Part 2 — Barbara Had Already Figured Him Out
The flirting continued.
One evening, Barbara returned from dinner with a few friends.
Ryan immediately appeared from his room.
“You’re back.”
Barbara smiled politely. “Apparently.”
“I was wondering if you’d like some company.”
“I have a book.”
“I could read with you.”
Barbara looked at him for a long moment.
“You don’t read, Ryan.”
He laughed.
“You don’t know everything about me.”
“I’ve known you since you were twelve.”
That ended the conversation.
But Ryan didn’t give up.
A few days later, I found him standing in the kitchen holding two coffee mugs.
He handed one to Barbara.
“Made it exactly how you like it.”
Barbara stared at the cup.
“Black coffee.”
“Exactly.”
“You’ve never remembered how I take my coffee before.”
Ryan shrugged.
“I’m paying attention now.”
I nearly choked.
Barbara simply thanked him and walked away.
Later that night, she came into my room.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Of course.”
“Is Ryan always like this?”
I sighed.
“No.”
She sat on the edge of the bed.
“Then why is he suddenly acting like I’m the most fascinating woman he’s ever met?”
I didn’t answer.
I didn’t need to.
Barbara already knew.
“He thinks I’m wealthy,” she said quietly.
I looked at her.
“I’m afraid so.”
She smiled sadly.
“Don’t be embarrassed. You didn’t raise him to be this way.”
That sentence hurt because I wasn’t entirely sure it was true.
Ryan had been unemployed for almost a year.
He blamed the economy.
His former employer.
His coworkers.
His bad luck.
Everyone except himself.
He had turned down several jobs because they weren’t “good enough.”
But now, suddenly, he was willing to work harder than ever.
Just not for a paycheck.
For Barbara.
Then his birthday arrived.
I expected him to ask for money.
Instead, he announced that he was having dinner with Barbara.
“Just the two of us,” he said.
I nearly dropped my fork.
Barbara looked up from her plate.
“Excuse me?”
Ryan smiled.
“I thought you and I could go somewhere nice. My birthday.”
Barbara put down her napkin.
“Ryan, I don’t think that’s appropriate.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m your mother’s friend.”
“So?”
“And because I am not interested in a romantic relationship with you.”
The smile disappeared from his face.
“You don’t have to make it weird.”
Barbara raised an eyebrow.
“You asked me on a date.”
“I was just being friendly.”
“No, you weren’t.”
Silence filled the kitchen.
Ryan stood.
“You think I’m after your money?”
Barbara didn’t answer.
He laughed bitterly.
“Unbelievable.”
Then he walked away.
I thought that would be the end of it.
It wasn’t.
The next morning, Barbara came downstairs holding a small envelope.
“I bought something for Ryan.”
I frowned.
“You don’t have to.”
“I know.”
She smiled.
“That’s why I bought it.”
That evening, Ryan came downstairs wearing a new shirt.
He clearly expected something special.
Barbara was waiting in the living room.
She handed him the envelope.
“Happy birthday.”
Ryan opened it.
His face changed.
Inside was a single sheet of paper.
Not a check.
Not money.
A job offer.
Barbara had contacted someone she knew who owned a property-management company.
The position paid well, but there was a condition.
Ryan had to start at the bottom.
No special treatment.
No family connections.
No shortcuts.
Ryan stared at the paper.
“What is this?”
“A job.”
“I don’t need a job from you.”
Barbara nodded.
“Then you shouldn’t have a problem turning it down.”
Ryan looked at me.
I said nothing.
He looked back at Barbara.
“You think I’m some kind of gold digger.”
“No,” Barbara said calmly.
“I think you’re twenty-five years old and capable of building a life that doesn’t depend on someone else’s money.”
Ryan’s jaw tightened.
Barbara continued.
“And I think you confused kindness with weakness.”
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