women.”

“No,” she said, looking off in thought. “He’s just sworn them off. Doesn’t want to get hurt again, I imagine.”

“I don’t care what is wrong with him. If what you say is true, I definitely don’t want to hang out with him.”

“You’ll do fine. Just do your job, and go on with your life.”