There were oak desks and swivel chairs, all vintage. Two brand-new computers were on the floor, still in sealed boxes. “Is it safe to leave those here?” she asked.

“The security system will be hooked up this afternoon,” he said, sitting down in one of the swivel chairs. His leg would eventually heal completely, but he still needed to stay off it as much as possible.

Before the accident, he would have pulled her into his lap and had his hands all over her. Today, he was all business, in a scattershot, easily distracted way. It was clear to those who knew him that his mind functioned differently now. Whether the personality change was permanent was an open question.

For that reason, she had avoided the subject of a separation. Bobby Joe had yet to bring it up since he’d left the hospital, where he’d mentioned it to Parr that one time in private and then apparently forgotten all about it.

He used the cane to spin the chair around, smiling with satisfaction, master of his little domain. Did Bobby Joe even know how much Parr had done to jump-start the business in his absence? She sort of doubted it. At least Parr wasn’t around to confirm or deny anything—he’d gone to Atlanta for some reason he hadn’t chosen to reveal.

Mary Beth took the other chair. There was something else they needed to discuss: exactly how he planned to run the office by himself. She didn’t want to be enlisted for that, not when the two months she had off every year—a major benefit of being a school social worker—had started. The long leave she’d taken to help care for Bobby Joe and Alma had flowed into the beginning of summer almost before she’d been aware of it.

“Which desk is yours?” she asked.

“The big one.”

She pressed her lips together for a couple of seconds, not wanting to say something tactless that might tick him off. Besides being impulsive, Bobby Joe was quick to take offense. “Have you given any thought to hiring office help?”

“Sure have.”

Okay. Maybe he was more on it than she’d thought. “That’s wise. I know it’s possible to go it alone in real estate, but why would you want to?”

“Parr recommended looking for someone with Gail’s qualifications. I could use an assistant with that level of experience.”

Mary Beth gave a reluctant nod. “I don’t doubt it. Maybe she knows a likely candidate.”

“Not around here. But I’ll give her a call, ask for some tips.”