Rather than take the chair like he always did, Simon joined me on the couch. It felt more personal, and I wondered if it was intentional, like he wanted to soften the blow of telling me my place of employment was about to burst into a giant ball of financial failure flame. “So?” I finally asked.

“So,” he began, but then a knock sounded on my door, interrupting him. We both looked to the door.

“Sorry,” I said. “I’m not expecting anyone. Just give me a minute.”

I crossed the office and opened the door to a man I’d never seen before. Actually, not quite a man. More like a man-boy. He could have been twenty, but had he told me he was still in high school, I would have believed him. “Hi. Are you Lane?”

My suspicions were instantly raised. Eager. Fresh-faced. Super clean-cut. I was almost afraid to admit my identity for fear of what I knew was coming next. “Yes, I’m Lane.”

He fidgeted, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, pushing his hands into his pockets, then pulling them out again. “I’m sorry. I . . . this is really awkward. The woman at the front desk told me I could come back to your office.”

“It’s fine. What can I do for you?” I probably should have invited him in, but if I was right about where the conversation was headed, he wasn’t going to be hanging around long.

“Well, I’m Jason.” He extended his hand, which I shook. “I, um, so I met your grandmother on my mission. I got home a few weeks ago, and she suggested I look you up.” He closed his eyes and gave his head a slight shake. “Did that sound as stupid to you as it did in my head?”

Poor guy. He wasn’t the first victim of my grandmother’s scheming. “It didn’t sound stupid.”

He perked up. I didn’t want to encourage him, but he’d made quite the effort. To be carelessly dismissive didn’t feel right either. “She said she would mention me to you?” he said, his voice still hopeful.

I grimaced. “She didn’t mention you. I’m sorry, Jason. Do you want to come in a minute?”

He followed me into my office, where I introduced him to Simon. I’m not sure how much Simon had overheard, but I could tell he was enjoying watching the entire scene play out.

It took about three sentences of explanation for Jason to recognize my not-so-interested status.

And my almost-twenty-six status.

And my I-might-disown-my-grandmother status.