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women. Sidetracking the topic of employment, Ben said. “Agatha told me you were working on a car in the garage when the fire started. Can I ask what it is?”
    Theo’s posture loosened. “An ‘82 Corvette.” He smiled.
    Ben’s heart seized in his chest. “Nice. Which model?”
    “A 350 Crossfire.”
    Ben raised his eyebrows. “Excellent.”
    “She’s a four-speed.”
    Ben whistled. “I never understood why they put automatic transmissions in those.”
    “Me neither.”
    “What color is she?” Ben asked.
    “Green with black interior.”
    “Ah. I remember when I was your age. I lived to drive my ‘61 Corvair. She was a four-speed too.”
    Theo’s eyes flashed an unreadable emotion. “You had a ‘61 Corvair?”
    “She was baby blue, and I called her—” Ben looked around as if he were about to bestow a national secret, “—you can’t tell anyone this, not even your mom, okay?”
    “Sure.” Theo leaned closer.
    “Venus.”
    “Like the planet?”
    “No. Venus, the Goddess of Love.” Ben smiled remembering his fondness for the car. “Does your ‘Vette have a name?”
    “Don’t want to get too close to her. I’m planning on selling her once I’m done fixing her up.”
    “Ah.” Good hobby, Ben thought. Expensive hobby.
    “Actually,” Theo hesitated, “I call her Matty.”
    “Matty?”
    Theo studied at his feet. “My first girlfriend when I was in the sixth grade. Well, not even my girlfriend. I just had a crush on her, and then her family moved away.” He glanced up.
    “A tribute then?”
    “Nothing that deep. I figured this car will move away too. Kind of works.”
    “So you like fixing up classic cars?”
    “Yeah. I want to turn it into a business. I think I could be an entrepreneur like Mom.”
    “Like your mom?”
    “She owns Hot Diggitys.” Theo smiled.
    A spike of shame for his earlier judgment humbled Ben. Entrepreneur fit. “I didn’t realize.”
    “Yep.”
    Ben wished he could stop his mental missteps. “How’s Matty run?”
    “She doesn’t. Not yet anyway. I rescued her from the junkyard for fifty bucks. Her body’s in decent shape, but the engine was blown. I’ve been replacing parts, but haven’t had any luck. I’m rebuilding the starter on Monday.”
    “Impressive undertaking.”
    “Thanks.”
    Ben wondered if the choice to rebuild versus replace had to do with money. The thought landed him squarely in his guilt minefield.
    “Maybe I could help you with her. I’ve got experience working on older cars.”
    Theo squinted then shook his head no. “That’s okay.”
    “Theo!”
    The voice came from behind, and Ben pivoted. A tanned, broad-shouldered man jogged toward them. He wore a white T-shirt with the sleeves cut off and a pair of shiny red shorts. He had well-toned, muscled arms and a layer of sweat glistened on his face.
    “Hey Seth,” Theo waved.
    Once Seth got closer, he swung a hand out. Theo caught it and shook hardily. Ben’s chest tightened at seeing their friendship and an intense dislike for Seth came over him. Blond-haired and blue-eyed, Ben judged Seth’s age to be close to his own. The man seemed familiar prompting Ben to wonder if they’d gone to high school together.
    “Everything okay here?” Seth asked Theo. “You looked a little tense.”
    “Fine,” Theo said.
    “I’m Ben Smiley.” Ben offered his hand. Using his old name conjured more memories.
    Seth gave Ben the once-over as he gripped his hand with more force than necessary. “Seth Drivoul.”
    “You seem familiar, but I can’t place you,” Ben said.
    Seth grinned. “I played Alex in After Midnight .”
    “Oh, the TV show?”
    Seth nodded.
    “That must be it.” Ben didn’t watch much television, but he’d heard of the show. After Midnight had been a long-running TV series about teen vampires. It had run over ten years and had a cult-like following. Ben recalled Seth’s face covering the tabloids many years back. He’d fallen from favor for some reason Ben